Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing for a complimentary early release copy of The Witch of Hagstone Hill written by Johanna Van Veen and Illustrated by Raquel Lagartos.

I love Johanna Van Veen’s adult horror books so when I seen she was releasing a horror middle grade/children’s fiction novel I was intrigued! The Witch of Hagstone Hill is a fun adventure of a read, I liked our main characters the Grimm sisters, they were fun to follow and I enjoyed many of their character quirks. I liked the side characters we meet along the way, I think they were all very unique and I was always excited to meet the next new character! Some of my favorite have to be brunhild, little Lucia, Buzzletruzz, and the cursed doll. The interactions between the main characters and these characters are all very memorable and it certainly a magical moment!

I do wish we would have learned a bit more about the Beldam, they were an interesting antagonist and we do get some information about them but I would have loved to get more background like how the Beldam came into existence, were they born a Beldam, what was their past life like if not. Every time the Beldam appeared it’s both a moment of intrigue but also dread for what it is going to do next.

I’m curious to know what the other books in this series are going to follow plot wise. I would assume since it’s a three book series that each book is going to follow a different sister (or at least I’m hoping). Both Annet and Hannah seem like nice characters and I’m eager to learn more about the two of them. Especially with Annet and the cursed doll! I loved the illustrations included in the book, I feel that they really helped picture some big moments clearly plus it was nice to see what the characters look like.

If you enjoyed this book and are interested in adult horror I really recommend checking out Johanna Van Veen’s other books My Darling Dreadful Thing and Blood on Her Tongue are both standalone books. They are atmospheric gothic horror and I have enjoyed both of them!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC.

I liked this one. It was a spooky fantasy that had hints of a fairy tale to it. I liked the characters (though at times they were their age, but I am not that target), and I really liked the glimpse into the fairy world. I liked the adventures Nell went on for the sake of her family. There definitely were some creepy parts to this story.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and Net Galley for providing an ARC in exchange for my review.

Where were all these amazing books for middle schoolers when I was younger?! I'm so jealous!! I loved this book, and would recommend it to anyone with middle grades kids or students. I'm hoping for a whole series and audiobooks to follow! The author's talents and skill in writing her adult gothic horror novels has been translated to a younger audience.

5 stars