Review: The Year of Witching by Alexis Henderson

The Handmaid’s Tale meets The Village in this stunning feminist debut . . .

Born on the fringes of Bethel, Immanuelle does her best to obey the Church and follow Holy Protocol. For it was in Bethel that the first Prophet pursued and killed four powerful witches, and so cleansed the land.

And then a chance encounter lures her into the Darkwood that surrounds Bethel.

It is a forbidden place, haunted by the spirits of the witches who bestow an extraordinary gift on Immanuelle. The diary of her dead mother . . .

Fascinated by and fearful of the secrets the diary reveals, Immanuelle begins to understand why her mother once consorted with witches. And as the truth about the Prophets, the Church and their history is revealed, so Immanuelle understands what must be done. For the real threat to Bethel is its own darkness.

Review: I don’t normally read a lot of books about witches but boy am I glad I read this book. This book has amazing intersectional feminism, a great exploration of identity and then some magical realism and issues with curses and plagues all rolled into one novel. I have no idea how Alexis Henderson did it! I am in awe. 

Immanuelle is such an interesting character because she has such conflicting identities going on. She has her family, very much part of her past, the church and community, her present and then she has her own views and values which are basically her future. I loved the way she handled herself throughout the novel and that this book is very much about her and the way she handles the problems that she is faced with. I felt very sorry for her and wanted to champion her throughout the book. 

The magic in this book is just the right level of magic for me as a reader. I could picture the curses and plagues involved in all of the issues that Immanuelle faces. Everything is very believable and it all ties in with the stories of witches I grew up with, the Salem Trials and the dunking in Tudor England. I loved the mix of real and magical here, it ties together nicely with the issues of religion and darkness throughout the book. 

I also really loved the description of the setting in this book. I could picture the dark woods and Immanuelle’s home. I could picture the other woman described and the pastor and their marriage ceremonies! Overall I really enjoyed Immanuelle’s story and would love to read more from this author in the future!

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Review: Witchrise by Victoria Lamb

Only one witch can rise above the coming storm ...

When Tudor witch Meg Lytton receives an unexpected legacy - her mother's magical wand, ring and spellbook - she has no idea her future happiness is in danger. For the witchfinder Marcus Dent is back in her dreams, and he will use any weapon to gain her newfound powers for himself.

Now Meg must discover the secret of Invictus, her mother's magical ring. Summoned back to Hatfield, she knows a battle is coming. But Meg is no longer alone in her struggle against Dent. Surrounded by her friends, she faces her greatest challenge head-on: losing Alejandro, her beloved. For it seems the Spanish novice has been keeping secrets from them all.

Powers clash and hearts break in the spellbinding third book of The Tudor Witch Trilogy.

Review: I was so excited for the conclusion in this trilogy and I have to admit that I was a little bit disappointed! I felt a little bit like, in terms of storyline and action, all the good bits had been used up in the first 2 books and so this one suffered accordingly. I was really pleased to hear the ending to Meg's tale and I was really pleased with the way that this author concluded Meg's story but overall I wasn't overwhelmed by the storyline. 

I really like the character of Meg. She is definitely a strong female lead and this book is as much about feminism, or this series for that matter, as it is about witches. I really like that fact that she is independent and finds out for herself what she has to do In order to get the job done! She wants to follow in her mothers footsteps and make her proud and that is something else I really like a outer. She also seems to avoid outing other people out for her own gain, all the while standing up for what she believes in and what is right! 

I love all the other characters in this trilogy although i do find Meg's family to be a little to interfering. I likes Alejandro's storyline in this book though, even though he didn't appear as much in this book as he did in the others... I think the gore in this novel is lower generally than the gore in the first two books in the series, perhaps this was where the storyline was lacking a bit for me-who knows! I did feel a little bit like nothing of importance happened overall although clearly there was enough going on to keep me reading and keep me enjoying the novel. 

The trilogy has magic, mystery, action and historical elements as well as romance and tension and overall I think it's a really strong trilogy. I think that even if you don't enjoy books about witches you could still access this trilogy as all three books don't overpower you with witchcraft and all three books are quick reads as well! I love Meg as a character and I'm going to miss her, I know other readers will also love her for her girl power and her heart and so if you haven't read any of these books, I would definitely recommend the trilogy to you! 

Review! Witchfall by Victoria Lamb

London, 1554. At the court of Mary Tudor, life is safe for no one. The jealous, embittered queen sees enemies all around her, and the infamous Spanish Inquisition holds the court in its merciless grip. But Meg Lytton has more reason to be afraid than most - for Meg is a witch, and exposure would mean certain death. Even more perilous, Meg is secretly betrothed to the young priest Alejandro de Castillo; a relationship which they must hide at all costs.

In the service of the queen's sister, Princess Elizabeth, Meg tries to use her powers to foretell her mistress's future. But when a spell goes terribly wrong, and Meg begins to have horrifying dreams, she fears she has released a dark spirit into the world, intent on harming her and those around her.

Review: wow what a fabulous sequel to a magical novel. I was lucky enough to receive book one and book two from Random House for review and I am so pleased because I couldn't wait to start this sequel after having read the first book. I really don't normally like a lot of magic in books and mystical creatures such as witches but in this case, i can definitely make an exception. The first in this series introduces us to determined young witch meg and this book lets us get to know meg even further and she exceeds our expectations in terms of what she is capable of!

Overall this book is a lot darker than the first, there is more magic being brandished in this one, and at one point in the book, I genuinely feared for meg's life. I found that I couldn't read this book before bed because I would have nightmares, but that shows you just how good it was, that it got under my skin so much, just a warning that this one really isn't for the younger end of YA readers...

There was even more of a historical aspect to this novel with Henry VIII making an appearance as well as the spirit of Anne Boleyn, I found this historical aspect truly wonderful and very well researched. For me, it just added another level to this novel. We had the story of meg, the magic being worked, the possible love interest with Spanish priest Alejandro and the the historical aspect in terms of relationships between Elizabeth and each member of here family-truly inspired!

The love story intensifies in this novel too, Alejandro is still very much on the scene and making his presence known at court, and then when Elizabeth and her party move to Hatfield. Meg's family are also around more in this book which I found interesting, her brother and father seem to now be far more supportive of her and I think this only gives her more confidence to be even more of her own person and make her own decisions.

Initially I wasn't sure about the increase of magic in this novel, I didn't think I was going to like it, but when everything ties together at the end of the book, you realise that the magic is a key ingredient into the events of this novel and the development of the characters within. Another great read and definitely something to recommend, the only bad part? We have to wait until next summer for the next book!

You can get your copy of Witchfall now by clicking here...

Review! Witchstruck by Victoria Lamb

Meg Lytton has always known of her dark and powerful gift. Raised a student of the old magick by her Aunt Jane, casting the circle to see visions of the future and concocting spells from herbs and bones has always been as natural to Meg as breathing. But there has never been a more dangerous time to practise the craft, for it is 1554, and the sentence for any woman branded a witch is hanging, or burning at the stake.

Sent to the ruined, isolated palace of Woodstock to serve the disgraced Elizabeth, daughter of Henry VIII and half-sister of Queen Mary, Meg discovers her skills are of interest to the outcast princess, who is desperate to know if she will ever claim the throne. But Meg's existence becomes more dangerous every day, with the constant threat of exposure by the ruthless witchfinder Marcus Dent, and the arrival of a young Spanish priest, Alejandro de Castillo, to whom Meg is irresistibly drawn - despite their very different attitudes to her secret.

Thrilling and fast-paced, this is the first unputdownable story in a bewitching new series.

Review: a fabulous novel about a witch who is friends with Elizabeth 1, as unbelievable as this sounds it really makes for a great story! Meg is a wonderful main character, we discover thought the novel that she is a witch as has been sent to Woodstock to serve Elizabeth as she has been exiled here. We also know that she has an aunt who is a witch and a father and brother who might have the ability to betray her. Meg is actually a very strong woman who knows her own mind, when those around her try to trick her or boss he around, she doesn't allow it, she doesn't use her magic very often, but when she does, she makes sure that she gets the maximum benefit from it.

Like all good witch tales, she comes under the suspicion of a witch hunter and it looks like it could all be over for meg. I have the admit,in found myself holding my breath during some of the scenes where she was being hounded or interrogated and there was seven a really low point where I had a little cry because of events going on in this novel!

Of course there is a love interest too, a saucy Spanish priest nonetheless, and even towards the ending of this novel, we never really find out whether meg succumbs to his Spanish seductions or not, I think this is wonderful twist to the story. 

The thing that I really enjoyed about this tale is the historical accuracy. Tudors is a favourite period in history for me and so reading about Elizabeth and her relationship with her sister, and indeed the country, was excellent and definitely surpassed my expectations. I was lucky enough to receive the sequel to this fab historical YA fiction Witchfall and I can't wait to get on and get reading that-look out for the review soon. They are definitely something that should be added to your reading list!

You can get your copy of Witchstruck now by clicking here...