The Northern Witch's Book Blog

Never Forgotten by Kelly Risser 3.5 out of 5

Synopsis
Meara Quinn is about to find out there are worse things than moving to a tiny oceanside town before her senior year. Like discovering there's a secret being kept from her and knowing it's a life-changer.

After experiencing vivid visions of her absentee father, Meara decides she deserves answers. With the help of her new friend Evan, a guy she happens to be falling for, she embarks on a journey in the hopes of unlocking family history and finding her true self. But when she meets a handsome stranger at a local club who knows far more about her than he should, her world is again shaken. In him, Meara may have uncovered the key to the very secret that will reveal not only who she is... but what she is.

Ink & Arrows by Shruthi Viswanathan  3 out of 5

Synopsis
An artist who inks magical tattoos....
Rea is a Suveri, part of a tribe that can create tattoos with devastating powers. Bitter after the death of her father at the hands of a cruel general, she tries to get revenge...only to fail at her mission and be saved by a mysterious stranger who demands to know the secrets of the Suveri's tattoos.
A prince searching for power..
Sebastyen is the heir to the throne and a warrior who has shed more blood than any other on the battlefield. But the woman he meets offers a glimpse of peace. Intrigued by her rebellious nature, he agrees to fulfill three of her wishes in return for learning how to tattoo with magic.
Note: Due to mature content the book is intended for older readers. 18+

The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave 5 out of 5

Synopsis
Finnmark, Norway, 1617. Twenty-year-old Maren Magnusdatter stands on the craggy coast, watching the sea break into a sudden and reckless storm. Forty fishermen, including her brother and father, are drowned and left broken on the rocks below. With the menfolk wiped out, the women of the tiny Arctic town of Vardø must fend for themselves.

Three years later, a sinister figure arrives. Absalom Cornet comes from Scotland, where he burned witches in the northern isles. He brings with him his young Norwegian wife, Ursa, who is both heady with her husband's authority and terrified by it. In Vardø, and in Maren, Ursa sees something she has never seen before: independent women. But Absalom sees only a place untouched by God, and flooded with a mighty evil.

As Maren and Ursa are drawn to one another in ways that surprise them both, the island begins to close in on them, with Absalom's iron rule threatening Vardø's very exist…

Best Books of the Year 2019
As we come to the end of the year (and the decade), here's a sample of my favourite books over the last twelve months!

JANUARYThe Binding by Bridget Collins
YA Historical

An alternate history, where memories are bound into books, and reading them is taboo.
Emmett is a trainee book binder, both hated and respected in equal measure. He has to uncover the truth - has his own memories been bound, and why?

Full review

Goodreads

Amazon





FEBRUARYThe Stone's Heart by Jessica Thorne
YA Sci-Fi

In the second book of the Queen's Wing series, Bel in consolidating her position as ruler, with the help of some old friends.
Petra is a warrior and a general, and has made a name for herself. Her confidence is tested when he ex comes flying back into her life.

Full review

Goodreads

Amazon





MARCH One Summer in Paris by Sarah Morgan 
Chick Lit

Grace and Audrey have nothing in common, but a charming little bookshop in Paris brings them together. They support each other and be…

A Throne of Swans by Katharine Corr and Elizabeth Corr 4 out of 5

Synopsis
In a world where the flightless are ruled by those who can fly...

When her father dies just before her birthday, seventeen-year-old Aderyn inherits the role of Protector of Atratys, a dominion in a kingdom where nobles are able to transform at will into the bird that represents their family bloodline. Aderyn's ancestral bird is a swan. But she has not transformed for years, not since witnessing the death of her mother - ripped apart by hawks that have supposedly been extinct since the long-ago War of the Raptors.

With the benevolent shelter of her mother and her father now lost, Aderyn is at the mercy of her brutal uncle, the King, and his royal court. Driven by revenge and love, she must venture into the malevolent heart of the Citadel in order to seek the truth about the attack that so nearly destroyed her, to fight for the only home she has ever known and for the land she has vowed to protect.

Written in …