Witch in the Woods


Witch in the Woods 

by C.M. Adler 

3.5 out of 5 

Synopsis 

"Once upon a time, there was a young girl who lived near an enchanted forest with her sister and her father. One day, while her father was gone selling firewood to the neighboring villages, her sister fell ill. Out of desperation, the young girl ventured into the forest for help and there she found a woman who gave her everything her soul desired...


Ambrosine lives next to an enchanted wood, which is no big deal when you know how to spot a magic hoax nest and trap nasty little night fairies. 


And certainly no big deal when there is not even a witch in the woods.


When her little sister Rosaline encounters a strange new creature, she falls asleep and a dangerous fever dream threatens her life. With their mother dead and their father gone, Ambrosine gambles with the deepest desire of her soul as she fights to save her sister.


Based on the Grimm fairy tale, The Tale of the Rose, this is a highly entertaining and bone-chilling story of the first Witch in the Woods." 


Review 

Thanks to their absent father, Ambrosine is used to looking after herself and her sister. But the magic in the nearby woods will upend their lives.


I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I believe this novella is only available as a free download from the author's website.


The story starts with Ambrosine, whose mother is dead, and father is an unloving man who has no intention of returning to their house in the woods.

As she has done for years, Ambrosine takes care of her younger sister, becoming almost like a mother to her.


I liked the magical world that the author has created. Where faeries are pests, and there's all manner of dangers, if you don't pay attention.

Ambrosine has learnt most of them, and tries to teach her sister, but it all seems to late when her sister falls for an enchantment.

I liked the ambiguity of the Draemer, and thought it was well done. You never know for sure what the creature wants, and if it is only there to help.

The author describes this as a dark "bone-chilling" book


I thought for a short book, the author establishes a very solid relationship between Ambrosine and her sister. They are so close, and Amrosine would do anything to protect Rosaline; it was really quite sweet, in the middle of the dark forest.


The not-so-good

There's a lot in this little novella. I wonder how much of it hints at the rest of the upcoming series, or are perhaps references to "The Tale of the Rose" (which I'm not familiar with).

I felt like some of the additions didn't fit smoothly with the story, and affected the rhythm of the narrative.

I know this is a short story and leads into something bigger, but I did think the ending lacked closure. It all happened so quickly, I'm not sure what actually occurred.


Overall, this was an entertaining story, and I look forward to the rest of the series.

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