The Northern Witch's Book Blog

On The Edge: Forest and Fae by M.J. Glenn 4 out of 5 Synopsis For two years, Ebony Wick has survived alone as an outlaw and highwaywoman in Rundlewood Forest. She doesn’t need people. She only needs to survive. But when Hunter Sparrow breaks into her camp and invites her to join his gang, the Bounty Hunters, she finds herself facing a difficult choice. With a burning desire for revenge against a powerful enemy, Ebony must choose between reason and instinct. But in doing so, she discovers a long-hidden secret that will change her world forever. Review Ebony Wick doesn't need anyone; she's made an art of surviving alone, but Hunter wants her to join his Bounty Hunters, and he won't take no for an answer. This story follows our main character, Ebony, as she goes about her life, settles some grievances, and weighs up the pros and cons of joining a team. She spends most of her time in Rundlewood Forest, living in harmony with the fae that terrify most folk. Well, that and a red-...

And Put Away Childish Things by Adrian Tchaikovsky 4 out of 5 Synopsis Harry Bodie’s been called into the delightful fantasy world of his grandmother’s beloved children’s books. It’s not delightful here at all. All roads lead to Underhill, where it’s always winter, and never nice. Harry Bodie has a famous grandmother, who wrote beloved children’s books set in the delightful world of Underhill. Harry himself is a failing kids’ TV presenter whose every attempt to advance his career ends in self-sabotage. His family history seems to be nothing but an impediment. An impediment... or worse. What if Underhill is real? What if it has been waiting decades for a promised child to visit? What if it isn’t delightful at all? And what if its denizens have run out of patience and are taking matters into their own hands? Review Harry is an out-of-work TV presenter, who has lived his whole life in the shadow of his late-grandmother's popular children's books. Strange things start to happen, an...

The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black 4 out of 5 Synopsis Children can have a cruel, absolute sense of justice. Children can kill a monster and feel quite proud of themselves. A girl can look at her brother and believe they’re destined to be a knight and a bard who battle evil. She can believe she’s found the thing she’s been made for. Hazel lives with her brother, Ben, in the strange town of Fairfold where humans and fae exist side by side. The faeries’ seemingly harmless magic attracts tourists, but Hazel knows how dangerous they can be, and she knows how to stop them. Or she did, once. At the center of it all, there is a glass coffin in the woods. It rests right on the ground and in it sleeps a boy with horns on his head and ears as pointed as knives. Hazel and Ben were both in love with him as children. The boy has slept there for generations, never waking. Until one day, he does… As the world turns upside down, Hazel tries to remember her years pretending to be a knight. B...

The Thorns Remain by J.J.A. Harwood 1 out of 5 Synopsis A dance with the fae will change everything 1919. In a highland village forgotten by the world, harvest season is over and the young who remain after war and flu have ravaged the village will soon head south to make something of themselves. Moira Jean and her friends head to the forest for a last night of laughter before parting ways. Moira Jean is being left behind. She had plans to leave once – but her lover died in France and with him, her future. The friends light a fire, sing and dance. But with every twirl about the flames, strange new dancers thread between them, music streaming from the trees. The fae are here. Suddenly Moira Jean finds herself all alone, her friends spirited away. The iron medal of her lost love, pinned to her dress, protected her from magic. For the Fae feel forgotten too. Lead by the darkly handsome Lord of the Fae, they are out to make themselves known once more. Moira Jean must enter into a bargain wi...

Princess of Souls by Alexandra Christo 4 out of 5 Synopsis From the author of To Kill a Kingdom comes Princess of Souls, a Rapunzel-inspired YA fantasy romance about a teen witch groomed to steal souls for an immortal king and the reckless, rebellious boy to whom her fate is tied. For sixteen years, Selestra Somniatis has been trapped in a castle on the Floating Mountain, preparing to take her mother’s place as King Seryth’s right hand. Tied by blood to steal souls for the immortal King of the Six Isles, the Somniatis Witch foretells the deaths of participants in the Festival of Predictions. To outrun your fate is to save your soul and steal the King’s immortality. But if you die, your soul is forfeit. And though thousands have tried, nobody has ever beaten death. As a soldier in King Seryth’s army, Nox Laederic is an unlikely candidate for the Festival, but he has no plans to die at the hands of the King or his witches. His plan is more akin to violent revenge: steal the King’s immort...

The Leviathan by Rosie Andrews 4 out of 5 Synopsis The most beguiling debut of 2022, perfect for fans of The Essex Serpent, The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock and The Binding. She is awake... Norfolk, 1643. With civil war tearing England apart, reluctant soldier Thomas Treadwater is summoned home by his sister, who accuses a new servant of improper conduct with their widowed father. By the time Thomas returns home, his father is insensible, felled by a stroke, and their new servant is in prison, facing charges of witchcraft. Thomas prides himself on being a rational, modern man, but as he unravels the mystery of what has happened, he uncovers not a tale of superstition but something dark and ancient, linked to a shipwreck years before. Something has awoken, and now it will not rest. Richly researched, incredibly atmospheric, and deliciously unsettling, The Leviathan is set in England during a time of political turbulence and religious zealotry. It is a tale of family and loyalty, superstition...

Midnight in Everwood M.A. Kuzniar 4.5 out of 5 Synopsis A spell-binding retelling of The Nutcracker, filled with enchanted toys, decadent balls, fierce feminine friendships and a forbidden romance. For fans of The Toymakers, Caraval and The Bear and the Nightingale. There’s nothing Marietta Stelle loves more than ballet, but after Christmas, her dreams will be over as she is obligated to take her place in Edwardian society. While she is chafing against such suffocating traditions, a mysterious man purchases the neighbouring townhouse. Dr Drosselmeier is a charming but calculating figure who wins over the rest of the Stelle family with his enchanting toys and wondrous mechanisms. When Drosselmeier constructs an elaborate set for Marietta’s final ballet performance, she discovers it carries a magic all of its own. On the stroke of midnight on Christmas Eve, she is transported to a snowy forest, where she encounters danger at every turn: ice giants, shadow goblins and the shrieking mist a...

The Shadow in the Glass by J.J.A. Harwood 5 out of 5 Synopsis Once upon a time Ella had wished for more than her life as a lowly maid. Now forced to work hard under the unforgiving, lecherous gaze of the man she once called stepfather, Ella’s only refuge is in the books she reads by candlelight, secreted away in the library she isn’t permitted to enter. One night, among her beloved books of far-off lands, Ella’s wishes are answered. At the stroke of midnight, a fairy godmother makes her an offer that will change her life: seven wishes, hers to make as she pleases. But each wish comes at a price and Ella must to decide whether it’s one she’s willing to pay it. A smouldering, terrifying new spin on Cinderella – perfect for fans of Laura Purcell and Erin Morgenstern. Review As a lowly housemaid, Eleanor lives in fear of her employer, Mr Pembroke. One night, when her fears are at their greatest, a mysterious black-eyed woman comes to her aid. I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchan...

Threadneedle by Cari Thomas 4 out of 5 Synopsis Within the boroughs of London, nestled among its streets, hides another city, filled with magic. Magic is the first sin. It must be bound. Ever since Anna can remember, her aunt has warned her of the dangers of magic. She has taught her to fear how it twists and knots and turns into something dark and deadly. It was, after all, magic that killed her parents and left her in her aunt’s care. It’s why she has been protected from the magical world and, in one year’s time, what little magic she has will be bound. She will join her aunt alongside the other Binders who believe magic is a sin not to be used, but denied. Only one more year and she will be free of the curse of magic, her aunt’s teachings and the disappointment of the little she is capable of. Nothing – and no one – could change her mind before then. Could it? Review Anna has grown up fearing her non-existent magic, waiting til the day it can be officially bound by the Binders. Her ...

The Night River: The Foxfires Trilogy, Book Three GENRE: YA fantasy adventure RELEASE DAY: SATURDAY DECEMBER 19TH 2020 Enter a frozen world of brutal beauty, where Spirits roam, nights last for months, and magic is wrought by the beat of a drum… BLURB: As the light returns, darkness will fall... Spring is coming to the Northlands, but even as winter fades, an icy terror spreads. The three Worlds are on the brink of collapse, and ancient monsters rise from the earth, their wicked eyes set firmly on the mages. Tuomas, still reeling from his defiance of the Great Bear Spirit, must finally face the reality of who he is. Mihka is furious with him, Elin refuses to speak to him, and the people do not trust him. As the villagers drive the reindeer back into the south to safety, he must set out with Lumi one final time to right his wrongs and keep the Worlds from falling apart. But this quest shall bring the greatest test of all, for it will take him into the Deathlands: a place where no living...

The Winter Spirits  by E.C. Hibbs  5 out of 5 Synopsis  If you sing to the Spirits, be prepared for their answer... The Long Dark has come and the Northlands will not see daylight for two months. Silence falls with the snow, and Spirits roam the three Worlds. It is a time of beauty, magic, and danger. When the Spirit of the Northern Lights steals his best friend’s soul, apprentice mage Tuomas is determined to find help. However, his own fledgling power gets the better of him, and he accidentally rips the Spirit out of the sky, trapping her in human form. Alongside his feared icy companion and the mysterious wandering mage Lilja, Tuomas begins a quest across frozen tundra and into ethereal Spirit realms. But a terrible shadow lingers just out of sight, its gaze fixed on him. And behind her composed façade, the Spirit holds secrets of her own...  Review   Tuomas has to work with spirits and mages. Meanwhile his mission to save his best friend transforms into ...

The Mist Children  by E.C. Hibbs  5 out of 5  Synopsis  When power rises, so does the truth... The Sun Spirit has risen again and the Northlands are slowly stirring from their slumber. The snow still lies thick, but life moves on, and the villages prepare their reindeer for the long migration to the coast. However, when Tuomas returns from the World Above, he knows something is wrong. The young people are falling ill with a mysterious sickness, the mages are unable to connect with the Spirits, and there are whispers of a strange little boy haunting the lakes. Although struggling to come to terms with his own power, Tuomas once again joins forces with Lilja and Elin to face an evil which has waited for him for centuries. But high in the sky, the Spirit of the Lights is watching, and she sees more than any human can... Review  Tuomas' people are being plagued by a dangerous mist and mysterious illness. Tuomas has to uncover what is behind it, before he loses those...

The Night River  by E.C. Hibbs  4.5 out of 5  Synopsis  As the light returns, darkness will fall... Spring is coming to the Northlands, but even as winter fades, an icy terror spreads. The three Worlds are on the brink of collapse, and ancient monsters rise from the earth, their wicked eyes set firmly on the mages. Tuomas, still reeling from his defiance of the Great Bear Spirit, must finally face the reality of who he is. Mihka is furious with him, Elin refuses to speak to him, and the people do not trust him. As the villagers drive the reindeer back into the south to safety, he must set out with Lumi one final time to right his wrongs and keep the Worlds from falling apart. ​But this quest shall bring the greatest test of all, for it will take him into the Deathlands: a place where no living person has ever stood... Review  Tuomas has to discover why the trolls have awakened, and why they are attacking his people. With the help of his sister, they also have to...

Lava Red Feather Blue  by Molly Ringle  3 out of 5  Synopsis  Awakening the handsome prince is supposed to end the fairy tale, not begin it. But the Highvalley witches have rarely done things the way they're supposed to. On the north Pacific island of Eidolonia, hidden from the world by enchantments, Prince Larkin has lain in a magical sleep since 1799 as one side of a truce between humans and fae. That is, until Merrick Highvalley, a modern-day witch, discovers an old box of magic charms and cryptic notes hidden inside a garden statue. Experimenting with the charms, Merrick finds himself inside the bower where Larkin lies, and accidentally awakens him. Worse still, releasing Larkin from the spell also releases Ula Kana, a faery bent on eradicating humans from the island. With the truce collapsing and hostilities escalating throughout the country, Merrick and Larkin form an unlikely alliance and become even unlikelier heroes as they flee into the perilous fae realm o...

  Witch in the Woods Witches of Grimm Prequel by C.M. Adler Genre: Dark Fantasy " 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, t...