As you might recall from my recent post, I have been impatiently waiting for the arrival of the ARC of Witch of Ware Woods by Sonja F. Blanco. In the meanwhile, it has arrived and I have to say: it definitely delivered on its promise!
Witch of Ware Woods
Witch of Ware Woods tells the story of Sara, a girl who has always known that she was different. Haunted by a terrible accident from the past and scared of the dark power lurking within her, Sara struggles to find her place in life. But one day, another accident sets in motion a chain of events that leads her to discover that nothing is as it seems. Hunted by a dark witch, Sara finds shelter in Ware Woods, a sacred forest in which a magical community has thrived for generations. However, she soon finds that it is just as difficult to be an outsider there as it was in the outside world. Tested at every turn, she has to balance learning everything she can about magic with hiding her own terrible powers. But when the dark witch arrives at the forest, difficult decisions need to be made. Will she be able to use her powers for good and protect the village, or is she really the monster she’s always feared she might be?
Magic, wit, and adventure
I really enjoyed reading this first installment of this new fantasy series. The story sets out as plot driven and then becomes more dialogue driven (two of my favourite types of narration) but at the same time, we are introduced to a wholly new magical world. The community in Ware Woods is one that I would love to visit. It somehow felt a bit like what you would get if you would have multiple Burrows together…warm, thoroughly magical, and inviting. With a few scary cousins here and there 😉
When we first get introduced to them, it feels a bit overwhelming because so many new characters are introduced in the space of a few pages. I was seriously considering drawing a family tree. However, I’ve come to realise that this actually fits the story very well, because it brings the reader quite close to what Sara must be feeling. She arrives at the forest and suddenly, she has to get to learn all these people who are all in one way or another connected to her and her family. So although it might all feel a little bit complex at first, it’s actually a quite powerful tool to help you experience it through Sara’s eyes.
As I mentioned before, there’s a lot of dialogue in this story. I absolutely love myself a good, witty dialogue and miss it when it’s not present in a novel. I had already gathered from the prequel and the newsletters that there would be a lot of that, and I’m happy to say the book did not disappoint! The writing style is also very fluent and you’re drawn from chapter to chapter.
I also very much liked the magic system. I’m very much into witchcraft myself, so I feel really connected to the idea of sacred forests filled with magic. The symbiotic relationship that came to exist between the “Gifted” people living in the Woods and the natural magic itself is explained beautifully and the concept of “family” magic is always a winner if you ask me. I’m looking forward to learn more about the Dragons, though. They are briefly mentioned in both the prequel and this book, so I’m curious to meet them. I’m unfamiliar with the idea of Dragons being able to regulate the natural balance between light and dark, but I have to admit it fascinates me. We named our house The Dragon’s Lair for a reason, of course. Hint: it’s because we adore Dragons.
Thank you again, Sonja, for giving me this ARC in return for my honest review! I really enjoyed this story, so I would like to give it four out of five gemstones:
Age Category: Young adult, but also suitable for an older audience
Trigger Warnings (click here, may contain spoilers)
Mild. Warnings for parental death and attempted abuse.Do you want to discover more?
If my review inspired you to pick up the book, don’t hesitate to check it out at Goodreads. As mentioned, I read an ARC so the book is currently not yet available on the market. It will be released on the 19th of October! You can already pre-order the eBook via Amazon though. Hardcovers and paperback editions will become available internationally via Amazon as well.
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If you do not want to wait to start your magical journey, you can already dive into the prequel by subscribing to the author’s mailing list. My review of Flood & Fire can be found here.
And I have more good news: part two of this series will be published during the summer of 2022!
If you cannot wait another year, you might want to check out some other books that gave me similar vibes, one way or another. The first book that came to mind was Among the Beasts & Briars by Ashley Poston (read my full review here). The magical forest in that story is far less welcoming and there are more horror-like elements, but it also has a lot of witty banter, a girl with magical companions in a forest, and a lurking evil.
The second book I had to think about was Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin. There are not that many similarities story wise, but somehow the atmosphere of the prequel brought this story to mind. I haven’t gotten around to reviewing this book yet, but I will once I finish the series. It tells the story of an unlikely alliance between a witch and a witch hunter and witty dialogues are also a large part of its narration. My review can be found here.