First off, let me just say that Luanne G. Smiths writing itself is awesome. It's super readable, uses varied word choice and just sucks you in. I started this novel at two o'clock in the afternoon yesterday and finished it that night so let that be an idea of how well done it was. She also had an excellent eye for historical details. It was nice to see the author go for small things that defined the era as well as the large ones. It's a different type of magic that winds its way through the pages, but I was taken in nonetheless.

Unfortunately, I didn’t much care for the telling instead of showing aspect of the novel. Everything is spelled out so much that there isn’t a chance for the reader to try to make these discoveries for ourselves. Character development was also minimal - at least if I am uninspired by the plot I can connect with the characters if I get to see and know them through their interactions. I am told some of the characters knew each other well, and in one case had a loving relationship, but their resultant actions didn't demonstrate it very well. Elena barely develops (more on that later), and the same for Jean-Paul (or, that it comes way too early). The side characters also are very static, which reflects itself heavily on the plot. The lore and world-building is sort of there, but not quite.

Though I do thirst for a little bit more because of how things ended, I can still say that this book wraps itself up nicely. I suspect the following books will build more upon the lore, but as a single book, it wasn’t too bad. Unique and great concept, though the execution felt lacking.

3-4 stars, as it was a fun read, which was a nice break from my normal genre, but at times was just too predictable for even me in the fantasy genre. I think overall, it was well written and the magic, land, and plot were described in a manner that let you feel as though you had traveled there. I wish it hadn’t gone into such a systematic rhythm, but do recommend to those who enjoy fantasy with some mystery throughout!
Will make sure to buzz it up!

I get entirely too much enjoyment out of matching my drinks with my reads- but what could be more perfect to pair with this Witching Hour red blend than this fantasy about witches & vineyards? 😍 That being said, I know what I like and this book ticked several boxes for me from the get-go. Wine? Check. Witches? Check. Romance? Check.

The opening passage was one of my favorite parts- it was so cleverly done and fun! But while most of plot was entertaining I was somehow left wanting in the end- but that’s not to say I didn’t enjoy it! Overall, it was a solid easy, adult fairy tail sort of read and I was happy to find that witches were in the forefront of the book and not just a backdrop.

At first, I was reluctant to read this book. What I have read, I know, may be a reflection, a piece of great writing magically baptizing witches or an utter illusion. And the spells of the witches rose like a chorus of violins in my ears - Hadi Atallah, author of 'Rosemary Bluebell.'

Quick enjoyable read. A bit predictable at times but I loved the feel of the atmosphere. I also found the beginning a bit sudden, even starting with her being turned into the critter and a quick time lapse to her breaking the curse might’ve been less abrasive.

What a delightful read! The Vine Witch puts a unique spin on what magical books typically are. While you still get a dose of the good vs evil trope, I appreciated that the book was not limited to magic against manipulating humans. Instead, magic is primarily used in cultivating wine! I'm sure you're thinking of your favorite wine right now and it's different tones. You never know, maybe it had a little help!

The love story was also a lovely subtle touch that contributed to how the story itself bloomed. Wine and romance definitely go hand in hand!

I also really enjoyed the pacing and changes in scenery throughout the book. The prison portion is actually my favorite! Some really entertaining characters in there. Plus the characters have completely normal reactions to discovering magic exists, or that harm has been done to someone. It brought a realness to the story.

If you like a bit of wine, romance and witchery, you definitely want to add The Vine Witch to your TBR list!

When I requested this book, I thought it was going to be more about the actual vine witch magic, but it ended up being more about the other forms of magic in this world. I did enjoy the characters that we met along the way. but I felt like they weren't fleshed out enough for me to appreciate their individual qualities. I also felt like Smith was a lot better at writing the relationship between Elena and Jean-Paul after they were together and didn't really create much chemistry between the two. I really did enjoy the scenes in the village towards the beginning and the story did have an atmospheric quality overall.

This is a fabulous debut novel that I loved cover to cover. The location is the beautiful vineyards of the fictitious Chanceaux Valley. The vineyards are the perfect setting for the magic, romance and witchery in this wonderful fun read.
Our wonderful Elena emerges from a curse that has left her as a toad for the past 7 years. Elena wants revenge and she is angry. Elena is a talented vine witch who lived in France tending to the vineyards of Château Renard that she loved.. She soon finds out the vineyard has been taken over by Jean-Paul, a city man who dismisses the country folk's belief in witchcraft as superstition. Elena is out for revenge and. revenge she has. This is a delightful fun read. I loved the rich charcters, the enchanting magical theme and the vineyard setting.

I loved the writing and the fast pace, the perfect magical setting and Elena as a main charcter. I hope this charcter will return and the author will continue her story. A wonderful read.

Elena Boureanu, a vine witch, becomes human again after being cursed as a toad for seven years. She works to save her vineyard and to find out who cursed her.

This book was hard for me to get into at first. After Elena becomes human again, I found it was easier to read the book. I liked the plot of the story and found the characters to be well-written and intriguing. The world was very well set up too, I liked the slow-burn romance as well. The new owner, Jean-Paul Martel, was an interesting character with his ignorance of witches. I like that he started to believe in witches.

Would recommend this book to lovers of fantasy. Will probably read the next book when it comes out.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of The Vine Witch by Luanne G. Smith. I’ve voluntarily read and reviewed this copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Vine Witch is an unusual but intriguing story about Elena Bourneau, a vine witch who returns to the only home she’s ever known - the Chanceaux Valley, after breaking free from a curse that has kept her as a toad for seven years.

With revenge on her mind Elena arrives at her beloved vineyard discovering that things have changed. The vineyard’s new owner Jean-Paul Martel is a man of science who doesn’t believe in the work of vine witches like Elena. Elena will do anything to save her vineyard from dark forces and punish the person responsible for cursing her.

The Vine Witch is a very enjoyable and suspenseful story. The setting is was amazing but the worldbuilding could have been more explored. The story started great, got a bit slower halfway through but ended with an incredible twist. Very curious to find out what the sequel will bring.

As a thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced readers copy I shall give an honest review of “The Vine Witch” by debut author Luanne G.Smith. Coming into this novel I knew of it due to Amazon’s First Reads option on Kindle. Because I saw the ARC on Netgalley I chose this and liked what I chose. This novel was intriguing for it features our protagonist Elena Bourneau who is cursed and after seven years returns to her homeland seeking revenge. The novel is set around the Chanceaux Valley world-renowned for its wine. In Smith’s world of Witches and magic there are all types of Witches whose purpose is focused on their talents whether it be in nature, divination, relationships or whatever the Witch be it female or male has a talent for. Elena has been described as a Vine Witch whose talents assist the Vines in her areas vineyard. Elena’s magical gifts are explored in-depth as the novel progressed and was something I enjoyed. There were moments when my pace in the novel decreased though I found it interesting there were moments when the novels romantic plotline took precedence over the main plot and made it difficult to read. The protagonist's love interest Vigneron Jean-Paul Martel adds a basis of reality in an otherwise magical environment. As the novel progresses the plot around Elena being cursed, her vine witch identity and outcome to her homeland being ruined are tied in together especially in the last 80 pages of the novel. I enjoyed it’s ending and would read its sequel due Summer of 2020. Out of five stars on GoodReads I give this novel 3 stars. I recommend those whose interests are in Witches and slow-burning romance.

I was pleasantly surprised by this story.
I really enjoyed how the magic was used and described through the tale. It wasn't the star of the book, but it was interesting and creative with how the witches existed and used magic.
The writing was very well done, but there were a couple some developmental issues I had with the story.
1) I wish there was a bit more world building done through the text. I loved how we jump right into the action with Elena transforming from a toad back into a human, but the overall world and time frame was a bit confusing. I wasn't sure if we were in a period where witches would be executed or a more modern time with science and technology being such a big topic. I did absolutely love the idea of the Vine Witch though. The magic in this story is very interwoven with the person and items you are using, and the simple concept of growing a wine with the help of magic was an incredible idea. I'd love to read more of that all day long, and wish there was more wine related passages in the book.
2) I thought the character of Jean Paul was extremely under-developed. We really don't get to know him very much at all, and he ends up falling in love with the heroine. I loved his passion and belief in science, but there was really no evidence in his background or actions in the story as to WHY he is a man of science. He has a law degree actually, which is totally unrelated.
Also, his "falling in love" with Elena took one line. Seriously, there was such a great love story waiting to be built here, and it totally fell flat. We were more told that Jean Paul loved Elena by another witch than the two actually discovering it themselves.
There are so many great ideas and passages in this book, and the author is obviously talented, but this world needs to be drawn out with more detail and the story needs to take more time. If this was given the attention and page count of something like Outlander, I think this story/series could be phenomenal. But the way it is now just felt a little rushed to me.

The Vine Witch was such an amazing book. I loved how the world building was done and I really liked Elena and Paul and their slow romance. The author has a keen eye for detail and writes some wonderful descriptions that such you right into the book and highlights the atmosphere. The storyline and plot has some twists and turns and in general being a bit of a pageturner at times. The only bad thing is that I felt some of the characters were a bit one-dimensional at times, such as the grandmother.

There's a sequel coming out in June 2020 and I'm keen on reading that one, as I really liked this one.

The Vine Witch is an interesting and intriguing take on witches. I liked the world and thoroughly enjoyed the story despite it being slow at times. I'm definitely looking forward to reading more of this author's work.


Copy provided by publisher through Net Galley

This is a very hard book to review because it is stuck in that spot where it neither bad nor good. This is your average Joe Shmoe novel. It's an easy and fast read, nothing too complicated, neither overwhelming nor underwhelming.

We follow this vine witch (which is a witch who is specialized in wine making) named Elena as she returns from a curse hungry for revenge. Her vineyard has been sold to a mortal man whom she will eventually fall in love with; and she's positive her formal lover, Bastien, was the one who poisoned her. You follow through as mysterious and romances unravel, and end with an semi-epic conclusion.

The setting was very interested--I was initially drawn in because of the old school witchcraft (where women and men brew potions using rat's tails and dried incense, that kind of spooky stuff), and this whole wine making witch was a very unique way of approaching things that I found fascinating. The execution was sub par though, this really read like a middle grade book. And the plot was about 70% predictable.

I don't regret reading this book, it wasn't headache inducing or traumatic. But will it be something I forget about in two weeks time? Yes. It's just that kind of read :/

I thank 47North for the ARC copy in exchange for honest review

Loved this! Thought it started out so interesting and held my attention. Love the shadow sight aspect and the romance. Wish there was a bit more romance but it wasn't advertised as a romance book so I'm still happy with the direction the book took. I had suspicions about who the main antagonist was but it still also kept me guessing and it really delivered. Would love to read more by this other!.

You can always tell which books are going to be sequels with the way that they're written. There's paragraphs and pages of descriptions that meander endlessly and you're like okay...that's nice but is that necessary? This is one such book.
I love witches and witchcract and wine so I thought this would be the perfect book for me. It wasn't perfect, it was just okay and that's fine. Not everything has to be the right fit. That's not the way the world works anyway. The magic in this novel is spellbinding and the characters are enchanting.
It's a slow start and a slow burn and hopefully it all picks up in the second novel because it is an interesting premise.and I'll be here for the second book for sure.
Thanks very much to Netgalley and the piublisher for this copy of my ARC.

A fantastic story on every level! It is dark and mysterious while also being lighthearted and endearing. This is a fresh new approach to the numerous witches tales that saturate the market. Smith does a phenomenal job at reinventing how this genre should be written.

In some ways, this is the perfect book to read in autumn. There are witches, there is wine, there are sinister curses, romance…in short, it sounds fantastic. But even though I was suitably enchanted by the atmosphere and the concept in the beginning, the plot did not live up to its promise.

Elena is a vine witch, specialised for taking care of vinyards. Seven years ago, someone had turned her into a toad, and at the start of the book, she has just managed to shake it off. Her vinyard, damaged by hexes during her absence, is now under possession of a stranger who does not believe in witches. And to top it off, there are rumours of sinister ritual killings going around as well.

Good things first: the atmosphere is perfect. It’s pretty much what you’d imagine after seeing the cover – a witchy, autumnal book, great for reading around Halloween for those of us who want a seasonal book but dislike horror. The chapters are short and it reads fast.

The worldbuilding certainly helps as well. It’s set in France (a tad like The Vintner’s Luck, I suppose) and I loved how witches were handled. They’re very much of the old-school kind – spells that turn people into toads, spellbooks, covens, strange ingredients – only broom-riding was absent. It was fun to see. The only things that bothered me a little were that the introduction of some witches having some special ability (or every one of them? It was too vague) was a little too convenient and that I would have liked a lot more exploration into witches and their abilities than there was.

It seemed almost wasted on the plot. What starts off as a quiet story about witches making wine, quickly turns into an exciting murder mystery. And at that, it just…fails. The murderer is dead obvious. A lot of things stop making sense when it’s more convenient for the plot for them to be otherwise – witches are allegedly accepted, yet there is evidence they are hunted. People make the dumbest of choices constantly. A whole major plot point hinges upon a misunderstanding (huge pet peeve!) that is then reiterated again and again. A character has a chance to deliver a full speech before dying, conveniently explaining everything, and then another character who’s dying at the same time, holds on long enough to deliver a speech and explain some more as well. Oh, and have I mentioned one of them literally says “I am dead” before dropping dead? Because yeah. That happens.

If it stayed focused on the winemaking and exploring how wine witches work, leaned more into what it did well, this may have been a great book. Instead, all I’m left with are very mixed feelings and I’m not sure I can recommend it.

I want to start this review by telling you how much I loathe English books that contain German phrases. Not because I'm against German, but because most English-speaking authors completely butcher German grammar. As a German Speaker, I can tell how wrong said grammar is and I hate it. I got angry every time I had to read the just plain wrong way German words were used in Graudin's Wolf By Wolf.
Luckily, Smith did her research. I can't speak for the French phrases that were used, but what Little German was incorporated was done correctly. Thank the gods.

I'll set aside my nitpicking for now, don't worry.
The Vine Witch was in general, very interesting. Our main character starts out as a frog. She's been cursed by someone, and hopped around some moor or whatever for a long while now. Understandably, she swore revenge on whoever did her this dirty. But not before replenishing her witch-powers at the place she grew up in: a famous vineyard.
To be fair, I don't know anything about how wine's made, so I'll just skip straight over every aspect of that. And still, even knowing nothing (and also, to be frank, not caring about it), The Vine Witch was intriguing. Who done it? What's even going on? Who's that dude?

What I disliked most about this probably was the romance. But I got used to the flimsy way These romances are constructed. They don't feel real and are just there so you can slap the tag ROMANCE on it and be done with it. Also, I do not care about romance and love.
So, when The Vine Witch concentrated more on two straight people falling for each other while never Talking and less on a vine witch set on revenge, the story lost me a bit.

For a debut, this certainly wasn't bad. I enjoyed my time with this book, but I probably won't be reading the follow-up. This could've been a perfectly fine standalone.


Thanks to NetGalley and 47North for providing this ARC!