Let’s start this review with a little honesty: I only requested this ARC because I loved the cover and just assumed it would be something that I’d love. So image my delight and surprise to see that this was actually the second book in a series! And the first book is one that I had heard about but didn’t really want to read. I’m an adult though, so I bit the bullet, bought the first book and started reading. And guess what? More shock! More delight! Because I loved the first book. I couldn’t put it down and was so excited to be able to read the sequel right away.

See? Sometimes it’s good to judge a book by its cover.

Even though this is a series, each book focuses on a different pair of characters. I was originally a bit hesitant seeing who this book was about but the first chapters immediately erased any doubts I had because I was just once again drawn into this twisted and tangled story. I think that the thing I love most about these books is that they truly keep you guessing and second guessing everything you read and everyone’s motivations. I don’t think that there’s a character in here that’s fully good or evil, they all fall somewhere in the middle of the spectrum and it’s absolutely fascinating to read. I mean yes, some fall farther on either side, but it just adds such a depth to the story and makes everything that much more angst filled.

The story itself is pretty dark, it takes off almost exactly where the first book left off and we’re back in the midst of the tensions that are rising between the judges and the augurs. I’m not sure how to talk about the actual plot without giving too much away from the first book but the general idea is that Zara is trying to find answers about her sisters death and ends up getting in the middle of this ancient battle between the two factions of magic users and the twists start from there.

The book is full of magic, and drama, and there’s just so many questions presented throughout the book. There’s power plays and romance and friendship and betrayals. And a whole lot of violence and dark stuff happening in this small Irish town. If you’re into dark and twisted stories that have all of that then definitely check this series out. It’s a surprise favourite and I’m hoping that there will be more books in the series.

Mary Watson's Kilshamble is a mysterious and haunting dreamscape. I ended up liking The Wickerlight more than the first book in this series, The Wren Hunt. Both books are written in gorgeous, elegiac prose and feature a moody, gothic atmosphere that I found intriguing. As with the first book, I had a hard time understanding the stakes of this magical world, and it was hard to imagine wanting to belong to either of these warring magical societies, but I loved the sinister elements of prophecy, murder, and mind control in this one. I was also drawn in by the relationship between these sisters, and the third act was gripping-- I raced through the ending. 3.5 stars.

Thank you so much to Bloomsbury YA and NetGalley for letting me read The Wickerlight by Mary Watson early. This was such a fun and magical book and I really enjoyed it!

The Wickerlight 4.5/5 Stars

Summary from Goodreads: It's been two months since Laila was found lifeless on Kilshamble village green, not a mark on her. Rumour says she died of an overdose. Or maybe it was suicide? The autopsy found nothing, but somebody must know what happened.

Now Laila's sister Zara is ready to pick up the trail. But retracing her sister's footsteps takes her to David, a Judge at the dangerous heart of an ancient magical feud. All too unwittingly, she begins to tread the same path that led her sister to the village green .

So… I didn’t realize that this was the sequel to the Wren Hunt until about 5 minutes ago when I started looking for the goodreads page to link to my review. I never read the Wren Hunt, although it has been on my TBR, but it definitely seemed like a really cool book, and now that I’ve seen this world, I’m definitely going to try and get to it soon, because I loved The Wickerlight. I love Mary Watson’s writing style, I love Ireland, I love the characters, I love the magic system- everything, I loved everything about this book. This is exactly what I needed right now book wise- something light and interesting that’s totally different from anything else I’ve read recently. If you’re looking for something a little different and fantastical and amazing, I’d definitely say to pick it up (whether you’ve read the Wren Hunt or not).

**Thank you to Bloomsbury YA, Netgalley, and Mary Watson for providing me this ebook in exchange for an honest review**

The Wickerlight picks up where The Wren Hunt picks up, just not focused on Wren and Tarc. This book focuses on Zara, who's sister was found dead during Wren's ritual to turn into the flower woman in the first book, and David, Wren's tormentor. You get a peek behind the curtains into David's motivations and desires, and it helps turn him a bit into a redeemable character (but only barely). The Wickerlight continues the theme of being confusing and having a host of irredeemable characters. Zara works to learn more about her sister's death, while dealing with her family life crumbling around her. David is trying to become the most respected warrior judge, and get away from his Dad's influence.

I was surprised to see that this was not a continuation of Wren's story, because I really did not feel like the first book wrapped everything up in Wren's story. It was disorienting and took me some time to catch up to Zara's story. Zara and David are still both irredeemable characters, if you thought that theme would change with book two, you were mistaken. The judges and augurs all make terrible decisions and hate each other for a reason that is fairly superfluous. They also have no regard for non-gifted people, as Zara's life and state of mind is constantly tampered with and threatened during this book.

This duology was not for me. Mary Watson's writing is gorgeous and flowing, but I could not get past the character's flaws. It's hard for me to connect with a book if I can't find common ground with at least one character. I don't expect every character to be a saint, but I need one who is redeemable. If you love books that are beautifully written with a bunch of irredeemable characters running around rural Ireland, check out this duology!

Keep in mind, this review and release is for the US edition. The UK edition has already been released.

Absolutely wonderful read! I enjoyed the plot, characters, and prose so much. Would definitely recommend it to anyone!

Another atmospheric and enchanting book by Mary Watson! I absolutely love the Irish folktales and culture in this book, and thank goodness for the glossary in the back so I can read the right pronunciations for some of the words. The setting, many of the characters, and the mood throughout the book are the same as The Wren Hunt. I only wish that I had read this right after The Wren Hunt to have some of that more fresh in my mind for The Wickerlight.

There's a lot of conflict and growth in this book, and I love that a lot of it stems from the characters wanting to create their own path and work through their past and their grief. It complemented the magical aspects of the book so nicely and helped ground it and make it more relatable. Seeing things from David's perspective was a real treat, and I also enjoyed Zara's POV as an outsider.

I'll definitely be adding this book to my collection and giving the duology a few rereads.

Special thanks to Bloomsbury YA and Netgalley for the opportunity to review a copy of this book! All opinions are my own.

So, I wouldn’t necessarily call this a sequel to The Wren Hunt, but maybe more like a companion novel, if that makes sense.

This book is unique in that it parallels timelines and events from the first book, but this time we get to see everything from David’s point of view, and also we are introduced to a young girl named Zara whose recently deceased sister played an integral part in how everything unfolded. (She was all up in the mix).

If you’re not familiar with the basic plot line of these books, they take place in a little town in Ireland named Kilshamble, where Druid magic is still very much alive (although kept secret), and it’s passed down through two different bloodlines: The Augurs and The Judges.
These two families have been at war forever.

In the first book, we got to see the Augur world through Wren’s perspective; in this one David brings us into the Judges world.

Dare I say that I actually really preferred this one to the first?? Is that terrible?
I found the pacing to be much faster in this one, and I hate to say it, but I definitely prefer Zara to Wren.
I found Wren to be extremely naive and frustrating at times, I couldn’t connect with her.
Zara made some questionable choices in this one as well, but at least we know that she’s driven by the death of her sister; wanting answers to things left up in the air.
David’s character was my favorite thing about reading this. We are only shown the one side of him in the first book, I loved seeing the TRUE David.

As I said before, this feels like a companion novel, so I will say that this could be read as a stand-alone and work just fine, but I don’t think it’d be as enjoyable, as your brain automatically flashes back to timelines in the first book and it’s like puzzle pieces coming together. It’s pretty cool to see all the things that were happening behind the scenes.
I suppose the reading sequence is interchangeable, either way, maybe?

Bottom line: if you read and enjoyed The Wren Hunt, you absolutely will enjoy this one, in my opinion.
If you haven’t? I highly recommend The Wren Hunt, but if not, definitely try this one!

Another book where I probably shouldn't have started with #2, huh? I wonder if the magic system/history would have made more sense and seemed more interesting had I read the first beforehand - not to mention the relationship between Wren and Tarc, which tipped me off to the fact that I was reading a sequel. The writing was solid, sometimes even a little more, and the characters were fine, although I did find myself wishing that much of the supporting cast and their relationships with Zara and David had been examined more deeply. Overall, a good book with an interesting Irish connection.

I loved this book. The story was fast paced and fresh. Zara is smart and tenacious, a paranormal Nancy Drew. This shadow version of Ireland is fully fleshed out and feels like a place you could visit, even through you may not want to stay. I read this without reading the predecessor but had no issues following the story. Now I'm going back to read The Wren Hunt!

**Review will be posted on my blog http://pastmidnight.home.blog on November 19, 2019**

Thank you to Bloomsbury YA and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC.

FYI: I did not read The Wren Hunt and I should have. Luckily, The Wickerlight is so good as a standalone I didn’t get totally lost. I wasn’t sure what to expect and when I first started the book, I admit I put it down for a few weeks because I had to let it permeate in my head. I picked it up again recently and I finished it in one night. That was totally unexpected.

In The Wickerlight, we get to know this Irish town of Kilshamble, and wow, it is dark, mystery, mystical and magical but not in a happy glittery way. This story is told in dual POV. We meet Zara who’s sister Laila is dead and Zara wants to know how and why. Then there is David, who is a judge (no not the kind with a gavel), he is part of this magical world where augurs and judges are enemies, and there is a silent war between them. I missed a big chunk of David’s background by not reading The Wren Hunt, so read that first. Zara doesn’t know what she’s stumbled into when she digs for clues about Laila’s death, but soon it’s too late to turn back. Zara is learning that maybe Laila was right about magic.

What I Liked:

*I loved learning about the druids and Irish folklore in this story. We learn about the Augurs and Judges who basically hate each other – they have a complicated history.

*This story is set in a modern world but the magic is so subtle that it fits so well, I love how it came together seamlessly. We are Zara, learning about the secrets of this town. Most of the magic is not as powerful as it was long ago but it works in the modern day world of this story. It’s nature, earth magic. Also the folklore stories about monsters in the forest – gives us a creepy background for this setting. 😳 I enjoyed the dark, eerie tone in this story!

*The mystery of Laila’s death really kept me in this story. We stumble into this strange magical world that exists in Kilshamble. I love how Zara peels a layer slowly to find out something else about Laila. Laila’s words at the beginning of each chapter adds to the mystery as well! I wanted to find out what happened to Laila for Zara and her family’s sake. Their grief is palatable and this family has crumbled, it wasn’t tight to begin with but Laila’s death has basically broken their family apart. I felt for Zara and her mother. 🥺

*Zara and Laila’s stories of the Horribles. I freaking loved it because it was their thing together and the stories made it perfectly okay to not be good and perfect all the time as long as you are not cruel, mean or hurtful. The Horribles were their shadow family and a coping mechanism I think because of their family situation.

*David and Zara. David sounds like he was a jerk in The Wren Hunt and in The Wickerlight his character is fleshed out. He’s not a saint, his life is about pain, and feeling pressure from his dad. As for Zara she feels out of place in this new town, her family life wasn’t perfect to begin with and she carries guilt from Laila’s death. Her choice in the end was unexpected! And I really like their slow burn romance.

Things That Made Me Go Hmmm:

*Obviously if you didn’t read The Wren Hunt like me…well I was a little lost in the beginning and thank goodness for the glossary in the back of the book. I had to learn about the Augurs and Judges and once I did get settled in, it was smooth sailing from there.

*There is a scene where David gets tortured – so trigger warnings: cutting. It’s not a trigger for me but even I got squeamish at the visuals of the scene. But this book IS dark, the judges do not mess around when it comes to discipline. 👀 The augurs have their own form of torture, but it didn’t involve cutting, just mind bending/mind control.

*The business about hoarding words to make a law (like a spell) at times confused me, especially when it is introduced into the story. I think the idea is so poetic and the story is so lyrical that it went over my head at first. But then the practice grew on me, the way words are precious and how different words call to a person. I especially loved when David was hoarding words, haha, I mean that boy felt it!

Final Thoughts:
The Wickerlight is an intriguing, lyrical, deliciously, darkly magical, unique story. It starts with grief and pulls you into the mystery of a death and this world of old magic. Definitely read The Wren Hunt first and then come lose yourself in The Wickerlight like I did.

The format of the arc made it nearly impossible to read but the writing itself wasn't much better. I really want to like Mary Watson's books as they sound magical and exciting. Yet every time I pick one up, I want to put it down immediately. The writing is stilted and doesn't flow well. It sounds robotic and is devoid of figurative language or unique style. The magic in the novel was also extremely hard to follow and I couldn't get a grasp on what it was or how it worked. The characters are flat and devoid of agency. Their emotions are predictable and they don't fall outside of their tropes.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bloomsbury YA through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.*

This story was very well written and had a great pace. It was exciting from start to finish and the dual POV worked out very well. This one will get your heart pumping as each chapter ends with a cliffhanger. So fair warning you will want to murder this book by the time you have finished. The mystery in this one was done so well. Were given this slow reveal as the story progresses then it all comes together in a great story! The story is told though mystery, humor, and a lot of action and those cliffhangers. With a touch of romance and an epic story this was a hit!! I really hope that we get a third title in this series but it looks like that might just be a dream but I guess you never know. I can not wait to see what else this author has planned.

Go Into This One Knowing: Dual POV

The story is dark, intriguing and you never know who to trust or consider “good”. This is a true sequel to the story started in the Wren Hunt and you must read it first to understand the happenings in the second book. Even thought the characters POV are all new in The Wickerlight it continues to build on the story and is tied into events set in motion in book 1.

While this book as a little slower than the first I enjoyed it even more due to all the set up that was in place from the first book. I was also eager to learn more about David as a MC instead of antagonist. Watson did a great job of creating such an old world feel with the mythology and culture of the Draoithe, but also mixing modern touches into the society to keep it relatable. Some of the phrasing and spelling threw me off a little when reading but overall it did not take away from the quality of the story. These books definitely kept me guessing between the characters hidden secrets to the plot twists! I still have so many questions and can already not wait until the next installment to find out what happens next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for the opportunity to read The Wickerlight in exchange for my honest opinion.

I absolutely LOVED this new addition to the Wren Hunt series! It's so unique with the mix of druid/Irish heritage and language. I love the magical elements too, so so good!

An intriguing concept rooted in Irish mythology, readers will enjoy this fresh take on secret magical societies in the modern-day world. However, the plot suffered from a lagging pace and having Zara being the only interesting character. While the writing makes up for it, there is a strong recommendation to read The Wren Hunt first.

A copy has been provided by NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This was an interesting follow up to The Wren Hunt which I enjoyed a fair deal. Was it as good as the first book? I don't really like to judge by that so I won't. Did I like it as much as The Wren Hunt? No, I didn't but that's my preference. This book was well written and gorgeously told. The characters absolutely come to life in a way that is magically and the plot is poignant and sharp. A perfect read for candlelight honestly :)

Thanks very much to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Thank you to Bloomsbury and NetGalley for the wonderful opportunity to read and review The Wickerlight by Mary Watson.
I feel in love with her writing reading The Wren Hunt. I had seen this book pop up on NetGalley and requested it immediately. I am privilege to say that this book is better than her first. I love the setting with the lush and vivid feel it invokes. I like reading David's perspective. I feel like I'm being enchanted when I read Ms. Watson's books. They are romantic, mystical, vividly appealing, and most of all extremely well written. Thank you for having such imaginative and beautifully written material.