While this book had a lot of the YA beats that we consistently see and the characters were a little lacking in defining personalities/voices, there was a lot of good things that made up for it. The Jamaican culture was a new twist I haven't seen before and brought to light a culture that many might not be familiar with. I loved how rich the world building was and I can't wait to see what else this author comes up with!

Full of all the things I like best in fantasy -- complex characters, politics and intrigue, gorgeous worldbuilding, and a wonderful magic system.

Received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. DNF at 40%.

This story, from what I could understand, follows two POVs, Iraya & Jazmyne. Jaz is trying to topple her mother's regime while Ira wants vengeance on the injustice done to her family.

So this has a good world-building....but it's given to us in constant info dumps. I really struggled to understand half of it. The slow pacing didn't help either. I wanted to like Ira and Jaz, but they were pretty flat and I honestly struggled to remember which POV was which while reading chapters because they're so similarly flat there's no difference between the two.

I really struggled in the beginning and saw some reviews say it picks up around the halfway point but I just gave up at 40%, I had no idea what was going on. I'm disappointed though, I really wanted to like this book...the cover is so darn pretty! :(

4/5 stars for this action packed debut from Ciannon Smart,

When I saw the cover and synopsis for Witches Steeped in Gold I was immediately intrigued. I am a second generation Jamaican living in Canada and have never had the pleasure of reading a book that spoke so much of my culture. I was engaged from the very first page off of this alone.

I would say at about the 30% mark this book takes off at rapid speed where you cannot put it down. The first 30% really focuses on building that world to the point where you can really feel yourself in Aiyca. Once the world and the magic system has been established for the reader you are taken on a turn paging ride. The adventure that occurs within the pages is addictive and the magic system is intriguing, There was not a lack of twist and turns I was constantly wondering what would happen next.

The characters are complex and layered which I LOVE in my books. I spent most of the book not knowing who to root for and just when I thought I had picked a side they flipped their morality and I was back to being torn between two witches. One thing I know for sure is the character of Kirdan absolutely stole my book loving heart and I cannot wait to read more of his story in the next book.]

All in all this book is a stunning debut novel and I cannot wait to read more by Smart in the future. I highly recommend people to pre-order now especially if you were a fan of Legendborn by Tracy Deonn or Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. Smart captures her readers into an adventure in a similar way to the books I've mentioned here so buckle up for a wild ride.

As a result of my various committee appointments and commitments I am unable to disclose my personal thoughts on this title at this time. Please see my star rating for a general overview of how I felt about this title. Additionally, you may check my GoodReads for additional information on what thoughts I’m able to share publicly. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this and any other titles you are in charge of.

Jamaican inspired fantasy meets a "Killing Eve" comp? I was hooked before I even began, but I was frustrated while reading. Witches Steeped in Gold is a story that examines revenge and sacrifice. What will our retribution cost us? This dual POV debut unravels the history of the past, the betrayals, and the battles. But what really lost me was not only that I did not care for the romance story line, but also the pacing. Everyone obviously has their own preferences for romance, but both of them just felt a little coincidental?

I was also confused about like the emotional or like shared experience basis for it? Maybe it's just me, but I would have preferred it without this element. At the same time, the pacing was confusing to me. Towards the middle it lost a lot of steam as different revelations were made. But I lost the steady momentum, or the need to read, as it went on. I was intrigued by the world, especially as the politics grew more complex, but there was a definite lull for me. By the time the book picked up speed again, I was just a bit frustrated by the plot events or mentions that seemed to gain significance even though I had never really heard of it before.

This book follows two women; Iraya, a captive Obeah, and Jazmyn the Queen's daughter.

The majority of the book was building up the story, which was intricate and fun. I felt that the ending picked up and it actually surprised me!

I did not get too much of the witch aspect, however, it was definitely throwing me the fantasy vibes!! I really felt these characters were interesting and I am curious to see what happens next in the series!

Thank you to NetGalley and HaperCollins for the ARC of this book.

Most of the book was more of a 3/3.5 stars for me but the ending really picked up. It is a well thought out and intricate world and I hope the full published versions have at least a glossary and a map would be nice as well; I found myself wanting a reference for many of the terms to keep them straight. There is a lot of background and a lot of building for much of the book before the action really picks up. I wasn't completely bored by it but it wasn't completely captivating either - I didn't mind setting it down but I didn't hate picking it up either. The ending has me ready to read the next book in the series. I also think this could be done really well as a movie or tv series.

Jamaican inspired fantasy novel this story is about two witches - Iraya and Jazmyne - enemies who form an alliance together to take down a mutual threat. Honestly, trust no witch.

I love love love this story. It really was a good cat and mouse chase and i loved the magic and being thrown into the world building, not knowing who to trust. This book did such an amazing job doing that.

Thanks Netgalley for the e-arc

This cover is so gorgeous! I can't wait to see it in real life once the book hits shelves! I really enjoyed this book. The story was exciting and the world building was excellent. Well done, enjoyable, magical story!

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Absolutely loved this titled! It was a refreshing new story, with a powerful protagonist. I enjoyed the world building and find myself looking forward to what is next

I am one sad reader. This was one of my most anticipated releases of 2021 and although I liked some of it and saw the potential in it, it ultimately ended up disappointing me because of everything that I didn't like about it.

The positives:
- The worldbuilding and lore. This was the book's strongest suit and my favorite thing about it by far. It's Jamaican inspired and so so rich and vivid, I got excited every time we learned something about the workings of the island, especially the history of it and how it got to be the way it is.
- The way the magic was explained and layed out and how that influenced (or was influenced by?) the beliefs of people wilding it. We have two factions that have very drastic ways and philosophies about approaching and using magic even though said magic has the same origin, and each one thinks the other is Wrong.
- The concept of there being two sides to each story with the two main characters being from the two factions, each of which have oppressed the other at one point and thinking they are The Bad Guy. But as a reader, when you get both versions of the story and put the missing pieces together, you realize that there really is no one bad guy and the villain is someone's story can be and is the hero in someone else's.
-The relationship and very fragile truce between Jazmyne and Iraya were fascinating to read about.

The negatives:
- The pacing. This was the book's biggest downfall imo and the thing that made me lose interest in it. A lot of the action and reveals (re: most, if not all) were left to the last quarter of the book and as such, I was bored for a lot of the story and by the time all those things happened and things were revealed, I just... lost interested and wanted to be done with the book already.
- Some of the reveals were too convenient and didn't make 100% sense with the rest of the story. Especially some things that required the characters acting out of character.
- The way the characters were and the way we were told they were didn't always match up. This was noticeable the most for me with Jazmyne towards the end of the book.
- The romance. I absolutely despised it. There was no chemistry or development to it and I really would have liked it to not be there, it didn't make sense to me.

All in all, don't let this deter you from reading the book. It might not have worked for me but it might for you.

Matriarchal society, political intrigue, not one but two well-created magic systems, beautiful crafted world, all these things and more this book had going for it. I just really wish that the author had not fallen into the first-time author trap of using all the unnecessary words. I'm not talking about bad language, she has only the good words, ALL the good words and she uses them all, all the time. "Prurience" and "alacrity" don't need to be used in the same sentence in a YA novel. And this was not a one-time occurrence. Every other sentence was written in a similar manner. It's too much.

Fantasy is such a trend for young adults and this book is a great addition to your library. Students looking for diverse and original fantasy reads will devour this novel. A novel that will surely be checked out many times.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC.
I wanted very much to like this book. The diversity in YA is absolutely on point lately, but this book felt so very similar to others I have read. The characters had nothing new going for them to hold my interest, and the world building was both complex and confusing. Great if you don't read a lot of this genre, but boring if you do.

Wow this book was so lush and intricate. It's been a while since I've sunk my teeth into a new high fantasy novel, and I think that this was a great reintroduction. In Witches Steeped in Gold we follow two girls: Jazmyne, the daughter of the reigning Doyenne, and Ira, the lost Empress heir. Smart spends the first part of the book really developing the Jamaican inspired world of their island. There were many different factions within the magical society, and while I think that some of it went over my head, I do not blame the author (as I previously stated it's been a while since I've read high fantasy). I like that the Patwah was not overly explained to the reader, as a white woman I had to work to understand and that only drew me in deeper to the story. It was so refreshing to be in a non-European influenced magical setting where I often feel like I can skim through sections because it's the same as other books. It did take me until about 50% in to fully be invested, but by the last act I could not put down it down. I really cannot wait to reread this book (I'm so curious about the audiobook version!) and read the sequel.

April 2021 can't come soon enough! Stunning, intriguing, inclusive, roaring with power and representation - this is everything I want in a young adult fantasy. If more books like this can be published in the coming months, the world will be a better place. I am especially excited to recommend this book to my friends who will find wonderful representation for themselves within the characters and to see if it holds up in their eyes. I really enjoyed this read and am so grateful for the opportunity to be on the front-end of spreading the word for Witches Steeped in Gold!

I have been dragging my feet when it comes to writing this review, not because I didn’t like the book, but because it has so many similarities to two other books I have recently read. This is a very strong readalike for Children of Blood and Bone and A Song of Wraiths and Ruin. It has been hard for me to draw any clear distinctions between my feelings about the three, though I can say that I enjoyed them all. I can’t help but note that white hair on magic users seems to be a very popular trend in YA fantasy fiction that is inspired by African and/or Caribbean folklore. I thought this striking imagery was very distinct to the Legacy of Orisha trilogy, but it seems to have made it’s way into other series as well. One repeating trend I have also noticed (that I actually quite like) is the finely drawn line between hero(ine) and villian(ess). A line that is often crossed by both the former and the latter in such a way that these distinctions become meaningless. Life is messy, and I like when I can relate to both the protagonist and the antagonist in equal measure. It tickles me even further when these roles reverse at some point in the story. I think this series has quite a lot of potential, and it is very possible I might love the second book…we will just have to wait and see.

P.S. If I had to rate the cover of this book it would be 5/5 stars.

WITCHES STEEPED IN GOLD is such a powerful story! I will read any story that has witches. Ciannon has written such a powerful story. Her characters are so well written, and their journeys will keep you invested in the story.

I was drawn in by the novel's cover and the description. The author has created a compelling world that is beautifully built and very complex. Drawn from African mythology and her own imagination, the author establishes a vibrant world that feels fully imagined. The story follows the interwoven paths of two young women who are destined to be leaders, but who will be the leader of their country in the end? The author takes a long time to set up the premise of the novel, about 35% of the book is set up. I didn't really empathize with either of the two main characters. Since it's a YA novel, they both have streaks of personality and lack of experience that I found annoying and they make impulsive poor decisions. I found the storyline to be a little bit too slow in places and then when they need to fully explain certain portions of the political background of the storyline happened, it went too quickly and required a few re-reads to try and piece together motivations. In the end, the book was okay but since I wasn't really interested in either of the main characters I found the book difficult to get complete.