The Orphan Witch by Paige Crutcher is a mystical and magical read that sweeps you away to another place, another time. A story that is full of intriguing mystery and lots of magic that is sure to pull you in from the beginning and leave you wanting more.

Let's first just admire that gorgeous cover that drew my attention! That and the premise had me really looking forward to a nice "seasonal' read for me. 🎃🧙🏻‍♀️

Persephone May (just love her name!) is a lady who has drifted in and out of foster care from a young age. She was abandoned by her family. All of her life she has felt like she has never belonged anywhere. She always felt "strange." If someone stared too hard or too long at her something bad would happen to them. So she kept people at bay. Now, at 32 she finds herself leaving her cafe job once again. She has kept in touch with a lady named Hyacinth (another great name!) by email since meeting her a while ago. The lady in question invites her to visit Wile Island in North Carolina where she resides. Since Persephone has no where to go or be she accepts the offer. This is where her world will change forever!

This book is about finding a place where you belong and a meaning to your life. There's sisterhood, family curses, magic spells and witchery plus another world (in The library of the lost.) This alone should have captured my attention but I'm sorry to say that this book was very slow for my liking. In the beginning the chapters are very long and drawn out. The elements of the different world were sometimes confusing to me. The dreadful language (swear words) used by the witches just didn't feel right. The book lacked excitement throughout but towards the end there was some.

Unfortunately for me this was probably more of a 2 1/2 stars. Perhaps it's because Fantasy is not a particular favourite genre of mine. I think if you like Fantasy and different worlds and witches tied into one you might enjoy this one more than me.

I'd like to kindly thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press and St. Martin's Griffin for granting me access to this advance Reader Copy.

This story was not what I was expecting from the initial description that I read., I never really connected with Penelope May. She should have been a sympathetic character. Weird things happen if she meets someone’s eyes. So she is a loner and moves around a lot.
When she gets to Wile Isle, the story gets even stranger. The world building is kind of cool but I never felt like I understood where the story was going. The piece meal way the author fed us the backstory broke up the continuity.
It’s not a bad book but I struggled to want to finish it. I didn’t really care much for most the characters.
There is magic. It and it’s misuse are the backbone of the book.
The attitudes of the characters toward sex is very cavalier. Several of the characters are LGBTQ.
I am sure this book will have its audience but I am unlikely to request this author again.

Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

3.75 Hearts I really enjoyed this book. Persephone is so easy to like and care for. She has always been the odd ball out. Nothing seemed like where she should be. Foster homes and group homes seem like a stop over because soon she will need to leave once the weird stuff starts happening again. When Persephone moves to NC she learns much about herself and her history.

There is so much in this book. Curses, feuds, different dimensions, and the Library Of The Lost. Paige Crutcher did a great job with what I believe is her first novel. I enjoyed the background characters and Wile Isle. I imagine Persephone is the type of witch every little girl believes she is when she dresses up for Halloween and thinks “What if I were really a witch?”.

I really hope there is more to this novel and it becomes a series.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

The Orphan Witch is a well written and engaging paranormal YA/NA story by Paige Crutcher. Due out 28th Sept 2021 from Macmillan on their Griffin imprint, it's 352 pages and will be available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

The world building and characterization are the highlights of this creative novel. It's a character driven crossworlds fantasy with a chosen-one trope and a strong element of romance and a bonus drizzle of time travel. The writing is competent, but skates very near the ledge with regard to overwrought tortured simile and light purple prose. I found myself rolling my eyes fairly often and at a couple of points, skimming a bit to get past particularly egregious descriptions. If the characters had rolled their shoulders or necks one more time (so help me), I was calling the chiropractor. The cursing is average, a smattering of lesser rugged cursing and a few "f-bombs". There are somewhat positive depictions of LGBTQIA+ attraction in the book (one main character, Hyacinth, is gay, or possibly bi).

The audiobook version has a run time of 14 hours, 7 minutes and is beautifully narrated by Saskia Maarleveld. She reads clearly and well and imbues the characters with distinct voices and personality. I was impressed with her facility with dialogue especially; scenes with different characters in conflict, and she managed to imbue them with distinctly different tone and expression. The sound and production quality is very high throughout. Despite the scenes which made me roll my eyes a bit, her voice remained pleasant to listen to.

Three and a half stars. It's a diverting read/listen and would be a good choice for library acquisition, and for fans of NA fantasy romance.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

I loved the cover and the synopsis. I felt that it dragged and could not really get into it or connect with the characters. Sadly, it was just not for me.

The Orphan Witch is a fantasy novel.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher St. Martin’s Press and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


My Synopsis:   (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Persephone May was abandoned as an infant and waded through foster home after foster home.  She never fit anywhere, and just when she thought she might, something would happen.  Usually that "something" was caused by Persephone.  Things just happened around her, and heaven help whoever she stared at.  As she grew up, she moved around a lot, always searching.

In all this time, she made one friend, and when Persephone receives an email from her inviting her to Hyacinthe's home on Wile Island, she jumps at the chance.  Much to her surprise, Persephone immediately felt at home on the Island.  For the island was as strange as she.

It urns out that Hyacinthe and her sister Moira are long lost cousins, both imbued with magic, as is Persephone.  This explains so much of PersepheThey hope that the three of them together will be able to unlock the 100-year-old curse of the island, and free themselves and the other witches who are locked in time.  However, there are others on the island who think this is a bad idea.

Persephone will have to learn to control her magic if there is any chance of success....and survival.  In the end, though, her magic may demand more from her than she thought.


My Opinions:   
First, I admit to being drawn to be book because of the cover.  It's beautiful.

Second, the premise of it sounded so good...witches, a magic-filled island, a curse....  The book is about magic.  It is also about greed and power.  But it is also about sacrifices, family, love, and discovering your strengths.

However, my hopes for this book sort of fell flat.  I had such a hard time getting into it.  The pace was so slow.  It lacked excitement, although there was some close to the end.  The characters, on the other hand were very interesting, and I loved both Dorian and The Library.   As we learned more about the curse and the witches, the story became more interesting.  That's not to say it still didn't drag.  As well, it was often quite repetitive, and occasionally a little confusing.

Overall, the atmosphere and the characters carried the story, and in that respect, the book was good.  It just needed a little spark.

2.5 stars, rounded up to 3

I love a good witch story but despite some nice world building, this one never really grabbed me. Persephone had a difficult childhood, going from one foster home to another without ever being adopted. She had no idea she was a witch; she only knew that strange things happened when she looked directly into someone else’s eyes. But very little of the book was spent exploring her situation. Most of the story takes place on Wile Island, after she goes there at the invitation of someone she used to work for, Hyacinth. It turns out that the island is enchanted (or cursed) and Hyacinth is a distant cousin and a witch, and so is her sister, Moira. There’s also another pair of sisters (cousins? I was never clear on this.) who are witches and they are basically in a feud with Hyacinth and Moira. The theme of family plays an important role in the story along with a 100-year-old curse and lots and lots of magic (both good magic and dark magic). I was particularly taken with the Library of the Lost. But ultimately, the story didn’t fascinate me. It dragged a bit and was confusing, with a lot of side characters and time- and place-jumping. Positives include a bit of romance and some good LGBTQ representation.

I bounced between the audiobook and the ebook for this title, which was very convenient. The audiobook’s narrator is the fabulous Saskia Maarleveld. Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook and to St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for this captivating book ! I loved this book and read it cover to cover. Persephone May is a protagnist you relate to and she captures your heart . The writing is outstanding. The author has a innate talent for writing the story that makes you want to keep turning the pages.

Persephone is cursed with her magic that does not allow her to lead a normal life. She has strong powers and because of that she is isolated, a loner and afraid to make friends. She just had to leave her last job when she is given the opportunity by an old friend to come stay on an island. Once she arrives she realizes this is a place of magic and where she finally belongs in life. What happens after she arrives brings her to her magic and acceptance of her gifts.

This is a wonderful entertaining read. Its the type of book you wish would never end. I loved the charcters, the story and the way the author created this wonderful magical world. Very well done !

I really appreciate the publishers sending me this book in exchange for my honest review. Fall time makes me want to read spooky &/or Halloween vibes books! The Orphan Witch was full of magic and witchy fun. I wasn't too overly invested and thought it dragged at times but I did enjoy the perfect setting to get me in the fall spirit!

I got pulled into this novel just by its cover. The Orphan Witch is the story of Persephone who is in search of her roots and home for all her life. She has power but she has no idea where she got it from or how to control it. After one such incident she is invited to an island and there she starts realizing who she is and what is her purpose.
Full of magic and fantasy this novel is full of powerful witches and nothing is straightforward. I would have loved more background stories. Right now I feel there are some loose threads in the story. The Orphan Witch is a perfect fall read with a cozy blanket and hot cup of coffee. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Persephone has has a tough go. An orphan, she grew up in the foster care system. She's odd. Then there's the fact that bad things happen to anyone who looks her in the eye for too long. Now, though, she's stumbled into a new family as the result of a chance meeting with Hyacinth who invites her to visit Wile Island. Tuns out that she's part of a family she never knew AND she's a witch. This starts slowly but if you engage with Persephone, it's a fun read. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. Fans of the magical realism genre should give this a try.

I really wanted to like this. It sounded like a neat premise, and to be honest, has a couple of fairly original details in it. But it’s only a very few of the details that are original. The rest of it reads like a pastiche of fantasy tropes to anyone who has read any magical fiction at all. Like she threw “the chosen one”, “inherited bloodline,” “magical place,” “portal to other worlds,” ”a protagonist deliberately kept in the dark,” “a curse that only you can break,” “your supar speshul magical ability,” and “magical feud” into a bag and this is what fell out. And it’s not even well thought-out or logical in any way.

Then there’s a romance shoehorned in. And it’s not compelling at all. Ok, so there’s a handsome man, and suddenly you’re in love? REALLY with that? Like you don’t have a curse to break or trying to find out what is really going on with everyone around you? It, like every other bit of the plot of this, feels absolutely unearned. We have no reason to feel anything for these characters – except for one side character, Moira, who actually feels three-dimensional and seems she might have an inner life and isn’t just a series of tics. These are mostly one-note wonders.

There’s a villain with an elaborate plan that is totally ill-defined and not well explained and a payoff that again, is unearned. It took me forever to diligently slog through this hoping it would get better. But it didn’t.

There are also numerous words used that don’t mean what the author thinks they do, like maybe a bad spellcheck substituted things? Not really sure, but it’s just really odd. And there are subject verb agreement issues. This is not well-edited, at least not in the proof stage.

Not recommended. She gets two stars for the way the main character's power affects normal humans. Also, I hate writing bad reviews, so this is only going here. I’m not going to paste it all around Goodreads and whatnot to hurt this person. She seems to need to go back to the drawing board.

This is a Persephone retelling(probably Hades as well, but it's not as obvious) that felt a bit like a mash up of Practical Magic(movie), Charmed(original version) and a dash of The Craft(movie) for about the first half before it went along it's own way.
Persephone has always been alone, foster home to foster home to group home till she ages out, now she moves about every 6 months, give or take a few, whenever she causes something weird to happen.
This last episode was a doozy though, 2 people tried to kill themselves and then she knocked out an entire coffee shop full of people. When she runs this time she runs to the only friend she's ever managed to make in her 30ish yrs. She finds out she's a witch and all sorts of shenanigans ensue.
The editing was a bit weak for me(could use another round, and likely has had as this is an ARC copy) but the story itself was interesting, it takes place across 3 different worlds, and it was nice to see a Hades/Persephone retelling that wasn't 100% predictable, probably because the Hades character wasn't really a focus, this was all about the women and finding love and family.

The Orphan Witch is a suspenseful and magical book! It has lots of elements of suspense, world building, twists, character development and great writing.

The Orphan Witch is a fantastic book about a woman named Persephone May who finds out she is a witch and the journey she ends up going on to break a curse. This book checks all the boxes for me: found family, witches, mystery, strong female characters.

I really enjoyed how Persephone was so strong and so eager to learn. The magic system was cool with some new “tricks” I had not seen before.

The story starts slow at first and at times I was confused as to how all these different storylines were going to piece together, but stick with it! Totally worth it!

Overall, this is a super cute and fun book with a lot of magical realism going on. If you enjoyed Practical Magic or anything written by Sarah Addison Allen then this is the book for you! A fantastic Fall read!

I requested this E-Arc from St. Martin’s press via Netgalley because of the gorgeous cover and intriguing book description. Thank you for allowing me to read and review!

Absolutely magical! (pun intended) Beautifully written with amazing characters. Strong female representation and a stunning backdrop. An incredibly intricate magic system and family secrets add to a story that already keeps you in suspense. A truly original coming of age story that’s perfect for an autumn read. *I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Oh, this book was wonderful! I highly enjoyed this book about a woman who thinks that she is alone in the world, but learns that she is not. Delve into the magical world that is this book and lose yourself for a few hours!

Persephone May was abandoned as an infant and spent her life in foster care. All she ever wanted was a place to belong. Unexplainable things happen when she’s around...things like changes in weather & inanimate objects taking flight. In order to cope, she never gets close to anyone, never holds down a job for long, and she always keeps her suitcase half-packed. After an accidental and very public display of power, Persephone decides to take her one friend up on her invitation to come visit her at Wile Isle. Once she arrives she discovers that Wile Isle is no ordinary place. It is a place for people like Persephone......and they have been waiting for her to come help them break the 100-year curse on the island.
This book was really good. The author did a good job with the world-building so I was able to immerse myself into the book. It did feel overly complicated at times, but for the most part, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I really liked Persephone May. She was someone you wanted to root for, and I really liked Dorian, the librarian also.. If you are a fan of fantasy fiction, then I think you will enjoy this one.

The Orphan Witch started strong with the mystery of Persophone May whose gaze caused men to harm themselves. After she is summoned to Wile Island, my interest waned. It was clear that the author was relying on dialogue to dig into the characters but they all came across as flat and unbelievable.

This book might better serve fans of Sarah Addison Allen.

DNF at 30%.