I am loving how great these witchy spooky reads have been this year!! Another perfect seasonal book that’ll have you really feeling the spooky season spirit!!

“The Lost Witch” is the story of Brigid, a witch from 1922 who wakes up 100 years in the future with no memory of how she got there. It’s a fun, witchy fantasy complete with love and monsters.

It did take me a while to get into this book because the beginning is very much a slow burn of Brigid trying to figure out what exactly happened and where she is. Things do pick up a lot once Brigid starts gaining her memories back, but it’s not until quite a while after that when the plot becomes fully clear. While I don’t mind a slowly revealed plot, it did bother me a little bit in this book because I felt there were things about the world that weren’t entirely clear or explained very well because they weren’t part of the main mystery/plot even though they were important background details.

Ophelia and Fin were fun, but Knightly really made this book for me. He’s dark, mysterious, and a bit of a trickster. I loved his relationship with Brigid and their chemistry was amazing, but I wish it was a larger plot. I needed more flashback Knightly and Knightly with Brigid after all her memories are back. He was a really complex character and I don’t think it was explored enough.

Overall I did really enjoy this book, I just wish there was more Knightly!!

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I did not finish this book at 33% It was a weird premise and it didn't grab me in the way I had hoped it would. The FMC was fine and I related to her, but the more modern witches who were her descendants were awkward and unrelatable. The world building was weak. 33% in and I wasn't sure if the town was real or a shadow of the real world or hidden from the real world or total fantasy. It was not clear.

The Lost Witch was a decent fantasy novel about witches in the 1920s and today, but not my favorite!

Brigid Heron lives in Evermore, off the coast of Ireland. She worships The Goddess, who gives her powers. However, Brigid makes a deal with Luc Knightly, a demigod with his own followers. What Brigid wants more than anything else is a child, and her Goddess can't grant that wish (saying that Brigid can't do her work for the Goddess and raise a child). When her daughter Dove turns 12, Dove gets sick, and she takes her to the lough. The lough is guarded by the Witches of Knightly, who don't take kindly to Brigid taking their golden cauldron and giving Dove water from it. Giving Dove the water cures her, but it also opened the lough, which is a portal to another realm, a realm full of monsters. A tentacle comes up and takes away Dove, and Brigid uses dark magic to try to get her back.

When Brigid wakes up, she's in her cellar. But now it is 2022, and two witches, Ophelia and Finola, are living in her house. She is disoriented, not just because she's traveled 100 years into the future, but also because she doesn't remember much of her past life. As the story unfolds, she remembers bits and pieces of her history, and why she is the reason the lough is open, and the Witches of Knightly are releasing monsters to create chaos and gather the power of the lough for themselves.

This book has promise, and I finished it, but there were times when I was skimming rather than reading every word, and I put it down several times and read something else instead. But some lovers of dark witch fiction may enjoy this story.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy.

Brigid Heron was a mother and a witch, and she refused to give up being either

The Lost Witch follows the story of Brigid Heron. a witch who serves the Goddess Brighid on the enchanting isle of Evermore. We begin Brigid's story in 1922, but we very quickly find ourselves in 2022 when Brigid wakes up in her cellar with no memories of her former life. Her beloved Evermore has changed; no one can leave the isle and it's plagued by an evil coven of witches and their damned creatures.

Brigid teams up with her two descendants, Ophelia and Fineola, to figure out what's going on and how to free the town. The trickster god, Luc Knightly, squirms his way back into Brigid's life but what does he really want? And can he be trusted?

My thoughts:
- the WRITING. It is sublime. My kindle is full of highlighted phrases like
It was the perfect garden for walking barefoot across, letting your feet sink into the earth softer than the best rug money could buy
Unruly magic, ancient powers, and chaos were everywhere, and they were terribly seductive</i>
He was a god of mischief who courted chaos like flowers seek rain </i>
I have been waiting for you, and I have been fighting for you, for Evermore. For one hundred years, Brigid

- I thought the plot was good but it moved too slowly. Everything is from Brigid's perspective and I think maybe multiple perspectives (especially Lugh's) would have moved things along. I trudged through the first 40%, skimmed the next 30%, and really enjoyed last few chapters of the book. But it was work to get me there.

- The author did her research. The folklore and witchcraft is expertly written, I loved the attention to detail on the spells and components

- I struggled to connect with the characters. I can't pinpoint why but they fell flat for me. Again I think this might come down to the perspective. I would have loved to get inside the head of Ophelia or Finola to break up what Brigid is doing or feeling. I felt like Luc was the most well written character and I loved his interactions with Brigid, Ophelia, and Finola.

My final recommendation for readers - if you love well written, well researched books then this is a good choice for you. If you want a fast paced romantasy then you'll probably be disappointed.

Brigid wakes up 100 years in the future without any of her memories. Her town, Evermore, is cursed. Monsters are attacking the townspeople, the lough’s seal is broken, and the two witches who have been living in Brigid’s house need her help to lift this curse.

The premise of this book was interesting, the prologue was great, and I felt invested in Brigid’s story at first. However, the plot’s execution fell flat for me; I didn’t feel engaged or invested in the characters or their one goal throughout the book.

The writing was well done during parts of the book. I understand that Brigid will speak differently than Ophelia and Finola because they are from very different time periods, but I felt that the references were disconnected at times. Also, I didn't personally care for the way the author jumped from third person narrative to news paper clippings to how-to guides. It was a bit distracting.

The romance between Brigid and Knightly was fine. Even though he doesn’t seem trustworthy at first, we get to understand Knightly—and the reasons behind his past choices—as the story progresses. It’s clear that they have a strong physical attraction, but it was nice to see them work together and get to know each other; It made the romance a bit more substantial.

The Lost Witch wasn’t for me, but I thought the story was interesting and could’ve benefited from more engaging writing.

Brigid Heron taps into magic to save her daughter and ends up not in her time of 1992 but in 2022. How she seeks to save her daughter and berry future of her descendants is a fun and heartwarming story.

When I read the synopsis for The Lost Witch, I thought the premise was fantastic, I loved the idea of a witch traveling to the future and helping other witches to fight back against evil, and thought it was a great idea for some hilarious confusion and for some great combined spell casting. However, the execution sadly left me wanting for more. The language in the sections with Brigid was just plain tough for me to read and the dialogue was stilted and old fashioned. I didn’t feel much of a connection to her character, so it wasn’t exciting to me when she got a love story and I didn’t feel the bond between her and her missing daughter.

I think my biggest critique is that the book tried to do too much, and it just became confusing. Astral planes, projecting through a mirror into the Underworld, multiple perspectives in third person….it just became confusing to me.

I did adore Finola and Ophelia, the witches that help Brigid in present day. They were funny and added some much needed levity to the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

If you are a fan of Discovery of Witches and are looking for a book that can fill that void then this would be that book. The writing is beautiful and the idea is fantastic. It took a while to get into but overall it was an interesting read. I would love an audiobook version of this but would be a little weary on who the narrator was.

I love a good witchy tale and Paige Crutcher gave me that. This was a lovely easy to read romp that kept me hooked.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read The Lost Witch.
A witch trying to regain her memories from 100 years ago. What was she doing in the year 2022 and how did she get there? It was an entertaining romp with Brigid finding out just what happened 100 years before with the help of other witches Ophelia and Finola. And then there was Luc Knightly, Demigod. Dangerous and handsome- they had a history. I liked the characters in the story, I just wish that the tale had more bite to it. It was just an OK read for me.
3 out of 5.

This book follows the life of Brigid Heron, a witch whose only wish was to have a daughter. After her goddess denied her that wish, she made a deal with a mysterious god, but her child fell ill and when Brigid’s spell to save her went awry, she found herself 100 years in the future with no memories of what happened. Now, Brigid must work with two of her descendants and the mysterious god to undo the curse she may have caused, retrieve her lost memories, and find her daughter.

There was a lot packed into this book and I frequently found myself wondering what was going on. The middle was pretty slow, but the beginning hooked me and the ending gave a good resolution. I loved Brigid and Knightley’s relationship. I started out skeptical and a little annoyed at what he put her through, but the further into the story I got, the more invested I became. Finley and Ophelia, her descendants, were the comic relief throughout the story and while they were set 100 years in Brigid’s future, they almost seemed out of place with the writing style of the book.

While this book fell just a little flat for me, it did have some interesting magic and I was intrigued to find out how it would end.

This book fell flat. At times it was confusing for me as well. I don’t love when things are in third person.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review

The Lost Witch is a fun read. Brigid is a witch who wakes up 100 years in the future. The world building is so well done and a quick read. It was my second book by Paige Crutcher and was just as engaging as her first.
Thank you to NetGally for my review copy of this book.

The Lost Witch was a unique read. It wasn’t quite a romance. It wasn’t quite historical fiction. It wasn’t quite YA. It was a good fantasy novel, but could be confusing in terms of narration. I was also not really sure what the point of the podcasts were in the book. They felt forced and a bit heavy handed as if it was to drive home that it was truly 100 years later. Overall, it was an entertaining read.

I enjoyed the romance between Luc and Bridget. I loved the familial ties between Ophelia, Finola, and Bridget. The battle between the Witches of Knight and their monsters and Bridget’s coven and the Goddess lead to an acceptable conclusion.

It was an interesting book! It was full of details and at times that made it really confusing, especially written in third person.
But it was hooking.

ARC book review:
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
the Lost Witch by Paige Crutcher

A tale of lost witches and loves that gives a hit of fantasy and romance.

🧙‍♀️Brigid is a witch of the goddess in a small Irish island. Years after making a deal with a Demi god, she is thrown 100 years into the future trying to save her village only to now have to save it again in the future. Only this time she has some help!

🧙‍♀️ This was a tough one for me. There were some things I loved and some things I was very on the fence about. The weird thing is, they were usually related to each other.
Here’s what I loved and didn’t quite love:

🧙‍♀️ The relationship between Brigid and Knightly. Their love felt epic at times and I adored them together. BUT it was also very drawn out. Brigid comes to the present without her memories and Knightly drags out the process of filling in some gaps. This felt off to me.

🧙‍♀️ The world building. The way magic worked was really cool. For instance the house was spelled and would give them things they needed. Loved that idea. BUT things weren’t always explained enough that I could follow at times. This went along with the magic in the action scenes. Things happened but it was very abrupt.

🧙‍♀️ The writing style. It was lyrical but also very humorous. There were lines that I just laughed out loud. BUT there were also times when style detracted from the story and I got lost a bit. HOWEVER, I know there are people that will love the style.

🧙‍♀️ Ophelia and Finola. Loved these two. They were funny and filled with heart. I would honestly read a book just for them. No but here. Just loved them.

All in all, this was not a bad read by any means. It just didn’t always work for me. But I think many people will adore it.

Release date:12/27

Thank you to the author and publisher for the ARC book in exchange for an honest review.

I received this e-Arc for an honest review by the publisher St. Martin Griffins and Netgalley for an honest review!

I finished reading "The Lost Witch!!! " It was heartwarming, magical and a fun read! The magic, adventure, love, friendship, believing in oneself goes a long way in "The Lost Witch." I really liked connecting with the characters: Brigid, Finola, Ophelia, Knightly, Dove and even the Goddess. Every character brought something magical to the story. I will say Finola has no filter, so I laughed a few times at what she spoke of. Knightly and Brigid do connect in such an interesting way. It was complicated and yet was touching. It worked for the characters and the story.

I will admit there was many things happening in the story which took me a while to get used to. When I finished the story and let everything sit in my mind for a few hours, I could see the connection. Some readers may like it and others may not. I will admit there were some twist and turns which had me thinking "no way!" The story kept my attention. I wanted to know what was going to happen so that kept me wanting to read. Plus magic!

The ending was not what I expected and yet I loved it.

Paige Cruther is definitely one of my favorite authors.

So go give the book a go when it comes out and see if it gives you sparks!

Overall, I think this is a good story. The prologue and earlier chapters hooked me. I was fascinated to learn more about Brigid, Knightly, and their daughter, Dove. As the book progressed, especially in the middle third, it became challenging to understand what was happening. Scenes with the Lough were hard to visualize, and I was confused reading the text without dialogue. I enjoyed Finola and Ophelia’s incorporation into the story; however, the difference between their dialogue and the narration felt out of place. Around chapter 7, I almost DNF’d the book because I struggled to visualize what was happening and wondered if it was myself or the narration. It could have been a mixture of both, and I felt parts of the book dragged quite a bit. Fortunately, in later chapters, the narration improved for me. I was happy with the resolution of the story’s conflict.

I would recommend this to readers interested in a mixture between fantasy and romance; however, be wary if any of the points mentioned are an issue.

CW: infertility, pregnancy (as per The Storygraph).

Numerical Rating: 2.75-3 stars

A lonely witch makes a bargain with a god in exchange for something she’s always wanted and he can see into her mind... yet neither of them are prepared for what happens next. In 1922 Brigid Heron is a powerful witch and healer who lives a pretty happy but empty life... she yearns for something more...,she yearns for a child of her own with none of the attachment of a partner. Living in the charming small town of Evermore on a forgotten isle in Ireland Brigid serves her goddess yet when her goddess cannot give her the child she seeks she finds herself being seduced by the mysterious Luc Knightly, head of the knightly coven. Luc is beautiful, mysterious, and the God of the Otherworld. When Brigid and his daughter, Dove, disappears she will do anything to get her back..., even if it means tapping into the forbidden magic of the Lough of Briongloid.. yet that magic has now dropped her 100 years into the future. Now Brigid is in 2022 and finds that her small town of Evermore is under siege by monsters and that the witches of Knight are using their magic to widen the rift between the island and the Otherworld. Brigid has lost her memories of how she in the future or why... but she learns that she has unleashed this curse on Evermore and that to seal the lough and stop the witches of Knight she has to work with her magical descdants, Ophelia and Finola... and that the only person who can help her regain her memories is Luc Knightly who has become the mayor of Evermore and has been searching and waiting for Brigid all these years. Can she trust Luc? Can she save her daughter and her town? Brigid loves with her entire heart and the romance between her and Luc was just beautiful. He is chaotic trickster god but she owns his heart, he is willing to do anything, go to any lengths to save her and be with her. Both Luc and Brigid are complicated people who are willing to go to any lengths for their loved ones, even making not so smart or great decisions that carry heavy consequences, but in the end they will do what is right. This was such a fun magical romantic read. I adored the author’s previous book and this one was just as magical and romantic!

*Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*