I liked the idea of this book, but It didn’t deliver for me. It wasn’t a terrible book and some might enjoy it more than I did.

I have to say that this book was not was I was expecting. But then books like that can be exciting!

This one took me a while to get into the plot. In some areas, I have to admit, I was a tad lost and confused with the portals and lough. I had to google that one… What kept me going was the characters. I was highly invested in Luc. He is a handsome mystery with a big secret and a full heart.

Crutcher crafted such a unique story that once you figured out what was going on, you found yourself engaged and invested for the long term. With memories and the timeframe flipping back and forth 100 years, family and connections are the big keys to the secrets.

The Lost Witch is a good story if you are into witches and fantasy stories. Fun, levity, love, and romance are interspersed with hate and evil for an all-around story that captures every interest.

This book has a lot of good things going for it. I enjoyed the characters, the central good vs evil narrative, and my favorite was the interspersed humorous clips of a podcast done by two of the main characters.

That being said…this had WAY too much going on. I felt like every page had a new monster or new type of magic or new…whatever…thrown in. I think that could have worked if there was more build up and backstory or more explanation somehow of what was going on instead of just plopping them in. As is…I can’t recommend this one.

I was attracted to this book because it was based in Ireland and it was very atmospheric and beautifully described throughout, However the plot itself was a little slow for me. I feel like the idea was unique but it dragged on a bit and I didn’t find myself connecting to the characters as quick as I would have liked. Still, it was a good read and would be perfect if you’re looking for a low key witchy novel.

Just loved the list witch. The character Brigid had me from the first chapter.

Ophelia and Finola were great characters as well. I loved the banter, the touch of romance and the plot was great.

It was a book I want to read again just for fun and because I lived the characters.

Recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for granting me a copy of this book in return for my honest opinion.

Ah, okay. So I REALLY wanted to love this one. The premise, the story, the romance. It all had so much potential. The romance lacked most of all. I need the slow burn and tension, and I feel like i didn't get that. It was just okay.

3/5 ⭐

I think the idea of this book was fantastic. Having a witch from the past come to modern times was very creative. I think the magic in the fantasy elements was some of the best parts as it felt very creative and intriguing. The main issue I had was the romance felt rushed and forced at parts. I think I personally would've liked it better to see more growth and for them to slowly get affection as opposed to that instant love.

This was such a quick and fun read. I love stories where the character is transported through time. And add in the main character being a witch?! Yes please! I can’t wait for this to come out so I can purchase the physical copy and add to my shelf!

Brigid is a witch and healer who serves her Goddess in the small Irish village of Evermore. What Brigid desires most is a child, but she cannot be a mother and also focus on her magic with the Goddess. Brigid ends up making a deal with the demigod of mischief Knightly. He will help give her a child in exchange for a look into Brigid’s mind and for information about the Goddess’ magic. Brigid has a baby girl and they live several happy years together before her daughter becomes sick. Brigid goes to the magical lough controlled by the sinister witches of Knight to help save her daughter. The witches get angry at Brigid for letting her daughter drink from the lough and Brigid disobeys the Goddess and uses her magic to protect her daughter. In the aftermath of the battle Brigid wakes up, only to find it is one hundred years later, and she has no memories of the past hundred years or of her daughter. The damned are constantly attacking the people Evermore and the witches of Knight have grown powerful. With the help of a couple young witches and Knightly himself, can Brigid save Evermore and gain her daughter and memories back? I loved how different this book was but it had a lot going on in the plot and subplots, making it a bit difficult to put a full picture together at first but that is part of the book’s magic. The characters were dynamic and the sarcasm and dry humor they use was refreshing. Give it a read and let me know what you think!

The Lost Witch by Paige Crutches is about a witch name Brigid, who wakes up 100 years in the future with no idea how she got there. It took a while to get going, but once it did I couldn't put it down. Its full of history and folklore. A great read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced digital copy.

A witch discovers that finding your way home is sometimes the most perilous journey of all.

1922. Brigid Heron is a powerful witch and healer in the seemingly lost, but charming small town of Evermore on a forgotten isle in Ireland. However, there is one thing that she longs for above all else: a child of her own. She is even willing to be seduced by the mysterious Luc Knightly, head of the Knightly coven, whose pull is potent and impossible to resist. When their child is born and falls ill, Brigid will risk anything to save her daughter–even tap into the forbidden magic of the Lough of Brionglóid. But when the wild magic takes her daughter from her, Brigid is swept away as well.

2022. Evermore is under siege. The witches of Knight have been using their chaos magic to widen the rift between the island and the Otherworld. Creatures from folklore prey on the villagers, consuming their very humanity.

Brigid awakens in this world with no memory of how she traveled into the future, but she learns that she helped unleash this curse on Evermore. To seal the lough and stop the witches of Knight, she must work with her magical descendants, Ophelia and Finola. But the knowledge she seeks lies with Luc Knightly himself—mysterious, handsome, and powerful. To save Evermore, Brigid may have to lose everything once again.

The setting of this story was amazing - witches in magical Ireland. I love that idea so much.
The writing of this book made it hard to get into and understand. Maybe it's just the nature of an arc, but I felt as there were more errors than acceptable given that I couldn't guess what some sentences were suppose to say.
This could also be why I never understood the magic system. Or it was that the magic system was never properly explained.

But my biggest issue was the romance. It took me probably 3/4 of the book to realize it was going for the heroine falls for the villain, because it completely missed mark. All the falling happens off the pages. What I think was suppose to be a big reveal, around 70% through, was told to the reader at the beginning of the story! Which almost makes me think maybe this is a mother/daughter story, but we never witness their relationship, so you can't be invested in it.

Overall, I think the premise was great but the execution was poor. I wish it started as a story about a mother and daughter so we got into their relationship, then all the reveals can come as an actual surprise.

This book is about a witch who wakes up 100 years in the future. Once I started reading I couldn’t put it down until I was done. This book is magical. I loved reading Brigid’s story.

I wanted to like this book so much. I was so intrigued by the premise and I felt that Celtic magic, from a witchy standpoint, is something that I do not see in books too often. I was really ready to love the book, but I felt that things moved far too quickly so there was no time to appreciate the characters, the magic, the relationships, etc.

Brigid’s departure, return, amnesia, and return of memories happened so quickly. I also felt that the characters were always fighting the Damned so there never was the chance to see their relationships grow in an organic manner. I also had a small plot hole problem with how all pop culture references and technology made it onto an island that has been sealed off from society and where the post is unreliable. I wish we had seen Brigid and Knightley fall in love either in 1922 or 2022, the fact that we got neither and had to assume or just believe that they were in love was a little more difficult. Also, I thought that the story hinged so much on Dove but then we never got to interact with her really at all during the book.

All of this is to say that this book is a fine read, I enjoyed spending my day reading this book. However, I wish there was more- things just seemed a little too surface level for me. I wanted more mythology and magic. I wanted more love- romantic and familial. I rarely wish for books to be longer but I wish this book had been 30-50 pages longer so we could have explored the world some more.

The Lost Witch is mystical, magical and wildly original. This story weaves a haunting curse and a homecoming that is so well deserved. I was so scared of how this book could end for everyone involved. The author did an amazing job of keeping me on the edge of my seat until the very end.

There were some things I really liked about this book including the magic, Brigid's relationship with her daughter, and the side characters Finola and Ophelia.

What I enjoyed:

- A book that takes place on an island off the coast of Ireland? Sold! I loved the concept and premise. A witch that wakes up 100 years in the future with no memories? A lake with haunted creature? Loved it.

- The podcast was full of fun, witty banter. I always wanted more of it! Some parts made me chuckle.

- There were some truly beautiful and haunting images that will stay with me from this book. The author had some beautiful writing and did a great job of creating scenes that will stick with you.

What I didn't like as much:

- The plot meandered quite a bit, and there were periods in the middle that were hard to get through. Brigid's lack of memories seemed to make the story drag, and it was hard to feel connected to the characters. The plot picked up about 75% of the way through.

- This might just be me, but I thought some of the magical world-building was missing substance... Sometimes a new term, ability, or creature would pop up that I wasn't aware, and I maybe would have liked more explanation or background.

- I desperately wanted more plotline with Brigid's daughter Dove. I felt that this is what the whole story was about, and then we really only had a few short scenes with her. I would have LOVED more content there.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the author for an advanced review copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. I am posting my review here now and will post on my Bookstagram closer to the release date!

This book was a little slow at first, but I enjoyed reading it after a while. Recommended for cozy magic lovers, readers of Addie LaRue, and readers of Circe.

2✨

Brigid wakes up 100 years in the future without her memories, her town cursed and about to be overrun by the damned, creatures escaping from the lough and wreaking havoc on the townspeople. She has to work together with a mysterious trickster god and her two descendants, Ophelia and Finola.

The lyrical, whimsical writing gave way to a convoluted, lackluster plot that honestly caused me to get bored. I was interested to a point but the lack of her memories was overdone when it kept up for more than 40% of this book. I was hoping for mystery and suspense with the looming curse, but all I got was frustration on all sides. The characters fell flat due to 3rd person omniscient narrator, and none of them had any intricacies. They were all standard cut-outs and had one motivation. I couldn’t connect with any of them. Also, the way it’s written is at odds with how Ophelia and Finola speak and it bothered me. The modern references (looking at you: Back to the Future reference) were jarring when used with her prose.
The plot was so disjointed with the addition of news articles/podcast scripts and it took away from the suspense and build up. I found myself skimming through those parts just so I could get to the main storyline. The romance didn’t work for me either. We barely got to see anything other them having a strong physical attraction and chemistry. I really wasn’t invested in this side of the book either.

The highlight for me was the prologue. It hooked me immediately, but I didn’t feel engaged the rest of the way through.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Lost Witch is a cute, witchy contemporary fantasy. When Brigid finds herself 100 years in the future (the year 2022) with no memory of how she came to be there, she needs the help of her descendants, Ophelia and Finola, to figure out what happened to her and fix the grave consequences her journey through time have created.
The Lost Witch had a very Charmed feel to it- with Ophelia, Finola, and Brigid creating that sisterly bond that I so loved in Charmed.
This book takes place in Ireland and draws a lot from Ireland's lore, which I really enjoyed.
I would almost classify this as a cozy fantasy, but the stakes are just *slightly* too high.
My only complaint is that the romance fell a little flat for me. I had a hard time caring about the slow burn and the longing looks between Brigid and Lugh. But the sisterly relationship between our coven more than made up for it.
There were spelling mistakes, but as I was reading an ARC I assume those will be fixed before the book's release in December.
And lastly, I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read and review The Lost Witch!

The timeline in this book begins in 1922 and jumps to 2022. Brigid is a powerful witch and healer in a small town on an island in Ireland. The one thing she wants is a child. She is seduced by Luc Knightly, head of the Knightly Coven. She becomes pregnant and when her precious daughter is ill, she breaks a rule. She uses the magic in Lough of Briongloid. And that was a mistake. The magic takes her daughter and Brigid.

When she finds herself in the year 2022, she has no clue how she got there. But there is trouble. The witches of the knightly coven are using wild magic to distance the otherworld. Creatures from folklore are showing up in villages and stealing their humanity.

Brigid will have to help her descendants stop them and to do so she may lose herself again.

This was a bit slow for me. The story was good, however.

NetGalley/ December 27, 2022, St. Martin’s Press