I jumped into this story with high hopes, intrigued by the promise of a thrilling witch-hunter fantasy. However, the story left me wanting more. While the action started swiftly and the characters, Fritzi and Otto, were engaging, the world-building felt lacking. The rushed pacing led to a shallow plot exploration, and the romance between the protagonists seemed forced and rushed. I anticipated a slow burn, but it felt more like instant love, and the characters' developments lacked depth. The historical context of witch trials and the villain, Dieter, offered intriguing elements, but they weren't fully realized. Overall, the book had potential but failed to fully immerse me, leaving the story feeling underdeveloped and hesitant about continuing the series.

Fritzi is the lone survivor of a brutal attack on her coven, leaving her determined to find her remaining family. She also wants to bring the witch hunters known as hexenjägers to justice by bringing down their leader, Kommandant Dieter Kirch. Otto keeps his cover as a hexenjäger, but is plotting revenge for the murder of his innocent mother. Fritzi and Otto are thrown together and don't trust each other, but forge a truce to take down their common enemy. Uncovering dangerous truths about the hexenjäger attacks, they grow ever closer not just to the Kommandant, but to each other.

This is set during the German witch trials. Witches are real here, whether they use herbs like Fritzi, work with elements or animals. They draw helpful power from a Well of magic, and wild magic has no rules or constraints as Well magic does. Fritzi fears the wild magic as much as the hexenjäger teams, and we eventually find out why, as well as Otto's reason for mistrusting the archbishop and Dieter. Rescuing trapped witches, most of whom are innocent people accused to get them out of the way or because they were Protestant instead of Catholic, is just the beginning. The second half is all about the nature of magic and the fight to protect it, Dieter determined to get his way. He's a chilling and amoral villain, and he's easy to hate. The conclusion makes me hope for a sequel, with magic warriors fighting against the continued hunt for witches.

This book already has a scandal due to a print for the book being advertised and it was much more salacious than it probably should have been for a book categorized as YA.

If it was supposed to be New Adult, I don’t feel it succeeded. It reads aggressively YA so to all the sudden dip into a sex scene, it felt very out of place. After the sex scene, it ramps up with torture and more adult content but it tonally jars with the first half of the novel.

At first the Otto chapters made me want to stop reading then it switched and the Fritzi ones were boring. At least I was always invested in one of the perspectives, until the midway point.

The world building is definitely sparse. It is set in a historic german setting based in actual history but the details seem all over the place and the end result is world building that feels murky and underdeveloped.

There is one or two chapters of Antagonism between the pair but it desolves into comradery very quickly. It also felt like it was just picking and using tropes that are very popular right now. Some better employed than others.

The villain is very over the top, caricature of a villain and doesn’t really seem to have a reason for doing what he is doing other than “he’s pure evil”. Plus the logic of the goddesses and what they can and can’t do made absolutely no sense.

It slowed after the midpoint. Once the plot came off I found it hard to care about the continuing storyline. I feel like, despite what the authors tried to weave in, there isn’t enough to sustain more of the story so I’m not sure how it will continue into a series. Or if it should. I can’t see myself picking up the next book.

I read Night of the Witch as an ARC provided by Source Books and Netgalley and I am flabbergasted at how outstanding and lucky I was to be an early reader for this book.
I do not know how co-writing works, but this story was captivating, action-packed, humorous, and courageous. For a book to be considered YA, my attention was held at full mast and did not drop at any moment. The characters were bold, detailed, and strong. The polt aligned symphonically with wonderful twists. There was even romance, something I often avoid, but it was done so that it warmed me like a hot toddy.

Generally, we lear about the Salem Witch Trials, but a look into another culture was a broadening and peaked my interest. Through out the book, the POV did change by chapter, but it was done so smoothly it was like being hit by the chorus of your favorite song; not a beat or angle was missed.

This is my first time reading anything by Sarah Raasch & Beth Revis and I am star-strikingly amazed. The world created in this book was reminiscent and so detailed that I haven’t felt I’ve been in the realm of a character since I was in Hogsmeade while reading Harry Potter.

Absolutely 5 stars. I want all the autographs, All the books, All the witch hats. Can’t wait for book two. Conjuring for it to appear in my email.

*chef's kiss* That is genuinely the best way I can think to describe this book. The characters and setting in this book were absolutely outstanding. I adored Otto so much, but all of the characters were well-rounded and mostly likable. I also loved that the author clearly did some research into the witch trials in 1600s Germany. A high-speed, enjoyable read. I'm looking forward to book two!

Night of the Witch is a young adult historical fantasy novel about a German witch and a hexenjäger (witch hunter) stuck in the middle of sweeping witch hunts and burnings.

Fritzi and her cousin are the only survivors of a hexenjäger raid on their village of witches. Otto is a hexenjäger who is operating as a double agent and assisting the witches however he can. But when Fritzi sees Otto arresting his own sister for witchcraft she immediately assumes the worst and uses a spell to send her to safety. With his sister whisked off somewhere Otto will need a new witch for his plan to destroy the hexenjäger from the inside and Fritzi is his only hope. Fritzi needs Otto to get her into the hunter’s stronghold to save her cousin. The two will navigate underground tunnels, prison and the Black Forest in their efforts to end the witch burnings.

Night of the Witch is both romance and fantasy set against the backdrop of the witch burnings in 1600’s Germany. Fritzi is a tough and smart main character that is easy to root for. Otto has a huge heart and his ambition to bring down the hexenjäger order makes him a worthy match to Fritzi and they have a ton of chemistry. The authors did a great job of showing the insanity of the time and how so many people lost their lives needlessly. This book is the first in a series and look forward to reading more!

4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Fritz is a witch and after her coven is burned down and her cousin captured she is determined to save Liesel and get to the forest people for help. Otto is a witch hunter and when he captures Fritzi after she send his sister away “some place safe” he knows he needs her more than ever. When it becomes clear that they desperately need each other in the endeavors they each have, and that not everything is as it appears to be, can Fritzi and Otto work together before the head witch hunter catches whiff of what they’re doing?

Such a fun start to a series! Definitely want to read book two and I loved the dynamic between the characters as everything developed and the twists were twisty real good!

<b>“Oh, Liebste, you realize this is all just a formality, right? I have been thoroughly bewitched by you from the moment I found out that you ate all the rations in my house fort.” </b>

fritzi & otto. she’s a witch. he’s a witch hunter (undercover). second-in-command. If you’re a fan of Serpent & Dove, you’re going to love this one!

<b>“You’re…exceptional, Otto Ernst.” “Exceptional?” he asks, arching an eyebrow at me. “Well, acceptable, at the very least.”</b>

✨ THINGS AND STUFF ✨
-dual pov
-germany, 1591
-schupfnudeln, apfelwein, krapfen
-witch hunters
-pyres & burnings
-help, i’ve been abducted!
-oh no! i feel in love with my captor
-forbidden love
-enemies to allies
-herbs to cast spells
-whaaaa! plot twist!
-#IsThisAKissingBook: open door. new adult- characters are nineteen. “Liebste,” Otto whispers again and presses another kiss to my jaw. Sweetheart. I am unworthy of him.”

Thank you Sourcebooks for an advanced copy!

3 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for this ARC.

I really enjoyed this book for the first probably 70%, and if it weren't for the last 30% that I didn't care for, I'd probably have given it at least 3.5 or 4 stars. It moved quick, was easy to follow and entertaining, and I liked the characters. There were parts that were surprisingly dark and I felt like that really added to the atmosphere of the story. It was never cheesy (in my opinion) and I was really just enjoying it.

The last 30% fell of the rails for me. I didn't like the direction the authors took the story and I started to find it confusing. I think they just tried to pack too much into the last 30% of the story, and it was more difficult for me to follow what was going on. I found some of the writing in this part repetitive as well, and I was just bummed that the story didn't finish off as strong as it started out. Also, warning, there is a brief section of animal abuse (around 80% in my kindle) that I wish I would've known about...it isn't super drawn out, but I did find it graphic and upsetting.

I'd still recommend this to anyone who is looking for a witchy, fall story. It's an interesting, unique, fast paced book that's definitey entertaining.

I struggled a little with Night of the Witch. On the one hand, it feels innately grounded in a real historical period, mixing that realism with magic in a really wonderful way. On the other, though, it was sometimes too dark to be truly enjoyable, and I struggled to really get into the story.

Fritzi lost everything when her village - and her coven - were attacked by brutal witch hunters, and all she has left is the need to save her little cousin from a terrible fate. As she follows her cousin's trail, she ends up entangled with Otto, a witch hunter whose real goal is tearing down the whole apparatus from the inside. The pair clash and then find a way to work together, ultimately finding a way to change the world forever.

Fritzi and Otto's relationship is at the core of this book, and I wasn't always entirely sold on it. The chemistry came on a little too fast, especially considering how at odds they are when they first meet. I also felt like Fritzi's narration never quite held as much passion about the relationship as Otto's did. She does have a lot going on, it's true, but I would have liked to see equal buy-in from both characters. Night of the Witch also couldn't seem to decide if it was a YA book or adult, which meant that I never quite knew what I should hope for when it came to the central romance.

Ultimately, this book was a little bit of a slog for me. That's not to say it wouldn't work for someone else, but it just wasn't doing it for me.

3.5/5

This book was a little all over the place, but still an enjoyable read. If you are just trying to get into reading, I do not suggest this book, but if you read a lot and are looking for a witchy book to add to your October TBR, then give it a short. The characters were lovable, the plot was interesting, and I enjoyed the historical elements. The romance was engaging as well.

I have read multiple books by Beth Revis before, so when I saw that she has co-authored a new book I knew that I had to give it a read. I am not sure how co-authoring a book works, so I was also intrigued by how this would play out in here.

This is the first book in what I assume will be a trilogy (most YA books are trilogies so I assume that this will follow the trend). I was reading it and I was wondering how they were going to actually continue this book as it very easily could have been a stand alone book without any effort. It ended very nicely, and then it did that annoying extra chapter that they put in to leave you on a cliff hanger. Maybe I am just getting too old for the YA genre but I really do not enjoy this happening in books.

Another thing that I found annoying in here was that I never felt like I had all the information. As I was going on, things occurred that made no sense with no hints or inklings of what would occur only for them to be retroactively explained later on, which felt like a ‘oh yeah this is why I did such-and-such’. They never felt like plot reveals, they felt very out of place.

I did find this a very easy read though. I have enjoyed Revis’s previous works so I am not surprised by how easily I got lost reading this (even if I did get annoyed with decisions by the characters). Once thing that I found surprising is that this is the first book that I have ever come across that includes content warning at the beginning. I am on the fence as to whether I like this or not as I felt in this particular circumstance it partially spoiled some of what was going to happen instead of letting me organically discover everything. Although I can completely see why a lot of people would like having an idea as to if a particular subject is going to be broached.

An interesting read that I would say is better suited for the older Young Adult reader.

Magical, brutal, and romantic. I was completely engrossed.

I absolutely loved this book. It was action packed from start to finish. Our story is set during the European witch trials of the late 1500s. In this world however, witches , forest folk, and the goddesses are all real. We follow Fritzi who loses her entire coven to the hexenjagers, or witch hunters. When she escapes and tries to save the only living member of her family , her cousin Liesel, she is embroiled in a plan to end the hexenjagers from the inside with Otto, a hexenjager Kapitan.

The story does bring to light that the witch trials were built on mass hysteria and pointing fingers. Lots of innocent people were burned just because they were different , maybe their neighbors disliked them , or they owed someone money. People could shout “witchcraft!” And quickly end someone’s life.

I loved the instant romance our two characters have. I have to say I’ve grown to like it when two people have a strong instant connection. But they pair well with one another. The story is also dual POV but not scene repetitive. Oh and who needs one bed when one can have….. one bath.

This is my favorite witchy read of the year so far and I am so glad I requested it as an ARC.

The ending sums up nicely but still left on a really interesting cliffhanger that I cannot wait to continue.

Things to keep in mind:
Burning at the stake.
Brutal/violent descriptions
Animal harm ( one scene )
Mild spice( not super descriptive )

3.5 stars

Thankyou Netgalley for a free ecopy in exchange for an honest review.

While it took a while to get into this book I enjoyed it and can't wait for the second.

Night Of The Witch is a dual perspective enemies to allies to lovers set in a world mixed of history and fantasy.

At first I didn't like or get Fritzi and Otto as a couple it just seemed weird and forced however as the story progressed the couple grew on me and I can't wait to see what's in store for them next.

Whilst for me the first 20%ish of the book was slow and didnt really speak to me the world and magic building was good and helped set up for the rest of the book which got slowly better until the cliff hanger epilogue at the end which has me looking forward to picking up the next book when it's released.

Now was this the greatest book I've read? No
Did I enjoy it? Yes
Would I read it again? Probably depends on how book 2 goes.
Will I buy it in paperback to add to my shelves? More than likely

I was so excited to get my hands on this book but the first 15-20%.... were odd. The concept of historical fiction and a witchy fantasy maybe had me overly excited.

The two POV annoyed me. I didn't need both. one or the other would have been better. The world building was phenomenal as the book got going but the romance felt forced and I couldn't wrap my head around it.

I also didn't see this as a YA with the spice in it but that's just me. NA maybe?

I did enjoy the book, the last half for sure but I kinda felt something was missing.

There is a lot of world-building in this book! I personally liked that detail but was hoping for a little more enemies-to-lovers romance to be happening. It doesn't, but I think this was a great historical reimagining all the same. If you look witchy books, I think you'd at least appreciate the take on it. Otherwise, if you're looking for more lovey-dovey, maybe not your thing.

A good historical about the witch trials and after visiting Salem, I was very intrigued. There are some history lesson, but make no mistake this is a enemies to friends (very fast) book and the ups and downs of running from the bad to the good or maybe not? Good story, a little slow paced and some good characters. Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for the arc!

Thank you to the authors and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC for review!


Sadly this book wasn't really for me. I was really expecting to like the story especially now around October, but it just fell a bit flat for me. The plot felt a bit disjointed and I was kind of confused half the time and I wasn't really convinced by the relationship between the main characters.

Night of the Witch

Sara Raasch & Beth Revis

⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

•Fantasy romance
•Elements of real history
•First in a new series

When a witch and a hunter form an unlikely alliance, their mutual attraction becomes as strong as their shared desire for vengeance.


This book is going to make many readers happy this witchy season! 🪄 With well-developed characters, expert world building, and a swoony, forbidden romance, I devoured this in one day!

⚠️NOTE: I believe this is mismarketed as YA when it should be NA. There are VERY spicy scenes here that are much too mature for teens.

Thank you Sourcebooks Fire for the gifted copy

Okay, this book BLEW ME AWAY and I'm really surprised I haven't seen it mentioned much!

Night of the Witch is a historical fantasy retelling of the German Witch Trials, which I really loved as this isn't a historical event I knew as much about before now. It moves FAST, but somehow not so quick to feel underdeveloped or rushed. Every chapter had something to draw me in, and I read about 60% in one sitting without even noticing.

I loved both Fritzi and Otto so much. Our first few chapters spent with Otto paint him in a light that is so incredibly different from who he ends up being at heart, and this is definitely a purposeful and impactful things for what he is trying to achieve. Fritzi is fiery but not impulsive to a fault. She gets herself into trouble at times, but it is always for a good reason that I don't think she would change even if she did slow down. The authors did a great job characterizing her even throughout a lot of action, as we can feel her guilt about her mistakes as well as find a deep connection to the reasons why she made the decisions she did. We can tell that she cares deeply about justice for her people and protection of those she loves, just as we know that Otto cares about righting wrongs and examining whether his role in the witch trials could ever be forgivable, even if he has been playing a long game to make a net positive impact.

I also loved the CHEMISTRY with these two. This is YA, but it does include a lot of violence and even some pretty graphic torture scenes, as well as an intimate scene that is more than I'd normally expect from a YA book, but not so much that I find it inappropriate (plus, these two are 18+ in age). This being said, the heavier aspects of this book were handled SO well, and really had my heart pounding. Similarly, the romantic scenes had me swooning hard and rooting for the main couples success. The villain in this book absolutely terrified me & the way their motives intermingled with the magic system was so interesting (and the magic system was just awesome in general).

I just really, really enjoyed this and would definitely recommend it to people who are looking for a historical fantasy witchy read that moves fast, packs a serious emotional punch, and helps you learn real aspects of our world history that you might not already know. It also features a lot of beautiful writing, swoony romance, heart pounding action and a beautiful little found family. I'll definitely be watching like a hawk for news of book two after that epilogue! Thank you so much to Sourcebooks Fire for this eArc, I can't wait to investigate these authors other works while I wait for the sequel!