Thank you to Sara Raasch, Beth Revis, and Sourcebooks Fire for letting me review this ARC!

I was hooked from the first chapter. Maybe even from the first page with the dedication that reads, "To every witch that burned, and every witch that watched, and every promise they made in the smoke". I love the unique magic system with affinities, and the blend of history from the Witch Trials throughout Germany/Europe/Salem along with elements of the Holocaust in the early 1900s. I appreciated the chapters with Otto's POV as well as Dieters, which in turn allowed the author to move their story long faster. It didn't feel rushed nor drawn out in my opinion.

The end is a slight cliffhanger that sets up for what is presumably a second novel and I cannot wait for it to be announced!

I think this might be a case of “it's me not you”. I really wanted to love this. It sounded so good! And it was good but just not as spectacular as I was hoping for. I did really like how well-researched it was. The story world and themes of persecution against women who were believed to be witches is such a fascinatingly horrible part of history that I thought was well-crafted in this book. And it was the perfect setting for this story.

I liked the characters well enough but failed to really connect with them on a deeper level. I didn’t really feel the relationship between Fritzi and Otto either. It wasn’t developed enough in a way that made me feel it or made it believable. The baseline for the tension it needed was totally there, and I could tell that the spark for something to develop was there. But the reality of how it happened was bland and not nuanced enough for my preferences. Calling it enemies to lovers and forced proximity would be misleading.

The plot itself also felt very predictable. Although there were definitely moments of action that kept me engaged, it lacked the mysterious drive to hold my interest for the outcome. There just wasn’t any one thing that wowed me or stood out to me. I hate saying something is generic, but at times it kind of felt that way.

It was just an okay read for me. I liked it enough though to continue with the series. I am definitely willing to give it another go and see how things develop further. I still definitely recommend it to YA fantasy readers. I don’t think it is bad by any means - it’s a solid 3 stars for me. But as someone who has read a LOT of YA fantasy, this isn’t anything mind-blowingly memorable. I just needed a little more of that special something from it.

I was hooked from the first line! The book was fast paced and I couldn't put it down. The plot is strong and easy to follow, with a lot happening.
I did find the world building a little slow and there are still some details that are left unfinished - particularly around the magical elements of the world.
There's also room for relationship building between the characters. I felt like we needed a bit more time on developing the relationships rather than rushing through with the plot.
The relationship between Fritzi and Otto felt very rushed. I would like to have seen a bit more pining and lead up to the actual relationship.
I loved how this book linked back to the witch trials and there was a lot of in-depth information that was really interesting.

I received an ARC of this novel through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

An adventurous and unpredictable witchy novel! I normally don’t love historical stories but I do love anything with witchy vibes and this was grwat

I didn't want to put this book down! I fell in love with these characters almost right away! I love how fierce Fritzi is and how compassionate Otto is. They complement each other so well and I love them so much!

I wasn't very familiar with the German witch trials when I picked up this book, but it didn’t feel like I needed any prior knowledge to understand the historical context.

I loved the magic system and I can’t wait to explore this world more in future books.

I would recommend this book to people who love Serpent & Dove and The Owl House, and to those who are excited about the upcoming Assassins Creed game Codename Hexe.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book. Overall, it was a fun and easy read. The romance felt a bit rushed but plot was great and had deep historical context that added to the story. The world building and magic system was easy to understand. I think this would be great for upper YA readers,

This entire book felt rushed, between the love story and how quickly things unfold. I wasn’t impressed with Fritzi in the slightest and Otto felt lackluster. I was expecting more of a grand love story between the two or more of a grand adventure but the story fell short. I gave credit because the magic represented was fairly good.

Loved It! Absolutely loved it!

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

Fantastic! Writing was suburb.

Highly recommend.

Five stars!

This wasn't for me BUT I still think it was well written and paced. It also blended historical elements well with the fantasy aspect, and I also got to learn about the Trier witch trials, so I think this would be a great book to have in libraries!

Loved this new series by Revis. It reminded me a lot of Serpent and Dove except for the male character who is both protector and warrior (take that Holda). Otto is easily the best male character. From early in the novel, the reader cares for and loves the goodness emanating from him. After his father accuses his beloved stepmother of witchcraft, he spends the next 10 years of his life working to destroy the witch hunters in Germany. The night before his big plan, the daughter of a powerful witch comes upon him and throws all of his plans awry.

On the run for much of the novel, Otto finds peace in his relationship and love of Fritzi and Leisel. About 2/3s of the way in the trio enters a ‘green world’ - a place where the pressures of the original society dissipate, only to find themselves involved in schemes and politics if witches. As Fritzi and Otto fight for a life for all witches outside of the green world, they fall desperately more in love with each other.

A beautiful novel full of love, passion, and rich fantasy.

This was a fast-paced, wonderful read. I loved the way magic worked with witches having certain affinities rather than just being able to do it all. The banter between Otto and Fritzi was enjoyable; however, I did find it odd how quickly they seemed to get feelings for each other without much interaction.

I have always been interested in the Salem Witch Trials and had never heard of the ones in Germany, so this was also an educational opportunity. While the story of course was only based of the Trier Trials I looked it up on my own to learn more about it.

Thank you Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

<i> "We were born to kill each other. And yet she tucks her body close to mine." </i>

The unearthly squeal I let out at the scene from that quote above! Fans of Serpent & Dove, brace yourself. Here is your new addiction.

I love the initial idea and the whole world building! They are rich and immersive. The pacing was great, and I love the slow burn e2l romance of Fritzi and Otto so much! Otto is so precious omg we need to protect him at all cost. Love love loveeee!

I'm about 50 pages from the end, but couldn't wait to write my review as I am absolutely LOVING this story. Despite being more historical, it is scarily relevant to current events. The characters drew me into this story immediately and held me tight all book long. I'm a little scared that this book will end on a cliffhanger and I don't know that I can handle waiting for book 2! I haven't been this sucked into a story in what feels like forever and it broke my reading slump wide open.

UPDATE: While the ending was extremely satisfying, and is not a true cliffhanger, it does leave the door open for another book. One which I will be first in line to grab as soon as I'm able.

Night of the Witch sees an alternative fantasy version of the horrible and very real witch hunts of Trier, Germany. This brutal backdrop still allows for some of the best elements of fantary romance: enemies to lovers, forced proximity, and same bed. It is as if Serpent and Dove meet The Other Boleyn Girl. Like the Other Boleyn girl, the history is so close but it never lets truth get in the way of a good love story, Night of the Witch never lets the real world get in the way of a good fantasy. Where its wrong its wrong in spectacularly magical speculative writing.

Only Fritzi and her cousin survived the massacre of her Coven and Fritzi will not let anything get in her way, not even a city full of witch hunters, from saving her cousin from the Pyre. Witch hunter Otto is devoted to his God but questions whether the women they burn are even, in fact, witches and not innocent women who crossed the wrong person and was accused.

This novel is fast paced and will keep your attention from the first page. However, the world building is a bit lacking. At 330 some odd pages, there was room to develop the world and the relationship between he characters a little more but, the plot is strong enough to forgive it where it lacks. The missing cousin, Leisel, a ten year old witch is the break out character of the whole novel. The relationship between Fritzi and Otto is fast, and while I would have loved to see it a bit more fleshed out, it was not exactly insta-love. It was still very much enjoyable, but is also, very much, secondary to the more epic quest of Save the Magic, Save the world. The novel also does not shy away from brutal descriptions of the very real burnings that were happening in Trier at this time, so be prepared for some heartbreak.

If you like a fast paced, brutal tale with wonderfully snarky children and a heroine who can’t seem to get anything right but gods be damned she’ll try, I recommend this novel to you.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Finally!!!! A book about witches were the romance is not witch falling in love with a witch hunter, but actually two people with the common enemy. Oppressor/oppressed romance always gives me the ick, so I'm very glad to see the subversion of the trope within this novel.
The things I really liked about this books are the immersion of the world, and how the author really lets us get to know the magic system and understand the climate we're being introduced to. I thought the way the magic was portrayed was unique and fresh. It was a fast paced and easy read, which is fairly typical for YA fantasy. Knowing that it was written for a younger audience I tried not to be too harsh on things like how the young main characters are portrayed but there were a few times within the book that felt more immature than simply intended for young readers. The romance also felt a bit rushed, however it was a side plot I just do wish we got a little more build up and tension between the characters. I wanted to have a bit more fun with the dramatic irony in knowing that both characters are fighting on the same side.
Overall it was a fun YA fantasy I would recommend to readers looking for something magical and fast paced.

Darkly thrilling, NIGHT OF THE WITCH pays homage to the many stories of those throughout history who have been hunted for being who they are. Featuring themes of forbidden romance, resistence in the face of oppression and magic, Sara Raasch and Beth Revis deliver a compelling — albeit somewhat uneven — read.

One major complaint is that this would have been best as a standalone. Both the ending and general sense of resolution felt very dragged out, with plot devices orchestrated in the last quarter of the book that don’t fit with the rest of the story. (To avoid spoilers, I won’t name the biggest reveal, but I will say that it’s an editorial decision that comes off as an obvious attempt to secure a sequel.) If this was a standalone, I definitely would have given it a higher rating.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.*

The Night of the Witch is adventurous and unpredictable. I fell in love with the characters. I appreciated that this is not your typical “witch” story.

The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is that I wish it went deeper into the magic system and the world building. But overall, this was a great read! I will read the next in the series.

The moment I found out these two authors wrote a books together I knew I had to have it. Then to find out it was a witchy read, even better! I enjoyed the historical fiction part of this book. This book is categorized and priced at a young adult book but if the romance gets more intense it may need to be new adult! I can’t wait to see where the series goes!

This book was so much more than I was expecting in the best ways. I truly loved Otto and his personality (as well as the other characters) and so many of the quotes from the book that stand out to me are those that talk about how people should be treated. It's definitely a message that resonates in the current state of the world.

I know that my students will love this book because they begged me to read them the first chapter for First Chapter Friday when Beth Revis mentioned it in a class Zoom meeting and they found out that NetGalley had sent me an ARC (Thank you NetGalley!). They loved the first chapter and I'm positive they will love the rest of the story. There is something for the all from magic to romance to action. I cannot wait to be able to hand them a copy of the novel.

'To every witch that burned and every witch that watched, and every promise they made in the smoke'

A magically page turning read set in medieval Germany, filled with a compelling magic system, witch trials and chemistry.

Surviving an attack on her Coven, Fritzi is determined to save her cousin from the horrors of the witch trials. On her travels to the city where the hexenjäger's (witch hunters) have taken her cousin, she stumbles across a hexenjäger captain, Otto.

As hunter and hunted, oppressed and oppressor, witch and witch hunter, Fritzi and Otto work together to uncover haunting truths and a common enemy.

I enjoyed the plot, the characters and the magic system, however I did think the romance was a little rushed and would have liked to see a bit more tension between the two.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for this eARC.