I love books of magic, I'm just so drawn to them ✨

So when Sourcebooks Fire posted, Night of the Witch on a 24hr 'read now' option on NetGalley, I took a chance. I didn't get to read it right away and I did finish it a week behind pubday BUT I really really enjoyed it!

I went in completely blind, so it did take a few chapters before I finally got hooked. It was a lot darker than I was expecting towards the end then my normal cozy witchy reads, but it brought a whole new layer to the tale. I was constantly routing for the MCs ❤️‍🔥 and now here I sit knowing I have to wait til next fall for book2:
Fate of the Magic!!!

Some favorite 🔥 Highlights!
✍️
"The thought makes my fists bunch. I will do this to save the innocents. But if anyone hurts her, they will pay."

"I swear I can feel his grin in the darkness. And the sensation of him smiling in this space of sightlessness but being unable to see it is unbearably intimate..."

“that I want you to throw me against the wall of this castle and make me see that god of yours.”

"She is a feast I will spend the rest of my life starving for."

“I need you to know, this is not some illicit tryst I ask of you,” I say, searching her eyes. “When I say I want you, I mean all of you, for all of time. I do not want your body alone, Friederike; I want you, and I give myself to you, all of me that you desire.”

"I pull us both back into the darker water as I worship at the altar of her lips."

#nightofthewitch
#sararaasch #bethrevis #sourcebooksfire #forbiddenromance #darkmagic #witchtrials #witchyreads #bookreview #5starread

Shocked to say I DNF'ed this one, and I'm stumped as to why. It has everything I normally love about YA fantasy. Quick pacing, accessible world building, and conflicted characters. Not to mention I'm a sucker for the hunter and hunted romance trope. I'll probably try it again someday, but for now, I'm not quite in the mood for it.

This book was a little disappointing. I thought it would be more of one thing but it headed in a direction that I didn’t love. I DNF at around 20%. The cover I feel like doesn’t fit the story that well and maybe that’s why I felt like I was expecting something else

I wanted to enjoy this book more than I did. I thought this would be right up my alley, but for one reason or another it missed the mark. It starts off strong, but then drops off and is incredibly slow. There are a lot of instances of telling instead of showing and overall the story is too long.

Awesome book! Here are some facts/tropes:
✨️historical fantasy
🧙🏼‍♀️witches
🔥witchhunt
🗡rebellion
❤️romance
🌶lil bit spicy
🤭forbidden love
🩷enemies to lovers
👥️family issues

This book was so amazing! I loved the historical part of the european witchhunt, but of course, the added spice of witches being real, completely sealed the deal. I also absolutely loved otto and his own backstory, which absolutely added to the story. And I barely ever love epilogues but this one... I cant even. This was amazing!

Thank you to netgalley and the author for sending me the book in exchange for an honest review.

The hexanjagers have destroyed the last true coven of witches—Fritzi’s family. She and her young cousin, Liesel, are the only witches left. But Liesel has been captured, and Fritzi later arrested by Otto, captain of the witch hunters. How can Fritzi even save herself without her coven and a favor from a goddess?

The answer turns out to be Otto—a man who chose to go undercover as a hexanjager in order to destroy what the church has caused. He will stop at nothing to bring order back to the people but is in desperate need of Fritzi’s help. But how can a witch trust a witch hunter?
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This was an epic read. Full of history, action, magic and even a little romance, it was thrilling from the very first page all the way to the very last. I enjoyed reading both from Fritzi’s and Otto’s POVs and felt they were equally compelling characters. And Dieter was such a great villain. i’m looking forward to seeing what becomes of everyone, as well as with Fritzi’s magical journey.

But two things that irked me: Fritzi & Otto felt like a forced pairing. I really enjoy enemies to lovers, but their connection felt a little hollow and too obvious. And another thing that irked me was how the facedown with Dieter was sort of underwhelming. It felt like the authors were trying to force the suspense at the end rather than just hammer everything all home. But I’’m still really excited to read the next development and would absolutely recommend it.

Night of the Witch is a YA fantasy about a witch and a witch hunter. Fritzi's coven has been attacked and she is one of the few survivors. She knows her cousin was captured so she makes it her mission to rescue her and get vengeance on the witch hunters. Otto is a captain of the witch-hunters and when his and Fritzi's journeys cross paths, they become reluctant allies. The romance is enemies to lovers with dagger-to-the-throat vibes. I was not sure what to expect with this book but I really enjoyed the plot and all the small plot twists along the way. I don't want to give away too much of the plot since I liked going in mostly blind. I also did enjoy the romance but I will say that I did not connect with the characters as much as I wanted to. I feel like this is because I did not know them well enough. However, I still enjoyed the story overall and would recommend it if the synopsis seems interesting to you!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for a review!

Perfect for fans of witches and enemies to lovers.

Fritzi is determined to bring the witch hunters for all the lives they have ended. She meets Otto, a witch hunter, and is unsure if she should trust him despite their common enemy. They uncover more of a plot regarding the witch hunts.

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. I really liked the plot and the characters of this book as well as the setting. The romance was also good. This is the first book of a new series, so I am excited to read the next book when it comes out. I didn’t give this book 5 stars because it did not give me the feeling that other books I have rated 5 stars have. There was nothing super extraordinary about this book. It was still good though. I would definitely recommend this book to others.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I liked the idea of this book but I struggled with getting through the story a little bit. The book was very long, but not filled with action or anything really, just lots of slow journeying and tons of religious/architectural history that I was just not into. This is the first in a series and I would love to know how everything plays out overall, but I am just not sure that I am going to read the next book(s?) to find out.

This was heavy on romance, the forbidden kind between a witch and the witch hunter sent to hunt her down... But nothing is really as it seemed. At times, the romance felt a little bit like instalove, which I was not really feeling for the overall plot of the book, I would have liked a little more push and pull between the two to really get into feeling them together, this just felt too easy and not engaging enough for me.

This is a solid first book for anyone who wants a slow burn paranormal romance filled with history and betrayal, with a few twists at the end to keep you guessing what will come next.

This wasn’t my favorite book I read in October, but I still enjoyed it. Mad about the cliffhanger but that’s more of a personal hangup. Pacing felt odd at times, but I overall enjoyed the story. Will definitely pick up the next book in the series because I have to know what happens!

This one was a bit hard to rate because I liked a lot of elements in this story, but there were a few that didn’t quite fit to the way this is told at all. So, four stars because it’s a good look into a historical event with a fairly well-developed arc and characters that work. However, the last 30% are where a bit of that disconnect really takes root.

This was a stunning exploration of becoming someone stronger and harder after tragedy. Fritzi and Otto are great characters who develop in strong ways and the evolution of their relationships with others was so well done. I loved the way their backstories were handled, and the slow integration of trust and love into their interactions. Raasch and Revis did a stunning job with their characters, and I love them all, even the ones I hated.

However, those characters are led on a quest that eventually tears the magical realism of the whole book. In the last 30 percent, the whole tone and aesthetic changes to account for what it’s like in the Well. Which would have been fine if there had been more fantastical elements to other aspects of the story. It was jarring to see the discrepancy. I can admit, that’s likely the point, but it feels disjointed because the transition in tone is disjointed. Those two scenes didn’t ease readers into the transition comprehensively. Maybe if we had seen Liesel’s test that wouldn’t have been the case?

Other than that, this is an exceptionally-written book with relevant themes and an interesting plot. I’d put the writing at a little more academic than your average fantasy, but it adds a seriousness to the events and character that’s necessary for carrying such heavy subject matter.

Overall, I’d say if you liked The Crucible, are interested in witchy tales, or love history, read this one.

3.25 stars - Fritzi's witch coven was attacked, and she was determined to bring the hexenjägers, also known as witch hunters, to justice. She would need to take down their leader, Kommandant Dieter Kirc. Otto, the second in command to Dieter, and Fritzi meet and join forces to kill their common enemies.

The story is told from Fritzi's and Otto's point of view. The book was okay. There is a slow build and it bored me most of the time, so it was hard getting into the book. The romance between both characters seems a little forced. The story did end on a cliffhanger, but I am not sure I would pick up the next book.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I've read a couple of witchy books this spooky season. Some were good, and some were not so good. This is one of the good ones. Maybe the best one.

(The other contender for the top spot would be Hex and the City by Kate Johnson. But that was a mad-cap rom-com with the craziest plot and characters so honestly couldn't be more different in vibes to this one which is why you can't really compare them. I loved both but for very different reasons.)

This one is a blend of history and fantasy, set in Germany in the late 1500s. The witch hunters are called hexenjägers as you might have noticed from the blurb and it's a take on the Trier Witch Trials which, unfortunately, were all too real.

I had an absolute blast with this one. It's fast-paced and action-packed which I love. It had great, realistic and sympathetic characters, amazing world-building, a fantastic villain and really high stakes (this may or may not be a pun).

If your main enjoyment in books is the romance part - it has that too! Enemies to lovers would be the trope although it's not long until our pairing realises they might not exactly be on opposite sides as they initially assumed because Otto is a man with a plan, working undercover within the hunters to avenge his mother.

I really enjoyed the romance aspect and it really helped drive the plot, although as I've already mentioned, the plot is very action-packed and page-tuner-y anyway! I would only say the switch from enemies to lovers was a little too sudden for me personally. One minute she's fighting like a hellcat next minute she's winking at him. It seemed a little abrupt for this slow-burn fanatic but in the end, I loved the romance that blossomed so it's all good.

Sidenote: I don't know what it is with publishers consistently listing books that read as Adult as YA...but this is another example of that. It has on-page sex and violence and it's a book for adult readers.

Thank you to Sourcebooks for this Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review.
4 stars ★★★★

This is an incredible new series with well paced storyline and lots of action .

Thank you for the arc

Night of the Witch is the beginning of a new young adult series that captured my attention from its opening scenes. Dripping with hate, witch-hunters fueled with authority of the crown and church, are eradicating accused witches through the empire. Fritzi barely escapes a brutal attack on her village, but hides and then attempts to rescue her kidnapped cousin who is being held in prison with other accused witches for a mass burning. Her fate collides with Otto, a witch-hunter, who is trying to bring down the hunters and release the prisoners from within after his own mother was burned at the stake. Fritzi and Otto agree to for a temporary partnership to execute the rescue mission while also uncovering an even greater threat to the kingdom and magical community. This enemies to lovers story is executed to perfection! High stakes, unique magical powers, a cat-and-mouse adventure, and a budding romance left me staying up past my bedtime to reach the conclusion. A perfect read for lovers of historical magical fiction and romance. I’m excited to see where the series goes next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks FIRE for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I read Night of the Witch over Halloween and although it was a perfect spooky season read it unfortunately left me wanting more from the story. So much of the plot and character development was all over the place or didnt make sense and I found the story itself to be a bit on the boring side. I toughed this one out for the sake of a review but I wasn’t a huge fan.

this book was a pleasant surprise! the dual point of view was done tastefully and it kept me wanting to keep turning the page. I think there could have been A LOT more magic and adventures added to the plot and this book fell short of that. I also wish there was more buildup to the ending. I enjoyed reading this book as it was interesting and fun, but there were elements missing for me to call it great. I give this book 4 stars, and can’t wait to see book two bring some more action!

Two of my favorite authors writing a book together??? That was an exciting attention grabber but it didn't live up to my expectations. This book was okay! Definitely not a ya book as there was literal smut in the book, it needs to be recategorized asap. This book was a romantic enemies to allies to lovers witch trials retelling which i thought was interesting. It kept me relatively entertained and ill probably read the next one. Its a solid 3 star read for me.

This title wasn't something I could get into, so I won't be finishing it. I really hope that others enjoy it. It was just very, very slow, and I couldn't find anything compelling about the characters for me to keep reading.

This books characters when thrown together made me so happy with all things they go throw and the anticipation of them getting together throw it all