This is a fantastic read - it takes a bit to get into as the writer has a very whimsical and unique style of writing. The unusual plot is very well thought out and easy to follow once you get into the swing of it. It is full of wonder and magic and you can't help but get sucked right into this weird world. The characters are very well developed. I loved Oneirotheria, I thought she was remarkably funny and easy to connect with.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this eARC!

I loved the idea of the story, a witch trapped in a city and not knowing what is going on. However, sometimes it was just too difficult to follow what was going on and I had a hard time connecting with any of the characters. I am glad that other people loved this book tho, it could just be that this book isn't for me.

The idea behind this book is a fascinating one – a prison-kingdom full of people trapped forever, stuck in an infinite loop where they are reincarnated without their memories. Then, as part of a long-laid plan, a witch is born with words already upon her brain and ‘ESCAPE!’ ringing like an alarm bell in her head. I think it would have upped the mystery and tension if we hadn’t seen Hecate’s workings before Oneirotheria’s arrival in the first chapter (perhaps she could have recalled it later on?) but there is still plenty to figure out in this strange place and the plot poses enough questions as is.

Burnett describes a mystical world, entwining many different aspects of folklore and legend, then conjuring odd folk and contraptions as Oneirotheria travels through her odyssey. There’s some rich world-building at play but, unfortunately, I found the writing to be sometimes muddled and overly convoluted. From a thematic point of view, this could be purposefully done to invoke ideas of forgetfulness, confusion, and whimsey, but it made for a jarring experience as a reader.

For our hero’s part, Oneirotheria was one of the main reasons I struggled with the book. She makes sense of the world through definitions and etymology – an interesting result of Hecate’s workings – and she often declares this aloud or through an internal monologue. It isn’t as prevalent later in the story, but it is a habit that quickly grows old and it made me less fond/invested in her. Paired with most characters’ proclivities for talking in rhymes and riddles (admittedly, a nice touch form wise when considering folklore imagery) I quickly grew impatient with the writing style.

All of these stylistic choices are well intended and interesting thematically (like the game Child of Light using a rhyming pattern for its dialogue), but I personally found them too overused for my tastes (again, like Child of Light). Still, a writer playing with form to make something new and different should be celebrated and people may find it more engaging than I did. If you’re at all curious about the plot, I urge you to give this book a look.

5/10 stars.

Unfortunately, I only got 20%, and haven't had to the will to pick it back up in a while. I was hoping I could push through but, we'll have to call this a dnf.
It wasn't bad, I think it was just different than I was expecting, and it's not really a book for me.

Some interesting concepts but I just struggled to connect to the characters. They felt very distant. My instinct is to give 4 stars but this was one of those where I kept thinking, "Man I should pick that book back up," but I just wasn't compelled enough.

DNF @ 20% - but it's not you, it's me

This book is certainly a unique form of storytelling. I was drawn in by the concept and found the world to be fascinating. The Witch & The City is unlike anything I've ever read – and in today's world, that is a very impressive feat.

I may one day return to this book, but it isn't for me right now and ultimate I have decided to DNF for now.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

It is very rare for me to give up on a book, especially if it is an ARC. However, I couldn't make heads or tails of The Witch and the City. It was confusing, and not in an intriguing way. I couldn't get a grasp on it and, what' s more, I wasn't invested enough to try. There was no entry point, no window through which the reader could get any context.

DNF'd at 40%, but I do appreciate the publisher's generosity in giving me a review copy.

I really liked the premise of this book, but it was not for me, unfortunately. DNF at 25%.

From the beginning, it was just very hard to get into with non-sensical writing that wasn't very well-explained. The main character didn't follow the instructions given to her by her guide which was frustrating, as well.

It felt to me like the author tried to hard to be eccentric and quirky. I know that this book will find a great niche audience, but it just wasn't for me.

The premise of this book was right my alley and exactly what I want looking for. I thought the world building was very interesting and the best part of the witch and the city. It was somewhat convoluted and could have improved with a more clear plot.

The premise of this book had a lot of potential, but the execution really wasn't there for me. The characters were either bland or unlikeable, and I found it difficult to connect with any of them enough to get invested in their stories.

The pacing of the story was off, I couldn't really put my finger on why, but it made it difficult to follow along, and the writing style felt like it was trying almost too hard to be stylized and eccentric.

Set in a mysterious prison, we follow the witch Oneirotheria on her mission to escape. Set in an enclosed dome, there is no means of escape, even through the sky. The prison is guarded by the Wardens, who, with their third eye maintain peace and punish all that set to disrupt that peace. The people in the city are constant reincarnations of themselves after each death, leading to a city with generations of the same people. Oneirotheria is reborn as the witch again, but for the first time she has memories from her past life. And as she sets out to find her freedom, she makes an unlikely set of friends, many of whom are puppets.

This book was good, but it was really weird. It was very abstract in concept, but Burnett did a good job making the abstract accessible. I really enjoyed how dark and ominous the book was, it often created a sense of unease. The best thing about this book is that it had so many new concepts that I had not seen before, and I loved how the idea of reflection was conceptualized.

The biggest complaint that I have about this book is that it was hard to get into. Because it is so abstract and different, even though the book is short, it required a lot of exposition. But, once I got through that, the book jumped into a really dynamic and interesting plot. I really loved the way the story was told, the feelings it created, and how different it was. And it was so interesting and engaging. Once I got into the book, I was sucked in. It just took a little while to get into it. But overall, it was really good and I very much enjoyed it.

I wish I could say I loved this book, but it took a long time to read and in the end, I skipped over big sections of it because I did not enjoy the writing style. While I completed it, it was not what I expected. I would say be aware that this is a good story, but be prepared to invest time into it.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC to read.

"Death's the marketplace where each one meets."

The Witch & The City is likely the most unusual book I have read in a long time. Following in the non-linear, often dreamlike experience of books like Piranisi and The Starless Sea. For most of the story, I had no idea of what was happening, but that was ok. It is a story filled with twists and turns, fog-filled memories, and magic that feels undefinable. Oneirotheria was such a fun and unique character to experience the story through, and I think the perfect narrator for this ethereal story. The story itself is wonderfully written and manages to convey the unnaturalness of the world of the prison-city Osylum while making it feel entirely real. I would highly recommend to any reader who is looking for a quick, dreamlike read that's a bit challenging. Thank you to Netgalley and South Window Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I received an eARC copy from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I had to DNF this title at about 40% into the novel. I really wanted to try and give this the best possible chance I could but I just could not get into the writing style. The premise sounded interesting when I requested this title, but I was so confused. Burnett writes in a very whimsical style, which totally made sense for the character's personality that we are following from, but I did not understand anything that was happening in the plot. The worldbuilding was lacking - which again made sense for our character but was just a really unpleasant reading experience for me. Every time I picked up the book, I did not know how the previous chapters linked to the one I was reading and where the plot could possibly be going. I really tried, but I don't think this one was for me.

(Giving it a 1 star because Netgalley will not let me publish this explanation without providing a star rating and since I could not finish the novel and was having an unpleasant experience, I settled on this arbitrary number.)

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. It was a bit too whimsical and I never really understood what was happening or where the story was trying to take me. I was super excited about the premise but this was a complete miss for me.

This is an odd and sometimes disquieting book, with a flavor that is reminiscent, at times, of the unreality of Alice in Wonderland. In this world, people are not born, but appear as adults, reincarnations of a previous existence; the newly formed (or hatched, if you prefer) have knowledge, but lack the context with which to understand it. Oneirotheria is one such newly hatched personage, embarking on a journey of self-discovery as she attempts to make her way through the world, from the location of her beginning to the Ninth Ward, where she will discover her true self, at least in a manner of speaking. This is one of those books you will either love or put down wondering just exactly what happened - possibly both - especially after the twist at the end. Recommended for readers high school through adult.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I picked this up and put this down a few times. In the end i truly enjoyed and appreciated it but it was definitely a mood read for me. It is niche and particular and is going to someone’s absolute favorite read or the opposite, but honestly - all of the best books are.

I tried to really enjoy this book, to make sense of it but I just could not.

I tried imagining what I was reading, I just couldn't. It was like a wreck train for me, which would not stop at any station. It was too difficult to connect with any character or even to the plot.

It might not be book's fault given how people have loved it. It is just not a book for me. I couldn't understand a lot of stuff happening in it.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc of this book.

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. It was probably one of the most confusing books I've ever read. I do think this book has the potential to be loved by a specific niche audience. However, I noticed this book was advertised as being for fans of Circe and Piranesi (both books I rated four stars), and I don't think these compared. Circe did not remind me of this at all. I can see the Piranesi resemblance. Piranesi also left me confused. But it wasn't frantic. I felt like I was just meandering through this beautiful world and unlocking lore. I felt like this book was too rushed to have time for the reader to think. It felt like my brain was a pinball machine and my thoughts were just getting yanked around. So, that said, I think the pacing was my biggest issue. It felt mentally draining to read this.

Additionally, I made it to the end of the book and was still trying to figure out which character was which. I understand that could be an intentional choice by the author to emulate the thoughts of the main character who was doing the same thing, but it constantly felt like I had accidentally skipped 10 pages.

I didn't love the plot twist at the end but I liked the metaphor the author was trying to accomplish. Brilliant idea, mid execution.

All that said, I think I would try to read more by this author because I did think that parts of the world were brilliant (the Linnea, the Oseovox, the Wardens. the mirrors). But this particular one sadly did not do it for me.

A big thanks to NetGalley and South Window Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I hate to break it most people. but I was on board for this book by the cover alone.

The Witch and the City by Jake Burnett is a fantasy novel about the prison-city of Osylum, which floats in the midst of an endless abyss. The reclusive Lady rules it; distant, inscrutable, and never seen. Her will is imposed by the Wardens, eldritch creatures who tend to the convicts’ needs but also ruthlessly purge anyone who tries to escape. Osylum’s newest inmate, the witch Oneirotheria, has no memory of who she is, where she came from, or why she is imprisoned. Instead, her mind is a mess of spells and lore and other people’s voices. The city mirrors her internal confusion; a jumble of broken buildings covered in hundreds of snippets of graffiti. As Oneirotheria re-assembles her own shattered past (aided by a few inmates of dubious intent), she learns she may hold not just the key to escape, but the intertwined secrets of the city’s origin and a lost love that transcends countless lives.

As much as I wanted to love this, I found that it wasn't quite the one for me. Some of the concepts were confusing, and the characters were a little lackluster. The plot was good enough to keep me engaged, but I found myself having to stop ever so often to think about what I just read. Which isn't good when your just reading for fun.