Rich in Welsh folklore, cottagecore inspiration, and a nature-filled setting, The Hedgewitch of Foxhall is a new stand-alone YA fantasy that is brimming with romance and adventure.

Magic is fading across the kingdoms, and Ffion, a hedgewitch, crosses paths with two polarizing yet handsome princes competing for the crown and her heart as they set their sights on taking down a wall built by their enemies that may be the source to all their troubles.

Overall, I absolutely adored the lush, forestry vibes, the sweet fox familiar, and the gorgeous, cozy setting of this novel. It drew me in and gave life to this story. I loved the banter of the characters as they grew to care for each other and find that there’s more than what’s on the surface.

The pacing of the novel with a mix of slower, more descriptive scenes and then faster abrupt sequences made it difficult for me to keep my attention focused solely on the book, but otherwise, it was such a fun escape into a vibrant new world that kept me on my toes until the very end.

3.25/5

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.*

Immersive and enchanting. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The FMC is a young woman struggling with her own powers and her journey of self-discovery takes her deep into the woods, where she encounters a mysterious wood demon. Their relationship is a lovely slow burn that is funny, witty, and cute that happened amidst a threat of darkness. The surprises in the book are both satisfying and unexpected. The ending left me feeling bitterly sweet and would love to see a second book to see the character fully blossom.

This was a lovely stand-alone YA fantasy. In a world of trilogies it was refreshing to finish a book and be satisfied that you got the full story without having to wait a year for the next book release. The world felt fleshed out and colorful. There were three POVs and I never felt like rushing through a chapter to get to the next person's perspective. All three POVs were engaging and well thought out. I only took one star off because as fully fleshed out as the world and the protagonists were the villains felt pretty flat. They would do things to move the plot along, but they didn't seem to have any thoughts or motivations beyond being evil. Overall though it was a really enjoyable book.

Atmospheric and lyrical, The Hedgewitch of Foxhall has big, thoughtful ideas about the world...that unfortunately don't have the payoff the rest of the book deserves. The author, Anna Bright, clearly has passion and knowledge of both Welsh history and mythology, and weaves them together with a fantastic heroine. Ffion is a great character to lead the book; she's stubborn and powerful, but also vulnerable and unsure--a teenager if I ever saw one.

Unfortunately, Ffion isn't supported by the rest of the cast as well. Switching between three POVs ultimately weakened the book for me because we didn't have much time to spend with any of them; I frankly felt that the supporting princes were both "meh" characters. I didn't ever feel the link between all three strongly, which meant I ranged from indifferent to irritated by the romantic elements.

And while the writing itself is lovely, it ultimately didn't come together thematically for me. I feel like each character had their own themes, none of which came through strongly (or at least cohesively) for any one character, but then those individual themes didn't coalesce into an overarching theme for the book. I think perhaps in addition to individual character themes (like belonging, sacrifice, etc), Bright may have been trying to say something about colonialism or politics, but in the end, I wasn't able to ferret out those ideas.

This was a very difficult review to write, because the opening chapters did not hook me at all and I nearly thought I wouldn't be giving feedback on this one, but once it got going, there was a lot to enjoy. But I couldn't turn off my teacher/writer brain and couldn't enjoy it as much as I think this book deserves. I really hope that it finds an audience who loves it and roots for it.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for the ebook ARC. All opinions are mine alone.

I had really high expectations for this title based on the absolutely STUNNING cover and the description/premise (I know, I know—don't judge a book by its cover, but it's SO pretty, y'all). And...well.

While this was a decent read, I wanted more from it. I wanted more from the story, more of the world, and more of our main character, Ffion, because it sometimes felt like we only got to see bits and pieces of her versus getting a holistic picture of who she truly is. I was a bit disappointed that there is a love triangle, because it took away from the focus on her character development, which could have really helped me to better connect with her as a character and root for her as the protagonist. In terms of the story itself, the pacing seemed off at times—while there was a really strong plot, there were moments that were slow and lost my interest. I did appreciate the nods to history, as this book takes place in the 8th century but weaves fantasy into the narrative quite well.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this title in exchange for my honest thoughts.

The Hedgewitch of Foxhall is a book that grabbed me from the start and I thought Bright did a great job with this story.

Ffion is the last hedgewitch in Foxhall. Unlike the powerful Foxhall coven (which includes her mother and sister), she only uses what nature provides to work her magic. Because of her beliefs, Ffion has separated herself from her family and I thought Bright did a good job of showing just how separate she is from her family. The problem is that all across the kingdom, magic is fading - enter the princes.

The King believes the dyke (the massive earthen wall raised by their Mercian enemies) may be the cause of magic's disappearance and Prince Taliensin (Tal) and Prince Dafyyd have been ordered by their father to find a way to destroy it / protect their kingdom. To be honest, Tal would prefer to see magic die but when he finds out being named heir is a part of the bargain, he decides he will seek the aid of witch because he will do anything to win the throne and protect his mother. On the other hand, Dafyyd doesn't want anything to do with it but if this means he can finally find the girl he has been dreaming about for years, he will throw himself into the fray.

I'll flag here - this has a bit of a love triangle feel to it. I wasn't mad about it but I know some don't appreciate that trope. That said, I thought the relationship developed between Tal and Ffion was well done. A lot of things come out during the trek these characters make and there was definite growth for both of them. Dafyyd is harder for me to talk about - mostly because he felt like an add on at times since most of his story is separate from Tal and Ffion.

If you're looking for a new YA standalone book, consider picking this one up. I enjoyed it and will continue to pick up books from Bright in the future.

This is a cozy fantasy that has a good setting in a forest with talk of magical creatures and other beasts. The first chapter really pulls you in with the talk of dragons! I do love them.

The characters were good, but I wouldn’t say I connected with them that much. I did understand their reasonings behind a lot of their actions though. Ffion is strong-willed and knows what she wants and the change she wants to see in the world. Tal and Dafydd are brothers who have completely different personalities. These three characters each get their own point-of-view. I did prefer Ffion’s and Tal’s. Dafydd didn’t have a lot to offer and could have been a minor character. You could say there is a bit of a love triangle.

The Welsh Mythology was awesome and I really enjoyed learning more about it! It was probably my favorite part of the book.

Overall, this was good but one of those popcorn reads for me.

This is a lovely historical YA fantasy, set in a time and place that are very unique for YA. I could've done without as many POVs (and more of a focus on the hedgewitch herself), but it was definitely engaging and navigated its stakes well.

The Hedgewitch of Foxhall by Anna Bright - ebook ARC

Hooray for Stand Alone Fantasy Books!!!! I love a good ole thick Fantasy Series, but man it’s nice to have a stand alone. This is set with rich Welsh Folklore and landscape with witchy, mostly cozy vibes. With nature inpspired magic and witchy with animal companions!

This follows our Ffion, who is the last Hedgewitch in Foxhall and she finds herself in amidst a kingdom in trouble. The magic is fading and even dragons have vanished. Some would love nothing more than magic to disappear and yet magic must be restored to right wrongs. There is a bit of a love triangle and I’m here for it all.

This was enchanting and reminded me a bit of books that I love by Rachel Griffin and Allison Saft. I will say with a bit more finessing with the pacing, this would have been a 4.5-5 star read. The beginning was great and lost me somewhere in the middle. I enjoyed it though overall, and highly recommend to the right reader!

"She was a goddess carved in alabaster and wreathed in copper. No - not a goddess. Ffion belonged to a time before goddesses. Standing beside me, absolutely furious, she was an eldritch power. A primeval force, more fox or fey or dragon than human. I was so amazed, I forgot to be afraid."

Thank you to @EpicReads, @HarperCollins, and @NetGalley for this #ARC!

--

Long ago in the green and rainy forests of Wales, witches and magic were dwindling. Ffion is a young witch of a town called Foxhall, and has denied all connection to the coven that resides there. Disturbed by their grasps at power, she lives alone with her familiar, a fox named Cadno. When disaster strikes, she vows vengeance on those who wronged her and aim to cripple magic further, and agrees to work alongside a castaway prince.

Tal and Dafydd (pronounced similarly to David) are half-brothers and princes. While Tal seeks to claim the throne and banish magic, Dafydd wishes to live a simple life as a blacksmith and let magic roam. Pitted against each other by their father, they must find a way to restore magic to the land. But their struggle against each other only grows when Ffion enters the picture, and they must decide if following their hearts will do more harm than good.

--
REVIEW

3.75 stars

This was a very cute and fun fantasy read. I am a big fan of folklore, and I feel like we don't see a lot of Welsh-specific tales unless they're interwoven with Celtic or Gaelic lore as well. Anna Bright based much of the setting on real places, and her study of the land is evident on every page. She has a great method of conveying the connection of heart and soul to the land itself, and at times I could even perfectly picture the rainy days and rolling wall known as Offa's dyke.

It's been a while since I've read a love - triangle? vector? - and was almost expecting the worst with it, but mostly because I did come to enjoy the characters so much. All have such clear wants and needs, and their connections to each other make sense. Dafydd was harder to understand until the last third of the novel when he actually has a more vibrant part to play, but eventually I grew to understand him more as a character. (Spoiler: this book does end with a HEA)

There are a couple of things that prevent me from giving this a full 4 stars, though, and I feel like a lot of that is personal preference. I really don't enjoy when books have songs in them. My eyes immediately glaze over and I would just pass it all by, even though I had an idea that the lyrics would hold some semblance of plot importance. It's just not my thing, and maybe if I listened to it on an audiobook, I might feel differently. But there are some lengthy lyrics in here and it made it hard to focus on the story itself when I had encountered them.

As with many YA books, the female main character often does something silly and frustrating, that had me wanting to put the book down, but I'm glad I didn't. Ffion's anger and stubbornness is integral to everything, even if she insists on sleeping outdoors.

Overall, this is a very good YA cozy fantasy. It has magic, dragons, unicorns, love, betrayal, and a magician in a loincloth. What more could you want?

A beautiful and whimsical story about a witch who will do anything to restore magic to medieval Wales and resurrect her familiar but that means working with the two princes who are vying for her heart. Ffion is a hedgewitch who refuses to be part of her coven, she lives on the fringes with her fox familiar, helping poor folks and not princes. Prince Talieson would love nothing more than to see magic die and wants to take the throne for himself because it's the only way to protect his mother while his brother Prince Daffyd doesn't want the throne at all yet his father wants him for the throne. when king Offa puts forth a challenge: both princes must face off against each other or no one gets the throne at all and chaos will take over, Talieson turns to Ffion to help him and Daffyd goes off to avoid it as much as possible. Tal is determined to win at any cost because nothing matters more to him than protecting his mother from his cruel father, even if it means facing off against his brother. Tal turns to the Foxhall coven, the very coven that Ffion refuses to be a part of that is power hungry and has both her mother and sister under its thumb. When the coven refuses to help him Ffion offers him a bargain: she will help him get to the throne if he helps her restore magic because her familiar was killed by the coven and she is determined to bring him back. Ffion and Tal couldn't be more at odds with one another yet there is something growing between them. However, then there is Daffyd, the prince who has had visions of Ffion since he was young, a prince who feels bounded to her yet Ffion has never met him. With two princes vying for her hand, a mission to restore magic, and a throne to capture. This was a really fun nature-esque witchy read. I loved the adventure the characters went on and I enjoyed the Welsh mythology. I also really liked how the love triangle was done, and Tal (so sweet) was definitely a favorite of mine. The book overall was a fun fantasy read that I think fans of Allison Saft would enjoy!

*Thanks Netgalley and HarperCollins Children's Books, HarperTeen for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

3/5 Stars

TL;DR - A far-wandering fable steeped in Welsh mythology that explore love, loss, and loyalty. Good bones, a lot of magic and charm, and some very smart dialog, but ultimately too slow and overlong for my tastes. Passable, certainly, but not too much more than that.

Big thanks to HarperCollins Children’s Books, HarperTeen, and NetGalley for providing the ARC for this book in exchange for an honest review!

***Trigger Warnings for: mentions of violence towards animals, death of a pet, mentions of child abuse, blood, war, and murder.***

‘The Hedgewitch of Foxhall’ by Anna Bright is a historical fantasy YA novel that is part myth, part fairytale, part historical re-imagining. It follows three POVS, one from Ffion, a 17 year old hedgewitch who uses her magic to help the poor and downtrod, one from Dafyyd, 19, the eldest prince of the kingdom of Powys who would rather be smithing at his forge than involving himself in politics, and one from Taliesin, 18, the youngest prince of Powys who would do anything to prove to his father and himself that he’s the most fit to be future king. We follow each of them as their paths intersect on the quest to discover why all the magic has left Wales, and what each of their destinies has to do with its return.

So, this book was solidly mid. So much so that I only have 139 words of notes - there just wasn’t much that was remarkable enough to jot down as I was reading, good or bad.

The writing is average. I have a few passages highlighted that I thought were good and/or profound, but again, it was, for the most part, solidly mid.

The plot is slow and meandering, and not a whole lot of note happens. This book is only 400 pages long but it felt more like 600 in the way that it dragged, and I was constantly looking at my Kindle’s clock to see that no, an hour hadn’t passed, I’d only been reading for 10 minutes. It just *drags*. It’s not even that there’s a bunch of useless filler, it’s just that nothing really happens except in a few fits and spurts that are few and far between. It really only picks up in the last 5-10% or so, and while I do like the ending and think it’s both good and a satisfying conclusion to the story, I wish the whole book had been that engaging and heartfelt.

Ffion is a capable FMC, we stan. I wish we’d had just her POV, or maybe just hers and Taliesin’s, because they were the two best characters. Taliesin is charming, clever, and above all, lets Ffion do what she needs to do and doesn’t coddle her or try to stifle her will and power, which I love to see, especially in YA. Dafyyd is okay, I guess, but pretty boring. Don’t get me wrong, it’s good to see a dude in YA who is actually morally good and not a douchey morally-gray edgelord, but he was just kind of there, with not nearly as much personality as Taliesin.

There is a love triangle, which is really not my thing, so that took away from my enjoyment. That said, I really did enjoy the romance between Ffion and Taliesin - I thought it developed naturally and it ended up being very sweet. Their banter is easily the highlight of the book - it was witty and sharp and charming, so kudos for that.

Yeah, not much else to say about this book. It was thoroughly okay, mostly unremarkable, and pretty forgettable in all honesty. I loved the Welsh mythology vibes, but they’re not enough to carry a whole 400 page book where not much happens.

Final Thoughts:

It was fine, I enjoyed myself well enough for one read-through, but I won’t be purchasing a physical copy.

Absolutely breathtaking cozy fantasy based off Walsh folklore! The feisty red-haired main character is inspiring in her connection to nature and its magic. I will say that I struggled with holding onto the details of the world built in this story. For that reason alone, I struggled a bit. Overall, I thought this was a beautiful, engaging story!

Okay I will come back to this one, when the audibook is out. There are way too many fantasy names in this book and my brain is struggling. Like I want fo read this so bad but I'm hyper fixating on how to pronounce things and I'm dreading talking about this book because trying to SPEAK these names is going to be even worse.

This was fantastic! I loved every minute of my experience with this book. I was immediately invested in the plot and with characters, especially Ffion. I thought the story was unique, and I loved all the Welsh folklore that was woven throughout. The writing was excellent, and my only complaint is that the ending felt a little rushed. Overall, this is one of my new favorite books!

Heartwarming, wonderful so sad for it to be over. This story about a hedgewitch trying to find her place in the world and 2 princes deciding what life should give them. I absolutely love the multiple POVs and how wonderful the character growth is within this book. It has me giggling and teary eyed. The Welsh background is a lovely world for the story and the way it was written had me immersed and couldn't put down. It is not action packed I just feel in love with the characters quickly. There is a slight romance in the book. It's not very forefront in the story for those who look for that. I would totally recommend if you like Margaret Rogerson or Rebecca Ross.
I want to thank NetGalley and HarperCollins for the chance to read this lovely book. This is my honest opinion.

The Hedgewitch of Foxhall was a great read. It is YA but does not feel overly juvenile/ immature. it has very cottage core fantasy vibes. It was great read with a fun protagonist and excellent world building. it is a standalone fantasy with a slower pace with multiple POVs and a welsh fantasy. It was a really fun take, and it makes me want to read more Welsh fantasy.

I got this as an ARC from NetGalley so here is my honest opinion.

First off I’m sooo glad this is a stand alone. It is so nice and I’m so glad this story didn’t get drawn out. I love all the characters and omg I love the fox. This does have a love triangle between two brothers which is something I’ve never liked and the middle got too bogged down every now and then. The ending also seemed rush. Like I know we are under a time crunch with basically this book happening in a month but we had some slow and then really fast monuments. I will say I love the thing about witch’s magic, I don’t want to say it cause it does seem like a spoiler. Also the ending with the wall was a bit weird in my opinion but I am so glad that I read this book and I will definitely be picking up a copy.

This was a surprisingly good read with a strong main protagonist and excellent worldbuilding. Although a fantasy title and full of magic, the author does an excellent job of giving this a time and place while also exploring Welsh history. The book started a bit slow but then really picked up pace as our three protagonists set about their journeys.

Story: Magic is waning in Wales, leaving the land vulnerable to the rapacious Mercians. Ffion is a hedgewitch - the last in her area though Foxhall does have a Witches guild who control what is left of the magic in their area. She disagrees with their methods and feels they are contributing to the disappearance of the magic and magical creatures. Meanwhile, princes Tal and Dafydd are put in competition for the throne by their father. Tasked with finding why the magic is failing, each will find their paths inexorably entwined with Ffion: one by chance and one by manipulation.

There are three viewpoints in this book and all three are distinct and very different. Ffion is aggressive, resentful, and defiant. Her love is the forest and fears what the Foxhall guild and the Mercians are doing to the land. Older half brother Dafydd is quiet and simple: he is being groomed for a throne and royal responsibilities he does not want. Younger half brother Taliesin is ambitious and cunning: his resentment that his father continually pushes a reluctant Dafydd for the throne rather than himself.

There is a bit of a romance in the story but most of the plot is a quest by the three to follow a mysterious mound created by the Mercians that straddles the Mercian and Welsh border. Ffion believes it holds the key to why the magic is failing while the princes see it as an offensive positioning tool for the Mercians to take control of Wales. All want it destroyed.

There is plenty of magic in the book and Ffion herself will do quite a bit in her quest. Although she has a prickly personality, it is hard not to root for her to find the strength to complete her quests and bring back the magic to Wales. I greatly enjoyed this book - it is a light and easy read but with excellent world building, great character development, and a wonderful and warm beating heart at the center. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

5 stars

I don’t pick up YA very often, but a book like this makes me so glad when I do. This is a YA historical fantasy title that has real crossover appeal, and reminded me of both the classic The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander and The Goblin Wood by Hilari Bell—two of my favorite fantasy stories for young readers. Infused with a clear and powerful love for the Welsh landscape and folklore, this book gave me everything I want from a medieval fantasy.

The story is set at the end of the 8th century, when Offa’s Dyke was newly completed and the various Welsh kingdoms (of which Powys is our central concern) maintain uneasy hostilities with the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia. Despite a clearly defined historical grounding, the world is easy to get immersed in even if you know nothing about medieval history, placing the focus on the characters and the philosophy of Ffion’s magic. It’s easy to get invested in Ffion’s campaign for magic based on hard work and helping the community, as opposed to the more powerful Foxhall coven’s penchant for quicker, flashier magic that requires hefty sacrifices. The two male main characters, rival brothers Dafydd and Taliesin, are also interesting, though Ffion is the real star of the show.

There are several folk songs (adapted to suit the narrative’s purpose) spread throughout the narrative, which is something I love in fantasy novels but I know a lot of people don’t care for. I think they really suit the story and establish tone and setting. The boys’ storyline ends a little neatly, but there’s real heart in this story, and a rediscovery of the childlike wonder that first drew me to the fantasy genre as a young reader.

I’d recommend this book to children, teens, and adults alike. It captures the feeling of classic children’s fantasy and earnestly advocates for a better, more magical, and kindlier world.