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.

Book Name: The Hedgewitch of Foxhall
Author: Anna Bright

ARC
Thank you to HarperCollins Children's Books, HarperTeen and NetGalley for an ARC of The Hedgewitch of Foxhall by Anna Bright

Stars: 4.5
Spice: 0 (YA)

Standalone
Slower Paced
Multi POV
High Fantasy
Welsh Fantasy

- Thoughts.
- Welsh History and Folklore
- Welsh Words Everywhere (glad I had my Kindle to translate)
- Slow Burn
- Love Triangle …Lite
- Tension
- Adventure and Secrets
- Cottage/Cozy Magic System
- War between Magic Users
- War between Countries
- Politics
- Loved Daffyd want more Daffyd

Great story and fantastic Welsh history and folklore representation. (the use of lots of Welsh words throughout was hard to mentally translate but was endearing to the vibe. I also loved the cottage core hedgewitch cozy vibes were relaxing and played well with the slow-burn nature of the romance subplot however the last 20% insane fast-paced wrap-up was a little jarring but made sense withy the timeline that we were working with. So to state it frankly **This is not a cozy fantasy** it was a high-stakes adventure … it just had cozy vibes. I loved this… a great standalone fantasy.. we need more standalone!!!

maybe I have been reading to much about why choose but damn I didn’t want Ffion to choose.

I have read 15% of this book and I am not sure if it’s because it is an ARC copy or what but I feel like this book needs more explanations. There have been several occasions where I am confused as to what it going on and several made up words that I haven’t been able to understand using the story context. I am a big fan of Anna Bright and absolutely loved her Beholder duology so I still suggest trying the story out because her stories are amazing. Unfortunately for this one I have decided to quit reading and try again when I can purchase a finished copy to see if that one is better.

An enchanting and thoughtful story rooted in Welsh history and mythology— I really enjoyed this book. It was so interesting and the setting was so lovely and dynamic I felt like I was wandering the Welsh countryside with the characters. I think fans of Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries would really enjoy this book!

I haven’t read a love triangle in a long time and I have to admit I didn’t hate this one, it was done really well and the ending was just truly perfection.
I loved Tal, Ffion, and Daffyd and thought each of their POVs were great. This book moves slowly and so I struggled a bit in the beginning because the set up and plot are very methodical and she doesn’t over describe but it’s still pretty atmospheric, but by the last quarter I could see that the slow was worth it for the ending.

I recommend this book but don’t expect a fast paced read!

I don't have too much to say about this book. Overall, I thought that it was a decent YA fantasy. I enjoyed the beginning and the end a lot, but felt like some parts in the middle dragged.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an arc.

Unfortunately, by 21% I couldn't get into the book. I wasn't invested in any of the characters, and the writing style was very jarring for me. I felt the dialogue was stilted as well.

Fun, high stakes fantasy romance with all the lovely imagery of cottage core medieval fairytales! I love the focus on Welsh mythology and the female rage driving the main character!

3.5 stars

This started out very promising, but I found myself losing interest about halfway through. The positives - I loved the whimsical cottagecore vibes and Welsh influence, and I enjoyed Ffion as the MC. I loved that her magic was so closely tied to nature and that she wanted to help people without causing harm to the land. I also adore an animal companion.

The love triangle situation was interesting at first, but I wasn’t the biggest fan of how it played out. I would have liked more from some of the characters, mainly the love interests, and certain things didn’t really make sense to me. There was this big buildup as to why one of the MMCs hates magic, but the reveal ended up being pretty lackluster. I really just kind of lost the will to finish as it went on, although there were some heartwarming moments at the end that made up for it a little.

Thank you to HarperCollins for the ARC!

I had a friend who had started this arc and then encouraged me to pick it up for myself when I was in the mood for a cozy fantasy. After seeing the cover and the title equally grabbing my attention, I was excited to read it for myself.
Absolutely loved the main character Ffion--actually, loved all the characters in the story-- and their dynamics. You do need to be in the mood for a slower paced story when picking up this book, but I found the nostalgia in the vibes Anna Bright delivered in her writing to be quite enchanting.

Tiny dragons... amazing. The cover is gorgeous and I would put a print up on my wall. I think this book really hit it's mark and I absolutely love that it's a standalone. I would love to dive into the world more but I also appreciate that things were wrapped up in a way that left me satisfied. This is a great book and I can't wait for everyone to read it!

The Hedge Witch of Foxhall is a historical fantasy steeped in Welsh folklore. I love books about traveling and eating and singing and this one didn't let me down. It even gave me The Hobbit vibes at times. The story is so warm, and cozy, and full of magical creatures. I love Ffion, the main character, and how headstrong and rough around the edges she is. The Hedge Witch of Foxhall is a fantastic read.

3.5 stars

This was a quick entertaining read with lots of Welsh magic and a quest-like plot. But I was left wanting a lot more from the characters. Ffion is a fiery hedgewitch that refuses to join her power-hungry coven. I definitely understood her reasoning on that, but what was iffier to me was her insistence on being alone. Prince Taliesin is the charming and wily second son of the king. He desperately wants to be king, but he also isn’t so sold on bringing magic back to Wales. And when we finally ferret out the reason for his hatred of magic it feels incredibly weak. Prince Daffyd is his father’s favorite, but rejects his inheritance. Again, his reasons for this seem super flimsy. We also get a bit of a love triangle between the three that honestly lacks heat.
The parts of the story involving restoring magic and how the “evil” coven shouldn’t operate the way they do—that was probably the best part. But the motivations behind all of our characters needed more work and fleshing out. And Ffion’s mother at the end was fairly baffling to me too.
I will say there was a scene at the end that reminded me of a final scene in The Last Unicorn and I really loved that part. So there’s that at least.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the preview. All opinions are my own.

This was cute! Welsh folklore, wild magic, a love triangle, and a determined female main character.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc! Opinions are my own.

The Hedgewitch of Foxhall is a historical fantasy filled with sass, secrets, and really awesome magic. Although the pacing is a bit rough at times, and a guide to the mythical creatures would've been helpful (may be included in the final book), this book is otherwise a win. The characters, while fitting many of the typical YA tropes, are still unique and have great and realistic relationships, and their various journeys are complex and wonderfully set up the stakes for the story. The settings are vivid and beautiful, and the uniqueness of the magic makes it stand out from other magical YA books. It's also interesting that different people work magic in different ways, further setting Hedgewitch apart.

There's definitely a cozy or cottage vibe to this book, but that doesn't mean there isn't action. There are battles, betrayals, and sacrifices that will pull at readers' heartstrings, although there is certainly more slower moments overall, thus the pacing issue. Nonetheless, those slow moments allow the characters to really develop, and I love the various POVs that allow readers to dive deeper into everyone's motivations.

The Hedgewitch of Foxhall won't appeal to all fantasy readers, but for those looking for things more along the lines of Howl's Moving Castle or Flowerheart, this is the book.

Also, the cover is absolutely lovely and I would totally buy this book just to have that picture on my shelf.

Where do I apply to become a hedgewitch?

The magic system in this world is so well constructed and heartbreaking.

Ecocriticism is communicated through fantasy at its finest here. I've never been one for historical fiction but the way it is written here is really compelling and enjoyable.

Each main character has a tightly written and satisfying arc which makes each perspective feel necessary.

I had a really fun time with this book!

"In this gorgeous stand-alone fantasy romance perfect for fans of Margaret Rogerson and Allison Saft, a rebellious witch undertakes a last-ditch quest to restore magic to medieval Wales - as two princes vie for her heart.

Magic is fading from Wales - choked off by King Offa's Dyke, the enemy earthworks that spans the entire border. Even the dragons have disappeared. And now an attack is imminent.

Prince Taliesin would love to watch magic die. Prince Dafydd fears it, and the throne. But when their father promises the crown to whichever son can destroy the dyke and restore magic to Wales, the brothers are forced into an uneasy rivalry.

Ffion works hedgewitch magic for poor folk, not princes. Unlike the power-hungry Foxhall coven, she uses only what nature can spare. But when the coven's greed costs Ffion everything, she will need power beyond her wildest dreams to get back what she's lost.

So when Prince Taliesin arrives, begrudgingly seeking a witch's aid, Ffion agrees to help him - even if it means walking from one end of Wales to the other with the most useless peacock she's ever clapped eyes on. Even if it means striking a bargain with Dafydd behind Tal's back. The fate of Wales depends on their quest...and so might the fate of Ffion's heart."

Love me a good hedgewitch.

Two things I really appreciated about this book, the ties to Welsh lore and history and the fact this is not another series. I mean, I REALLY appreciate when authors can give a whole magic system and world with just one book. Sometimes, a series is just too much to commit to. The ties to Welsh lore and history made this story feel like something new I havent seen before, but I wish there was a little..more. Especially since this is just one book. Another 50-100 pages would have made this perfect.