Member Reviews

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC reader copy.

I was so excited to read this book due to the amazing and beautifully drawn cover. The story was very fun and cute, a very cozy fantasy that you can enjoy at a leisure time. It was good overall but nothing that really made it a favorite. 3.5 stars

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I know we all try not to judge a book by its cover, but sometimes you see a book so beautiful you decide you need to have and read it before even reading the description and that was very much the case here. I'm not as much of a fantasy reader as I was when I was younger, so I'm not as drawn to them as I used to be, but I could not resist this one, and I'm glad I didn't because this book was a total delight. Wonderful worldbuilding, fantastic characters, really engaging plot. I loved it! Definitely lived up to the cover. Of course one of the main goals of a cover is to catch a reader's attention, but you also want to accurately represent what kind of a book this will be. It can be such a disappointing feeling to want to read a book BECAUSE of what the cover suggests to you, only to have the book feel like something else entirely. This wasn't like that at all. The cover does a wonderful job of capturing what this book is, and if you connect with the cover like i did, I imagine you'll connect with the book itself as well.

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Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was immediately drawn to the gorgeous cover for this book! The book itself was enjoyable, but it wasn't my favorite. I love cozy fantasy and this certainly fit into that category. I had trouble connecting with the characters, and that really kept me from loving the story.

I will be posting about this title on my Goodreads and Instagram as we get closer to the release date! I am certain my audience will enjoying hearing about this title.

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First of all, I LOVE the cover. This has to be one of the most beautiful covers I have ever seen. Just by looking at it, I wanted to read it immediately.

I loved the "cottage" vibes that this book gives and the little dragons. My experience reading this one was like a rollercoaster. There were slow moments and high stakes at certain parts but overall it had a very weird pace. I would've liked for the plot to be more consistent but it dragged at times and I had to forced myself to continue. I did liked the romance and the whole of premise of the kingdom and the love triangle situation. However, it was hard for me to connect with the characters, especially with the FMC (she was interesting and had a few anger issues that made me roll my eyes occasionally). Overall, it was and okay read. I was expecting more

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This story follows the witch Ffion, the snarky prince Tal, and his brother Dafydd as we get to watch as their stories entangle. The king sends both Tal and Dafydd on a quest to restore magic to the realm in a competition for the throne, but this requires destroying the Dyke: a wall spanning many miles long and the main cause of the loss of magic.

This book was such a cute, comfy, and cozy adventure story and was really fun! The world building at the beginning of the book was easy to understand, and I was immersed in the story right away. My only issue with this book was that the development of the characters seemed to lack, and I didn’t feel very attached to any of them. This could be due to the multiple povs, but I wish specifically Tal’s character was explored more; he had so much potential to be a deep and loveable character, from his fancy cloak to his cunning mind.

Overall, a really great read for autumn or early spring!

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No one else's cover holds a dime to this one, oh my god it's beautiful. As for the book itself, it was nice. It was fun and fast paced with a feisty and strong headed main character. A blend of charming and cozy-- I liked the quest, and prince tal (wink, wink). I did, however, think the story and characters needed to be more nuanced and developed. I would say this is very younger YA in terms of depth and niche, but overall, it was quick and easy.

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The Hedgewitch of Foxhall is that perfect blend of sweet and cozy while still having incredibly poignant moments that really convey the differing struggles Ffion, Tal, and Dafydd face throughout the book. Anna Bright builds a lush, imaginative world that feels straight from Welsh folklore, and I love that she actually used a lot of the Welsh spellings and names for the various creatures, places, and characters.

The story follows Ffion, one of the last remaining hedgewitches who has become estranged from her family after her father abandons them to serve the king and her mother follows the Foxhall coven, a group of witches that almost seem like the Welsh folklore equivalent of a commercial conglomerate who are destroying the environment. Meanwhile, brothers Dafydd and Tal, are pitted against one another to find a way to destroy a rival king’s dyke that is destroying magic and see who will inherit their father’s throne.

This story is a love triangle, and while I like that all three characters have a POV and both brother’s had distinct personalities, Dafydd’ character felt more like an afterthought at times compared to both Ffion and Tal, who easily outshined him. Tal was my favorite of the two brothers from the beginning, but part of that could have been because I didn’t feel like I really knew enough about Dafydd, and I wasn’t really a fan of his semi-creepy “insta-love” for Ffion.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book. Thanks to HarperCollins Children Books and Netgalley for the advanced copy!

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Thank you NetGalley and HaperCollins for an ARC of this book. I really enjoyed this sweet little magical tale of a hedgewitch and two Welsh princes out to restore magic to Wales and save the land from an invasion from Mercia. Although this is set in the 700's, there were a few turns of phrase that were anachronistic and did jolt me out of the story on occasion, but for the most part the time period felt believable. The love triangle did not bother me and I liked both love interests. I loved Ffion and her refusal to follow in either of her parents' footsteps, instead foraging in the Foxhall forest and helping the poor. And of course, who wouldn't love Cadno, her fox familiar, even though he spends most of the novel offscreen. I got quite choked up at the ending. :) I don't know a great deal about Welsh folklore, but I'd love to learn more based on the creatures mentioned in this book. This may be intended for a younger audience as the main characters are between 17 and 19, but it's an enjoyable read for any age.

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I loved this book. It had witches, dragons, nobility and magic. I couldn't get enormous of this book. I will be purchasing this book to place on my keep shelf. I absolutely loved it.
I just reviewed The Hedgewitch of Foxhall by Anna Bright. #TheHedgewitchofFoxhall #NetGalley
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This book absolutely SHINES. I loved it desperately and inhaled it in two days flat. So lovely. I love the magic and heart in this grunge-core tale that made me care about absolutely everyone.

I just want to give the whole book a warm hug. And can we talk about the cover? I LOVE this cover, and was delighted to find the contents matched the beauty outside.

The Hedgewitch of Foxhall was my first book by Anna Bright and it 100% made me want to read more by her. Lovely lovely, warm and comforting.

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This is a fabulous fantasy story with elevated vocabulary. I love the different POVs and how it slowly culminates and grows into a larger story. It's a great book to read slowly and take in. I love the theme of coven witches and magic related to nature. It made me curious to explore other works from the author.
The cover is amazing.

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Before I address the story, let's get it out of the way . . . the cover??? The colors, the font, the character design, the everything??? So beautiful. I can not wait until the physical copy arrives and I can put this face out on my shelves. But enough about that masterpiece, let's look at the book itself. I love a good standalone fantasy. Fantasy can be an overwhelming genre for many reasons, but a big one is that every fantasy book seems to be part of a 10 book million page series. This book had a good balance of unique fantastical names, and understandable common English. I also really loved the characters. I really loved how feral and free Marlinchen became in Juniper and Thorn by Ava Reid, and Ffion has similar vibes. She is feisty and determined and I was rooting for her on every page. The story was cozy and a perfect read for autumn, but the world building is so thorough and immersive, that I'm sure it will feel like Autumn even if you read it on release day. My only complaint, despite my original praise of it's stand=alone-ness, is that I wanted more. I know YA tends to be shorter, but 400 pages still didn't feel like enough. However, that is a great problem to have.

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Official Blurb:
This fierce and smart historical fantasy is rich with Welsh language and culture, and brims with a wild magic of its own. A beautiful folk song of a novel. I loved every line.

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The Hedgewitch of Foxhall
by Anna Bright
Pub Date: 12 Mar 2024

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 use-less 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.

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I devoured this book. Requested for the cover, but stayed for the fantastic story!!
Loved the magic system. All of the characters were really well developed. Often times I feel like love triangles are less who is she going to choose and more can we get this guy out of here please, but I genuinely loved how both of the princes were written. Think having chapters from each of their POVs helped make things feel more whole.
Fantastic book!!

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First of all, the cover of this book is a beauty, and that’s what pulled me in.

This is a medieval, witchy, very Welsh YA fantasy. It has your typical YA fantasy ingredients, but it was fresh to me because of the Welsh elements. It’s a cozy standalone that might be a good entry point for young YA readers.

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I loved the Hedgewitch of Foxhall by Anna Bright. If you went to a library before weeding for the Barnes and Noble model of marketing and weeding were implemented in recent years, then you were able to mine gems that have been long discarded from collections. If you were like me and fortunate, as a young woman you found a library where there were still a few yellowed copies of an author named Mary Stewart who wrote about Arthurian lore. This book reminded me of finding one of those jewels. Bright researched and mined enough Welsh lore for a fresh retelling of a legend that is full of romance and adventure. Read this book. It is lovely.

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I loved this book! Tal's character arc was my favorite to read. Although both brothers are driven by fear, I found Tal's fears to be the most relatable. I was rooting for him right from the get go.

Going into the book, I was a bit skeptical about the love triangle. Usually when brothers are involved, one is portrayed as "bad" or "evil". However, I felt that the author did both brothers justice in this book and still delivered a satisfying ending to the love triangle.

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Ahhhhh Welsh folklore!! A fierce, take-no-prisoners, witchy FMC!! DRAGONS!! This book was such a fun read, and right up my alley -- Ffion is an absolutely fantastic heroine, and the two princes complement her so well. It's exactly the kind of lighthearted cozy fantasy that I've come to adore. Love love love this book!

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i received an e-arc copy of this from Netgalley, and all opinions are my own.

I loved this book! When Ffion, the main character, joins a quest out of sheer rage, I that this would be a book that would be a perfect fit for me. The banter and some of the repeated lines throughout the book were enough to make me set it down for a few minutes and just bask in the moment. I loved the setting and the focus on Welsh mythology, as well as the way the cost of magic was such a central point to the story. The ending concluded just the tiniest but too quickly for me, but the final scene was exactly the way it should be.

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