In Joseph Minart's captivating debut, The Tale of the Young Witch, readers are transported to a world where magic reemerges in the unsuspecting Amelia Twigg, 450 years after its perceived demise. The narrative weaves a spellbinding tale of Amelia's self-discovery and the challenges she faces when targeted by a secretive group seeking to exploit her newfound powers. Minart's adept world-building seamlessly combines steampunk aesthetics with magical elements, offering a fresh take on the fantasy genre. The book, with its engaging writing style and relatable characters, keeps readers hooked from start to finish. Beyond its fantastical elements, the novel explores gritty realities and themes that resonate with young adults, making it a tale that transcends age boundaries. As the story unfolds, Minart skillfully hints at potential future installments, leaving readers eager for more in this enchanting journey of magic, self-discovery, and thrilling surprises.

I tried, I really tried to giving this book a fair chance.

But no more, it is painful to read. Everything happens at once to an unbelievable point. The main characters experiences a great tragedy but then proceeds Typ hick calmly through the Forrest with a starter. “Because she had a feeling she should trust him” 🤦‍♀️

Then Amelia arrived at a new place after hacking through the wilderness, and the first this they do is “train”. Not rest or eat food or settle in, no they proceed to destroy the house. It just doesn’t make any sense.

The third-person omniscient is also expedited badly. Instead of giving us general insight into everyone it reads more like the authors commentary.

Also just this:
““No, I didn’t do this!” Brithera stated, panicking. “Magic does not exist anymore,” she repeated. She hurriedly departed, still looking afraid.
Someone else entered the tent upon her departure—[…]“Hmm, Brithera left in a hurry. Something must have frightened her, but I wonder what it could be.””

I have no words to describe that horror. That’s when I said no more.

Thanks to victory edition and netgalley for this arc. I was really excited to start this book. The premise looked good. Unfortunately the writing style wasn't for me. There were to much adjectives in a lot of sentences which made it difficult to read. I couldn't get into the story. Around 27% of the book I dnf-ed it.

I really gave this a good ole college try to like this book. The writing was a little all over the place, however the character development was great. It was near impossible for me to get into the story. I think with better editing this could have been better.