A well done and entertaining mystery featuring a woman tasked with investing the death of a drowned witch and a coven.
The book is well plotted and entertaining, the pace a bit uneven at times, the quirky characters fleshed out.
I wasn't a fan of the solution which surprised me
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I uploaded my review to Goodreads. I will upload it to Amazon on release day.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Michael Coolwood for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Drown the Witch coming out September 1, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I was intrigued by the witch plot. I definitely love stories about witches! I think the plot was really good. It was action packed. I think I would’ve liked a little more backstory. There were just a couple plot points I didn’t follow as well. I’m not sure if there will be another book. I would check out more books by this author.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys witch stories!

I enjoyed this sapphic fantasy, there’s complex magical creatures and a mystery to be solved involving witches.

This kept me interested and engaged, but I wasn’t too sure on the ending. The world building and banter was my favourite part.

Drown the Witch presents an intriguing premise with its blend of supernatural intrigue and murder mystery. The story follows Susan Fletcher, who finds herself in a precarious position, navigating a mansion full of witches and danger. The setup is promising, and the tension is palpable as Susan tries to maintain her cover while unraveling the mystery.

However, the execution falls short in several areas. The pacing is uneven, with some sections dragging while others feel rushed. The character development is somewhat lacking, particularly with Susan, whose motivations and backstory could have been explored more deeply to create a stronger connection with the reader. The supporting characters, while diverse in their magical abilities, often come across as one-dimensional.

The plot twists are somewhat predictable, and the resolution, though satisfying in some respects, doesn't fully capitalize on the story's potential. The writing style is serviceable but doesn't particularly stand out, and there are moments where the narrative could have benefited from more vivid descriptions and emotional depth.

Overall, Drown the Witch is an enjoyable read for those who appreciate supernatural thrillers, but it doesn't quite reach the heights it could have. It’s a decent book with a solid premise, but it lacks the polish and complexity needed to make it truly memorable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Coolwood Books for my arc in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

Before I start, I think I might be too old for this book. We follow a young woman who becomes embroiled in a murder mystery after accepting a commission that was supposed to better her life. I just thought every single character, especially the main character, were dumb? Like they would make these decisions without any real thought and then be surprised when things would go poorly.

Additionally, I didn’t really enjoy the writing.

I rated this book 5 stars. Loved every single second of it and I couldn't put it down for a bit. Honestly this was one of my favorite reads this year.

"Drown the Witch" is a quick and funny read that helped me get over a reading slump.
The main characters are absolutely loveable : Susan with her strong determination to solve the murder mystery, and Allison with her brilliant, and hilarious, mind.
I must admit that, when I started reading, I didn't think i would quite enjoy this book. This had to do with the fact that I was absolutely confused by the worldbuilding, especially in the first two chapters. We (meaning the readers) probably weren't told a lot of things (the fact that the magissa society weren't known to humans, what the magissa were, what was Susan doing in the middle of all this,...) to create curiosity and, while it did make me keep reading to know the answers to my questions, it created so much confusion within me that, if I wasn't reading an arc, i might've dnf'd the book. Thankfully, it is a short read and we start to get answers around the 15-20% point.
Another worldbuilding fact that surprised me was the storage of memories inside human bones. Everytime Susan said that she stored some information, I thought she was compartmentalizing it in her brain. It's only around the 40-50% mark that I realised that humans could store memories inside their bones (every single bone of your body!) and it made me ask myself if I actually understood what was going on in the first half of this book.
Now, the second half of it was amazing. I absolutely liked the addition of new characters and what it added to the dynamics ; it felt more alive. I'm also a sucker for familiars so of course I loved CW.
The pacing was way faster and it helped my enjoyment but I have a hard time believing this story took place in only three days (in an emotionnal aspect : Ali and Su have known each other for a day and they already want to date each other? but that could just be that I'm too asexual to understand it).
The last point I will bring is that it felt like the stakes were low when they're supposed to be high. I'll explain : when they started investigating the murder, Susan was always thinking "Get out alive" and similar things because the murderer was still in the house. But reading it I didn't get this feeling of "impending death" let's say, so I felt like she was just dramatic.
Overall, this book was a fun read that I would recommand to anyone who need a quick read to pass the time or, like me, get out of a reading slump.