Thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot for the arc! Hm. I have mixed feeling about this one.
I know a pros and cons list hates to see me coming, and here I am!

Pros:

The magic, Aji, was very interesting to read about and led to some interesting plot points. It’s both terrifying and fascinating to read about someone who has control over life energy.

I’m adding Lueti to my dream blunt rotation

The very beginning had me reeling. It was easily my favorite part of the book. It pulls no punches, and is batshit. That bitch deserved what she got!

I appreciate how this book handles physical touch and that aspect of trauma; It’s honestly too real. I really came around for the LI because of this. He was kind and incredibly patient with Khana. We love to see it

Cons:

Idk if it was just me who thought this but… from the synopsis I thought Khana would fall in love with death themselves. That would have been much more interesting than what we got in my eyes, though I do appreciate Sava. He was gentle, attentive, accommodating, and at some points sexy. That being said, I do think Alongi took the safe route with having Sava as the LI

I struggled to connect to our main characters. Khana and Haz always felt too distant for me. I do think the side characters outshine the main characters in this one.

As such, the book dragged in the middle for me. I did almost put it down

Without spoiling, this book needed more consequences in the plot. Everything just seems to magically work out, and to the detriment of the book’s messaging. It really dampened the experience for me, having everything be so easy.

Did you guys know that Khana is small? Did you know that she’s teeny weeny? Did you know that she’s short? It case you didn’t know, Khana is small!

In conclusion, meh. There were some aspects of this book I loved, and others I did not. This was the first book I completed in 2025, and I do wish I liked it more than I did. That being said, I’ll live, or maybe I won’t! Maybe I’ll call up Khana to trade with death. -3 night creatures

The Witch who trades with death is not what i expected. Its very character focused with a backdrop of brewing war. Khana is a young witch forced to "serve" the immortal Emperor Yamueto as one of his thousands of concubine since she was first taken from her village. On chance, she finds out the Emperor's secret to immortality and manages to escape the palace to a remote icy mountain village where Yamueto hasnt managed yet to conquer.
Its there that the story really focuses on the healing process from her abused up bring, the found family and new friendships and romances all whilst war is threatening. Khana is nervous, scared of her powers but learns to embrace it for those she cares for. The author does character building really well and i felt connected and invested in the relationships that develop.

What didnt work for me is the fact that she is a witch that can drain life force and make deals with Death to heal and revive was a little too convenient most of the time which meant the stakes were low. Based on the synopsis I was hoping for more of a high action, high stakes plot focused story but this was not that. There was a lack of world building in the wider scheme and just focused around Khana's immediate surroundings. The emperor rules in terror but somehow people are still loyal to him?

However, the writing did grip me and whilst i enjoyed the mundane small town setting and how everyone banded together for a common purpose, I wanted more. The last few chapters was where the story picked up for me, but the rest of the book was relatively slow placed. The romance was very cute and I did love the gentleness of Sava which made a refreshing difference.

I think this book would suit readers after a slower paced character focused story around a more timid protagonist going through their healing process from abuse in a fantasy world setting. The story wraps up relatively well for a standalone.

Check TW, as there is reference to rape, abuse and death.

Thanks to Netgalley and Angry Robots for an e-ARC. All opinions are my own honest thoughts.

Thank you to Net Galley and Angry Robot for the ARC. The blurb looked interesting but the actual book was boring. The characters were dull and the plot slow moving.

Thank you to Angry Robot and NetGalley for my arc in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

I really enjoy C.M. Alongi’s writing normally but this book just missed the mark for me.

I thought the magic system was really interesting and I thought the overall story was engaging. However, I did feel that maybe 40%-60% of the story really dragged. I understood that it was for world building and building up our FMC’s character and ensuring that the side characters were fleshed out, but man was it really long between new moments in the overarching narrative. I feel bad because Alongi is a very gifted writer but I thought so much of the world and character building should have been edited out or down. It really cut down on the pacing of the book and really took me out. There were multiple bouts of what felt like my eyes glazing over.

Wasn’t for me unfortunately.

I am glad I got to read this. There was a lot of adventure. So many feelings for the characters! A lot of anger and sympathy. A lot of sadness. And so much joy. There are several difficult themes in the book, but the author did a great job of writing it. There was a lot of world buulding, and it was a bit hard to get into because of that. But once you get a good grasp on who is who, what place is where, it becomes a lot easier. There are many diverse characters, as well. That is always nice to see!

This book has a lot of things that I really enjoy, including found family, emotional depth, and a very interesting plot line! I loved getting to meet our characters and seeing how they grew from beginning to end! The world building was absolutely 10 out of 10! It feels like you can see the world while you were reading it!

5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
2🌶️🌶️

Interesting magic system! Loved the underdog aspect of the book and the FMCs personal growth. The FMC is great but you also fall in love with the supporting characters/her friends. The author did a great job getting you wrapped up into caring for everyone’s wellbeing. The love interest is like a sprinkle on top and does not overshadow the conflict/war that is the heart of the plot.

Thank you Angry Robot and Netgalley.

I'll be honest. This book is interesting. I don't think it glorifies or uses any excuses to make our FMC unlikeable or anything like that. However the story is just so different than what I expected. It feels so much more like a series of events. While that is what a book is. In this it feels more like an overarching series with multiple books. CM alongi still did an amazing job. It was enjoyable and interesting.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. (via Netgalley)

This is probably one you should check warnings on before starting as it may not be for everyone. This had so many things that I loved.. found family, Death as a character, interesting magic system. You also got to see Khana grow as a character throughout the story. I could have used a smidge more world building but overall, this was a good read.

Loved this book! I had such a hard time putting it down. If you like fantasy, you will enjoy this book. With magic, witches, and an evil emperor. There's friendship, trauma, healing, and found family. Can't wait to read something else by C. M. Alongi!!

Absolutely LOVED IT! I cannot rave enough about how phenomenal this book was. Not your normal witches vs. demons/gods book

Omg this book right here!!!! I rated it 5 stars because I couldn't give it more. The Witch who Trades with Death by C.M. Alongi is a masterpiece of a book!

The book cover is gorgeous and initially drew me in. I loved the idea of trading a memory for Death's help, it was a fascinating concept and I loved how it played out.
Khana was a great main character to follow!

This book was amazing! I really enjoyed the suspense and overall story development. The magic system is unique and the conflict felt dramatic. There were points that my heart was hammering and other that I was kicking my feet in joy. I very much enjoyed Khana’s story and healing journey.

The way I wanted to love this so badly! It sounded like it was going to be so good and exciting but I found myself a bit disappointed with it.

Nice, lyrical and descriptive writing. So there were some really beautiful quotes in here that I can totally see the annotation girlies LOVING to highlight.

It was the explanations that I had trouble with though. I found that things weren't ever explained when it came to worldbuilding, yet other things were overexplained when they really didn't need to be. It was just kind of weird.

And check trigger/content warnings, I feel like there were some things that not everyone would love to read about if they've had to deal with certain things in life (mainly when it comes to death and loss and grieving, that sort of thing).

I can see a lot of people loving this book, but stylistically, I just don't think it's exactly for me. But I would still recommend it.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

A tale of healing, found family, and deals with Death.

Khana was stolen from her home and made the immortal Emperor’s concubine when it is discovered she is a witch. On learning his secret to power and killing his favourite courtier, she flees the empire and ends up in a snowy, cold mountain town.
There, she faces prejudice, but also a home with a group of other misfits where she slowly learns to heal from her trauma and feel happy and safe. But the Emperor won’t leave someone alive who knows his secrets….

This was so wholesome, but it also had a tiny amount of delicious spice that still managed to feel soft and slow.

The characters were heart-warming, the dynamics were hilarious, and the journey of self-worth and recovery was tender. I liked that it showed this abuse from both man and woman and the recovery from both genders too!

<b>"Give yourself the kindness of healing on your own terms.”
</b>
The world-building was also pulled off well for a standalone and I was left feeling satisfied with a well-rounded story. This isn’t even that long of a book, yet I felt fully immersed in the culture, the town, and the small joys one can find working with friends at an inn.

Another thing I loved about- there is incredible friendship AND burgeoning romance. Yet, the plot was still enticing? This is rarely pulled off so well!!

<b>"Exactly, You're Khana's closest friend here," Sava stressed. "She doesn't strike me as the type of person to take that lightly." 
Haz scratched the back of his neck. "No, she isn't. That's part of what makes her so adorable." 
Sava almost choked. "Adorable?!" 
“Like a baby bear. One of these days she's going to be deadly, but until then she's just... cute." Haz grinned. "I can't wait.”
</b>
Thank you to Angry Robot for sending me the physical arc in exchange for a review!