Khana escapes from a forced marriage to the immortal emperor by accidentally learning the secret to his immortality. All she wants is to leave behind the memories and trauma of her time as his concubine and get as physically far from him as she can, but eventually she must bow to the limits of the weather, the landscape, and her resources. Khana lands in a village in the mountains where she plans to live and work long enough to save up and keep moving. Instead she becomes invested in her new home and when the Emperor catches up to her, she can't abandon them.

I loved the concept of this world and magical system. The characters are mostly well fleshed out and feel like actual people. But there was a degree to which it felt like the author was checking off a list of representation. I mean, it was better done than that. There were logical reasons for the 'disabilities' represented, the abuses experienced are all too real, and honestly the prejudices experienced by the immigrants were realistic. But the entire timeline felt somewhat rushed. I don't want to give away spoilers, but the end felt a little "wrapped up with a bow." Frankly, the fall out from the ending should require a series to really explore. Realistically, all the of the witches from the Emperor's blood line should come after Khana and she really shouldn't be "safe," but the story really just ends. I like happy endings, but I really can't help but feel like we didn't see the real end of Khana's story.

First of all I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really good high fantasy that had solid pacing throughout even when there was world building and less action in parts. I would say you should check for any trigger warnings as some of the content in the book could be upsetting for some.

One thing I have to say though is that I kind of expected death to be the love interest but I was wrong and it left me slightly disappointed. I still think if you are a fan of fantasy you would enjoy this book but can see why it wouldn’t be for everyone.

A compelling story that races along. The setting that is created by the author is very believable, even filmic. The characters are interesting and compelling, the powers of the witch fascinating. The story is pretty bloodthirsty at times so not for the faint hearted. Khana is a fascinating heroine and perhaps one who will return in future stories?

I am not sure that the title of the book does it justice. It may stop some people picking it up. I don't usually read fantasy but loved this book.

This book was quite nice.

+
the wold building was interesting
I liked the magic system and the power of the witches

-
the FMC is too much of a goodie two shoes and at some point is gets annoying to read about her being walked all over (towards the end I was fuming)
Some of the main male characters aren't well developed (love interest and guy best friend are nice and kind, but that's it)
The bare minimum from a guy is being praised to high heavens (the treatment FMC received from love interest, as an example)
The death of the villain feels flat

Thanks to NetGalley for giving me an advanced copy of this book.

Where do I begin….in the best way possible.

This book was a breath of fresh air in the sea of romantasy taking over my feed.
Although slow to start with, in hindsight sight the world building and back story was needed.

What really won me over was the ensemble cast of underdogs, reminiscent of rag tag war films. Their friend ship was charming and entertaining.

I, personally, really appreciated the romance being more of a b-plot in the book. Their friendship grew naturally and khana and Sava respected and communicated beautifully rather than the usual tension for tensions sake you see often.

Khana had her own journey and romance, although lovely to rad, wasn’t the main part of who she was.

The plot was fast paced around 40% of the way through, with moment between the poison dart frogs to ease the tension and really drive home the found family message.

Would recommend this to anyone in need of a stand alone fantasy.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc, but I ended up DNFing pretty early on. This was a lot heavier than I was expecting trauma wise, and just wasn't for me

The Witch Who Trades with Death is one of those books that completely pulls you in and DOES NOT let go. It’s about Khana, a witch who escapes from the control of Emperor Yamueto, this terrifying immortal tyrant who uses witches for his power. She ends up in a small mountain town, where she starts to heal and build a new life with a group of misfit friends. But, the Emperor being who he is isn’t about to let her go quietly, and things get intense when he comes after her—and her new home.

I loved this story so much. It’s got everything: action, humor, a little slow-burn romance, and a ton of heart. The magic system was super cool, especially Khana’s ability to trade with Death, and the world felt so alive. The town, the people, even the little moments working at an inn—it all just worked. The found family vibe was perfect, and Haz, one of the side characters, totally stole the show for me. He’s hilarious and sweet, and I honestly wanted to hang out with him.

What really stuck with me, though, was how it dealt with heavy stuff like trauma and healing. Khana’s journey felt so real—scared, unsure, but determined. And her conversations with Death? Weirdly emotional. It’s not just about fighting an evil empire; it’s about finding happiness and strength after everything she’s been through.

If you’re into stories with found families, strong but relatable characters, and a good mix of action and heart, you’ll love this.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Angry Robot!

What a fascinating new fantasy novel. This one felt like something quite special! I read an eARC of this book on NetGalley so thank you to the author and publisher.

The world building in this book was so well done. The vastly different situations of the people living under the empire vs the communities in the mountains, both in terms of weather and geography but also culture, values and freedoms. We have a really interesting (and quite disturbing) magic system with the night creatures.

However what makes this a great read is the main character and her enthralling death magic. Our MC is able to heal by drawing the life force from people and animals. She can also make trades with death, giving up memories for stronger healing power. But this chips away at her very being and she’s reluctant to use this, attempting to keep it secret from those who would exploit it, using up every drop of her for their own gain. Indeed, exploitation is heavily explored in this novel, both through the evil, empathy lacking emperor but also the old families in the mountains who want their families healed and rejuvenated at any cost. A interesting nuance that added more depth to the book and showed that an individual can be evil and cruel no matter their community.

I absolutely loved the found family in this book. We meet the MC as she is fleeing the emperor. She takes refuge in a town in the mountains while she saves for a guide to take her to safety but she ends up building unexpected bonds and friendships, even in a community that treats her with fear. The kindness and love shown help her discover her inner strength.

I really enjoyed this! Definitely a book I would read again!

I signed up for this arc simply for the title.

I love anything to do with witches and folklore. And this book definitely didn’t disappoint.

The plot drove me in, but the messages of freedom and dreaming of being your own self, really left an impact on me.

I loved that this book was more action packed than romance focused, but I felt the love story between Khana and Haz lacked, in my opinion. I wished that Death had been a love interest as his name is in the title.

But overall this book was a great time and I look forward to what comes next.

The Witch who Trades with Death was a breath of fresh air in the fantasy genre. The story follows Khana, a witch, who flees her torment under Emperor Yamueto. This story has found family, healing the scars of the past, and such a delicate love story. I really enjoyed reading this, even if at parts I was mad about the decisions the characters made. I understand it was needed for plot progression but still it was aggravating. I'm a bit mad that this is a standalone! I want more. The world felt so fleshed out, the magic system unique, and the portrayal of Death was great.

Please read the trigger warnings in the beginning as some of the topics, both open and closed door, might be upsetting to some readers. Overall, I think this is fantastic novel and I hope so many people get to experience Khana's story.

I liked this story in the beginning, but around halfway through it really started to go downhill for me. I don't think this magic system was thought out too much; it just felt way too simplistic and without any real rules. It allowed the characters to do crazy things that didn't feel realistic to the story. Starting around halfway through, it just felt like Alongi gave up with the writing and just kept throwing the weirdest things out into the story. There's a scene where Khana is literally running through an army by walking on the soldiers' shoulders and there is another scene where the whole town is chanting "fuck off" to the emperor.

I also felt like Alongi's dialogue from the characters who sign was disrespectful to the deaf and signing community. I know that in signing, there are a lot of smaller words that are just not signed and grammar is different in sign, but when someone is interpreting, they are able to add those words in to make a cohesive English sentence with proper grammar. The way it was written, to me, felt like these characters were almost being portrayed as less intelligent. I have worked with ASL interpreters and they would never interpret something the way it is written in this book from my experience.

I can't really recommend this book because it just didn't feel fleshed out to me. I like the concepts Alongi was trying to tackle here, but the world and the magic system were not well thought out and the book really fell flat for me at the end.

Review goes live March 17

I unfortunately have to DNF this. I personally can't handle reading about SA, and it starts off by revealing that the main character has been enduring this for YEARS. It's too much for me. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

I’m so sad but I had to DNF 25% in - there wasn’t much going on and I couldn’t really see where the story was going. I’m hoping it’s a case of right book wrong time and so I will try again in the future and it won’t be an end to reading Alongi

The Witch who Trades with Death follows the story of Khana, a young witch concubine of a ruthless emperor, who fled into a secluded country town to escape her tormentor.

When I first picked up this book's ARC, I thought it'll be one of those dark fantasy books where there's more romance than fantasy. Don't get me wrong, I'm impartial towards that spectrum of the genre, but I feel like this was pretty misleading when I finally finished it. With the blurb mentioning the protagonist making trades with Death itself, you'd think they'd fall in love right? Honestly I wasn't disappointed when I found out that there was none of that shadow daddy, enemies-to-lovers business going on. Instead, I read about a girl finding family in a dysfunctional but wholesome unit of misfits, healing from trauma, tackling heavy themes like war, colonialism, and even abuse, and somehow all of it just worked out perfectly.

I loved going through the story through the lens of not just Khana, but also the other characters. Somehow their POVs, despite being short and seemingly insignificant, made the storytelling richer. The magic system is pretty unique and interesting (at least for me), especially since it plays a large part in Khana's character. I wish the 'science' of it gets explained in the story, but it's understandable since (1) duh, it's magic and (2) that's not the focus of the story.

The story also has lots of minority representation going on. There's the they/them or nonbinary rep, like when Death is referred to as a they, as well as bisexual and lesbian reps; and also a deaf rep through a side character. For me personally I'm all good with those since I assume it's part of the worldbuilding, but it felt a little too much at times. I don't know if it's the fact that it felt like there were too many side characters at times that contributed to this (which made me kinda confused about who's who for a sec there), or maybe it's because it's not tackled much in the story. I kinda wish Khana got to ask about this while she was still new in Pahuuda, because it seems like it's part of the Ghuran or some other culture that's incorporated in the town.

Overall, this story is like a gift that I got from a distant relative, not expecting much of it, but got something surprisingly good. While it's not for everyone because of some of the themes I've mentioned earlier, it's a decent read for those who can swallow those anyway.

Thank you NetGalley and Angry Robot Books for providing me with this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot for the e-book arc in exchange for an honest review!

A tactfully done fantasy tackling some heavy topics and a bitter sweet end.

Check your trigger warnings at the door!

Themes of:
💜Found Family
💔Grief/ healing
💕Sweet Romance
🖤Deals
💙Politics
💚Unique worldbuilding
💛Multi POV
💞LGBTQ+ Friendly

I have a feeling this book will be very polarizing as it does have some heavy topics in them, chief among them sexual trauma and some animal sacrifice that might be upsetting for some. But I think C.M. Alongi handled these themes with tact and they, though heavy, fit with the world and it was nice to root for Khana on her healing journey.

I loved the interactions with Death and selfishly wish there were more/ that he was our MC. This is a beautifully written story with some lyrical prose and interesting magic/ world building. I would have loved a little more detail on the world building to see it further fleshed, but again that could just be personal taste and would have loved a little higher stakes.

This is a great book for anyone that wants a character driven story in a fantasy setting focused on the healing journey. A solid read and beautifully written! :)

The story follows Khana, a witch enslaved by the cruel Emperor Yamueto, who discovers the horrifying source of his power – deals with Death itself. This revelation, coupled with her desperate act of rebellion, launches Khana on a perilous journey. Alongi crafts a protagonist in Khana who is both relatable and fiercely determined. Having endured four years of terror, her initial act of defiance is understandable, and her subsequent flight is driven by a primal need for survival.
The core concept of trading with Death is brilliantly executed. The narrative quickly establishes that this magic comes with a terrible cost – the slow erosion of Khana's soul. This creates a ticking clock scenario that adds tension and raises the stakes with every use of her power. It's a fascinating exploration of the morality of using dark power to fight for justice.
While the premise is familiar within the fantasy genre, Alongi effectively gives it a unique spin through the concept of transactional magic with Death. The ever-present threat of moral decay adds an extra layer to the standard hero's journey, making it feel fresh and engaging.
This book is a compelling read that will appeal to fans of dark fantasy with morally complex characters and high-stakes plots. It's a story about survival, sacrifice, and the difficult choices one must make when faced with overwhelming odds. Alongi crafts a dark and engaging narrative. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading a thought-provoking and action-packed fantasy with a unique twist.

The Witch who Trades with Death is a story about a young girl who escapes her abusive situation and learns to fight back and move forward with support from her found family. The MC is ridiculously plot armored and her friends are perfectly supportive with no real personality flaws, but this can either be a pro or con depending on if you're in the mood for a feel-good story about healing from trauma and moving forward.

The pros:
CM Alongi crafts a beautifully realistic depiction of the psychological effects of sexual abuse and what the path to healing looks like, complete with all of its painful triggers and mental shutdowns. I really appreciated how the main character is not your stereotypical YA hot-headed tomboy type, but instead a timid and shy girl who learns how to fight back once she hits rock bottom and faces the possibility of losing everything she's built and learned to love. I find that it makes her more realistic and relatable. The plot and pacing are not bad: I never felt so excited that I couldn't resist turning to the next page, but I also never felt that drag that makes me question whether I should DNF it.

The cons:
There is only one VERY SMALL thing I actively did not like: I felt like there was a little bit of token diversity going on with one minor character, Athicha. This character is mentioned by they/them pronouns, but the concept of third genders is otherwise never mentioned throughout the book. Are nonbinary people common in their culture? No idea. Do they have their own gender roles and expectations in this society (i.e. some real-life cultures view third genders as more spiritual, while others view them as people who've sinned in a past life). No idea. Are they rare and discriminated against? No idea. Are third genders assigned at birth in this society or self-assigned? No idea. Frankly it feels like the author wrote a traditionally masculine character, Ctrl+F replaced all the pronouns, then haphazardly slapped a twist at the end that they have a vagina. They also made this character mute and threw in that 1/30th of the village is born deaf, and that's why everybody knows sign language. But how do deaf people work in this militaristic society when half the story is about going to war and commanders are shouting orders on the battlefield? Again, no idea.

All in all, I would give this book 3/5 stars. It wasn't my favorite type of story, but it was an enjoyable enough read that I don't regret the time I spent on it. Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the ARC.

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

I loved this book. The magic system, the character development, the discussions surrounding trauma and healing for several of the characters. Khana is complex and terrified but that makes her so relatable. I loved Sava and his patience as Khana figures herself out. Haz was funny and loveable and simply too fun on most of the pages he's on. Watching as Khana goes from this scared, trapped girl, to a reluctantly welcomed stranger, to the town witch, to a hero, and all that she sacrificed was incredible to read.

This book had me hooked from the start! The premise / magic system is such a unique concept, and Khana's journey was full of twists and turns that had me on the edge of my seat. I adored the found family element, and the romance? Chef's kiss. The slow burn made my heart ache in the best way. It’s the perfect balance of heartwarming moments, suspense, and just a touch of spice. If you’re looking for a fantasy that mixes healing with some delicious tension, this is it!