i didn't enjoy this novel as much as I thought I would, but I was still surprised just by how original it was. the whole premises was interesting, and I would even say nicely done. However, I couldn't really get into the story because I didn't care for any of the characters (i straight up hated some of them).

one of the main characters was just boring. her backstory was great, and the representation was impressive, but she didn't do nothing the entire novel, and she barely showed any kind of emotion.

the other main character, azula, was just annoying. even though she was supposed to be 18, she acted like a spoiled brat. she reminded me of people who try to force their opinion on everyone else because they believe theirs is the only correct one. the entire time, she was just insufferable. anytime she said something I wanted to punch her.

i really liked the side characters, the princess and her guard. even though I saw the plotwist coming, I still enjoyed it and the ending was quite sad. we needed more worldbuilding, but since this was an under 200-page novel, it's understandable why the author rushed it a little.

As an avid reader of supernatural and romance books, I had very high hopes for this one, because the description made it seem amazing and I was super hyped to read it.
Unfortunately, I struggled with this book.
The worldbuilding seems very rushed. when I first began reading, I was extremely lost. I know It's common for that to happen in the beginning of a book, so I carried on. It did not get better.
I was very much clueless and had to come up with my own explanations for things that didn't fit.
What kind of magic are these people using? why are the dead rising? Why is it blamed on the mankind? what are the mixed races? who are they mixed with? What's up with the sudden, uncalled - for bullying of people wearing yellow furs? How was silvie saved, exactly?

Ok, next up_
The characters are all over the place.
one minute I see Silvie as this brooding never-trust-anyone type, but the next- she's.... a shy teen?
herr chemistry with other people is confusing for me, because she acts like a normal teen who overshares with people she just recently met. And why is she so cool with the royalty?
Additionally, silvie and Azura barely spend any time together, but suddenly Azura's jealous of other people having more things in common with Silvie? And the absolutely unacceptable things she says in her mind are baffling and insulting to What Silvie had to go through. It felt way too artificial.
I couldn't develop any sort of bond with the characters, because they all seemed too one-dimensional and their actions were too... much.
The action scenes are another sources of headaches. oftentimes I had to re-read some scenes to make sense of who did what, like in the beginning, when some drink men, for some reason, started cussing out silvie, getting all up in her space and... Actually, I had to quess from here, because in the middle of the scruffle Azura appeared? And they fell.. someplace that for some reason is very dangerous for magic users. It was so confusing I turned off my brain.
Then there are some weird phrasings that I would word differently, I guess. sometimes I had to read a sentence again just to understand what It wanted to convey.

In conclusion, worldbuilding is a major problem for this book, followed by character Inconsistencies, hard to read action scenes and many questions that are left unanswered.
If I were youunger though, I probably would have liked this book.
Unfortunately, It didn't live up to my expectations.

2.5 / 5 stars

Oh I wanted to love this so much, but it never managed to really get me invested in the story or the characters. There isn't really a actual plot for 85% of the story, and the romance between the two main characters also doesn't really get started until about 50%. In a longer book, that may have been fine, but with a novella length story like this, it just means that the romance almost feels insta-love-y because of how quickly it goes from maybe to serious. It also makes the ending feel very tacked-on, as if it were an afterthought, instead of the logical conclusion to the story. There were obviously morsels of the plot scattered throughout, but when the thread between them is revealed at the end, it doesn't feel satisfying or compelling, it's just "meh". The magic system is quite interesting and probably the thing I liked best about the story, but it still feels kind of half-baked, since it's never really clarified what exactly magic can and cannot do. I was also very put off by the whole 'sentry' thing, because I never quite understood what they were, they hunt down the cadaveri, yes, but apart from that? Is the projecting into animals unique to them? Can they do more than just that projection? Why are they so despised by the common people? I also really struggled with the ages of the main 4 characters, as they were all described as 'young', but also they weren't all the same age, I think?
There's potential, certainly, but in its current form I really can't justify any score above a 2.5.

Witches and world-building... what's not to love?! I really enjoyed reading this book. I loved how Mary Borsellino really leans into the personal costs of magic that a lot of fantasy books tend to gloss over. PLUS, it's a queer book! There is an awful lot to love about this book and I really look forward to more books from Borsellino! :)

If people come from The Wolf House to this, they are going to find something that may be quite different to what's expected. While the former has a focus on snappy dialogue and a host of characters, this one is much more centred on world building. Because of that, I think it's a slower book to start before we even really start getting to know the four main characters and, particular, the two PoV characters.

We see Sylvie very briefly with magic before she loses it in the same incident that injures her leg. She's not much use on the front lines after that and ends up being sent for by the alchemist of the far off city, Arteria.

It's here that she meets our other PoV character, Azura, as well as her friends Queen Lena (who is queen in name only) and her body guard Myles.

The most similar book to this with its sapphic love story and zombies/necromancy plotline that I can think of is the very well known Gideon the Ninth but, although I struggled sometimes to understand what was going on (I'm not a huge consumer of the zombie genre overall) I enjoyed this one a great deal more.

This is a book that is queer, disability and survivor friendly all at once. I don't think I've so aptly seen a story that discusses the issue of people doing bad things out of a terrible thing that happened to them in childhood in such an empathetic way. Just loved the resolution of this story.

The Hollow Witch is a solid YA read that has strong characters and even stronger world building. Actually, the world building regularly takes precendent over the characters and plot which messes with the pacing and can make the reading experience less enjoyable.

Around 70% the author truly commits to the plot and rushes forward with answers to all of the readers' questions.

There are some serious themes that are touched on but not explored. I don't believe it's a bad thing but rather see it as being sensitive to readers with triggers.

An overall good read.

This touched on a lot of important topics. The writing was generally okay, but I thought the pacing was a bit meandering at times and way to quick at others. The characters were well developed and the relationships were solid. I just did not fully believe the issues

Silvie is a sentry, one of many children abandoned at infancy or childhood for being different — left handed, mismatched eyes, odd colored hair or skin, birthmarks, anything that marks them as not meeting a certain standard of personhood. The lives of sentries are ones of privation, hunger and cold, hard work, and suspicious gazes; called names by ‘normal’ people, viewed with hostility, they are the front line defense between humanity and the ghouls, the cadavari who rise with a hunger for human flesh.

When an accident causes to Silvie lose her magic and the hearing in one ear, leaving her with permanent vertigo, she cannot help but think her life may as well be over. Instead, it’s simply a new chapter, as a respected doctor from the palace has been looking for someone like her — someone with no magic — to be his apprentice. So, leaving everything and everyone she knows behind, Silvie embarks on a new adventure where she meets Lena, the widow queen; Myles, her bodyguard; and most important of all, Azura, the doctor’s daughter.

Silvie knows her real purpose is to be a lure to draw Azura back to her father’s side, to make her jealous enough of the apprentice she was supposed to be that she will push Silvie aside. But that’s alright. The few skills Silvie learns here might be enough to help her live a useful life when all is said and done. But Azure doesn’t want to replace Silvie or be a doctor. The rivalry is there, but it’s not the way Silvie thought it would be. Instead, Azura is offended that Silvie is growing close to Myles, Lena’s bodyguard. Azura and Lena have been friends ever since Lena was brought in as a child bride to the old king. Myles has always been an annoyance, but now that Silvie and he are becoming friends, just as Azura is beginning to understand her own feelings for Silvie, it’s all becoming just a bit too much.

The world building in The Hollow Witch is interesting, and is really a highlight of the book. Here, magic is as common as ice in a drink, fire on a cold night, or medicine for a headache. It’s an easy and accessible part of daily life. However, there’s a price to be paid for using it, and that is the cadavari. When magic is used, especially in great quantities, it raises the dead. And for the most part, people are willing to deal with that, to lose a few people every now then to ghouls, because lights in the dark, clean clothing, and straight teeth are worth it.

Because there are so many cadavari, there is a need for sentries, like Silvie, and Guards, other unwanted infants and children. However, the life expectancy of these two castes is so high that they need replacing, often, so the list of things that make a child unsuitable gets longer and longer. And strange how, in the royal city, Silvie sees many people with dyed hair or gloves to hide their hands, flaws corrected by magic for people of a certain social standing.

Silvie is infinitely aware of her status, having in essence jumped castes. Azura, on the other hand, is not. She has always been privileged, and while she’s not entirely aware of how awful it is for those less privileged than herself, she is not without suffering. Her parents argued often during her childhood. Screaming, shouting, and hints of more physical altercations, until her father sent her mother away — and Azura never saw her again. Even now, he expects her to come to her senses and be his true apprentice, even as he chastises her for not excelling in schoolwork. He doesn’t ask why Azura struggles, why some lessons come more easily than others, he just assumes she will be able to do the things he wants her to do.

Azura and Silvie both come into this with subtle prejudices. Silvie has an idea of what a privileged, rich girl must be like, while Azura has no idea what Silvie’s life must have been like, and doesn’t actually want to make any effort to find out. And yet, as they get to know one another over the course of the book, they find a kindred spirit in each other. Silvie is patient and kind, Azura is defensive and confrontation avoidant. She wants things to be fine, just … fine. No shouting, no arguing, no yelling, no unpleasantness. She wants Lena to be happy, she wants Silvie to be happy, she wants her father to understand her. Silvie just wants to belong. They match each other’s energies so well, once they actually start talking to one another. They balance one another, and the pair of them work well together. Which is good, because they have to stop the world from ending.

The other character in this book, though given no POV, is Lena, Little Magdalena, the Widow Queen. She’s a bright, brittle young woman (all three of the girls are teenagers) who has great plans and a clever, political mind. What she wants, she intends to get. She’s a good friend and a quixotic, charming young queen, and her story is a tragic one.

All three characters, throughout their lives, have had the freedom of choice taken away from them. Silvie, as a sentry, has been more property than person. Azura, her her eyesight corrected magically when she didn’t want it corrected, now wears glass lenses in protest. Lena was married to the king when she was four, and has never had a choice in her life that wasn’t fraught with consequences. Even at the end, there is no easy path; Lena and Silvie both make choices, for good or ill. Azura’s choice is simpler, but no less world changing, as she decides to love Silvie in a world that doesn’t accept same sex relationships, and in a household where her father doesn’t approve.

This book was almost a four star read for me. I was enjoying the world building, the slow reveals of character motivations, and the way Silvie’s disability was portrayed. She suddenly began to need a cane and went from able to hear to being deaf in one ear. Vertigo kept her from doing many things she wanted, and the loss of her magic kept her from being able to do small, mundane things that everyone else could do. And it’s not just a mention and then gone; these are things that affect how she handles every situation, from climbing the stairs to entering a catacomb, to not being able to hear when danger is approaching. She feels weaker, more fragile, but never helpless.

However. There’s a scene at the end that makes absolutely no sense to me. After the climax of the book, Silvie calls to Queen Eve (who was queen before Lena) to help her. And I want to know why. Nowhere was it mentioned that Queen Eve was someone Silvie felt a connection to or even had any knowledge of. It’s a random moment with no foreshadowing that comes out of nowhere — and because it comes so late in the book, it’s one of the moments that I remember most clearly. And it ruined what could have been a stronger book because now I’m stuck trying to figure out what this moment, what this nothing of a character has to do with anything. I’m sorry, but the ending drops this nearly a full point. It’s not a strong moment or a clever twist. It’s confusing, frustratingly so, and feels obviously set up to be a segue into the next book, but because of how it was handled, I’m not certain I want to pick up the sequel.

Trigger warnings for mentions of child abuse and neglect, mentions of spousal abuse, mentions of rape, mentions of the torture of children, and suicidal ideation.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 /5 (Rounded up to 4)
# Pages: 210
Publication Day: 12.15.25

🧟‍♀️ YA High Fantasy
🧟‍♀️ Sapphic
🧟‍♀️ LGBTQ+ Rep
🧟‍♀️ Zombies (Cadaveri)
🧟‍♀️ Child Soldier
🧟‍♀️ Disability Rep
🧟‍♀️ Witchy

The Hollow Witch by Mary Borsellino is a YA high fantasy sapphic novel. The world building/ character building is beautiful. However, there’s definitely dark and eerie elements in there too. I wish it could have been a little longer because some of it did fall flat. It’s a great start though and I think it could flow into a series. It was slow in the beginning but picked up and became a page tuner. A very unique story and worth the read.

Silvia (child soldier) and Azura (alchemist daughter), FMCs, have different backgrounds with their upbringing. However, they’re drawn to each other and thus their story begins. I enjoyed reading about their interactions. Their love story, very slow burn, is more of a sub plot feel.

Overall, it was a great short read. I would like to read more from the author and watch her grow within her writing. Thank you netgalley and Clan Destine Press for this ARC read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Clan Destine Press, Inc. for allowing me a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

I agree with other reviews in that this book feels like a draft rather than a finished story. I feel the author wasn't sure of the tone of the book, that they wanted to address so many things that none were explored that in-depth. I do think this story had potential. There are some really good points, some quotes I really liked, but overall I feel the text felt a little bit disjointed. Like everything was silly antics and the next this dramatic talk and the next silly again and then traumatic, but it felt kind of episodic and the important issues weren't properly addressed.

There's this ongoing theme in the book of Azura feeling kind of left out because of her sheltered life and feeling bad about caring about these things that seem so little in comparison with what everyone else was dealing with and I both liked it and didn't. On the one hand I feel this reflects our society, how we know the horrible stuff that's going on and then feel stupid that we care about failing a subject or a silly fight. But on the other hand I felt like most of the time she complained just because she could (?). Like check your privilege. Half of the time I couldn't stand her for it because the dead were literally rising and she was like "My life is solved but I don't wanna follow my father's footsteps :(". Like she felt so sorry for herself all of the time it was tiring. But I mean that's realistic, she's a teenager after all, a rich one.

She complains a couple of times about her dad fixing her vision because she didn't need any fixing. And I was there like :/ I've worn glasses since I was little. They're expensive as fuck. Every time I get my vision checked it got worse, so I need new ones. And then we have to think about money again. You see I don't see shit and if I were offered to have my eyesight fixed magically (and for free) I'd jump at the chance. I guess the author wanted to make a point about disability not needing fixing because you're not broken, but this didn't feel like it. It didn't sit right with me. That and Azura being so powerful and so "I don't really like magic" but then using it for everything made me feel like Azura was just a spoiled brat and I couldn't really empathise with her. I feel like I would have liked the book better if it was only told from Silvie's perspective.

I don't like how they handled Lena's abuse either. Like it was revealed in the end (even though it was obvious from the start) and Azura was like it's okay, you're gonna be okay and then the book is over.

Overall there were so many things worth exploring in this book and even though it felt so long they weren't explored and the author chose to focus on the romance instead.

The world building for this book was excellent, and as someone with disabilities similar to those of Silvie, I was very grateful for the accurate representation. The diversity of the characters was a huge plus.
I will say that there were serious pacing issues with the book. By the time I was half way through the book I was wondering if I would have to DNF. I found that there were many times where the world building lore overshadowed the characters and the plot of the actual story. Other than Silvie, most of the other characters felt very flat- and I found myself getting very annoyed with Azura and her teenage angst. I love a character driven novel, but I felt like the plot got lost along the way.

Overall the premise is amazing and I am certain that the book would make more sense in connection with the rest of the series, but the pacing issues were too glaring for me to properly enjoy the story.

I am always excited to see a sapphic fantasy written by and Australian author.

The story follows Sylvie who is an orphan tasked with defending the kingdom from zombie like cadevari. She has lost her magic, been physically injured, and has been assigned as an assistant to an alchemist. In her new role she meet’s the Alchemist’s daughter, Azura, the Dowager Queen, Lena and her Body guard Myles. With the cadevari creating and increasing threat, pressures of expectation in the court, Sylvie and Lena work to identify the threat and try to find a way to belong under the weight of expectations.

I found the pacing a bit slow to start with, but once I reached the critical point, it really took off! What I initially expected to be a high fantasy had a much larger horror and mystery element than I expected, with a very sweet romance woven into it as well.

This could very easily be a series! This was a nice quick read and I will definitely be looking for Mary Boresellino books in the future!

An easy, enjoyable YA fantasy.
I liked the magic system and both our FMCs, the romance was sweet and slow and not central to the plot. I feel like it could have been longer: the introduction to Silvie and her magic was so swift that it was impossible to really understand what it was she was fighting for and what it was she lost, I think a deeper exploration of her life as a sentry and relationship with Kolya would have made the next part of the story as gut wrenching for the reader as her. It also felt like the pacing was slow and steady up until the last 30 pages where everything happened very quickly. The ending wasn’t *not* satisfying but felt quite abrupt.

A child soldier losing magic and then there's the alchemist's daughter, has everything she could ever need. Both couldn't have been any more different but when they must come together. The city of Arteria is under attack from the walking dead feeding on the living.

This book was very unique, and once in the story I was fully immersed.

Thank you to Clan Destine Press and NetGalley for this E-ARC.

This has great potential, but couldn't quite decide what it was. We begin by being launched into an exciting and complex world, with a compelling character and plenty of action. Then the following 60% of the book is a cosy slice-of-life fantasy. It's... perfectly nice. There are hints at deeper political and magical issues, but they are never developed. Then the final 20% is dark, explosive action. And it's brilliant - well-characterised, compelling writing, great plot. It just felt like it didn't match the tone of the rest of the book.

Overall, this felt like a 'nearly but not quite' novel.

Fresh, new concept ... about the rotting undead.

*Received an ARC via NetGalley in return for an honest review*

There was promise for this story, but the execution lacked punch and dragged despite a tiny <300 page count. This read like a second or third draft, and perhaps a few more were needed to fine tune details and get the rhythm perfected.

Disability and queer rep was good, but fell short on paying off on the emotional impact of the reveal that one of the main characters was being sexually abused since age 2.

The ending shot itself in the foot by leaving the story without ending any character arcs or really progressing the characters developments. Who they all were at the start is who they were at the end. The shock reveal that the old queens spirit had been tagging along on Silvie's shoulder the entire time came out of no where and felt like a shoe in for a sequel. From about 40-80% of the way through it was rating about 4 Stars, but the shocking twist coming at like 7% from the end didn't leave enough time for it to sink in and actually shock and really brought down the overall quality of the book.

Considering how dark the material was in terms of child abuse, systematic violence against certain caste's, and severe social divides, it lacked in thoroughly exploring it and emotionally connecting the reader to those issues, there were some really horrific ideas (in a good way) but it felt like reading from a history book.

I did love the little cadaveri girl in the glass coffin, that was really well executed, had me turning on the lights to reassure me she wasn't in the room with me. Fabulous! She gets an extra star for the horror of it!

The Hollow Witch is a high fantasy sapphic story that shares the prices that come with using magic. The following is a spoiler-free review with a final rating of 3.75.

The world in which Sylvie, a sentry raised to defend the people from the forces of evil, is plagued by a cost to using magic. The dead arise, bringing chaos and disaster with them. After almost losing her life, Sylvie is left with a permanent disability and the loss of her magic. Azura, the daughter of Arteria’s alchemist, has grown up in the palace, friends with the little queen herself, and used the daily use of magic.

Sylvie is sent to the palace to assist Azura’s father in his work, which means a new life for the soldier, a new world and a lot of new adjustments; her cane for one. Whilst there, she strikes up a friendship with Azura, the queen Lena and her bodyguard Myles. The story cumulates with an unprecedented attack that only Sylvie and Azura can save, yet they begin to question; should they?
This story was solid. It wasn’t perfect but it wasn’t bad. The writing itself was well done, things were explained easily and nothing got too complicated, even when it seemed it should be. The descriptions were beautiful also and easily visualised.

Sylvie and Azura weren’t truly loveable characters, yet I believe that to have been kind of the point. They’re flaws. Sylvie is too stubborn and ruthless and is unable to let go of the past. Azura, on the other hand, is used to the life of luxury, she defies her father and doesn’t truly understand the hardships of life outside the palace. Throughout they do learn, and they grow, and I liked seeing that. I wasn’t in love with their relationship as it did seem to go from acquaintances to romantic quite quickly like they had one nice chat on the roof and suddenly they were kissing and dating. I would have liked more time to see them develop their friendship and understand each other a little more before starting a romantic relationship. Their scenes, however, were very sweet.

It was interesting, with the take on having to pay a price for magic and the fact high uppers will ignore the threat just to make life easier and the nation a little bit more powerful. The sentries and soldiers were also a way to get rid of the changelings and foundlings, aka the dregs of society. This side was an interesting commentary on the world we live in.

I enjoyed the ending, the climax felt like it came all too quickly though, with much of the story feeling slow with no endgame. For me, it got more interesting around 70%. It did leave a lot of open questions, such as Azura’s father and that last line, yet perhaps it's opening up for a sequel or novella.

Overall, it was a good book. Interesting story and characters with brilliant world-building.

The strengths of this novel are the diversity and immersive world-building. With not only queer women, but a chronically ill and hard of hearing character is amazing representation and I'm very glad that more people will be able to see themselves represented in this book. The magic system was compelling and fascinating, with the question of sacrificing something for magic being asked throughout. I found Silvie really likable as a character and I was thoroughly invested in her story and how it progressed. Unfortunately, I couldn't find myself as invested in the other characters and they fell a bit flat for me. Overall though, this book had a very unique premise and the world-building was fantastic.

If you want a book that honestly had me thinking where is this going to oh wow that happened, this is definitely a hidden gem for you this year.

Firstly let me thank NetGalley / publishers/ Mary Borsellino for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

The hollow witch, follows Silvie a sentrie who after one unfortunate event rips her from her magical able self into a person forever physically changed to her reclaimed un-magical life. Maybe death would have better but she is sent to Arteria to be a doctor’s apprentice. There we meet three more central characters, Azura the doctor’s daughter who will not follow her father’s path, Lana the child windowed queen and Myles her protector / servant.

This is high fantasy with some fantastic world building, that is as beautiful as it is chilling. The magic is built within individuals but also channelling through the area which brings a twist of death via countless members of the undead. This is a great twist on zombie plot. You intertwine with each character with a threat in the background but is not walking dead style more contained unless somebody does generally dies - there is a creepy glass coffin moment that would be a jump scare scene!

I will say the story does feel slow but this does help cement the story with the world building along with the characters development. This followed with a twist that honestly happens around the 90% mark, yes I would have liked this sooner. But the twist is so masterful I can forgive this, horrific really when you read this in blissfully ignorance looking back. You realise quite quickly you are lead via a level of naivety at the same time Azura comes to realise.

The rage, anger and pain is felt all in the last 10% with a real sense of the loss of innocence and reality of Silvia being the one realise what needs to happen next. There is a soft budding romance between Silvie and Azura that literally starts and then this happens. A gentleness that is ripped from the page quite literally.

The story ends quite abruptly, I am hoping for a book 2 as there is so much more left unanswered and genuinely intrigued at how this is going to play out next for them! Would highly recommend, this would be a 4.5 only knocked down for pace.

Great read would highly recommend.

First of all: Thank you to Mary Borsellino and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I usually have a hard time with slow-paced books, and *The Hollow Witch* definitely tested my patience in the beginning. The world-building was detailed, and the magic system had some interesting concepts, but it took a long time for the story to really get going. Once it picked up (which unfortunately wasn’t the case until like 85% in) I found myself more engaged, especially with the character dynamics and the way themes of power and disability were explored.

Silvie and Azura had an intriguing relationship, and while I appreciated how the book took its time developing their interactions, there were stretches where the plot felt bogged down by dialogue and setup, making it difficult to stay fully invested. The zombie element was a unique twist I didn’t see coming, though I wish it had been more central earlier in the story..

Overall, this was a solid read with some great ideas, but the pacing and execution didn’t fully work for me. Fans of slower, character-driven fantasy will likely enjoy it more, but I’m on the fence about continuing the series.