“I warn you that you play a dangerous game. A game that will end with the one you love as the pawn. A sacrificial pawn in a war between witches and humans."
Entertaining and sensual. I really enjoyed this fantasy romance. It’s action, its magic, its characters and its spice that was really interesting !!! Ibis is a very powerful witch but she is ready to let go of her “sinful” origins to marry the only man she has ever loved, Archeron who’s from a very very purist house and people. Their love is one that transcends life and death. That’s the reason why when everyone and everything is against them, she manages to find a way to him … even if he is not the same !!! So many lies and betrayals from the most trusted … but I really enjoyed how everything turned out to be !!!! And the ending … really left me interested in the future !!!
"I'm going to make you scream my name until you are hoarse. I'll have you spent and exhausted, fulfilled and depleted of all energy this night. And then I'll still take you again."
"I want you now, before, and always. I can barely breathe when I'm not with you, inside you. You are like an addiction that I'll never overcome."

After reading the synopsis I was already hooked to the fact that impure touch is considered a high enough treason to kill the accused. I get so mad at Iblis for thinking the way of the Luminites is the right way but I get it. She has a dark past and wants to believe in a better and different life. What happens the day off he wedding is devastating and really made me empathize for her. I definitely wasn’t expecting what was happening with Acheron. Good twist! I do love that everyone is against her and she has to fight her way through the lies. I will say that I wish there was more world building and more explanations about personalities of characters. More description.

I want to firstly thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read this as an ARC.
I am giving this a
3.5stars
4spice rating

I think this book has the potential to be a great series for starters. I did find it hard to follow the storyline at times with so much info dump coming from so many sources. I understand why the author chose to do so for the sake of the ongoing plot and development of the story/ plot.

With all that said. I enjoyed the story and I loved the twist on the 2 main characters. The spice was great and I think it added to the story well. I dont feel like it was overly done or under done.
I look forward to reading the series as it developes!

I am very interested in learning more about the magic system and different worlds in this story. They’re very interesting and every thing you learn opens the doors for even more questions.

Iblis’s struggle to find out the truth, while trying to decide what parts of her life are lies, and who she can trust leads to a really complicated and dynamic main character

Thank you Netgalley, Flyaway Publishing and Raven More for this arc in return for an honest review.

To be honest I've DNF'd at 10%. I know it could get better, and judging by some of the reviews it does, but this is not for me at all.

For a start, what I've read is all exposition -- it's Iblis's internal thoughts and some dialogue, but it lacks anything that grounds the reader in the world and it jumps around so much it was hard to make sense of what was actually going on.

So far I think it's puritan-type setting but with magic i.e. acid rain and the "death dunes" keep getting mentioned, but the explanations are so confusing. From what I can gather Luminous is the city that Archeron lives in (not sure about Iblis since she's there a bit but her mum lives in a cabin elsewhere), and they are very religious and hate magic, Iblis travelled with her (witch) mum over the death dunes for a better life, and Marith says that's impassable to all but witches so the people of Luminous are safe from a "human threat" - but if they're safe from humans, and only witches can pass, are the Luminites human or are they something else? It makes no sense.

There's also no chemistry between Iblis and Archeron, and the internalised misogyny is wild.

Like, here are some quotes I've pulled:

“I know he wants children of his own more than breathing, so I can’t wait to give him the one pure thing I can offer him in this world. As the Pontiff preaches, it is my only gift as a woman,”

“my tall and obscenely curvy frame which tempts men”

when talking about walking past the 'unwed cabins' - “The temptresses waiting to be chosen and saved by a husband,”

"Miss curvy corruption" - this one was a banger but just insanely out of place.

I tried to keep reading in the hopes that Iblis (who I keep calling Ibis and can only picture as a bin chicken) realises that her mother is right, but it just kept getting worse. The conversation with Beatrice did it for me, "my desire and corruption have led him down a false path. My feminine ways taunt him," as if it wasn't his choice to meet you without a chaperone and as if (in the opening scene to which this quote refers) he wasn't initiating all the contact, but go off I guess.

I feel bad even reviewing this but just wow.

House of Primal Witches by Raven More is a thrilling and captivating read that kept me hooked from beginning to end. The world setting is well-crafted and adds a dark and eerie atmosphere to the story.

What I loved most about this book was the complex and multi-dimensional characters. The protagonist, in particular, is a strong and determined woman who is forced to confront her own beliefs and values as she discovers her own true nature as a witch. The twists and turns in the plot kept me on the edge of my seat, and I found myself completely invested in the story and the fates of the characters.

Overall, House of Primal Witches is a fantastic read that combines elements of romance, fantasy, and suspense in a unique and engaging way. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a gripping and thought-provoking read.

Raven More's "The House of Primal Witches" is set in a deteriorating planet and deals with forbidden love, betrayal, and witchcraft. A young woman who has fled from witch hunters only to learn she is a witch on her wedding day is the main. The plot follows her as she learns to control her new abilities and negotiates the volatile political climate of her adopted home.

While the protagonist's development is interesting to some readers, others may find the book to be simplistic and lacking in nuance. One critic said the story is repetitive and relies too much on telling rather than showing, and that the characters are flat. The reviewer was also annoyed by the protagonist's naivete and blind confidence in others.

Those interested in broken world romances with a touch of witchcraft and political intrigue may like "The House of Primal Witches." Yet, readers who enjoy richer worlds and more complex characters may be disappointed. The book's suitability to you ultimately rests on your own particular tastes and interests.

3/5 Stars from me.

***A big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.***

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author Raven More for sending me this e-ARC. My review is honest and voluntary.

Unfortunately I couldn't finish this book, I wanted to read all of it to be able to write a thorough review, but I couldn't get into it. I gave up at 56%. I really thought I would like it, the story has so much promise, but sadly it fell short for me.

I think the main problem for me was that I never felt like I got to know the characters, there was a lack of depth throughout and I just felt indifferent towards them. The world-building was okay, I got major Handmaid's tale vibes to begin with and didn't mind that. What I didn't understand though was when this all was happening, at first I pictured early medieval times, but then we got a Shakespeare reference and that threw me.

As I said in the beginning, this book has a lot of promise, but I needed more time to get to know the characters and the world.

I received a free e-Arc for an honest review. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this e-ARC.

The story took me off guard! There were twists that I never saw coming. Ibis is the main character who is caught in a web of who to trust and what to do. She is turned left and right and in the middle things as she tries to find who she is along the way. On top of this her love dies and yet comes back in dark way. She is torn of what to do for him, Acheron. Does she give him a chance? Does he die? Does she figure out who she is? What happens?

Since there is quite a bit going on, it can be a bit repetitive. I wished it had a bit more depth in it. I will say the story is interesting in its twists. There was some spice to this book which I was not expecting. There are some dark parts in it which was okay to me but to others it might not. I would be interested to see what happens in book 2.

I'm glad I read the story because it was a different take on vampires and witches.

This book sounded like a nice romantasy novel and I thought it would be a nice and easy read. Unfortunately, it was not for me at all.
I stopped reading at around 52% because I wanted to read it entirely to be able to write a thorough review, but I gave up. The main problem with this book is that there is no depth whatsoever ; the characters have to depth or complexity, the narration is not developed enough to allow us to go beneath the surface thoughts and actions, and what is developed is very repetitive, centered on telling rather than showing.
All characters are pretty much one-dimensional and the bad guys are just really cliché bad guys who are…. just bad. This isn’t helped by the fact that the world building is really lacking. I sort of understood that it was a post-apocalyptic world that devolved in a cross between 19th century and medieval society, but it was never said in the beginning that it is actually a world derived from our world, to a point where I thought the Shakespeare in Love reference was a mistake.
Everything is going too fast and the heroine keeps trusting the wrong people and ending up in terrible situations, which makes her come off as incredibly naive and stupid.
I wish I had something positive to say about this book, but even though the concept sounded promising, I could not get attached to any characters or get involved in any part of the story.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and author for this arc!

The plot of this book was very good! Unique, and with a lot of twists and turns that had me interested the entire way through. You never knew who the character could or could not trust, and the ending made me want to read more.

The spice was great too—I think I’ll rate it 3.5-4 on the spice scale!

However, I think the pacing was a bit rushed. I would have liked more time to get to know the characters and feel connected to them, their relationships, and their stories considering much of those dynamics changed very quickly throughout the book. It would have made some of the twists pack more of a punch. I also found it odd that Archeron kept referring to Sarina as his child/daughter.

Such an authentic and captivating storyline. The build is on point, the characters will make you intrigued, feel and fall hard.

Firstly I would like to thank the wonderful author, publisher and netgalley for granting me an advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

I truly enjoyed this book in its entirety. It’s unpredictable, it kept me thinking, it kept me guessing and wondering who in this town of Luminous and beyond can really be trusted. Can she trust anyone, can she trust herself, her heart? The truth is I still don’t know but I cannot wait to find out!
She is fighting for justice, for love, for truth, for sanctuary, for the safety of others and all the while battling the push and pull of her own wants and desires.

This book is perfectly paced and exciting from start to finish with no lulls, I struggled to put it down and shamelessly ended up reading it two sittings.
I will definitely be purchasing a physical copy for my shelf when this is released and I eagerly await the second instalment!