Name: The Moon Witch
ISBN: 9781101204887

Linda Winstead Jones

Middle Fyne sister Juliet is kidnapped by the Emperor's men—only to be rescued by a man whose animal instincts tell him he's found the only woman to call his own.

The Moon Witch

Gifted with the ability to see the past and future of anyone she touches, Juliet, who longs to free herself from the nightmares that plague her, is rescued from the Emperor's men by a valiant wolf-beast named Ryn who believes her to be his destiny. Original.

Michelle Xu

~3.5

I definitely liked it more than the first book in the series. There was much more adventure than in the first one. And I think it was established enough that it could jump directly into the plot, whereas the first one was slower and had to set it up. Also, unlike the first one, Juliet and Ryn had more time to get to know each other and understand each other.

Overall, I liked Juliet more than Sophie in that as readers we got to grow with her and see how she changes as a person. The whole time you're really rooting for her to find herself and her strength.

I also really like the villains in this story. They're almost more interesting than the protagonists. (view spoiler)[ Sure, Sebastiyan is evil, but his relationship with Liane is interesting. In this book, you also get to see a softer side of him that didn't really show up until the end of the first book. Liane is probably one of my favorite characters. I'm really glad that her and Isadora were able to interact in this story together. They're both my two favorite characters so far which makes me really excited for the next book.  (hide spoiler)]

One few things that did bother me though:
1. The going back and forth aspect of the story. It kind of felt like at times near the beginning-middle, the author didn't quite know what to do with the characters. (view spoiler)[We had Juliet going back and forth from Ryn to the edge of the mountain. We had Isadora running away south then back north to the mountain. Then we had Sophie and Kane go south to their cabin then back up north. Just... so much going back and forth without adding any bit to the plot (except in Sophie's case where I do think it was necessary for her to travel home). (hide spoiler)]

2. Ryn's personality. I thought he was interesting and noble and kind-hearted at the beginning. (view spoiler)[ But the entire second half of the book kind of ruined it for me. I could see how Juliet initially fell for him, but the entire second half he was an ass hole who had too much pride that he couldn't bear to be with a woman who had more power than he did. I felt like he never really owned up to it and instead he got the easy way out of being promoted to King as well. The power dynamic and his ego really got to me.  (hide spoiler)]

Overall, it was pretty good, I finished it in like 2 days. Can't wait to read the next one!

Searching for the elusive Star of Baewyr, Captain Lucan Hern, a virile warrior, is distracted from his mission by an encounter with Isadora, the young, widowed attendant to the Empress, who holds the key to what he is looking for, yet captivates him with her innocence. Original.

The Star Witch

4.0 stars

This was definitely my favorite book of the three so far. A few things I liked:

1. Isadora - she was not one dimensional. (view spoiler)[She was not "extraordinary" in the way that Sophie was with her brightness and kindness and power through fertility, nor in the way of Juliet being a seer, queen, and Anwyr.  (hide spoiler)] She was just her and held her strength and ability through her years of practice and study. She had her internal struggle with good and bad. She was careful how to use her powers. She was the most "traditional" witch of her sisters. While some may think she lacked the cool abilities her sisters had, she made up for it in personality and determination to protect. Side note... I'm glad she didn't get pregnant like all her sisters lol. There was just so much pregnancy in this series and it wouldn't have added in any way to Isadora's story.

2. Lucan - he was also my favorite love interest. We interacted with him much more than Kane so that we knew his personality from the beginning. (view spoiler)[ And despite the fact that Lucan was so masculine and undefeated in battle, he was never misogynistic towards Isadora or any woman (unlike Ryn).  (hide spoiler)]

3. Liane and Sebestyen's story... They were the two characters that definitely kept me reading initially, and I'm so glad I did. I have so many feelings about them and what happened to them in the book. (view spoiler)[ I'm so happy Liane and her children survived. I held out some hope that Sebestyen might get away and run away with Liane, but didn't expect it. I'm glad we got to see him play the good guy at the end (at least for his family).  (hide spoiler)]

A few things I wish had been done better...

1. I wish there was a bit more to the ending or some sort of epilogue, especially for Isadora and Liane.

2. (view spoiler)[ I wish Sebestyen died in a more dramatic way... If was a bit anticlimactic for me when he died... Even though I still cried, it just... didn't feel like enough.  (hide spoiler)]

3. Speaking of the climax... the battle it was leading up to was also anticlimactic. (view spoiler)[ We just saw the fighting in the distance, in the surroundings of the book as if the author were reminding us that the castle was being stormed. We also saw the aftermath with Kane's injury. But when it came to the actual climax of the novel itself, when Isadora and Lucan had been in the building, the author just made it way too easy for them.  (hide spoiler)]

Overall, it was a really solid book. I finished it in a day. I had a hard time putting it down. I may be interested enough to read the next part of this series!

When Sophie Fyne meets the green-eyed soldier of her dreams and discovers her abundant fertility, they must both call on all of their strengths, both earthly and supernatural, to fight the curse that makes true love unattainable for all Fyne women. Original.

The Moon Witch

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