S Isabelle

A bewitching debut by S. Isabelle, perfect for fans of Maggie Stiefvater, Zoraida Córdova, and Leigh Bardugo! THE HAUNTING SEASON IS HERE AND THE WOLVES ARE AWAKE. Haelsford, Florida is a Hellmouth. Or at least, that's what Logan, a baby witch struggling to control her powers, thinks as she arrives to the witchtown to begin the new school year at Mesmortes Coven Academy. She is immediately taken under the wing of the infamous Red Three. Iris, is a deathwitch who wants nothing more than to break the town's curse; Jailah is one of the most powerful witches at the academy but her thirst for power may lead her down a dark path; and Thalia, the talented greenwitch, is on the run from her religious family and a past that still haunts her. Fear and prejudice still fuel the uneasy truce between humans and witches who are forced to work together when the Haunting Season begins and Wolves rise from the swamp to feed. With this approaching, two Hammersmitt boys prepare to make their first sacrifices to the witches in exchange for protection. But as they become involved with the Mesmortes witches' plan to end the Wolves' reign of terror once and for all, old dangers lie in wait. The cost to break the curse may be greater than any witch or human could ever know.

The Witchery

Alison

"IF YOU WILL NOT SACRIFICE, YOU WILL BE GIVEN A PURPOSE." 

Roddin's Necromantic Emporium and House of Souls seemed to bend slightly to the right. Trent wondered if the chipped gray paint, destroyed shutters, and cracked windows were aesthetic choices. He couldn't imagine a house of souls looking like a trendy little boutique. The nicest thing around was a pot of brilliant marigolds.

grace richards

would do anything for iris, like i would lay my life down for her

What would you do if the people in your town were being killed off by a curse every year? That's what is happening in Haelsford, Florida where during the Haunting Season, Wolves from the Swamp kill both witches and mundanes alike.

The Witchery follows four witches and two mudane boys during the Haunting Season as they seak to protect their town from this annual bloodbath. But this year, can they end the curse for good?

It is told for the point of view of 6 different people. Yes you heard me right 6. I would never have guessed that I would have been able to follow this, let alone enjoy, a story with a POV structure this complex. But it works here. Actually, it was amazing. I liked being able to see into the minds of each of the characters. Each person was so different, switching between their differing points of view helped me to connect to each one in a deeper way. I was fully invested and cared about each character. They felt real to me.

This book was full of suspense and excitement. It also had some beautiful elements of friendship building. My heart felt full at the end. 

This is S. Isabelle's debut novel and I can't wait to read her next one.

What would you do if the people in your town were being killed off by a curse every year? That's what is happening in Haelsford, Florida where during the Haunting Season, Wolves from the Swamp kill both witches and mundanes alike.

The Witchery follows four witches and two mudane boys during the Haunting Season as they seak to protect their town from this annual bloodbath. But this year, can they end the curse for good?

It is told for the point of view of 6 different people. Yes you heard me right 6. I would never have guessed that I would have been able to follow this, let alone enjoy, a story with a POV structure this complex. But it works here. Actually, it was amazing. I liked being able to see into the minds of each of the characters. Each person was so different, switching between their differing points of view helped me to connect to each one in a deeper way. I was fully invested and cared about each character. They felt real to me.

This book was full of suspense and excitement. It also had some beautiful elements of friendship building. My heart felt full at the end. 

This is S. Isabelle's debut novel and I can't wait to read her next one.

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc and physical arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Diversity: Black characters and MCs, Sapphic character, f/f romance mentioned

Recommended For...: young adult readers, supernatural, fantasy, witches, witchcraft, werewolves, LGBT, urban fantasy

Age Relevance: 14+ (alcohol consumption, romance, cursing, religion, religious trauma, racism, panic attack, gore, violence, death, grief, murder)

Explanation of Above: There is some alcohol consumption mentioned early on in the book very briefly. There is some romance in the book. There is some slight cursing and some religion and religious trauma shown and mentioned. There is one instance of racism being mentioned in the book and one panic attack shown. There is some gore, violence, a few deaths, and a murder mentioned. There is also some grief shown and mentioned.

Synopsis: THE HAUNTING SEASON IS HERE AND THE WOLVES ARE AWAKE.

Haelsford, Florida is a Hellmouth. Or at least, that’s what Logan, a baby witch struggling to control her powers, thinks as she arrives to the witchtown to begin the new school year at Mesmortes Coven Academy. She is immediately taken under the wing of the infamous Red Three. Iris is a deathwitch who wants nothing more than to break the town’s curse; Jailah is one of the most powerful witches at the academy but her thirst for power may lead her down a dark path; and Thalia, the talented greenwitch, is on the run from her religious family and a past that still haunts her.

Fear and prejudice still fuel the uneasy truce between humans and witches who are forced to work together when the Haunting Season begins and Wolves rise from the swamp to feed. With this approaching, two Hammersmitt boys prepare to make their first sacrifices to the witches in exchange for protection. But as they become involved with the Mesmortes witches’ plan to end the Wolves’ reign of terror once and for all, old dangers lie in wait.

The cost to break the curse may be greater than any witch or human could ever know.

Review: For the most part I liked this book. I thought that the book did ok with the multi-POV from 6 perspectives and that this would be a good HP replacement book. The book is action-packed and really focuses on friendship and the connections we make. The book is also fun, set in a supernatural world where witchcraft is kinda normal. I felt like the character development was well done and the world building was as well.

However, there were some issues I had with the book. The book is kinda weirdly wrote and is disjointed. I had to read the summery to figure out what was happening in the beginning and it was a really confusing book is a lot of the parts, but especially the beginning. All of the parts are there for a great novel and I have no doubt in my mind that it’ll be polished up for the finalized version, but for the arc it was just a bit of a mess in the beginning and with little confusing aspects here and there throughout the book, it makes it feel like a second book in a series rather than a first.

Verdict: It’s good, but needs a little more love.

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc and physical arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

 

Book: The Witchery

 

Author: S. Isabelle

 

Book Series: Standalone

 

Rating: 3.5/5

 

Diversity: Black characters and MCs, Sapphic character, f/f romance mentioned

 

Recommended For...: young adult readers, supernatural, fantasy, witches, witchcraft, werewolves, LGBT, urban fantasy

 

Publication Date: July 26, 2022

 

Genre: YA Supernatural Fantasy

 

Age Relevance: 14+ (alcohol consumption, romance, cursing, religion, religious trauma, racism, panic attack, gore, violence, death, grief, murder)

 

Explanation of Above: There is some alcohol consumption mentioned early on in the book very briefly. There is some romance in the book. There is some slight cursing and some religion and religious trauma shown and mentioned. There is one instance of racism being mentioned in the book and one panic attack shown. There is some gore, violence, a few deaths, and a murder mentioned. There is also some grief shown and mentioned.

 

Publisher: Scholastic

 

Pages: 371

 

Synopsis: THE HAUNTING SEASON IS HERE AND THE WOLVES ARE AWAKE.

Haelsford, Florida is a Hellmouth. Or at least, that’s what Logan, a baby witch struggling to control her powers, thinks as she arrives to the witchtown to begin the new school year at Mesmortes Coven Academy. She is immediately taken under the wing of the infamous Red Three. Iris is a deathwitch who wants nothing more than to break the town’s curse; Jailah is one of the most powerful witches at the academy but her thirst for power may lead her down a dark path; and Thalia, the talented greenwitch, is on the run from her religious family and a past that still haunts her.

Fear and prejudice still fuel the uneasy truce between humans and witches who are forced to work together when the Haunting Season begins and Wolves rise from the swamp to feed. With this approaching, two Hammersmitt boys prepare to make their first sacrifices to the witches in exchange for protection. But as they become involved with the Mesmortes witches’ plan to end the Wolves’ reign of terror once and for all, old dangers lie in wait.

The cost to break the curse may be greater than any witch or human could ever know.

 

Review: For the most part I liked this book. I thought that the book did ok with the multi-POV from 6 perspectives and that this would be a good HP replacement book. The book is action-packed and really focuses on friendship and the connections we make. The book is also fun, set in a supernatural world where witchcraft is kinda normal. I felt like the character development was well done and the world building was as well.

 

However, there were some issues I had with the book. The book is kinda weirdly wrote and is disjointed. I had to read the summery to figure out what was happening in the beginning and it was a really confusing book is a lot of the parts, but especially the beginning. All of the parts are there for a great novel and I have no doubt in my mind that it’ll be polished up for the finalized version, but for the arc it was just a bit of a mess in the beginning and with little confusing aspects here and there throughout the book, it makes it feel like a second book in a series rather than a first.

 

Verdict: It’s good, but needs a little more love.

 

S. Isabelle

A bewitching debut by S. Isabelle, perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo, Zoraida Córdova, and Maggie Stiefvater! THE HAUNTING SEASON IS HERE AND THE WOLVES ARE AWAKE. Haelsford, Florida is a Hellmouth. Or at least, that's what Logan, a new witch struggling to control her powers, thinks as she arrives to begin the new school year at Mesmortes Coven Academy. She is immediately taken under the wing of the infamous Red Three. Iris, a deathwitch, who wants nothing more than to break the town's curse; Thalia, the talented greenwitch, is on the run from her religious family and a past that still haunts her; and Jailah is one of the most powerful witches at the academy but her thirst for power may lead her down a dark path. With the Haunting Season approaching, Wolves will soon rise from the swamp to kill and the humans and witches must work together to survive the yearly onslaught. And the stakes couldn't be higher as two boys from the Hammersmitt School prepare to make their first sacrifices to the witches in exchange for protection. But old dangers lie in wait and the cost to break the curse may be greater than any witch or human could ever know.

The Witchery

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