Review: Witch Born by Nicholas Bowling

Title: Witch Born Written by: Nicholas Bowling Published: September 25, 2018 by Scholastic (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: Alyce's mother has just been burnt at the stake for practicing witchcraft. With only a thin set of instructions and a witch's mommet for guidance, Alyce must face the world that she's been sealed off from -- a world of fear and superstition. With a witch hunter fast on her trail, she'll need the help of an innkeeper and a boy looking to discover the truth behind his own mother's past.  But as her journey continues, another war rages: a hidden war of the supernatural, of the living and the dead. Good and evil are blurred, and nobody's motives can be trusted. And Alyce finds herself thrown unwillingly into the conflict. Struggling to understand her own powers, she is quickly drawn into a web of secret, lies, and dark magic that could change the fate of the world she is just coming to know.  This dark, twisty, and thrillingly original debut will leave readers entranced in its suspenseful plot and rich prose.

*** I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This fact has not changed my opinion. ***

I first learned about this book at ALA and it sounded like a total me book, historical fantasy with witched and political intrigue, sign me up. I wasn't able to get a copy there but I requested one from the publisher afterwards and they were nice enough to send me a copy. And I am so glad, because this really was a fantastic read.

One of the things that I liked most about this book is the setting. Historical fantasy is one of my favorite subgeneres. I find it so entertaining for the author to take something that from history that I know well, or even a little bit, and make it their own with fantastical elements. That is exactly what Nicholas Bowling did with this book. He took the Elizabethan era and the battle for the throne between Queen Elizabeth I and Mary Queen and Scots. That in and of itself is an interesting enough full of political intrigue and then Bowling did a great job with establishing the time and place. The 16th Century streets of London come to life along with the witch histeria, the dirty streets, and the distrust of women. I do wish that the figures of Queen Elizabeth I and Marry Queen of Scots had been given a little more attention, but it did make me want to learn more about them which a lot of historical fiction does.

But I think I enjoyed the world of this book so much because of the atmosphere. I love an atmospheric fantasy, especially in the fall, and this book had total fall vibes. I'm not really sure I would call it a dark fantasy but it was full of magic and mystery. What I liked about the magical system is that it seemed to be rooted in historical activities that got women accused of being witches like potion-making and being an apothecary. Then it took things further with magic I like alchemy and necromancy. I wish this magic got a little more explanation because it was really interesting and it felt a little basic.

But there was a lot of this book that was pretty basic, including the plot. Now don't get me wrong, the plot of this book was engaging. I was invested in what was happening and was curious from beginning to end, but the problem is I'm not sure if this was supposed to be a plot-driven narrative or a character-driven one. Is it about Alyce's development as she figures out who she is and her place in the world, or is it about the power struggle between two queens and their witch hunters? Unfortunately I think that the book wasn't quite sure either and that was to its detriment. It had decent character development with some twists along the way, and it had okay plot with the plot intrigue but I think the plot would have been better if it had committed to one or the other. It made for a fast read, an interesting read, but it made for a basic read.

 The characters too were a bit on the simple side, and just like the plot they were engaging but basic. Alyce was a good main character. She was one of those characters who was easy to root for. From the very beginning, things were not easy for Alyce. Society took her mother from her and threw her into an asylum. But despite all that she is strong and determined. The interesting thing too is that throughout the book I spent a lot of time trying to decide which characters were supposed to be the protagonists and which were supposed to be the antagonists. They all felt very dubious and those are the kind of characters I like best. That being said, a book full of those kinds of characters often means I keep them at arms length and never fully connect with them. It made them interesting characters but not particularly likable ones.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book. It wasn't perfect but it was a thoroughly entertaining read perfect for fall. It had an atmospheric setting that blended history and magic in a way that drew me in, an engaging plot that had me wanting more when it was over, and dubious characters.

I give Witch Born by Nicholas Bowling 9 out of 10 stars

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Buy/Borrow. I would definitely recommend this book to fans of historical fantasy. If you are looking for a YA that blends the two in an engaging way then this is a good read. If you like stories about historical witches this is also a good choice.

Have you read Witch Born? What did you think? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

Audiobook Review: Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson

Title: Undead Girl Gang Written by: Lily Anderson Published: May 8, 2018 by Razorbill (Penguin Group) (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: Mila Flores and her best friend Riley have always been inseparable. There's not much excitement in their small town of Cross Creek, so Mila and Riley make their own fun, devoting most of their time to Riley's favorite activity: amateur witchcraft.  So when Riley and two Fairmont Academy mean girls die under suspicious circumstances, Mila refuses to believe everyone's explanation that her BFF was involved in a suicide pact. Instead, armed with a tube of lip gloss and an ancient grimoire, Mila does the unthinkable to uncover the truth: she brings the girls back to life.  Unfortunately, Riley, June, and Dayton have no recollection of their murders, but they do have unfinished business to attend to. Now, with only seven days until the spell wears off and the girls return to their graves, Mila must wrangle the distracted group of undead teens and work fast to discover their murderer...before the killer strikes again..

This book sounded totally up my alley, a little bit fantasy mixed with a little bit of mystery. On top of that I read Anderson's debut and really liked it. So this was definitely on my TBR and when I saw that the audiobook was narrated by one of my favorite narrators, Rebecca Soler, I grabbed the audio to listen to this month. And I am so glad that I did because it was fantastic.

One of my favorite things about this book was the voice. Anderson does such a great job writing sassy and smart characters and this book was no exception. I really loved Mila and being in her head. She's sarcastic and snarky, someone who has been shaped by the bad way people have treated her. But she's still got a great heart and is an amazing friend. I think I definitely to Mila a lot. She's a little bit of high school Cassi, but like a better version of high school me. But that being said she was relatable and likable.

The real heart of this book however was the friendships between Mila and her "undead girl gang." Riley, who is her best friend and the reason she brought everyone back. Riley is the most like Mila in that she's snarky and rough around the edges. But they have this really great friendship. They care so much about each other and I could feel for Mila when she lost Riley and her desire to bring her back. But I think I liked the other two a little bit more. June and Dayton are totally different characters. They were the popular girls and not very nice to Mila and Riley while they were alive. However throughout the book you get to learn more about them and realize they are actually really nice people. Dayton is silly and energetic and June is sweet and smart. I loved the friendship they developed throughout the book and it was really nice to see that they could overcome their history. It gave this book a lot of heart and I really enjoyed that.

The other thing that I liked about this book was the plot. Like I said in the intro, it was part fantasty and part mystery. I think I heard that this book was marketed as Veronica Mars meets The Craft and I would say that that is an apt description. There was a subtle magical element to it. What I liked is that the magical stuff wasn't over the top. It very easily could have gotten weird but it didn't. It was kind of a means to an end. The end being the mystery. This book had a really good mystery. It was the kind of mystery that I love in that it was solvable but not obvious. I mean, I thought it was a little obvious but over the years I have gotten really good at spotting red herrings so I can move on to the real culprit. Either way, I liked following along with the characters as the truth unfolded. It was a fast and engaging read that had me engaged from beginning to end.

I really loved this book. It was a great contemporary that had just enough mystery and fantasy for someone like me who doesn't read a ton of contemp, and just enough friendship and character-based moments for fans of more contemporary stories. Not to mention that Rebecca Soler did a great job with the audiobook. She really brought these characters to life and kept me interested throughout the entire thing.

I give Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson 9.5 out of 10 stars

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Buy. This book was really fantastic. I definitely recommend it to fans of YA Mysteries in the vein of Veronica Mars. It's the perfect blend of plot and character moments. You should definitely read it.

Have you read Undead Girl Gang? What did you think? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!