Fantasy Romance published by Sourcebooks Fire 3 Oct 23
This story weaves the German witch hunts in the 1500s and the Roman Empire’s influence over Europe with fantastical elements. It is such a cool concept, and I thoroughly enjoyed the plot and setting. Think Serpent and Dove vibes but make it German instead of French.
Right from the start you’re dropped into the action of a raid on a witch coven in a German village. Everything is fast paced and definitely had me stressing multiple times. But then there are moments in German markets with lots of fun food that brought all the light, cozy feels.
I love how the story progresses, and the characters are great. Fritzi and Otto are a little insta love-y, but it works! I’m always going to thoroughly enjoy a love story between a witch and a witch hunter. And little Liesel iss the definition of perfection.
The only thing I would have preferred is, since this is dual POV, I think third person narration would have worked better. It’s so much easier for me to switch between fantasy POVs when the story is in third person. I tend to forget whose head I’m in when the characters are only using “I,” but this could totally just be a me problem. Lol
Overall, this is a great witch fantasy, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.
Grade: B+
Summary:
Fritzi is a witch. The lone survivor of a brutal attack on her coven, she’s determined to find her only remaining family member and bring the hexenjägers—zealot witch hunters—to justice for the lives they ended. To do this, she will need to take down their leader, the merciless and enigmatic Kommandant Dieter Kirch.
Otto is a hexenjäger—but that’s just his cover. Years ago, the hexenjägers burned his innocent mother alive, and he has been plotting his revenge against the people who tore apart his family ever since. And now the time has come for them to pay for what they’ve done.
When Fritzi and Otto are unexpectedly thrown together, neither is sure they can trust the other. The reluctant truce fueled by their common enemy takes them from the city at the heart of the hexenjägers’ power to the wild and mysterious Black Forest. As old truths come to light and new dangers are revealed, Fritzi and Otto uncover a horrifying magical plot at the center of the hexenjäger attacks that leads back to Kommandant Kirch . . . but their own growing feelings for each other may be the most powerful magic of all.
No excerpt available.
