Genre: Historical Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, Horror
Reviewer: D.B., Paranormal Romance Guild
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About The Book
A dark romantic fantasy from the author of Brightfall.
In 1909, in a California that never was, a creature in a tan frock coat watches Etta from the top of a mountain….
Deep in the old growth redwoods of Northern California, a coven of forest witches guard the trees, the plants, and the creatures who depend on the forest. Etta Erwin is the youngest witch in the Mendocino Coven, born with more earth magic at her core than any witch in over five generations. By tradition, she’s her grandmother’s heir, destined to lead the coven when Milly steps down. None of that explains why a powerful magic user, a stranger, first tries to kill her, and then won’t stop watching her from the mountaintop.
Wyatt John Erwin was born with a sorcerer’s power, but was never trained and most of that power is out of his reach. Etta is the center of his life, and he’s determined to find a way to end the threat, no matter what that takes. But the second time the stranger attacks, he goes after Wyatt too. One of the coven witches who raised Wyatt sends a message to the Russian sorcerer’s colony near Fort Ross, asking for help. Help arrives in the form of Sebastian Stefanovich Sokolov, one of the most powerful sorcerers on the West Coast.
Etta and Wyatt’s life will never be the same. Long buried secrets and betrayals are unearthed, the danger grows, and the true nature of the threat is revealed. There’s love and joy too, lost family found, and a wish fulfilled.
And through both the good and the bad, Etta and Wyatt hold on to each other, and remember the secret is to never let go….
The Review
I love fantasy. It’s one of my favorite genres of writing, and Jamie Lee Moyer didn’t disappoint with a good story which I enjoyed reading.
I liked how she mixed real life with the world of magic, making it feel as if it was normal for wizards, earth witches, and sorcerers to exist.
My first critique is that important aspects of the author’s world-building were left out. Why was this world different from ours? Why did witches, sorcerers, and earth witches not get burned at the stake? This was even more confusing because the author based so much of the plot on real places (northern California) and times. I went back and looked for previous novels (series) that might’ve preceded this one but found none.
Second, and this is a major pet peeve of mine. There was a lot of face and hair touching by strangers. This was exacerbated by the fact that the MC was shy, introverted, and didn’t trust easily. I did give some exception to the fact that I don’t understand Russian culture, and the author did somewhat allude to the over-familiarity coming from that culture. That might make sense because while strangers were over-touchy, the relationship between the MC (wife and husband) was a bit more formal. Of course, formal relationships in Edwardian US (the early 1900s) did make much more sense to me than touchy-feely strangers.
Ultimately, I think the main problem was this book needed more time with an editor. The writing and grammar were fine, but, there were times when the wrong character was mentioned, or the storyline was pushed too fast. The best example was how the story built and built around the MCs being pregnant, but we were told that strangers told the husband that she was, and we never got to be a part of that exchange.
Overall, I thought the story was good. With just a little more work, this story could’ve been excellent.
The Reviewer
I am D.B. Wilson and I am an avid reader. I was born in Tennessee and lived there until I went to college in Iowa. I spent most of my life in Kansas City and have been a teacher, real estate agent, bookseller, and even a full-time foster parent. My husband and I became full-time RVers in 2017 and now travel with our two dogs Denver and Buddy as he works all over USA as a travel nurse.
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