Title: Waking The Witch
Author: Rachel Burge
Genre: YA Fantasy
Publisher: Hot Key Books
Pages: 304
Release Date: 18 August 2022
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Hello fellow book lovers, I’m back with my review for the deliciously witchy, feminist and delightfully creepy YA fantasy, Waking The Witch by Rachel Burge that’s full of atmospheric prose and steeped in Welsh mythology and Arthurian legend.
I also wanted to say a massive thank you to Molly over at Hot Key Books and Kaleidoscopic Tours for the finished copy and for including me on the book tour. If you want to check out my tour post head on over to my Instagram
Synopsis
'I tried to keep you safe, but I see now that I can't. They won't stop until they have you . . .'
When Ivy's search for her mother draws her to a remote Welsh isle, she uncovers a dark secret about her past.
An ancient and corrupt power is stalking Ivy, and her only chance of survival is to look deep within herself.
For not every story in legend is true, and some evils are not what they seem.
A darkly spellbinding tale of female empowerment, steeped in Welsh mythology and Arthurian legend.
Review
It’s an enchanting allegorical tale of female empowerment and sisterhood that I throughly enjoyed. I loved how it subverts a lot of the popular portrayals of Arthurian Legend especially Morgan Le Fay who I really liked.
I loved quite alot of the characters, including our protagonist Ivy who was a well written and endearingly relatable character. She goes through quiet a lot (having to deal with a lecherous and misogynistic boss before anything creepy or strange even happens) but her slow burn friendship with Tom—their witty banter and jokey comments to one another was a real highlight. Watching Ivy navigate her complex emotions surrounding her life in the care system, constantly feeling like she doesn’t belong but ultimately choosing to open up to Tom (and to include him in her emotional journey) was just a joy to witness.
Their friendship dynamic does veer slightly into romance in the second half of the book and I’m hoping this isn’t a standalone as I’d love to see more of Tom and Ivy together.
I also loved her growing bond with Morgan and the other witches (Glitonea and Thiten especially) who are probably some of the first people to truly welcome, encourage and make her feel she belongs for the first time in her life.
The setting was throughly atmospheric and the island, wild and isolated from human life (beside Ivy’s mum) really helped to bring the mythological magic to life, especially the sinister feeling of unease and foreboding which impressively managed to linger for the entire book—I have to say I was definitely on the edge of my seat both dreading and anticipating that something terrible was about to occur.
Overall an engaging, feminist and thoroughly enchanting read that fans of witchy, eery coming-of-age YA fantasy are bound to enjoy. This is the first book by Rachel Burge I’ve ever read and I can honestly say it won’t be the last!
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
About The Author
After graduating in English Literature and Philosophy, Rachel spent a year travelling the world. On her return, she began a career in magazine publishing and then landed a job as the editor of a Wellbeing site run by Boots.
She worked as Senior Editor and then Editorial Manager for Aol for five years – commissioning, writing and editing features, before leaving to set up her own editorial agency. Rachel has written for a variety of sites, including BBC Worldwide, Cosmo, MTV, Prima, Mother & Baby, Total Jobs, Sky Living, Channel 4, MSN and Yahoo!
She now writes YA novels, including bestselling The Twisted Tree/The Crooked Mask duology and runs creative writing workshops for children and adults
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