Review: The Winter Witch by Paula Braxton

Fledgling witch Morgana must defend her love, her home, and her life in this enthralling tale perfect for fans of Discovery of Witches

In her small Welsh town, there is no one quite like Morgana. She has never spoken, and her silence as well as the magic she can’t quite control make her a mystery. Concerned for her safety, her mother quickly arranges a marriage with Cai Bevan, the widower from the far hills who knows nothing of the rumours that swirl around her. After their wedding, Morgana is heartbroken at leaving, but she soon falls in love with Cai’s farm and the rugged mountains that surround it, while slowly Cai himself begins to win her heart. It’s not long, however, before her strangeness begins to be remarked upon in her new village. A dark force is at work there—a person who will stop at nothing to turn the townspeople against Morgana, even at the expense of those closest to her. Forced to defend her home, her love, and herself from all comers, Morgana must learn to harness her power, or she will lose everything.

Paula Brackston’s debut novel, The Witch’s Daughter, was the little book that could—with a captivating story, remarkable heroine, and eye-catching package, it has now netted over 40,000 copies in all formats. Now Paula returns with The Winter Witch, another enchanting tale of love and magic, featuring her signature blend of gorgeous writing, a fabulous and intriguing historical backdrop, and a headstrong and relatable heroine readers will cheer for.

From Me…

I enjoyed this book, but I think I would have enjoyed it even more in print.  The narrator for this book read everything too slowly for me.  Her voice was fine, not my favorite, but not bad enough to make me stop listening.  The problem I had was with her speed.  I found myself getting frustrated with the pace and even skipping forward.  So to be fair, I am going to rate this book solely on the story.

There were parts of this story that I truly loved.  There were some great paranormal elements within this book.  Some of the characters had supernatural powers, while some were completely unaware of their witchy surroundings.  The setting of the story was a lot of fun.  My favorite aspect had to be the love story. The development of love and trust between Cai and Morgana was really beautiful, especially since they were unable to have a conversation.

My main problem in this story lies with Morgana.  I liked her personality, but her reactions left me frustrated and angry.  These terrible things kept happening to her and around her, but she was powerless to stop them…except when she wasn’t.  Then, when things get really bad she conjures up one of the more gruesome and disgusting scenes I have ever seen or read.  Seriously, it’s perfect for Halloween as it is sooooo gross.

Overall the setting and love story were good, but the main character was riddled with problems.  I would probably only recommend this book to people who love witches and paranormal books.  IF you do, then I would definitely read this one as the witches and the spells were very interesting.

Question for Readers: What is your favorite book about witches?