Witch Song

Witch Song #1

by Amber Argyle

A witch. Her guardian. A stolen magic . . .

When the witch hunters penetrate Brusenna's warded forest, she learns an impossible truth.

She is the last witch.

Now on the run, Brusenna finds an ally in her newly appointed guardian, Joshen, whose confidence and kindness threatens to break down the carefully constructed barriers around her heart. Together, they scramble to learn enough magic to defeat the evil the witch hunters serve.

Because if that evil captures Brusenna, it will become unstoppable.

If you love the unique magic, sweet romance, and daring adventure in books like THE BLACK WITCH and SERPENT & DOVE, you'll adore Witch Song. With nearly 1,500 five-star ratings on Goodreads, you don't want to miss this bewitching read that will keep you up all night. Get your copy today!

"In WITCH SONG, Amber Argyle makes a riveting debut, creating a fresh new world full of wonder, peril, and splendor. I found WITCH SONG to be positively engrossing from the first page to the last." ~David Farland, New York Times Bestselling Author

OTHER TITLES BY AMBER ARGYLE

Witch Song Series
Witch Song
Witch Born
Witch Rising
Witch Fall

Forbidden Forest Series
Lady of Shadows
Stolen Enchantress
Piper Prince
Wraith King
Curse Queen

Fairy Queens Saga
Of Ice and Snow
Winter Queen
Of Fire and Ash
Summer Queen
Of Sand and Storm
Daughter of Winter
Winter’s Heir

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Witches, Paranormal, Magic, Romance, Ebooks

305 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2011

About the author

Amber Argyle is the bestselling fantasy & romance author of the Forbidden Forest, Fairy Queens, Witch Song, & Wild Heart Ranch Romance series. Her award-winning books have been translated into several languages and praised by such authors as NYT bestsellers David Farland and Jennifer A. Nielsen.

Amber grew up on a cattle ranch and spent her formative years in the rodeo circuit and on the basketball court. She graduated cum laude from Utah State University. She’s delightfully sarcastic, loves all things outdoors, and believes spiders should be relegated to horror novels where they belong.

She has completed three series and is working on a fourth.

To receive her starter library of four free books, simply tell her where to send it: http://amberargyle.com/freebooks/

Reviews

[Amber Argyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, I think it's fabulous. But I wrote it . . . ;)

[Khanh, first of her name, mother of bunnies · Rating 1 out of 5]

“I’m small and plain.”
Desni shot her a look of disbelief. “You’re a beautiful girl, Senna. More so because of how rare your features are. Those golden eyes—”
“But when compared to someone like Ciara—”
“You compare diamonds to rubies. Rubies may be a bit more flashy, but diamonds are made of tougher stuff and are more rare.”

Yeah, it's that type of book, y'all.

Allow me share with you a stanza from one of my favorite songs:

Well let me tell you 'bout the way she looked
The way she'd act and the colour of her hair
Her voice was soft and cool
Her eyes were clear and bright
But she's not there

*lyrics from The Zombies: She's Not There*

Look at the cover for this book. It's a beautiful one, as are the lyrics above, and both tells you so much about this book.

You see a girl, an absolutely stunning young woman, barely past the cusp of puberty. Innocence and naiveté shines from her eyes, purity glistens off her rose-tinted lips. Her cheeks are dusted pink with the breath of angels.

This young Witch is as beautiful, as golden fair as the last kisses of sunlight on the horizon at dusk. Her enormous doe eyes are wide open, limpid with...blank incomprehension.

And there's absolutely nothing more to her than that.

WE'RE WITCHES, BITCHES!: Brusenna and her mother are the dumbest witches who ever lived. Her mother has a condition that many mothers in literature suffer. It is called lol-i-ain't-telling-u-nothin-bitch-itis.

Lol-i-ain't-telling-u-nothin-bitch-itis: symptoms may include...

- not telling you daughter a single fucking thing about who she is despite the fact that the Big Terrible Secret might kill her

- keeping everything a secret like your life depends on it...oh wait, your life DOES depend on it

- ignorance is bliss: because if your daughter doesn't know that there are people out to kill her, it means she's totally fucking safe, right?!

- keeping yourself holed up in a hollow where nobody can see you in order to disguise the fact that you are witches and pulling that Mary-Mary-Quite-Contrary verdant-garden growing shit when the rest of the country is suffering from a horrible drought because that shit ain't obvious at all

- being the worst secret keeper ever because your daughter accidentally overhears you talking about a Big Terrible Secret because you won't keep your fucking voice down to a whisper when talking about your Big Terrible Secret with Super Secret Witch Friend

- running the fuck away without telling your 14-year old (YES, 14 YEARS OLD) daughter anything besides the fact that she should run in case people come after her, because that works every time, right?

If you or someone you know suffer from these symptoms, it is possible that you may have lol-i-ain't-telling-u-nothin-bitch-itis. Please contact the local executioner so that they can remove your defective fucking DNA from the human gene pool. Or rather, witch gene pool?

Do Not Judge a Witch Until You've Walked 1000 Fucking Miles in Her Shoes:

Anyway, Brusenna is in danger! GRAVE DANGER. She travels all around the country.

That's it. You might as well read the fucking Hobbit because this book is composed of um, traveling, and getting caught, then traveling some more, then getting caught, then traveling some more, and then, oh, we're actually stopping for 5 minutes to live with some frog dude, and then traveling some more, and then getting caught.

Did I mention that they travel a lot, and they get caught a lot? Because that's THE EXTENT OF THIS ENTIRE FUCKING BOOK. NOTHING. HAPPENS. This book might as well be a travel brochure for the country of Nefarie and Tartan.

Yes, Nefarie and Tartan. Countries in this book.

The Writing: Fucking terrible. This book is just so juvenile. The writing is suffers from a severe case of telling, not showing, and the writing is more suited to a children's book than a YA audience because it is so emotionless, so staccato. The descriptions leave me absolutely cold.

He was tall—head and shoulders taller than her. Thin, but in a strong way. He had a crop of brown hair that hung low over his forehead. His legs bowed out at the knees—probably from riding so much. He had a permanent wrinkle around his eyes, as if he never stopped smiling long enough for the lines to smooth out. He was smiling at her now.

Oh, oh, my. My panties are getting so wet. Such handsome looks. Oh, my feels. They are just all over the place. Not.

Magic Must Rhyme! Yes, it's that type of magic. There is no training for Brusenna's magical use within the book. Senna practices by singing. And it is only a practice in telling, not showing, because a year goes by and WHOO BRUSENNA IS MAGICALLY STRONGER. How the FUCK?! Where's all the hard work?

The magical setting in this book is laughable.

There is no system for the magic in the book besides the fact that you're born with it. And apparently, if it rhymes, it works! Whoooooooo!

Oh, Sister Sea Plants, I ask of thee,
Take me to the place none but Witches see.

For fuck's sakes. The rhymes in this book, the "magic" shit is so utterly laughable. Brusenna is a witch that sings, her power comes from songs, she can control the plants for no fucking reason at all.

Corn, stop the men who hold me tight,
Bind them though they fight.

She has the power to sing to the plants and to nature, to bend them to her will. And the poems---the spells...they are just terrible, laughable ones.

Plants of the forest, make a path for me,
For through this forest I must flee.
After I pass, hide my trail,
For an enemy I must quell.

Deus ex fucking Machina: And naturally, this use of magic means that deus ex fucking machina is rampant throughout the book.

They get captured! They escape. They get captured AGAIN. They escape. They get captured YET AGAIN. They escape.

Plants, with strength and swiftness, come to me,
For with my companions I must flee.

Whenever you're in danger of death, torture, or whatever shit that might wrinkle Brusenna's pretty little forehead, MAGIC TO THE FUCKING RESCUE. Fucking spare me, please!

Senna is the Name of a Laxative: It really is. And it's rather fitting that she is named after a plant with laxative properties, because Brusenna, her personality and her character---is full of shit.

She is beautiful, without knowing it.

He saw a face set against a dark cloak. Wisps of blonde hair, wavy from the moist air, fell across her breast. Her lips were full.

The book takes every fucking opportunity to remind us that Senna is so diminutive in stature, so small, so delicate.

Before she could change her mind, she snatched her wrap from its hook and flung it around her narrow shoulders.

Her small hands, her tiny hands. Her straw-colored hair. Her odd-colored eyes. So ugly, right? Not.

Senna is not a fucking warrior, she is a magical Barbie doll.

She is magical, without knowing it. She is born to be strong. She has innate magical powers.

“I’ve heard her. When she’s fully come into her own, I wouldn’t doubt she’ll be at least a Level Four."

She is a rare witch, the last of her kind.

"My guess is you might be the only Witch left.”

Brusenna the Blushing: Badass, Senna is not. Senna is so completely childish. She starts off the book at 14, and she matures to 17 before the book is through, but believe me when I say she feels like a very immature 12-year old. She stammers. She blushes. She flushes. Her heart beats pitter-patter. Her heart skips a beat. The blood rushes to her cheeks. She can't bear her emooooooootions, maaaaaaan!

The blood drained from Senna’s face.

She blushed.

Her hands were shaking too badly.

...her voice shaking with desperate hope and fear.

A tremor shook her to her bones. Tears slipped from her eyes faster than she could wipe them.

Oh, the tears. Save us from hysterical females. Brusenna cries a motherfucking river.

Brusenna sank to the floor, buried her face in her quilt and sobbed.

Senna’s sobs increased.

She took a strangled, gasping breath and then a sob finally tore free.

Just stop. Stop.

Senna is some bark, no bite. And it ain't exactly the bark of a big, rough bitch (see what I did there?), more like the yipping of the tiny useless ankle-nipping fucking chihuahua down the street that you secretly long to punt into the nearest hot dog bun to see whether it fits.

Animal fans, please don't hate me for that simile.

She is indecisive. She has no action plan.

Joshen lowered his voice. “Then how’ll you find it?”
“I’ll find it,” she assured him.

Oh, WELL THAT EXPLAINS A LOT. You're just going to magically find it, eh? Spare us from your motherfucking feelings and instints.

She didn’t know how to explain it, but the song felt right.

Overall: Trust me, I have a whole lot more complaints, but I'll keep it short because this review is getting way too fucking long. The plot is boring as fuck. The characters are dumb as fuck. The romance is nonexistent, but it's more of the WAAAAAAAAH I LOVE YOU BUT WE CAN'T BE TOGETHER BECAUSE EVERYONE I LOVE DIES. GO, GO, DEAR HEART! I WILL GAZE AT YOU LONGINGLY FROM AFAR!1!!1 Mwah mwah mwaaaaah!

*gag*

They escape from so many fucking instances of capture because they are followed by two of the most incompetent fucking witch hunters who ever walked the Earth. The two men---Garg and Wardof---are straight out of Monty Python in their incompetency.

Bringing his bruised face closer, Wardof beckoned Garg toward him. “You wanna do something to stop me, you dull, fat, laughable excuse for Espen’s Servant!”

The plot is ludicrous. The two (Brusenna and love interest Joshen) don't know the meaning of subtlety if it danced in front of them wearing pink tasseled pasties and a strap-on dildo. They don't know how to disguise their tracks at all, WHICH IS WHY THEY KEEP GETTING CAPTURED.

Motherfucking idiots.

[Cait · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, so first things first. I have to share a grievance that I experienced; just to get this all off of my chest: I had already written quite a long review for this book and for two others, as well.

Now, my dear Goodreaders; for the sake of my anguish over all of this I'm going to assume that all of you are wondering, "well what happened then, Cait?"

Well, my friends, my computer decided to be a prick and randomly turned off in the middle of finishing typing up my last review, so if you still aren't connecting the dots, they are all.....all gone. *hangs head* and now, I have to re-write them all. Sigh. I'm not exactly happy about it, but here goes my re-write of this review; hopefully it's as good as the previous one.

Now I know I'm in a bit of a minority here with this book (with the average rating being 4.26, which is very high for this site and almost no reviews that I could see were under four stars) but I didn't find this book all that special or even super enjoyable. Sure, there were things that I thought Argyle did well in this series, but it just wasn't enough for me to give it higher than three stars, and here's why:

Brusenna, the main character of this book, was quite the annoying hypocrite for well over half of the book. She is so upset at her mother for hiding things from her and alienating people that could have helped them, mostly because of pride. So you would think that, when a situation arises where she has the opportunity to befriend someone or not be so secretive, she would grab at the chance to do so, but she doesn't. Instead, she does the one thing that she seems to hate so much, and pushes away people who are just trying to help her; even doing it over four times to the same person ( I will talk about this specific case later in the review) Then there was something even more infuriating; every time she sends someone away, she wails, "don't hate me, I can't lose you as a friend, too! I don't have many!"

[image error]
Speechlessness.

That is totally contradictory to what she is apparently trying to do. Of course they're going to be mad at you if they're only trying to help, and you send them away because of your damned pride, Brusenna! Maybe you'd actually make some friends if you don't tie them up onto a boat and put them in the damned ocean, or just leave them without a single explanation as to why you left! She was also very self-centered through the whole novel; she was soooo determined to believe that everything bad that happened was her fault, and that people shouldn't be fighting for her-even though said people clearly state that they aren't fighting for her- which she flat out refuses could even be a possibility. That state of mind almost got her killed about three freakin times. However, she did improve drastically at the last quarter, and grew a spine and a bit of a brain, but it wasn't enough for me to ignore the beginning, or what I'm about to say next.

The whole book, the reason for its existence, really, was Brusenna training for almost two years to fight they big, bad, evil, witch who is destroying the world. Then, right before the big battle ensues, you find out that Brusenna is an extremely powerful witch. So with these witches both being so powerful, you'd think that when they do get together that there's going to be some wicked-awesome explosions and huge giant, barbed, vines that explode out of the ground; hell-bent on killing you.


Kind of like this, but with trees, and vines.

The big battle comes, they square up, and I get excited. Like squirm-in-your-seat-and-squeal excited, because, by this point, Brusenna has become a lot more mature and less egotistical, and I have begun to enjoy her character a lot more than I did in the first half. I thought that this kick-ass battle that was sure to come would push me over the edge from thinking that it was okay to really liking it. Okay, so back to the battle. They're pacing around each other, get their seeds ready, throw them, and.........hedges. They grow.....hedges.


Not quite as impressive as the other picture, now is it.

The battle was so incredibly anti-climactic that I re-read it to see if there was something actually exciting in that that I was missing. And it wasn't just the how they battled that was disappointing; the whole moment was extremely short as well. I mean, Argyle builds up this battle throughout the whole book as Brusenna's big moment, so it's not outlandish of me to have some high expectations about it, and they were basically crushed.

Oh, and there's one other thing I didn't really understand: there were witches of Earth, Fire, Air, and Water, but they are only able to control plants so........that doesn't really make much sense to me at all. Why not just make them all be Earth or Plant if that's all they can do?

There was one character that I really did like through the whole book, though: Joshen. Not only was he swoon-worthy, but he was dependent, strong, caring, totally badass, and patient. Even when Brusenna sent him away tied up on a boat because she thought that she was making the right choice for him (ugh FYI Brusenna it's his life, not yours), he took a job on a ship so that he could be close when he needed her, when I would have given that girl the bird and left her to screw up her life some more if she did that to me. And when Brusenna also improved as a character, I really did enjoy the relationship that Joshen and Brusenna had. It seemed really natural and was actually quite the strong base for a relationship instead of some insta-love.

I'm also torn that there isn't another book after this. On the one side, I'm glad that it isn't because I won't have to spend more money on the next book. Then again, though, I only really started to like Brusenna towards the end of the novel, so I would have enjoyed another one and have had (hopefully) a whole book when she was the decision making badass who didn't send her friends away on boats. Sigh. I'm very torn.

Again, I know that I'm in the minority here, and you might love this book. I just couldn't connect with Argyle's world as well as many others seemed to be able to do. I guess I would say pick this one up, but do so knowing that it might not be like you had expected, or hoped.

[Teno Q. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Imagine you're on an obstacle course. You brave snakes, quicksand, cliffs, zombies, mermaids, sea monsters, and poisonous plants; the king's soldiers, archers, secretaries, horses, and palace mice; foreign Customer Service helpline assistants; a hurricane, and, finally, Godzilla and his lawyer in court.

You're at the end of the obstacle course, and you're waiting for the double whammy to arrive. After all, throughout your journey you suffered and nearly died countless times, so you expect nothing less than an atomic bomb at the end. Right? RIGHT?

But you arrive at the end, and this is what you find:
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"RAWR!!" (I kind of stole an idea from another reviewer's review. I hope they forgive me.)

So this is what Witch Song was kinda like. An obstacle course with a deadly birch sapling at the end. Know what an anticlimax is? No? Yes? Do you find them awesome? No? Yes? If yes, then you will love this book.

The heroine, Brusenna, on the other hand, is nothing like an obstacle course. In fact, she's more like an ice cream sundae. But you know how ice cream sundaes usually have toppings and whipped cream and fruit and whatnot? Well, Brusenna has none of that stuff. No, she's the plain ice cream base of fantasy heroines; with all the basic requirements - she's brave, beautiful, magically gifted, and smart.

And that's it.

Brusenna completely lacks any unique personality or traits that will set her apart from other fantasy heroines: in other words, the chocolate sprinkles, the nuts, the caramel or the nougat.

Same with this Joshua guy. If people drank milkshakes with their ice cream sundaes, Joshen would be the plain vanilla soup. Joshaniel is the perfect basic mold for a love interest: strong, handsome, loyal, brave, caring, and kind. Too bad that's all he is.

So there you have it: Witch Song is the supremely awesome novel about a plain ice cream sundae and a vanilla milkshake on an obstacle course that beats even the likes of the Amazing Race... it's The Amazing Fast Food Race! Now doesn't that sound tasty?

[Kristi · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE FAERYS VIEW

Amber Argyle has written a novel, Witch Song that had me so thoroughly engrossed that my own world almost ceased to exist. The only world I cared about was that which she so artfully created and crafted in Witch Song! Ms. Argyle’s story of a young witch’s journey through dangerous lands during even more dangerous times held me utterly mesmerized. Witch Song was Bewitchingly Beautiful and the tempo of the story sang to me long after I had finished it.

The story of Senna (Brusenna) is that of a young untrained witch, one who is ignorant of her heritage and covenant with those like her. To use magic, Senna and her mother, Sacra, use song to sing to nature. There is so very much that her mother has not told her and more importantly, not taught her. When her mother leaves with another witch, saying only that if she is gone for a while that Senna must follow her written instructions, Senna is left feeling lonely and abandoned with only her huge wolf-hound, Bruke to protect and keep her company.

With all the Keepers (witches) those who keep the seasons as they should be are captured by the evil Espen who is controlling the weather, everything in nature is affected. People will starve from droughts; animals from land to sea will die because Espen is changing the natural order of the seasons. The time comes when Senna must embark on a journey far from home that will change the fate of the world and all of its inhabitants-although she doesn’t realize this at the start of her journey, she is the world’s only hope. Senna soon realizes that she needs help. Senna fears getting close with anyone for getting close to somebody only leads to heartbreak when they inevitably leave---and they always leave. Just like her father, her sister who died as a babe and then her mother. Whether they want to leave or not, they leave Senna and Senna is left with a broken heart. Better to keep people away to begin with then to let them get close only to lose them. Senna must put aside her fears and learn to trust her heart and the risk. With trusty Bruke in tow, Senna finds that along her journey she will meet many people on the way that will help her at their own peril but there is one in particular who has the power to break her heart. With Sennas courageous and compassionate heart, she feels every loss meant to protect her but despite her fears, her compassion and evil on her tail at every turn, Senna knows she must prevail or lose the world to the treacherous Espen who would enslave all with her greed and malevolence while destroying the world in the process. She must set the Keepers free!

Ms. Argyle describes each character in Witch Song with such depth, intensity and uniqueness that they become step off the page realistic. They become your friends or your enemies. Their happiness is your happiness, their fears are yours and their tears-I’ll just say, some tissues would be handy. The journey that Senna takes is breathtaking in its beauty and portrayal. Ms. Argyle is a master with vivid descriptives that transport you from a rainy dirt road to a lush humid jungle.

Much to my delight, Witch Song was everything I thought it would be and more. A One-Sit-Read, the highest honor this reviewer can give and a multiple read, which I reserve for only a few books! Amber Argyle is unbelievable as a debut author and I can only imagine what the next in Witch Songs series holds in store for us. I cannot wait!

[Kogiopsis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I went into this book with low expectations, so it impressed me by the end, but looking back the fact is that it's still basically mediocre. Maybe 'developing' would be a better term - as with many first novels, especially self-published first novels, there are indications here of talent that just needs more polish and practice. And because it's a first novel - and a quick check of her author page tells me Argyle's written a lot more in the meantime, and probably honed her skills a great deal - I don't want to be too hard on it. It was a fun read, after all.

The stand-outs:

- (Bru)Senna's characterization falls into some patterns of self-deprecation (followed by external reinforcement from her love interest) that I know a lot of people are annoyed by, and that normally I would be too... but here it was actually backed up by her experiences of prejudice in canon. Someone who's been treated like garbage all her life is going to be skittish about strangers, and someone who sees her life as less valuable is going to devalue it constantly. It made sense, and while Argyle's depiction could have been more subtle, Senna definitely read like someone who'd dealt with abuse to me.

- Depictions of class inequality in Tartan. I wasn't expecting this book to actually address major social issues, but it did, even if the terminology was awkward. Surely, surely there are better epithets than 'Boors', 'Middlings', and 'Class'.

- Grey morality. There are some choices made at the end that were considerably more harsh and nuanced than I expected from this book, and which promise consequences later in the series. These are bold choices in a first novel, and I'm cautiously impressed.

- Senna's feelings on/relationship with her mother aren't all sweetness and light, nor entirely anger, and that was well-handled and interesting. I do wish there'd been more resolution of that in the ending - a lot of the denouement involved people treating Senna like an incompetent child even though she'd saved their lives, which was frustrating to read - but it was a nice touch.

The downsides:
- okay, the romance is bland. I'm kind of okay with it being bland (as opposed to the kind of steaminess that takes over a narrative and the heroine's mind), and I'm fine with the the hero not being a total dreamboat in the looks department, but it motivates some major choices at the end of the book and I just didn't careeeeee. Yadda yadda, do the same lovestruck stupid things every YA protagonist does; wake me up when it's over and you're done dry-humping in the enemy's stronghold.

- 'Pair the spares'. Stop it, authors. Not every character - and especially not every female characters, since they get this a lot - needs to have a romantic happily ever after. They can just be... characters, you know.

- solve one girl's insecurity by putting down someone else! hahaha. hahahahahahaha. HAHAHAHAHAHA NO.

- The resolution of one of the main conflicts is a literal deus ex machina, and that after so much buildup of Senna's strength and efforts to tell us she could do it herself... nope.

The Takeaway:
I'm not interested in the rest of this series, and I don't think I'd recommend it, but I might try Argyle's later work sometime and see if a little practice and polish has straightened out some of these knots.

[Ashley Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is rare to find books that immediately sweep you into their world, plunging you head first through a tale filled with intensity so real you can feel it. These are the books I crave - the stories I seek & find once in a blue moon; such is Witch Song.

Ms. Argyle's work is vivid, gripping, elegantly written & fills it's reader with a yearning for more. Superbly original, it was such a breath of fresh air to the fantasy genre, I've not read anything quite like it before - this book stands alone.

Witch Song will not be a book that gathers dust on your shelves - rather, you will finish it within a few hours of beginning, you will read it again & you'll find yourself lending it to your unfortunate, sad friends who have yet to be ensnared by it's bewitching pages.

I sincerely hope Ms. Argyle plans to release a sequel to Witch Song! I'll be waiting with baited breath!

- Ashley L. Knight, author of Fins & Fathom (The FINS Trilogy)

[Evie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here’s the short version: if you haven’t picked up this book yet, you should do it ASAP.

And now, the long version: Witch Song is simply beautiful. In this riveting debut novel about witches, magic, love, good and evil, Amber Argyle combines superb writing and incredible world-building and character development with a storyline that’s both fast-paced and smooth at the same time. It’s a page-turner. One that you will definitely want to re-read once you’re done. It’s one of those books that really touch your heart and fuel your imagination. It’s very rare to find a novel - especially a debut – that has this many things going for it. Enchanting atmosphere, well-drawn characters, beautiful settings, and most importantly, really good, gripping plot line – all this makes Witch Song a very promising beginning to a new exciting YA fantasy series.

Away from the village, in the midst of a deep forest, is a house where two witches – a mother and a daughter – lead a quite existence. They live far away from other people because they’re not welcome in the village. The villagers have no respect for witches, they fear and hate what they don’t understand – the witches’ magic and their way of life. The only time when Brusenna and her mother go to the village is when they run out of food and the hunger forces them to visit the local market. Other than that the two witches prefer to stay in their house, with the pathway leading to it magically hidden by the witch song.

Brusenna is a young and powerful witch, who doesn’t yet realize her full potential. Her mother, intent on keeping her daughter safe, decided to move away from Haven (an Island where all the witches live and practice magic). Brusenna hasn’t been taught much about magic – she knows how to sing (singing equals weaving a spell), but the songs she’s been taught are only the basic and most essential ones. She hardly knows anything about witches and their history, either. To protect her, her mother kept every witch-related thing a secret. But destiny has a way of catching up with us. Brusenna’s ignorance of magic and the witch world turns out to be more dangerous than her mother ever thought it would be. When all the other witches (including her mother) are captured by the evil Dark Witch, Brusenna is the only one left. She’s the last witch, the only person in the whole world that is powerful enough to face her mother’s captor and save the world from destruction. The only problem is, she knows next to nothing about magic and there’s no one left to teach her.

Witch Song is a charming, compelling book about growing up, and discovering yourself and your true purpose in life. It’s a vibrant story, full of action and adventure, with a sprinkle of love and a whole lot of sparkling magic. And it’s not just any magic, it’s my favorite kind of magic. The sweet, beautiful, breath-taking magic, with the spells sang to life rather than recited from a book. There are no magic wands in the Witch Song, no huge toms of magic, no brooms, crooked noses and no pointy hats. In the world created by Mrs. Argyle, the witches are simply women who can weave spells with the power of their voice. They sing and the world listens. It’s fascinating! I really loved the concept of singing the spells – it reminded me of another favorite YA fantasy of mine – the Witchlanders by Lena Coakley. If someone asked me which of these two books I liked better, I think I wouldn’t be able to choose, because these are two totally different flavors of fantasy. Witch Song is definitely more girly, with the lead protagonist being a vulnerable, fragile, lovely girl and the romance thing going on in the background. I loved Witchlanders for the world building, fantastic characters and unique, romance-free plot line, but I also loved Witch Song for being so absolutely mesmerizing and heart-warming. And as much as I’m sick of the silly love stories in the recent Young Adult books, the romance part of Witch Song didn’t bother me at all. It was well balanced and didn’t appear to be forced or out of place. The chemistry between Brusenna and Joshen was quite electrifying and I admit, I got goose-bumps once or twice while reading about them. Most importantly, it wasn’t overdone or rushed, it actually looked quite believable and natural. I really liked that Senna didn’t lose her head over Joshen. Sure, she loved him and they were very adorable together, but at the same time she stayed focused on her task. She also knew that sometimes you need to sacrifice your own happiness for a greater good – that’s definitely one of her best qualities.

Amber Argyle created a fascinating and detailed world. Quite a big part of the story takes place out in the ocean, while the characters are traveling from one destination to another. The setting is beautiful and fantastically described. All the places and characters are vivid and realistic, and thanks to Argyle’s evocative language it’s easy to imagine them. My favorite side-kick character was Pogg – a weird creature, with a cute and funny way of speaking that made it impossible not to love him.

This book is a great fantasy read. If you’re looking for a book packed with badass action, where the main character spends most of the time covered in his or his opponent’s blood then this might not be the book for you. But, if you want a more thoughtful look at magic, a book that is filled with adventures yet manages to be very sweet and charming at the same time, then this is definitely a book you’ll enjoy. I know that I did!

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here is a story about a book that stood out at work and I said to myself, "self you should read this book" then I came home to add it to GR and it appears I'd already had said conversation with myself weeks before already appearing in my to-read. Since the ground work was already laid out I went and purchased and started reading it immediately. I think the best parts of the book are how natural it feels. Honestly I could've sworn I heard the music playing in my head as I read the pages of this book. It was really fun.

I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the universe and the characters that lived in it. There were times where I was literally laughing out loud and then thought how cool (but unlikely to do properly) some moments were. One of my favorites by far was Espen's instruction. Somehow even after you've heard the whispers meeting her was just as awesome and petrifying. Loved it!

Clearly as a first novel for Argyle it is setup as continued tale but doesn't pull you along begrudgingly, I absolutely want to keep reading about Brusenna and the Keepers. I know it will be a ride I enjoy with many of the little questions in the back of my mind hopefully having a nice continuation for the witches.

Fully recommended to anyone who is a fan of witches and the like - I'd even go as far as music lovers because I promise you may find yourself trying to sing the songs just as the witches do... hopefully you won't be in public but don't say I didn't tell you so.

[Hillary Hunt · Rating 2 out of 5]

These witches can control nature, which is cool and to be expected with a witchy/pagan tale. But it's how they do it that wasn't my fav. They sing and throw seeds. Every spell requires they sing a cutesy little rhyme, and they have to be pitch perfect. When Brusenna is "sing fighting" at her enemies, it seems so hokey, I cringed every time.

My main problem with this book was the villains were shallow. Too many punches were pulled. And the romance was juvenile, which would've been okay, had it not ended in an engagement. It felt inappropriate to me.

There was something very rote and dry and about the writing. I couldn't feel the author's joy or enthusiasm in the story she was telling me. It was like cake without the frosting. Or salad without the dressing. A knee without cartilage. Or a painting that only manages to convey a recognizable image, but it doesn't make you feel anything.

Not my cup of tea.

[Chamonix · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing was GODAWFUL. How Argyle got this published with such a delicious cover is beyond me.

Not only is the main character unimaginably awful, un-mature and inept at being a heroine but Argyle writes this book the way a lame, three-legged gazelle tries to leap. It gallops three steps then faceplants. Brusenna slept then woke up the next day. She had lots of vegetables to pickle and cure for the winter. She sobbed pitifully as she brought in balefuls of crops. The dog barked. "Hush," She told him. He was such an over protective dog. He was a wolfhound huge but kind.

None of the writing has any flow and it just jumps through space and time at certain points, refuses to give more detail to certain things and then throws a ridiculously forced plot device for something else to occur.

Not an interesting read.

[anjuli · Rating 1 out of 5]

There you have it! It just went to my DNF list. It is slow and boring so far. I wanted to give it a chance but with SOOOO many books on my TBR (ever growing) list I figured it is ok to pass.
I don't recommend this book.

[Asenath · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book on a long plane ride. I was not impressed. It follows the typical formula of the Hero's Journey, without much variation or character development. And the main character, Brusenna, got on my nerves. She cried ALL. THE. TIME. And she would always send people away/refuse help when it made no sense to do so. It was like, "I'm all alone in the forest and there are lots of people who want to kill me, so I KNOW, I'll send away the one person who could help protect me right now!" I mean, really? C'mon.

I liked the added element of a witch's power coming from her song, but that just wasn't enough to carry the story for me. I think this author has potential though-this was only her first novel. I think if she continues to work on her craft she could write something much better.

Also the name Brusenna? It's about as appealing as Hulga and Bertha...

[J.J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this smart debut novel, a young witch discovers who she is and what she's made of. Witch song is a fun quest by land and sea, and also a journey of the heart. A girl who grew up as an outcast discovers she is a powerful witch and a leader--and takes on the task of freeing her fellow witches to bring peace to a ravaged world. Senna's power comes from her voice---but she learns it also comes from within. I'm recommending this book to both my daughters!

[BookLoversLife · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've had this book, both on my shelf and on my kindle, for quite a while so when I got the chance to listen to the audio I jumped at it!

Brusenna lives with her mother deep in the woods. She knows what everyone calls her and knows that they fear her. She thinks she is nothing special and keeps to herself. Her life is quite sheltered, until another witch comes calling. Brusenna finds out exactly what it means to be a witch!

I loved Brusenna!! She is quite timid at the start but she finally finds the strength she needs to be who she is supposed to be. Senna knows next to nothing about Witches and has to learn as she goes but that doesn't stop her. She goes into the lions den knowing that she may not come out alive. She was so brave.

We then have Joshen, who is Sennas guardian and steadfast companion throughout. He was another amazing character. I loved seeing Joshen and Sennas relationship grow. It was so sweet.

There is a whole lot of characters in Witch Song and each was extremely well written and developed. Senna especially grew a lot throughout the story. We even get the bad guys POV at times, which added to the story.

Plot wise, it was fast paced and gripping. The world building and lore was fascinating and I loved the authors spin she put on the Witches. The Witches sing songs to cast their spells so there is no magic wands!! I loved that unique concept. The Witches can sing to the wind, earth, fire etc and there are songs to heal and pretty much do everything which Senna needs to learn because she can only do the basics.

Once I started listening to this, it was so hard to stop. The author grabbed me from the very first page and weaved a wonderful tale around me. From it's amazing characters to its beautifully written world, Witch Song is a must read. It's a magically captivating world and one I can't wait to jump back into!

I listened to the audio and loved it. Melissa Reizian Frank did a great job of bringing Senna to life. She really knows how to grab the reader. I will definitely be checking out more by her.

[— Massiel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este libro contiene más palabras de las que puedo decir.

Espen, la Bruja Oscura ha capturado a todas las brujas que existen, también a la madre de Brusenna, Sacra, Brusenna es la última bruja que queda y tiene que enfrentar a Espen para liberar a las otras brujas y al mundo de sus cantos.

Este libro lo voy a describir así:


No tengo palabras para este libro, fue increíble, emocionante, inquietante, sensacional... todo. Realmente deseo leer el segundo libro para ver qué me espera.

Desde el primer capítulo hasta el último todo es acción y emoción, además de inquietud por todo lo que pasa, no pude parar de leer, cada capítulo mejora hasta el otro, la historia es bastante sencilla y sin cosas sin explicar, todo es fácil de entender ya que la historia es contada desde los primeros párrafos y es sencilla de seguir.

A Brusenna le disculpo las lágrimas porque me agrada bastante. Brusenna es un personaje fuerte, no es típica o cliché personaje, es sencillamente fuerte, hace las cosas a su manera y nunca se detiene por nada.

Los personajes -cada uno de ellos- todos tienen sus características, son encantadores todos, cada uno tiene lo que lo define, me fascinaron todos.

Aunque en algunos capítulos narran varios personajes, la historia se hizo más interesante y amplia a sí misma, verlo desde un punto de vista tan diferente todo fue increíble.

¡No espero a leer el segundo libro!

[Liv Chanin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book, while a refreshing change from the angst-ridden, supernatural romance that floods the YA market, does not completely live up to the gorgeous cover or the synopsis. I was very excited when I picked up this book because it is a "real" fantasy. No sexy vampires or brooding fallen angels here. The premise of the book is very interesting. Halfway into the book, however, I was left wanting more. More character development. More description. More feeling. A subplot or two. The writing style is not very sophisticated, and quite frankly, oftentimes the characters' reactions were just not believable. *mild spoiler alert* For example, when Senna sent Joshen away from haven, he looked at her with hatred. Hatred? Really? Confusion maybe. Or hurt. But hatred? Very unbelievable. I kept reading anyway, mostly because it was a fast read and the story wasn't all that bad. In the end, I was left wondering why the evil witch (can we say cliche?) didn't just cut the tongues out of all the other witches if she was so worried about them singing. Maybe I missed that explanation. Anyhow, I would recommend this book as a fast read with some entertainment value, but borrow it from the library instead of buying it.

[Misty · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

When I read the first page of this, I got kind of excited. The MC, Brusenna, is simply trying to buy something from the village market and is being harassed by a vendor without having actually done anything. I love a good outsider/underdog story, and the initial setup gave me flashbacks to Plain Kate, which I loved. I had high hopes. And though that Otherness, that outsider-ness is a part of the story, it turned out to be a sort of minimal part of the story. Which is fine: it's not the story's fault that I didn't get what I thought I was going to get.

But what I did get...I don't have much to say about. I don't know how to make this not sound like a really negative review, because in truth, it's not. I didn't hate this book. I didn't even really dislike this book. But I didn't really love it or like it all that much either. I experienced the typical "Oh I like that, eww that not so much"s that one does while reading, but it never really went one way or the other for me. It was a wash, and in the end I was left feeling a little indifferent.

How do I explain this...

It's like soup.
You can make soup from a can and it's good, it's serviceable. But it's one note, usually kinda salty and a bit mushy. Or you can spend hours making soup from scratch, layering the flavors and creating something complex and savory, that bursts with flavor on your tongue. Both are soup. Both can be satisfying in their own soup-way. But I'm not really a canned soup kinda girl. I will spend hours making a frakking bowl of soup, so that when I sit down to eat it I can savor it. I can taste all of those different ingredients in every bite, and the way they play off of each other to make something more.
soup vs Soup.
You eat soup for sustenance; you eat Soup because it warms your soul.
So this was like eating a bowl of soup when what I wanted was a bowl of Soup. Not bad, but not something that's going to leave much of an impression.

If that much-generalized, utterly ridiculous metaphor doesn't do it for you, here are some of the specifics:

Things I liked:
* The sort of adventure story, with the traveling and the procuring of horses and boats and whatnot.
* The visual aspects of the writing. I was really able to see the world Argyle created and picture how it looked, how it worked, etc.
* Brusenna's personal story of growth. It was not quite a coming of age story, but in some ways it kind of was. It was nice to see her open up and let people in after the sheltered life she's led - and it was nice to see her stop pushing people away, which sounds like what I just said, but is different. I was thankful for the time she finally stopped actively pushing people away and being self-pitying.
* Gollum Pogg.
* Joshen. I really liked Joshen.

Things I liked not so much:
* The names. Like, basically any of them.
* I felt like the writing could have used a bit less Tell and a lot more Show. It felt like surface writing, like we never got to really dig down deep and discover the world. What makes Brusenna so special? What turned Espen into the Dark Witch? I don't want to be told these things, I want to discover them, and be shown these things and fit them together into solid world-building.
* The big BA witches fought with seeds. Like, they had seed pods in their belts and they would throw them at each other like 4th of July snappers. Yes, toxic vapors and killer thorns would come out of the seeds, which is coolish, and yes, the whole seeds and greenery and nature thing is very earthy and Wiccan, and I think what Argyle was going for. But I just kept picturing this Gotta-Save-The-Earth showdown as Gotta-Catchem-All Poké balls being thrown around...
* And speaking of the duel, it was...anti-climactic. There was a LOT of buildup, but instead of being really tense during the showdown, I found myself on the verge of giggling. And then it went on for another 50 pages, with a 2nd Big Bad, which I both liked and disliked.
* And speaking of ↑↑, I hate even a whiff of deus ex machina.

I have a feeling I am going to end up in the minority on this one. It's getting very high ratings and a lot of praise, so obviously people are connecting with it. And maybe at a different time in my life, when I was younger perhaps, I would have liked this more and connected with Brusenna and her world, and would have cared a bit more. As it is, I neither recommend nor discourage the reading of this. It was middle of the road for me, and will likely fade from mind pretty quickly, but I am sure it will find its audience and ardent supporters.
And it's pretty.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally reviewed on my blog, Books from Bleh to Basically Amazing.

Witch Song by Amber Argyle is a book that I was really excited to read. Like, really excited for. I noticed the cover on Goodreads and thought it looked gorgeous and then (as I've mentioned a time or 12 before) I met Amber at a book signing in Utah, pretty much on accident. And she was awesome in person. Like, a lot awesome. So, when I got a review copy of this in the mail, I did a little happy dance.

And, while I did like the book, it wasn't really what I'd hoped it would be. It was good, but I wanted more from it. There were a few times that the characters, mostly Bressena, made these huge thought jumps that I didn't understand. At all. Kind of like going from zero to sixty with nothing in between. And this confused me, made me wonder if something had accidentally been left out. I'm actually really hoping that these are things that will be smoothed out in the finished copy.

About the story itself, there were things I loved, things I liked, and things that I... well, not so much.

I loved the idea of this story. I loved the songs themselves and the way the songs gave the witches an ability to manipulate and control nature. Like using corn stalks to trap the bad nasties trying to kill her. Umm, hello Yes! I love watching the seemingly innocent and harmless characters turn around and lay the smack down. I also really liked that Amber made the songs simple poems instead of super complex and weird. Really, I loved the magic in this story. The spells and potions were just awesome (although there is a seed fight that I just couldn't feel as... dramatic as it should have, because they were, well... throwing seeds...) (I also really liked that the police officer types in this book were actually the good guys! Yay for positive representation of law enforcement! :P)

Also, this book is another perfect example of why parents who 'keep super important, life threatening information from their children because it 'protects' them are stupid. It always backfires! Ignorance is more deadly that knowledge in these situations. And, when you have this in a novel, a parent who keeps the important info hidden, it often leads to a major info dump later on, as a 'sneaky' way to give the reader all the information at once, since, hey, the character is getting it now too. (But really, it's not that sneaky) But, although it gets precariously close a time or two, I was very pleased that Witch Song never actually felt like it was info dumping on me. So, yay for that.

I did also have a hard time with Bresenna's character at some points. She was very insecure, very unsure of herself and constantly believing that no one could ever like her. And, I get that the people in the village were cruel and unwelcoming, and her mom did lie to her about very important things. But her mother also loved her, and raised her in a very loving environment. Which, in my opinion, should have counted for more. It should have made it easier for Bresenna to accept that not everyone was as closed minded as her village and that people (like Joshen) really were interested in helping her. I kind of felt like her insecurities were so strong to add a little more tension to the lovey stuff. Which got a little old. I do love me some Joshen though. :)

The climax of the story, well, the first climax was... interesting. I am not a fan of the dues ex machina and I was more than a little disappointed that Amber chose to take the story there. But she kind of made up for it during the second climax scene, because I loved the power that came through in that section, and at certain parts, I was definitely feeling it.

So, although I did have some issues with this book, overall, I did enjoy it. If Amber chose to write a sequel, I would read it. And I'd be excited if/when I get me a copy. But it's not one that I can throw my whole recommending self behind either, which makes me sad. It's by no means a bad book, but it could use a bit more smoothing out. I am incredibly excited to see how Amber grows as a writer though!

Have you read this one yet? Let me know what you think!

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a scintillating debut, Amber Argyle creates an impressively detailed world for her characters to live in. As impressive as this debut is, I’m sure we have years of wonderful stories to look forward to from this writer.

Brusenna (also called Senna in the story) and her mother Sacra are Witches (or, as they prefer to be called, Keepers). They control their powers through song. In their small town of Gonstower, they are feared and reviled, especially so since a three-year drought has left many villagers on the edge of devastation. Brusenna is in the town trying to buy supplies when she is accused of theft and nearly put into the stocks before a strange, beautiful and obviously powerful woman saves her, then tells Senna she wishes to consult Senna’s mother. This turns out to be another Keeper, called Coyel, who has come to tell Sacra that she is one of only eight full-fledged Keepers that remain and is needed to come and fight against the Dark Witch, Espen.

Left alone, Brusenna is attacked by a witch hunter and discovers that her mother, Coyel, and the rest of the Keepers have been taken by Espen and that she – untrained, untried – is the only witch left free. She determines to go and try to save the rest of the Keepers, accompanied by her wolfhound, Bruke, and using a letter and journal that Sacra left for her, in case of this situation. She discovers a whole world that has been kept from her in Sacra’s vain attempts to keep her safe from Espen. Along the way she meets many enemies, as well as unexpected friends.

I literally could not put “Witch Song” down once I started it, and remained glued to the pages for the entire time it took to read it. While there were some minor issues that momentarily took me out of the story (like the fact that Brusenna worried about not really knowing how to ride, but took off on a horse and apparently managed to not only ride, but handle the tack by herself with no problem), usually a comment further on in the story either cleared up the issue or clarified the situation to the extent that I was satisfied with things.

Richly imagined, with strong characters, “Witch Song” is a fantasy story to whet the appetites of any reader. Give it a read!

[chucklesthescot · Rating 3 out of 5]

*I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*

Senna is an untrained witch who is the last hope for the survival of her kind. On a quest to rescue her mother who is a captive of the Dark Witch, Senna and her allies must uncover her powers and find a way to defeat Espen and save the trapped witches.

This is not my usual type of book. I don't usually read this kind of historical fiction but the paranormal element made me decide to try it and I'm glad that I did. In this book, witches don't have wands or shout spells at each other-instead they sing out their spells in a magical song, which was new and fresh to me. It is always nice when this kind of story produces a new twist to enjoy.

The author does a good job of blending the old historical setting with muskets, sailing ships and superstitious people who fear or adore witches, with a believable and enjoyable paranormal element. There is the good versus evil thread running through the book though the story is not as simple as you first think. The characters are well developed and likeable and when danger strikes you are worried for the safety of your favourites! That is always important to me in a new series because if you hate the characters it is hard to connect with the book itself. I really liked Pogg and I hope to see more of him in later books. Senna is a good female lead who is vulnerable and powerful, and you are rooting for her through all her challenges.

The plot is always moving along at pace. There is a lot of action, fantasy elements, an innocent start to a romance, swashbuckling pirate style ship adventures, magical creatures, duelling witches, magic and lots of adventure. Senna and Joshen make a believable, sweet couple though you know that there are going to be many obstacles to their romance which they will face. The magical fights were well written and I liked the concept of trying to silence each others voices to stop the other casting spells. I was very keen to get straight on to book 2 to see what happens next.

There is no graphic sex or foul language so it is suitable for most YA as well as adult readers.

[Kirsty (Amethyst Bookwyrm) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This and my other reviews can be found at http://amethystbookwyrm.blogspot.co.uk/

Brusenna has always been hidden away by her mother, but when she and the rest of the haven witches are taken captive by the dark witch Espen, Brusenna is the last witch left, so with the help of her guardian Joshen and her dog Bruke, she must find a way to do what no other witch has done before and defeat the dark witch.

Witch Song is a really brilliant and charming story with true love, adventure and magic it is a good story for YA fantasy readers. The story was non-stop and really captivating and action packed.

I love Senna’s growth in this book but it does not change her too much from the shy insecure girl from the beginning, I admire how she does admit her mistakes and acts on them and how she reacts maybe not in the right way but a realistic one. Also Joshen is also a great character as he is brave, strong and totally loyal to Senna no matter what.

Also the secondary characters are well rounded from Senna’s mother Sacra to the Captain Parknel. The romance is so sweet and gentle but is also very innocent.

I would recommend this book to people who like light but enchanting YA fantasy.

[Hollie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't love this book but I did like it enough to continue on to the next book in the series. It was very young adult, but I still liked the characters for the most part. I also appreciate it being offered as a kindleunlimited.

[Julie ~ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Abandon page 215.
Je ne suis pas fan de l'histoire ni des personnages. Il ne se passe pas grand chose et quand enfin, il se passe quelque chose, ça tombe comme un soufflet : c'est trop rapide. Il y a également des trucs que je ne trouve pas cohérents dans le comportement de Brusenna ou Joshen. Je n'avais pas d'attente particulière pour ce roman, mais je pense qu'il manque de rythme et de descriptions (univers et explications, personnages, etc.). Cela m'aurait permis de m'attacher aux personnages, car j'avoue sur là, il pourrait se passer un truc de dingue, ou il pourrait tous mourir, ça me ferait ni chaud ni froid tellement je ne suis pas connectée à cette histoire... Bref c'est dommage mais c'est comme ça

[Mei · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating : 1.5 Stars

Aku dapat buku ini 3 hari yang lalu, pas aku lagi bersih2 isi kindle-cloudku, terus kebetulan baca sinopsisnya, dan eng..ing..eng aku jadi tertarik. Haha... Kenapa? Well, aku lagi suka sama manga Sekai de Ichiban Warui Majo dan Majo to Kiketsu no Kishi. Jadi, langsung aku baca aja bukunya tanpa bag-big-bug.

Awal cerita buku ini, hampir sama persis seperti buku The Black Witch dan The Bone Witch , tentang gadis penyihir polos (klise) yang tiba-tiba saja jadi sosok penyihir terkuat (Klise lagi). Bedanya Senna bukan cuma penyihir terkuat tapi juga terakhir di dunianya, karena dark witch (sang penyihir jahat) sudah mengalahkan seluruh penyihir yang tersisa, termasuk ibunya. Hingga suatu hari dia bertemu seorang Witch Hunter di desanya hingga kemudian ia harus memutuskan untuk meninggalkan rumahnya, lalu mencari ibunya, dan menyelamatkan dunia ( Lagi-lagi klise)

Sekarang kita ke inti masalahnya, key? Setelah hal klise-klise di atas aku masih punya beberapa catatan di bookmark-ku buat buku ini.

Pertama, ada beberapa hal penting yang terlewat atau mungkin sengaja dilewat untuk mempersingkat halaman, misalnya, waktu Senna (aka Brusenna) menerima jurnal peninggalan ibunya nggak dijelaskan jenis-jenis mantra apa saja yang ada di dalam jurnal, terus ada berapa banyak mantra, dan bagaimana proses Senna mempelajarinya.

Kedua, sikap Senna konyol, di satu waktu dia pingin balas dendam ke Bommer karena menuduhnya sebagai pencuri, dengan cara membeli garam pakai koin emas, maksudnya membuktikan kalau dia kaya raya karena punya koin emas dan sama sekali bukan pencuri (yang menurutku konyol, karena seharusnya dia tidak menarik perhatian orang. Gak ada orang kaya yang gak menarik perhatian orang!). Tapi bukannya pamer emasnya dia malah beli kain karena penjualnya tampan, dan bilang dia cantik. *Roll my eyes*.

Terakhir, kadang Senna bertingkah seperti pejuang gagah perkasa tapi sedetik kemudian dia berubah jadi seperti anak pecundang yang takut segalanya.

His hand dropped. “Senna, stop it! You’re not afraid to jump into the middle of the ocean and chase after a whale or traipse after the most powerful Witch in history, but you can’t hide inside a hole? Now get in here, before I come out and get you!”

Joshen sucked his finger. “A Witch (aka Senna) afraid of bugs?”

She trailed off and then her eyes widened. “Oh, you’re (aka Senna) ashamed of being naked?” The woman’s brow creased. “Even in front of other women?”

padahal di halaman sebelumnya dia udah pernah telanjang di depan Joshen. Ckckckc...

Ketiga, Espen kurang berwibawa buat jadi orang jahat! Lagipula kenapa dia mempertahankan Wardof dan Garg (yang notabene selalu membuat kesalahan), kalau dia penyihir terkuat dia bisa mencari orang lain dong. Itu nggak masuk akal.

She smiled. “I’m your mother and I’m telling you that you must jump. Jump all day and all night. Forever and ever.”

With an expression of grim determination, the man started jumping as high and as hard as he could.

Wardof exchanged an ominous look with Garg. Had her mood been as foul when she’d “recruited” him, that could have been his fate. They both knew the power Espen held over them.

Walaupun aku nggak baca reviewan atau kata pengantar buku ini, aku udah tahu kalau buku ini pasti buku debut pengarangnya. Kenapa? Tipikal buku debut itu, pertama, karakternya kurang stabil, kedua, banyak hal kecil tapi penting yang kadang terlewat, ketiga, alurnya kadang masih berantakan. Sebenarnya masih ada beberapa lagi kekurangan di buku ini, tapi nanti reviewnya kepanjangan, jadi simpen aja kali yah. Haha...

Tapi terlepas dari itu, buku ini lumayan bagus.
Nggak tahu kenapa aku malah suka sama tokoh Wardof dan Garg, aku tahu mereka tokoh jahatnya. Tapi nggak tahu kenapa aku justru nunggu2 penampilan mereka berdua. Itu semua karena mereka lucu, asli kayak duo komedian. Haha... Baru kali ini aku baca buku yang bukan cuma tokoh baiknya aja yang sengsara sejak awal cerita tapi juga tokoh jahatnya. Haha... Dua kali masuk penjara, terdampar di pulau terpencil, hampir mati karena seal. Ckck... Apalagi mereka berdua selalu berkelahi karena hal2 sepele.

Jujur aku berharap Wardof dan Garg jadi orang baik dan membantu Senna, karena sikap Wardof dan Garg jauh dari jahat. Mereka cuma orang yang kurang beruntung karena terdampar di tempat dan waktu yang salah.

Wardof fingered his own crescent moon pendant, almost wishing he could break it off and throw it in the sea, bury it deep within the Earth, or melt it in a blacksmith’s fire so Espen could never find him again.

Well, terakhir kisah cinta di buku ini, nggak sepenuhnya buruk, karena hubungan Senna dan Joshen bukan instant-love (thanks God). Selain itu aku suka Joshen, dia tenang dan tidak terlalu bernafsu. Beberapa kali aku mendapati Joshen bersikap cerdas.

So, well, the point is this book's not too bad for a debut novel. That's why i give it two stars.

[Elanor Lessien · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ma chronique:

https://mesgrimoiresblog.wordpress.co...

[Michelle's Paranormal Vault of Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really, really good. It has a bit of a different take on witches, they sing songs to do what they need. I really enjoyed the fantasy setting it was in. Senna was a great character, she was so naive in the beginning, but became so strong and determined when she needed to.

I look forward to the next book in this series, I am attached to these characters already, and need to see where it's going to go.

I highly recommend this book. If you like fantasy and paranormal with witches then this is for you.

I give it 5 out of 5 stars.

I was provided a copy of this book from the author for my honest review.

Oh, and I love this cover and the rest in this series. Very well done, and covers say alot to me, if I don't like a cover, i usually just pass right by the book. Covers mean everything. My honest opinion is that authors should really not skimp on covers, hire someone who knows what they are doing, do not try to make one in paint or something, because it shows. Just my 2 cents, covers are what will attract most of us readers to even check the book out.

Be sure to check out the other books in this series

[ILoveBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

First off, let me tell you I received a copy from Amber Argyle as a giveaway and I was so happy!!! I loved this book and now I'll tell you why you will to.

Brusenna isn't the most well-liked girl in the village. In fact, everyone appears spiteful and afraid of her. Brusenna is a witch, more specifically, a very powerful witch who doesn't know the depth of her own powers yet. She meets one of the only other remaining witches in town and finds out that many witches are being held in chains and that she might be integral to their escape. The evil antagonist, the Dark Witch, used to be the leader...until she wanted more and more power. Brusenna's mother leaves in an attempt to help fight the Dark Witch. It isn't long before Brusenna leaves as well, with only a dog at her side. She finds help in the town's sheriff and his brother and nephew. Joshen, the nephew, becomes the potential love interest. Brusenna must face dangers and discover new qualities of herself and her past that she never knew she had to take down the Dark Witch.

Brusenna is a great main character. She is sweet, charming, and kind. The reader will root for her throughout the novel. Joshen is protective, caring, and mature. He is the perfect counterpart for Brusenna. There are quite a few interesting secondary characters that the reader will love to get to know as well.

This book moved fast! The events are very fast-paced, no chance for boredom there. The ending was perfect with a little twist thrown in. The author writes very fluidly, the reader will find that the transitions are tight and work well together. This book is recommended for young adults/teens who enjoy fantasy with a touch of mystery and romance.

5 Stars

[Kathy * Bookworm Nation · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m still wavering on my rating, I may bump it up to 4 stars. Overall, I really enjoyed this story. I liked that this was a standalone story (at least as far as I know). The story takes place over a couple years and our main character Brusenna really goes through a lot of growth as the story progresses. I liked Senna, she has a pretty daunting task ahead of her, but she never gives up. I liked Joshen, her guardian. He is a sweet guy and totally loyal to Senna, even when she pushes him away.

(Mild Spoilers) The majority of the book is Senna learning her powers and preparing to free the imprisoned witches and face the evil witch Espen. To be honest, I was a little disappointed in their showdown and even more disappointed in the witches reaction to their freedom. They seemed kind of blasé about it, like Senna didn’t just accomplish this HUGE task that none of them were able to do. After everything she’d been through they still treated her like a child instead of the hero that saved all their butts. I was surprised when she finally frees them there was still 20% of the book left. I liked that the story didn’t just wrap up, but they had to figure out a way to get out of the hostile territory and return home.

Anyway, I liked the first half better than the last, but overall still an enjoyable story and one I would recommend to anyone who enjoys a good fantasy novel.

[JeanBookNerd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amber Argyle’s debut novel, Witch Song, is an interesting look into the secret world of witches. Spells, magic, and hexes are all here. The world that Argyle created for these remarkable witches are so vivid and darkly beautiful. Filled with characters that are likable, it’s a formula that will surely hook readers from the first page.

The writing style that Argyle presents in this novel is simply stunning. Whether it is people, events or the setting, she does not leave out any description. The story moved along brilliantly and left no space in between. I love the twist that Argyle incorporated with the witch culture: Spells are casted by singing it. The emotions drawn by the characters are so vibrant that you feel every sensation they go through.

We are treated with a grand adventure with a highly spirited protagonist named Brusenna (Senna), who goes against a nearly unbeatable powerful witch. Along the way, we are introduced to the most fascinating characters. Each of them carried their own personality, whether its liked or not, it produced a great cast of memorable people.

I honestly enjoyed every page of this charming tale. A delight read for anyone who loves to read about the paranormal. It satisfies your thirst for out-of-this-world escapades with characters who continually serves up an endless amount of fun.