Witch Crag

by Kate Cann

In a world where 'elite' men rule and women and 'weak' men are second class, Kita and her friends must make a choice: to remain with tribes and accept arranged marriages and being treated with less value than sheep, or escape and journey to the place that even the strongest men fear with their lives - the witch crag.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Witches, Young Adult, Fiction, Paranormal, Adventure

384 pages, Paperback

First published October 4, 2012

About the author

When I was a child, I wanted to be a witch. My first foray into writing was a series of nasty spells full of rats’ tails and bats’ wings. Then, when I turned thirteen, I began keeping a lurid diary, full of adoration or loathing, depending on who I was writing about. I used my later diaries for the Diving In trilogy.

I never thought ‘I want to be a writer’, but I loved books and writing. At school, I was rubbish at just about everything but English, so I went on to Kent University where I did two degrees in English and American Literature. At Kent, I fell dramatically in love with the man I'm still married to. We had loads of fights and adventures, but we kept coming back together. He's still the person I most want to spend time with. Awww!

My first proper job was in a publishing house, Time Life Books, as a copy-editor. I felt very glamorous. I used to go to the huge YMCA on Tottenham Court Road at lunchtime and do aerobics classes (very big in the 1980s and yes - I wore legwarmers). Then I'd fall asleep over my desk in the afternoon.

When my two kids came along, I set up as a freelance copy-editor and worked from home. By chance I got given some teenage books to edit, and I hated the way they treated sexual relationships: they were either full of gloom and doom, or were gushy, unrealistic candyfloss. So I got bitten by the ‘I can do better than this’ bug, and started writing. I remember the first day I started to write - it took me over. I forgot to eat (unthinkable for me) and I nearly forgot to collect the kids from school. About a year after that, Diving In was accepted for publication.

When I ran out of material from my diaries and memories, I realized my daughter and son were teenagers, and started eavesdropping on them. They were extremely tolerant about this although they did sometimes demand money from me.

Big changes have been afoot recently. My kids have left home - really left home, not just gap-year-travelling/university left home, and my old man is doing the sort of work that means he can work from home a lot of the time. So we've sold up and moved into the wilds of Wiltshire and so far I am absolutely loving it. The space, the silence, seeing the stars at night in the pitch black, the owls, the trees, the walks, the great food in the local pubs - everything! I'd started to bring nature into my books - it all started with Crow Girl - and now I'm working on two books about a city girl who gets plunged into the wilds. So the move is very much linked to and helping my writing. I think the sheer beauty and power of nature and how it can get right inside you is something a lot of kids are cut off from today.

I still love London though - the plan is to come up every couple of weeks, catch up with all my old mates, possibly do something seriously cultured like go to the theatre. And I want to travel a bit more, too - offsetting my increased carbon footprint with an enormous compost heap.

I love long conversations, running, reading, gardening, walking and white wine (in moderation of course) and I’m the first to admit I have the life of Reilly (who apparently had a pretty cushy life). I start the day with a run or walk with my dog, when I think about what’s going to happen next in the book I’m writing. Then I have a huge breakfast, and get down to work. I write on (or if it’s cold, in) the spare bed with a laptop, my dog at the bottom of the bed. If it’s sunny, I write in the garden, on a sun-lounger. Tough, ay? I also have this theory that you can’t be truly creative for more than about three or four hours a day, so in the mid afternoon, I knock off, and do my emails and stuff. Told you it was cushy.

Reviews

[coco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a thrilling read about people uniting and unifying against all odds and coming out victorious - with plenty of fear mongering and witchery thrown in!

[Elizabeth Harrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is pretty enjoyable. I like the feminist undercurrent- the witches of Witch Crag are a democratic and nurturing settlement led by a wise matriarch. They are viewed with suspicion by the corrupt and often joyless herding communities (with strong patriarchal hierarchy) in this dystopian future.
The focus of the book is a journey to the perceived freedom of Witch Crag by three friends. Quainy is about to be sold off as a trade-wife and Raff is the delicate artist who is bullied by the manly sheepherders and horsemen. They both need to leave their town before ill fate becomes them. They are led by Kita who has secrets of her own and wants the freedom of choosing her own destiny, something that is impossible in their fort. However their escape has set events into motion, events that will lead to all-out war between the different factions of society, where Kita has to develop and control her new found skills to lead them all to peace.
Whilst I didn't hate this book, the development of Kita's magics feels a bit forced and artificial, almost like Deus ex machina, conveniently coming along at a point where they are in trouble. The main characters also feel sketched and I don't root for them, I don't feel any affection really, nor fulfillment when rthe romance between Quainy and Raff develops. However Arc, Kita's love interest is quite believable and I get the sense the author enjoyed writing him.
The pace is good, and the story at the heart of it is a compelling adventure, I just think this book pales in comparison to other similar recent dystopian YA releases such as Blood Red Road and The Testing.
I'd recommend it, but don't expect something that will blow you away.

[windinthewilloreads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, we clicked completely I love the world the characters, the writing flowed wonderfully.

[♔Insomnia here_for_the_catnip · Rating 2 out of 5]

**
2.5 stars

It was just a quick read before sleep, I didn't expect anything from this book, to be honest. And it didn't delivered much. The start was intriguing, it showed some glimpses of character and world building, the heroine wasn't a dumb pretty face either. Some tension in romance section, love it.
But after the main characters get aways from the hateful sheep-people fort, everything went downhill. I could see, that the author wanted to leave the heroine alone and hateful, so she would be ready for the main guy to rescue her and show that two of them are meant to be <|3 Seriously, the second part was so rushed, you could almost feel the author is pushing you without much explanation headfirst into the action.
A shame really, if she continued this pace, it would have been a pretty decent book.

[AC · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kita was born to the tribe of the sheepmen who, as you can probably guess from their name, raise sheep to survive! In a futuristic dystopian setting the world is very different to how we see it now, we don't know why the cities were destroyed but we do see that people live in a much more simplistic way. In fact in some ways it is like the tribes have gone backwards in time and reverted to previous ways of living.

There are several different tribes and they each have their own rules and ways of behaving, what quickly becomes clear is that women have a very low value in this new society - if they are beautiful then they are used as something valuable to trade with other tribes, if not then their life will be spent carrying out menial tasks and producing children. The sheepmen may have found a balance that allows their tribe to survive but their way of life doesn't allow time for fun or any enjoyment, even of the most simple things. Reading about the drudgery of their lives really makes you appreciate the things you have! The only thing that all of the tribes have in common is their fear of the witches who live on Witch Crag. Frightening rumours have been spread about the witches for years and the others are all terrified of their mystical powers and do whatever it takes to avoid them.

Kita isn't happy living with the sheepmen, she wants more from her life and hopes that she might find a better way of living on Witch Crag. Along with her friends Quainy and Raff she bravely sets out on a terrifying journey with no idea what really awaits for them at the end. What she finds will challenge all of her beliefs and lead to a revolution that effects not just Kita but also everyone she knows. Kita and her friends find themselves with an enemy that is almost unbeatable - unless they can convince all of the tribes to work together against them.

I found myself really sucked into Kita's world from the moment I picked up Witch Crag. We are introduced to a great selection of characters and I loved the complex relationships between them, even Kita's jealousy was endearing and understandable and I really enjoyed getting to know her. I loved getting to see how each of the different tribes lived, in some ways it felt like reading a historical story but it was easy to see how society could revert to old patterns if the world as we know it fell apart. It was also good to see the way people were forced to look at their choices and consider how things could be improved in the future, some of the characters will really surprise you with the actions they take.

This is the first story I've read by Kate Cann but it is one I'll definitely be recommending and I'm looking forward to reading more of her books in the future. The ending did feel a little rushed but I loved the fact that Witch Crag works as a standalone novel. As much as I would be happy to revisit the world and the characters it was nice to read a book that doesn't end on a massive cliffhanger leaving you waiting a whole year to find out how things end. There are some issues that haven't been resolved but they have been left open in a way that allows the reader to imagine their own conclusion or that the author could potentially revisit the characters again in the future. I'm sure that anyone who enjoys dystopian or post-apocalyptic will like Witch Crag and I look forward to reading more by Kate Cann in the future.

[Serendipity Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

For some reason I was expecting this to be really scary, but it wasn't at all. This was my first Kate Cann novel and I had been led to believe that she wrote frightening books yet this wasn't like that at all. This book was a beautifully written dystopian/fantasy which was reminiscent of the Mad Max films. The world building was fantastic and I found it very easy to immerse myself in the segregated world the author had created. The book follows the journey of Kita, who knows in her heart that there is more to life outside of the gates. Just as should be, she values her life and her own importance and can see the potential of her future, should she escape. At first she is disgusted by Arc, the cocky and arrogant foot soldier, destined to one day lead the sheep people. He treats her like a sexual prize to be had and fears his insistence to mate. When it looks as though she will lose her friend, Quainty, who is to be married off to the horseman, she is quick to put their escape into action.
Now you're probably thinking that Arc must be a real jerk, and for the first half of the book, I would totally agree with you, but as situations develop and events unfold, Arc changes dramatically. He grows up very quickly, realising that the old ways of life are becoming archaic and dramatic change is needed for their village to survive. I went from hating him to loving him by the end of the book and from what I can gather that was the author's intention. Kita grows dramatically in this book too; in the early chapters she appears quite innocent and timid, but as her powers grow she becomes a force to be reckoned with and is soon valued highly by her peers.
The women were treated really badly in this book. They were seen as being lower than even the sheep they cared for and at times I found myself frustrated by this. Women were treated like cattle, used for mating and slave labour. Children were born out of necessity and existed without ever knowing of the existence of love. The witches were feared by the other villagers mainly because of lack of knowledge on their behalf. It took time for everyone to learn the truth about Witch Crag.
The segregated villages were stifling to read about. Each male dominated village seemed to run under a dictatorship and the only one worth living in was the one they feared most of all.
This book was a really interesting read and one that flowed with ease; I found it extremely easy to read and I was soon lost in the story. I loved learning more about the ways of the witch, a subject that always attracts my interest.
My only niggle with the book was the ending which I felt told us what would happen rather than actually showing us. It all felt a little rushed and personally I would have liked to have seen an epilogue set in the near future, showing how life had changed and how each society had embraced the new regime.
Apart from that I loved it and I look forward to reading all the republished books by this author.

[Magdalen Dobson · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of those post-apocalyptic books with primitive tribes and fabled cities with a hint of the supernatural. Very similar to Under the Never Sky, a book I liked immensely.

This book had a captivating plot and good pace as well as delving into some tricky issues. However, I felt that some of the events and characteristics in this book were just too unbelievable. For example, the main character has supposedly been raised in a primitive settlements that does not value education and does not hesitate to execute dissidents; however, she uses words like "enlightened," regards the arts as intrinsically valuable, and quickly comes to throw off the beliefs of her community at the slightest provocation.

I also didn't enjoy the fact that many of the communities described seemed to be so clear-cut, obviously "good" or "bad" with hardly any individual deviation. As well as this, communities switched sides and threw aside old prejudices too quickly to be plausible.

On the whole a good book, but it could have taken some more polishing. I didn't feel as if Cann truly put all her energy into perfecting this work, and it suffered as a result.

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book! A powerful heroine, not perfect but very real. An almost terrifying world but with light at the end of the tunnel. All the characters were very believable even those that were kind of flat / simplistic because they were in the right setting. The entire story was as if you took a 2D picture and slowly but surely turned it into 3D. Wonderful.
However, I do have to agree that in retrospect, the change in society can seem a bit rushed (that's why I've given "only" 4 stars instead of all 5) but often in history the way to change was long and the actual tipping point came about lightning fast so it didn't seem too unrealistic while reading. Or it was the thrill of the events that kept me from thinking it was.
Anyway, I loved the characters, I loved the ambience (especially Witch Crag itself), I loved the story and where the author took it and I loved the author's style in writing.

[Ursula · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh my God. I hated this book it was such a bore and a waste of time. It was like the reader had to meet a word count and so sentences were unnecessarily long and 'description' was tiresome. It took me ages to finish because I just couldn't being myself to pick it back up. My friend said I'd get into it but 25 chapters in and I still wasn't, but I hate not finishing books so I FINALLY finished it today and I'm so glad because it was such a struggle. I would't recommend this book to my worst enemy.

[Nicola · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. The main character made me roll my eyes a lot, but the world building was amazing

[Mavis Ros · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Kita must make a choice: Survive in a life she will hate forever, or run away and almost certainly die."

Okay, hmmm... This quote from the book summary looks a lot different and short aside from the one in Goodreads which is a little longer and detailed, but I get it since this book blew me away. I don't know, I was already drawn to it.

Well, I don't mean to pry but I don't think that meant she wants to run to die. Rather, she wants to live freely in order to "survive". Which is certain that is what this book was trying to portray the main objective of the story.

We follow the athletic, determined Kita as she endures the suffer of being tortured to work for hours every day in order for a living in the hill fort, without awaiting needed rest, amongst her tribe of sheepmen. Unfortunately, the woman and the young men were treated as second-class unlike its tribes' army of footsoldiers of men, who were all trained, skilled, and well-treated with respect among the men.

But during their free time, their footsoldier's true skill was mating and flirting nonstop with every woman they laid their eyes on:
"Maybe the brides just didn't want to be married to old men."
"Are you serious?"
"Maybe. What about you, Kita? Where does your taste lie?"

In fact, this act was considered dumb and sexually forced that Kita had a hard time staying away and being hidden from Arc, the youngest, courageous, and reckless leader of the footsoldiers who immediately fell in love with Kita after just their one talk of conversation that he became a bit overprotective and jealous of any men who's willing to talk with Kita away.

However, Kita decides to make a decision of escaping her tribe along with her friends to freedom which they willingly succeeded until her friends discovered that there's more to Kita that they don't know about even learning how she can scare away one of the marauters(I think they're another term for wild animals) and especially, the mysterious Witch Crag. Credits and thumbs up to the title.

I can't help but notice that every character in this book speaks sometimes within paragraphs. Did they catch their breath to rest their voices? Uh, maybe or maybe not in my opinion?

It's only then do I realize their wretched history of the Great Havoc(term for Great War) and the separation between the three tribes and the witches. Until the tribes think the witches were dangerous in hanging up the murdered to scare them. Throughout halfway of the book, the first half focuses on Kita and her other two runaway friends as they seek for food and shelter. I thought at first that's what the plot is about until there's more to Kita's adventures that meets the eye.

I don't think I can go further since that'll literally explain the whole story. I'll just stop from that last paragraph for now. I just can't stop thinking how good this book was. At first, when I had spotted this cover, I thought it was rare because it wasn't like the rest of the books. After all that, I'll just say that I'm so thankful to buy and read this book.

Kate Cann did a great job in this one even though I've never heard of her or read her other books. This is her first one I've finished reading and let me just say that this is her best work yet.

[Cari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reaction: Witch Crag by Kate Cann

I was shocked when I realized that it was set in the future. The author did great easing me into it. Making me think the story was set in the ancient times, only mentioning huts and tents and sleeping sacks. Tending sheep and mating as a duty. The truth crept up and jumped at me. 

Futuristic stories normally include advanced technology. But Cann's version of the future doesn't. There are mentions of some gadgets and proof of techy life, but that's it. Even the word futuristic connotes advanced technology.

I liked that the story started creepy. Of a lifeless woman dumped into a pit of dead bodies. 

The plot twists were not that predictable. There were a few times that I assumed would have some sort of plot twist, but there's none - in a way removing its predictability. 

Here are the things that I disliked:
1. Geegaw's character wasn't explored. He was mysterious and interesting that it feels a shame that we didn't learn more about him. The manager was interesting as well and I would have liked to learn more about him. Why was he fat? Why were they serving him when he doesn't even do stuff for them? I wanted to know what their motives were.

2. Arc suddenly became a man. And it happened "off-cam". He was just matured, suddenly and it caught me off-guard. I wish I'd have seen more of him and what exactly changed him.

3. The pairing of Quainy and Raff as well as of Lilly and Flay was somehow predictable and forced? But I guess you'd really find comfort with a partner when you're on the verge of danger. 

4. How and why Kita has powers wasn't discussed much.

5. The feelings of the Sheep headman as well as Gath were not discussed at all. It would have been better if they showed why the old men wear feeling that way. Or at least displayed more of their behavior rather than just leaving it at "he went onto his hut".

But overall, I liked where it went and how it ended. It's the kind of open-ended story that isn't irritating but is hopeful.

[Caralue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantasy, historical fiction, tribes, and some tension in the romance? *inhales* Oh. My. GOD! I absolutely loved it. Just from seeing the blurb, I was highly interested and so I bought it. Reading the start had me a little confused though, "what? Funeral procession??" but I soon got the gist of it. But after like, reading a few chapters I went to this site to look for the rating. "hmm, 3 stars? People aren't much fond of it? Let's see." It lowered my expectations ngl, but at the end it turns out this is now one of my favorites! Especially in the romance section... Oh, believe me when I say it's been a year since I've found my taste in the romance section. This one made me go "AAAAAAAAAAA" in every little moments they had. Ahhh, Jesus.

Lesson learned: don't only judge a book based on its cover, but don't also judge a book by the ratings.

MAJOR SPOILERS BELOW, DO NOT READ UNTIL YOU'VE FINISHED THE BOOK.







Though, it lacked some stuff still. When Arc was released in the crag, he spoke his own speech about the plan. Which sounded exactly like what the witches had been saying. Same point. Just different words. So his speech was kinda disappointing. And in the part where they were in the old city, when Kita was chosen to call out the hiding civilians, her speech also didn't give out much power. It was... ok, that's just like what Arc said, no difference. So yeah. This book lacked powerful, convincing speeches. And seems like main characters had plot armor. I was hoping that after the war, some major characters might have died, like Quainy or Nada. But no, not one important character did. I mean yes some died but they were only background characters. It made the war look less realistic and less impactful. And the ending?? Unsatisfying, to say the least. I feel like it could've had a better punchline as the last sentence. But I'm not saying it was bad. Seems like the sheepmen would soon have more future babies made later that night
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[Belle the booknerd · Rating 3 out of 5]

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~Read this in physical copy

~Gave it 3.75 stars


~What's it about?

It's set in a post apocalyptic world. Where there are different tribes. The Sheepmen. The Farmers. The Horsemen. The Witches. The Old City. The witch crag is the tribe that basically is feared by all the tribes because of they are known to have powers and lure tribe women to the forest and suck the life and flesh out of them. The Old city is an enemy of all the tribes, consisting of savage and thug people going crazy and blood hungry,and a not so good government. We follow a girl named Kita from the hill fort which is the sheepmens place.She's tempted to flee from the abusive and shackled lives of the fort. And she plans to go to the witch crag, where nobody comes back alive. She's accompanied by her two best friends in this journey and an unexpected love interest.

~My thoughts on the book!

It's a pretty good book! really entertaining and very real emotions for a 14/15 yr old main character. The world really is a creative one but could've been better!! I find that the romance seemed zoned out? Forced? How can a trained headman be that soft? I can oversee that but there's too many parts like that, I kinda start getting iffy about it.
ahhhh! it had potential! but everything was too fast and the world wasn't built fully! it really had great potential! But still soo enjoyable!

~Do I recommend it? OFCOURSE! give it a go! its a good read!

Aaannddd thats all! IM OUT!

[Charlee-Ann Ellis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had higher hopes for this book when it started. It wasnt the worst book I've read this year but it also wasnt great. I know its a common joke thar protags in YA books have ridiculous names, but EVERYONE in this had a ridiculous non-name name. It also had times that were a bit... colonization-y for me. A lot of "our way of life is best and we have to change the tribes way of living to fit ours". The enemies to lovers plot line felt weak (I was convinced for the first half of the book she was in love with her female best friend Quainy), and there were other parts where I felt like plot twists couldve been added but werent. But I finished it. So it has that going for it...

[Star · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars



Listen, is this book 4.5 stars? Probably not. Is it very near and dear to my heart? Absolutely. Reading this as a girl really did so much for me. I adore how fleshed out this world is and I adore that Kita is so bitter and nasty at points, more female main characters like her please! And I love the romance so much- so peak. Great messaging about living together and accepting others too!

[Ranne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't really like the main character but I love the flow of the story and also the writing style of the author. I was hesitant at first because the first few chapters were kinda boring for me, but I'm glad that I continued reading until the end.

[Micah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I find this book absolutely sweet and revolutionary. Kita's rage with her best friends. Her doubt. Every emotion she was feeling.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good YA dystopian enemies to friends/lovers story.

It would be a five star read, but the character names made
me irrationally mad 🤣

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the most unique books I've ever read. I'm so happy I picked this up and read it. I would have loved an adult version of this.

[Alice · Rating 2 out of 5]

You shouldn't judge a book by its cover but Witch Crag's intriguing cover pulled me in from the start. I picked it up at a local book fair as my wild card book of the month.


Witch Crag sets a different scene to most dystopian books and takes place in a future where humanity has gone back to working from the land and surviving from crops and livestock. Strong men rule the lands whilst the weaker men and the women are slaves to it and must do as those above tell them. Even get married against their will.

Review: Witch Crag by Kate Cann

July 1, 2016

You shouldn't judge a book by its cover but Witch Crag's intriguing cover pulled me in from the start. I picked it up at a local book fair as my wild card book of the month.







Witch Crag sets a different scene to most dystopian books and takes place in a future where humanity has gone back to working from the land and surviving from crops and livestock. Strong men rule the lands whilst the weaker men and the women are slaves to it and must do as those above tell them. Even get married against their will.



Kita is a strong minded female who doesn't want to accept her fate of living as a wife and tending to sheep (who get better treatment than her). And so she and her close friends have to make a choice: stay and work under the authority of the elite or escape and take the journey to witch crag, the place where even the strongest men dare not go.



The concept of this book excited me and I got through the first half in no time at all. The characters where engaging and the action was thrilling however after the half way point this fast pace seemed to die. Along with the vast amount of, in my opinion, unnecessary characters came chapters of meetings and discussions which didn't lead anywhere. The pace soon dropped and I found myself disagreeing with a lot of Kita's choices which ended up with me disliking her (but this may not be the case for everyone).



Witch Crag is a good read for anyone wanting a new twist on dystopian fiction however with plot holes and clichés I can't recommend this book to anyone wanting a fully engaging read. However I would recommend this book as an easy read and would be perfect to take on holiday because, apart from remembering many names, there isn't too much you have to think about.

[Tim Roast · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got into this story straight away as the beginning is unique and interesting. Of course it could have been a lot harder to get the interest going given the initial setting so all credit to the author. The novel starts in the hill fort of the sheep men and their life is a grim one of enforced monotonous work with no room for any fun. Their function is to survive. As it says in the novel "Do the work, grinding work. Keep the sheep safe. Collect water. Guards the barricades. Survive."

Meanwhile there are other tribes around like the horsemen, the farmers, the city dwellers and the witches from Witch Crag, but the witches are avoided because everyone is scared of them.

Kita, a teenage girl from the sheep men, has visions and knows she needs to escape from her life with the sheep men. She is drawn to Witch Crag. So she sets about doing this convincing two of her friends to escape with her. Along the way they stumble across the city which is a place in ruins with metallic vehicles left from before the Great Havoc, vehicles called cars. There they are captured before they escape to finally make it to Witch Crag where the witches are not as scary as they had been made out to be. Having done so matters turn to war, with the city dwellers breaking out from their ruins to try and invade all the other tribes. Only an alliance between the farmers, horsemen, sheep men and witches can have any chance to stop them, but who will befriend the big bad witches?

A gripping story about escape, then battle, and maybe coming of age along the way for the young lead characters, that is suitable for teens up.

[Anya (An Awful Lot of Reading) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story is all about Kita, a young teen living in a tribe where all she has to look forward to is bearing children and looking after sheep. But she's something different. She has the urge to get out and see the world, find the witches that are supposed to be evil and scary but she knows that they are not. The friendship she has with her two best friends is strong and adorable, but she is jealous that they fall in love. Understandably, I think, but it comes across as a little childish.

It is a fascinating idea for dystopia - Cann makes references to a Great Havoc that causes the remaining people to return to simpler and more primitive ways of life. Then there is the city, a broken down civilisation with rusty cars and burned down skyscrapers. That's where the real bad guys life. Subtle comment on the hardship of modern life, huh?

The book started out brilliantly, with the mythical image of Witch Crag and a better life for the three friends, but the ending felt kind of rushed and I got the impression that Kita was being favourited with all her new magical powers. None the less, a great little book that keeps you engaged and inspires you to begin your own journey.

[Kirsty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Witch crag was an interesting read which I enjoyed.

Witch crag follows the story of Kita. Kita lives in a future world in a tribe ruled by one leader who is harsh. Women are treated like second class citizens and everyone lives a hard life working long ours from a young age to produce enough food to keep the tribe alive.

What struck me about this book was how easily I was drawn into Kita's world and how fascinated I found myself with her. I loved he relationship she had with her friends and I loved her spirit and seeing how she desperately wanted to have more than what her life offered her and the ways she went about seeking more out for herself.

The story itself is beautifully written and keeps you engrossed from the first page to the last and doesn't hold back when talking about the nastier side of Kita and the tribe's existence.

A fab read which I enjoyed.

[Charlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow I love this book so so much. However the Kita is like 15/16 and Arc is a soldier so he is most likely 18 at least and obviously this is an alternate reality and their only thing is to survive, but still I think Kita, Quainy and Raff should have been like 17/18. But I am just going to pretend that Kita and Raff are already 18 and Quainy is nearly 18.

[Mikayla]

I loved this book! It was great how the blurb on the back only told you about 1/3 of the book and the rest was a complete mystery. Witch crag was a hard book to put down and had short chapters which made it easier to read. I would definitely love to re-read this book :)

[Lucymay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! Met her at the Southern Schools Book Award contest and got the book signed and she is such an inspiring lady. Its amazing and quite romantic, in a non-serious way. Danger is really evident and the writing is creative. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR WRITING THIS BOOK!! Rated this 5 star!

[Shaz · Rating 2 out of 5]

How did I read this in a week? it was a complete bore and certain phrases were so irritating that i had to block them out like 'dearling' like what the fuck is that? lol still arc was pretty hot in a completely cliché way

[Fiona · Rating 3 out of 5]

REally good read. It's a post-apocoylpse book, it doesn't really start to give that away until the middle of the book. It would be intresting there was more back story on how the apocoylpse happened. Wrapped up everything nicely leaving it with an opening for a sequal if wanted.