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The Witch & The City
A witch without memories. A city without hope. Can love save them both?
The prison-city of Osylum floats in the midst of an endless abyss. The reclusive Lady rules it; distant, inscrutable, and never seen. Her will is imposed by the Wardens, eldritch creatures who tend to the convicts’ needs but also ruthlessly purge anyone who tries to escape.
Osylum’s newest inmate, the witch Oneirotheria, has no memory of who she is, where she came from, or why she is imprisoned. Instead, her mind is a mess of spells and lore and other people’s voices. The city mirrors her internal confusion; a jumble of broken buildings covered in hundreds of snippets of graffiti.
As Oneirotheria re-assembles her own shattered past (aided by a few inmates of dubious intent), she learns she may hold not just the key to escape, but the intertwined secrets of the city’s origin and a lost love that transcends countless lives.
For readers of Susanna Clarke’s Piranesi and Madeline Miller’s Circe, The Witch & The City introduces a lyrical and baroque fantasy world, where an ocean lurks behind every mirror, puppets pull the strings of the living, and even the skulls have secrets to tell... if a witch knows how to listen.
The prison-city of Osylum floats in the midst of an endless abyss. The reclusive Lady rules it; distant, inscrutable, and never seen. Her will is imposed by the Wardens, eldritch creatures who tend to the convicts’ needs but also ruthlessly purge anyone who tries to escape.
Osylum’s newest inmate, the witch Oneirotheria, has no memory of who she is, where she came from, or why she is imprisoned. Instead, her mind is a mess of spells and lore and other people’s voices. The city mirrors her internal confusion; a jumble of broken buildings covered in hundreds of snippets of graffiti.
As Oneirotheria re-assembles her own shattered past (aided by a few inmates of dubious intent), she learns she may hold not just the key to escape, but the intertwined secrets of the city’s origin and a lost love that transcends countless lives.
For readers of Susanna Clarke’s Piranesi and Madeline Miller’s Circe, The Witch & The City introduces a lyrical and baroque fantasy world, where an ocean lurks behind every mirror, puppets pull the strings of the living, and even the skulls have secrets to tell... if a witch knows how to listen.
300 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 24, 2023
10 people are currently reading
14873 people want to read
About the author
Jake Burnett
4 books87 followersJake Burnett grew up in seven countries on four continents and now lives in North Carolina with his wife and two full-time career dogs. When he’s not creating stories or tormenting his friends in tabletop RPGs, his ego keeps writing checks his body can’t cash by careening down wilderness trails or trying to move heavy things way too fast. Look for his latest novel The Witch & the City out now!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 90 reviews
September 25, 2023
Ah, all good things come to an end!
This book is definately one of my 2023 best reads. I savoured it, you can see it took me some time to finish, part because I had some trouble binding with both the story and the characters but then, everything started falling in place, part because I had another challenge going on 😅
An unusual witch, a mysterious puppeteer, two scientists, a monk and a full cast of characters in the weirdest city/prison I've ever read about.
Some readers might get lost in a plot full of twists and turns, revealing, slowly, and layer after layer what really hid in the first ward, the writing style, that I found captivating and slow burning, got me a bit confused, but I kept up, and didn't prevent myself from enjoying an awesome trip in a one of a kind world built from weirdness and mystery, in which, strange enough, I enjoyed being as desorientated as the main character and it was worth it!.
This book is about love, loss, grief, memories that make us, freedom and daring to face ourselves. This whole combination resulted in an amazing story with an unforgettable Oneirotheria and an end I didn't see coming!
I received an advance review copy for free (Book Sirens and the author), and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This book is definately one of my 2023 best reads. I savoured it, you can see it took me some time to finish, part because I had some trouble binding with both the story and the characters but then, everything started falling in place, part because I had another challenge going on 😅
An unusual witch, a mysterious puppeteer, two scientists, a monk and a full cast of characters in the weirdest city/prison I've ever read about.
Some readers might get lost in a plot full of twists and turns, revealing, slowly, and layer after layer what really hid in the first ward, the writing style, that I found captivating and slow burning, got me a bit confused, but I kept up, and didn't prevent myself from enjoying an awesome trip in a one of a kind world built from weirdness and mystery, in which, strange enough, I enjoyed being as desorientated as the main character and it was worth it!.
This book is about love, loss, grief, memories that make us, freedom and daring to face ourselves. This whole combination resulted in an amazing story with an unforgettable Oneirotheria and an end I didn't see coming!
I received an advance review copy for free (Book Sirens and the author), and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
August 27, 2023
Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in advance for my honest review. This book was not necessarily a book for me. I think some people would really enjoy this book but I could not seem to click with it. There were a few points that were done really well, but I did not enjoy the writing style and I did not find the characters very likeable.
This book starts off with an interesting premise where instead of people dying and a new person is born, here a person ‘dies’ and a new person is found. This new person is not born instead it is supposed to the previous person incarnate, they just do not have the previous person’s memories. And everyone is stuck inside this City and stuck in this circle where they have to follow The Lady’s rules otherwise her Wardens will Fade the person to where they no longer exist for good. This felt like a unique and interesting setup which I did appreciate.
This book then follows a newfound witch named Oneirotheria who does have some of the memories of her predecessor which gives her the goal to find an escape to the City. I did think this was an interesting plot line and I liked the premise of this book. I really just didn’t enjoy the writing style or the characters. The language felt disjointed and didn’t flow well all the time, and some language was just odd. “Here-Now” this was said all the time especially when being woken or discovering something. The language could also ne disjointed at times and more whimsical which again, just did not fit for me. But some might really enjoy this type of writing or prose but it just didn’t work for me. I have seen reviews where people love it, so still give it a try!
I will say I did enjoy the ending to where there were some twists and turns that made it engaging. I did enjoy the overall plot and how everything came together. I just could not connect to the writing or the characters, but I know some will so give it a try if the premise sounds interesting to you!
This book starts off with an interesting premise where instead of people dying and a new person is born, here a person ‘dies’ and a new person is found. This new person is not born instead it is supposed to the previous person incarnate, they just do not have the previous person’s memories. And everyone is stuck inside this City and stuck in this circle where they have to follow The Lady’s rules otherwise her Wardens will Fade the person to where they no longer exist for good. This felt like a unique and interesting setup which I did appreciate.
This book then follows a newfound witch named Oneirotheria who does have some of the memories of her predecessor which gives her the goal to find an escape to the City. I did think this was an interesting plot line and I liked the premise of this book. I really just didn’t enjoy the writing style or the characters. The language felt disjointed and didn’t flow well all the time, and some language was just odd. “Here-Now” this was said all the time especially when being woken or discovering something. The language could also ne disjointed at times and more whimsical which again, just did not fit for me. But some might really enjoy this type of writing or prose but it just didn’t work for me. I have seen reviews where people love it, so still give it a try!
I will say I did enjoy the ending to where there were some twists and turns that made it engaging. I did enjoy the overall plot and how everything came together. I just could not connect to the writing or the characters, but I know some will so give it a try if the premise sounds interesting to you!
March 15, 2024
This book deserves more attention. I enjoyed it immensely and I especially loved the setup. Like in Piranesi you have a charming main character who lives in a strange surrounding without having any particular understanding for the where, how, why and what the hack is going on.
Here our mc is a newly hatched witch, who finds herself in Osylum, a strange prison city. One of the few thing she knows about her situation is that she wants to escape. Together with the reader the witch discovers the peculiarities of the city, meets its inhabitants, finds enemies and friends, makes alliances and slowly develops a plan to escape. All this cumulates in a surprising and very satisfying ending.
The writing is excellent. It took me some time to get used to it but it uniquely emphasizes the unusualness and strangeness of the setting.
Here our mc is a newly hatched witch, who finds herself in Osylum, a strange prison city. One of the few thing she knows about her situation is that she wants to escape. Together with the reader the witch discovers the peculiarities of the city, meets its inhabitants, finds enemies and friends, makes alliances and slowly develops a plan to escape. All this cumulates in a surprising and very satisfying ending.
The writing is excellent. It took me some time to get used to it but it uniquely emphasizes the unusualness and strangeness of the setting.
October 1, 2023
Thank you, NetGalley, for giving me an ARC of this book! Here’s my honest review.
[4/5]
When I saw the synopsis for “The Witch & The City”, I was very interested in the book, and, after finishing reading it, I can say that most of my expectations were fulfilled! The book presents an interesting universe, with a vivid atmosphere; and unique and fun characters. Besides, I was positively surprised by the depth of the story’s message. I believe that the only thing I disliked in my experience reading this book was its rhythm — or the rhythm in which the information was laid out during the narrative.
The book’s plot is really cool. Definitely denser than I expected, but very interesting and filled with elements that fit perfectly to each other by the end of the story. The writing, just like the plot, is dense. As this wasn’t something I was expecting, I ended up taking a while to get into the story’s rhythm; but, when I was able to get into it, I started liking the writing quite a lot.
The worldbuilding was something that I was expecting to like. And, indeed, it was one of my favorite aspects of the book! Even though the ambiance is limited (Osylum is a prison, after all), it is really well developed; and I think “The Witch & The City” was capable of describing a soft magic system that enrichens the fantastic atmosphere of the book, but, at the same time, doesn’t give Oneirotheria a power that seems too disconnected from her reality (even though she is considered a very powerful character).
And, now that I mentioned Oneirotheria, I should say that I didn’t expect to like the characters as much as I did. The characters are very well integrated into the world that they are part of but are also engaging enough to create funny moments during the read and for the reader to understand everyone’s personality and relevance to the plot. And Oneirotheria is a great heroine — and that’s wonderful since it’s her journey (in many ways) that guides the narrative and pushes it forward. Also, she reminded me of other heroines I really like, like Chihiro and Coraline Jones.
The overall theme and message of the book were also aspects that positively surprised me. “The Witch & The City” is a book about a place in which is impossible to escape (haha) from oblivion, and, simultaneously, is a book about wanting to forget; and about being stuck in one’s pain for so long that the cause for it was already forgotten. Even though I thought the final chapters were a little bit too fast, I believe that the message was well shown and contributed to the tone of the book.
As I mentioned before, the rhythm of the book is the only thing I considered negative, because, in my opinion, it made the reading experience more confusing than it needed to be. I believe that fantasy books are always at risk of being confusing because the existence of things that are not a part of our universe and that need to be explained is an intrinsic aspect of the genre. However, at the beginning of the read (the first 30%, approximately), I thought that it was almost too confusing. When I realized that that impression was disturbing my reading process, I ended up restarting the book, and only then I was capable of truly feeling engaged with the story.
Taking into account the context of the book, I believe that is possible the confusing narrative was intentional and, if it was, I think that this choice was good and its execution wasn’t necessarily bad. But I think that the fact that, even though the universe of the book is limited, it is very extensive for a character (and a reader) that doesn’t understand anything about it to be inserted into it without any difficulties ends up forming an obstacle that needs to be surpassed. But I am sure that overcoming that obstacle is worth it!
[4/5]
When I saw the synopsis for “The Witch & The City”, I was very interested in the book, and, after finishing reading it, I can say that most of my expectations were fulfilled! The book presents an interesting universe, with a vivid atmosphere; and unique and fun characters. Besides, I was positively surprised by the depth of the story’s message. I believe that the only thing I disliked in my experience reading this book was its rhythm — or the rhythm in which the information was laid out during the narrative.
The book’s plot is really cool. Definitely denser than I expected, but very interesting and filled with elements that fit perfectly to each other by the end of the story. The writing, just like the plot, is dense. As this wasn’t something I was expecting, I ended up taking a while to get into the story’s rhythm; but, when I was able to get into it, I started liking the writing quite a lot.
The worldbuilding was something that I was expecting to like. And, indeed, it was one of my favorite aspects of the book! Even though the ambiance is limited (Osylum is a prison, after all), it is really well developed; and I think “The Witch & The City” was capable of describing a soft magic system that enrichens the fantastic atmosphere of the book, but, at the same time, doesn’t give Oneirotheria a power that seems too disconnected from her reality (even though she is considered a very powerful character).
And, now that I mentioned Oneirotheria, I should say that I didn’t expect to like the characters as much as I did. The characters are very well integrated into the world that they are part of but are also engaging enough to create funny moments during the read and for the reader to understand everyone’s personality and relevance to the plot. And Oneirotheria is a great heroine — and that’s wonderful since it’s her journey (in many ways) that guides the narrative and pushes it forward. Also, she reminded me of other heroines I really like, like Chihiro and Coraline Jones.
The overall theme and message of the book were also aspects that positively surprised me. “The Witch & The City” is a book about a place in which is impossible to escape (haha) from oblivion, and, simultaneously, is a book about wanting to forget; and about being stuck in one’s pain for so long that the cause for it was already forgotten. Even though I thought the final chapters were a little bit too fast, I believe that the message was well shown and contributed to the tone of the book.
As I mentioned before, the rhythm of the book is the only thing I considered negative, because, in my opinion, it made the reading experience more confusing than it needed to be. I believe that fantasy books are always at risk of being confusing because the existence of things that are not a part of our universe and that need to be explained is an intrinsic aspect of the genre. However, at the beginning of the read (the first 30%, approximately), I thought that it was almost too confusing. When I realized that that impression was disturbing my reading process, I ended up restarting the book, and only then I was capable of truly feeling engaged with the story.
Taking into account the context of the book, I believe that is possible the confusing narrative was intentional and, if it was, I think that this choice was good and its execution wasn’t necessarily bad. But I think that the fact that, even though the universe of the book is limited, it is very extensive for a character (and a reader) that doesn’t understand anything about it to be inserted into it without any difficulties ends up forming an obstacle that needs to be surpassed. But I am sure that overcoming that obstacle is worth it!
November 15, 2023
I tried to really enjoy this book, to make sense of it but I just could not.
I tried imagining what I was reading, I just couldn't. It was like a wreck train for me, which would not stop at any station. It was too difficult to connect with any character or even to the plot.
It might not be book's fault given how people have loved it. It is just not a book for me. I couldn't understand a lot of stuff happening in it.
Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.
I tried imagining what I was reading, I just couldn't. It was like a wreck train for me, which would not stop at any station. It was too difficult to connect with any character or even to the plot.
It might not be book's fault given how people have loved it. It is just not a book for me. I couldn't understand a lot of stuff happening in it.
Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.
September 16, 2023
This is not the usual witchy story: it's complex, multilayered and the style of writing is quite unusual and using a lot of word that are not usually in a fantasy story.
This is a good book once you get used to the style of writing. It's a good speculative fiction with a surprising twists
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
This is a good book once you get used to the style of writing. It's a good speculative fiction with a surprising twists
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
November 29, 2025
This novel is about a witch with no memory trapped in a drifting prison‑city, gradually piecing together who she is and uncovering the twisted, haunting secrets of the city itself.
From the moment I began reading The Witch & The City by Jake Burnett, I was pulled into the strange and beautifully unsettling world of Osylum, a city suspended in an abyss, ruled by a distant, unseen “Lady,” and patrolled by eldritch “Wardens.” Our protagonist, Oneirotheria, wakes with no past, surrounded by fractured memories, spells, and a jumble of lore. As the city’s graffiti‑scrawled walls echo the confusion in her mind, she begins the slow, fragile process of reclaiming identity, a journey that feels as fragile and uncertain as memory itself.
Having now finished it, I’m still thinking about how the book made me feel. The writing leans into the uncanny, there’s whimsy and strangeness in equal measure, a kind of hushed, dreamlike disorientation that matches Oneirotheria’s own experience. I felt both lost and curiously enthralled, stumbling through corridors and wards that echo with forgotten voices and secret heartbeats. The pacing sometimes demands patience: early on, the prose fluttered between poetic snippets, cryptic clues, and dream‑logic dialogue, which left me off‑balance but that instability slowly gave way to clarity as the threads began to weave together.
What stayed with me most was the sense of fragility: of memory, identity, hope. Oneirotheria’s gradual rediscovery of herself felt intimate, haunting, and courageous. And though the world is strange, bleak even, there is a quiet yearning in her, a desire to remember, to escape, to find meaning beyond cycles of forgetting. That ache struck a chord. I think this is a book for readers who adore atmosphere over straightforwardness: for those who don’t mind walking through shifting shadows in search of a glimmer of truth.
Rating: 4 out of 5 — because while the dreamy, labyrinthine prose and the slow‑burn mystery occasionally left me scrambling for context, the emotional core, the longing for identity, memory, and freedom resonated powerfully, and the ending offered a haunting, thought‑provoking payoff.
From the moment I began reading The Witch & The City by Jake Burnett, I was pulled into the strange and beautifully unsettling world of Osylum, a city suspended in an abyss, ruled by a distant, unseen “Lady,” and patrolled by eldritch “Wardens.” Our protagonist, Oneirotheria, wakes with no past, surrounded by fractured memories, spells, and a jumble of lore. As the city’s graffiti‑scrawled walls echo the confusion in her mind, she begins the slow, fragile process of reclaiming identity, a journey that feels as fragile and uncertain as memory itself.
Having now finished it, I’m still thinking about how the book made me feel. The writing leans into the uncanny, there’s whimsy and strangeness in equal measure, a kind of hushed, dreamlike disorientation that matches Oneirotheria’s own experience. I felt both lost and curiously enthralled, stumbling through corridors and wards that echo with forgotten voices and secret heartbeats. The pacing sometimes demands patience: early on, the prose fluttered between poetic snippets, cryptic clues, and dream‑logic dialogue, which left me off‑balance but that instability slowly gave way to clarity as the threads began to weave together.
What stayed with me most was the sense of fragility: of memory, identity, hope. Oneirotheria’s gradual rediscovery of herself felt intimate, haunting, and courageous. And though the world is strange, bleak even, there is a quiet yearning in her, a desire to remember, to escape, to find meaning beyond cycles of forgetting. That ache struck a chord. I think this is a book for readers who adore atmosphere over straightforwardness: for those who don’t mind walking through shifting shadows in search of a glimmer of truth.
Rating: 4 out of 5 — because while the dreamy, labyrinthine prose and the slow‑burn mystery occasionally left me scrambling for context, the emotional core, the longing for identity, memory, and freedom resonated powerfully, and the ending offered a haunting, thought‑provoking payoff.
August 13, 2023
Lush prose and weird witchy vibes! I know the writing style isn't for everyone, however I loved it! I enjoyed looking up definitions of words and really thinking about the content. The storyline seems intentionally disjointed--a reflection of the protagonists lack of memory--which makes it so enjoyable to experience the world as she does. And how it all comes together at the end? Perfection.
Also, this is a book for fans of the podcast Welcome to the Night!
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.
Also, this is a book for fans of the podcast Welcome to the Night!
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.
July 28, 2023
Having now finished, I can confidently say I did not expect to love the ending (and our protagonist) as much as I did. There was a twist that I didn’t see coming, and I was really touched by how sweet it ended up being, esp since the book is many things - quirky, odd, cold, heartless, but rarely sweet. The world building was both thorough and thoroughly mysterious. Parts of it reminded me of Alice in Wonderland, parts of certain Doctor Who episodes. I liked it a lot! Thank you so much for the ARC, which I was granted access to through NetGalley!
July 29, 2023
I received an Arc from NetGalley so here’s my honest review. This book was great! The plot, the characters, the pace were incredible. The only reason it wasn’t a five star read for me was it was so “whimsical” and weird (I’m assuming to make you feel as disoriented as the protaganist) that I felt like I was holding on for dear life trying to keep up with what was going on. Also how in the world do you pronounce the MC’s name?
October 18, 2023
Synopsis:
The prison-city of Osylum floats in the midst of an endless abyss. The reclusive Lady rules it; distant, inscrutable, and never seen. Her will is imposed by the Wardens, eldritch creatures who tend to the convicts’ needs but also ruthlessly purge anyone who tries to escape.
Osylum’s newest inmate, the witch Oneirotheria, has no memory of who she is, where she came from, or why she is imprisoned. Instead, her mind is a mess of spells and lore and other people’s voices. The city mirrors her internal confusion; a jumble of broken buildings covered in hundreds of snippets of graffiti.
As Oneirotheria re-assembles her own shattered past (aided by a few inmates of dubious intent), she learns she may hold not just the key to escape, but the intertwined secrets of the city’s origin and a lost love that transcends countless lives.
For readers of Susanna Clarke’s Piranesi and Madeline Miller’s Circe, The Witch & The City introduces a lyrical and baroque fantasy world, where an ocean lurks behind every mirror, puppets pull the strings of the living, and even the skulls have secrets to tell... if a witch knows how to listen.
What I really loved:
- This is the kind of story that drops you in the middle of things and you figure out how everything fits together as you go along with the main character. I tend to really enjoy those types of stories (the mystery and questions that surround it all) and I think it worked well here.
- I enjoyed the witch's character and the bits of nonsense that surrounded her.
- Lots of witty playing around with words and language! As a former English teacher turned librarian, I really appreciated and enjoyed that!
- There are some bigger twists that happen towards the end, and they surprisingly tugged at my heart-strings. I loved the heart of the story (but I do wish there had been more of that!).
What I didn’t love:
- I think at times the nonsense felt too heavy, and if it coincided with times of little plot, it created moments that started feeling repetitive and tedious.
- There were times that the story felt slow to me. I was interested in the beginning, but then it felt like I was just going about the same usual activities with the main witch character and things had become stagnant. The story DID pick up, but I had to push myself some to get to that point.
- There was some big heart to this story, once you get to the end and learn about it. I wish there had been more of that throughout so when it did get to that ending bit, it would've pulled on my emotions even harder. The end in that way felt so abrupt, and I wished I could've spent more time processing and understanding that event (and moments leading up to it) with those characters for longer.
Overall:
I really did enjoy this one! It felt incredibly unique, lighthearted (to a certain extent), and maze like (trying to figure out which things led to where and who and how it all connected). While the end bits felt more rushed and less fleshed out, the overall story was a great concept that was executed well and made for a good read on a fall day!
Thank you to both South Window Press and Netgalley for allowing me to read an early review copy!
The prison-city of Osylum floats in the midst of an endless abyss. The reclusive Lady rules it; distant, inscrutable, and never seen. Her will is imposed by the Wardens, eldritch creatures who tend to the convicts’ needs but also ruthlessly purge anyone who tries to escape.
Osylum’s newest inmate, the witch Oneirotheria, has no memory of who she is, where she came from, or why she is imprisoned. Instead, her mind is a mess of spells and lore and other people’s voices. The city mirrors her internal confusion; a jumble of broken buildings covered in hundreds of snippets of graffiti.
As Oneirotheria re-assembles her own shattered past (aided by a few inmates of dubious intent), she learns she may hold not just the key to escape, but the intertwined secrets of the city’s origin and a lost love that transcends countless lives.
For readers of Susanna Clarke’s Piranesi and Madeline Miller’s Circe, The Witch & The City introduces a lyrical and baroque fantasy world, where an ocean lurks behind every mirror, puppets pull the strings of the living, and even the skulls have secrets to tell... if a witch knows how to listen.
What I really loved:
- This is the kind of story that drops you in the middle of things and you figure out how everything fits together as you go along with the main character. I tend to really enjoy those types of stories (the mystery and questions that surround it all) and I think it worked well here.
- I enjoyed the witch's character and the bits of nonsense that surrounded her.
- Lots of witty playing around with words and language! As a former English teacher turned librarian, I really appreciated and enjoyed that!
- There are some bigger twists that happen towards the end, and they surprisingly tugged at my heart-strings. I loved the heart of the story (but I do wish there had been more of that!).
What I didn’t love:
- I think at times the nonsense felt too heavy, and if it coincided with times of little plot, it created moments that started feeling repetitive and tedious.
- There were times that the story felt slow to me. I was interested in the beginning, but then it felt like I was just going about the same usual activities with the main witch character and things had become stagnant. The story DID pick up, but I had to push myself some to get to that point.
- There was some big heart to this story, once you get to the end and learn about it. I wish there had been more of that throughout so when it did get to that ending bit, it would've pulled on my emotions even harder. The end in that way felt so abrupt, and I wished I could've spent more time processing and understanding that event (and moments leading up to it) with those characters for longer.
Overall:
I really did enjoy this one! It felt incredibly unique, lighthearted (to a certain extent), and maze like (trying to figure out which things led to where and who and how it all connected). While the end bits felt more rushed and less fleshed out, the overall story was a great concept that was executed well and made for a good read on a fall day!
Thank you to both South Window Press and Netgalley for allowing me to read an early review copy!
October 21, 2023
My thanks to NetGalley and South Window Press.
Osylum is a prison city, designed to keep people in and escape is the most forbidden word in this cage. Even thinking it can get you erased from reality. Oneirotheria is a “foundling” witch who finds herself in trapped in Osylum with no idea of who she is, where she is, and only fragments of someone else’s memories in her head to help her along. Will she be able to unravel the clues left to her by unknown allies (or are they enemies?), or is it possible the clues to achieving the impossible escape were left there by her own hand?
Confession time: I honestly didn’t think I was going to make it through this book. The first chapter failed to catch me, I found it a little confusing and hard to follow. But boy-howdy am I glad I stuck with it. This book is an absolute delight and I had so much fun reading it. This is a type of book that is not normally in my wheelhouse (I hesitate to call it YA, but it certainly could fit that genre comfortably). Instead what I got was a faerie tale/fable/adventure yarn.
Jake Burnett is a master wordsmith. His writing here is stylized and playful, energetic and light. For someone who delights in wordplay and linguistics, this is a book for you. He plays with language in this book endlessly, dissecting words and phrases, playing games with meaning, and slinging puns and mad concoctions of phrase with secret wisdom at their centers. It’s like if Lewis Carroll had decided to write The Hobbit instead of the Alice stories. The book is peppered with sayings and aphorisms, sometimes following a pretzel logic that still arrives at where it’s meant to, kind of like a plane flying from Ohio to New York via Madagascar. That said, the writing is in no way dense or bogged down, and the story moves along at pretty good clip. The pacing keeps you turning pages, and there really aren’t any sections that were a slog. The energy level in this book is fairly high, and stays that way for almost the entire thing.
The worldbuilding is very well done. Despite being limited to the city of Osylum, the world does not feel cramped and hemmed in as one would expect a prison to feel. Divided into nine Wards, the setting Burnett provides is varied, and each Ward distinct from the others. While obviously a world built on fantasy and imagination, it feels organic. There are some light steampunk elements present, and magic exists alongside technology (mostly of the clockwork variety) in this world.
The characters are mostly as whimsical and entertaining as a Carroll creation. We need a villain of course, and there are some good ones here, especially the Ratkippers and their leader Eschatos, as well as the mysterious Wardens. The supporting cast of characters brought to mind the film Labyrinth, with so many of them providing guidance, assistance, and (occasionally) comic relief, yet almost all of them clearly cut from the fantasy cloth, serving to emphasize and bring to life the fantasy elements of the story. The Linnaea in particular is (are?) an interesting bit of character creation, and I enjoyed the stylistic choice used to depict their dialogue.
But the star of the show is Oneirotheria (say that three times fast). She comes into the tale an almost literal blank slate, and following along with her as she discovers the city she finds herself in is a joy. She is endlessly curious, playful, adventurous, and maybe a bit too clever for her own (or anyone else’s) good. She makes a delightful leading lady, and her constant sense of wonder and curiosity at her surroundings makes for an engaging and entertaining protagonist.
My only qualm is the ending. After the romp that led us up to the conclusion, it felt a little bit flat and bland to me. There is a twist, which some more mentally adept readers may guess at (the lightbulb didn’t turn on for me until the twist was almost revealed), but the hinge upon which it rests felt a little bland. It is by no means a bad ending, but it is slightly trope and after the good time I was having, it struck me as a little anticlimactic. However, I consider that a small gripe in an otherwise engaging, smartly-paced delight of a read.
All in all, I would definitely recommend this book to people who like imaginative and offbeat wordplay (a lá Lewis Carroll), witches and magic, fables, YA, and fantasy and/or steampunk, as well as those who could use a dash of wonder and whimsy in their day. Thumbs up.
Osylum is a prison city, designed to keep people in and escape is the most forbidden word in this cage. Even thinking it can get you erased from reality. Oneirotheria is a “foundling” witch who finds herself in trapped in Osylum with no idea of who she is, where she is, and only fragments of someone else’s memories in her head to help her along. Will she be able to unravel the clues left to her by unknown allies (or are they enemies?), or is it possible the clues to achieving the impossible escape were left there by her own hand?
Confession time: I honestly didn’t think I was going to make it through this book. The first chapter failed to catch me, I found it a little confusing and hard to follow. But boy-howdy am I glad I stuck with it. This book is an absolute delight and I had so much fun reading it. This is a type of book that is not normally in my wheelhouse (I hesitate to call it YA, but it certainly could fit that genre comfortably). Instead what I got was a faerie tale/fable/adventure yarn.
Jake Burnett is a master wordsmith. His writing here is stylized and playful, energetic and light. For someone who delights in wordplay and linguistics, this is a book for you. He plays with language in this book endlessly, dissecting words and phrases, playing games with meaning, and slinging puns and mad concoctions of phrase with secret wisdom at their centers. It’s like if Lewis Carroll had decided to write The Hobbit instead of the Alice stories. The book is peppered with sayings and aphorisms, sometimes following a pretzel logic that still arrives at where it’s meant to, kind of like a plane flying from Ohio to New York via Madagascar. That said, the writing is in no way dense or bogged down, and the story moves along at pretty good clip. The pacing keeps you turning pages, and there really aren’t any sections that were a slog. The energy level in this book is fairly high, and stays that way for almost the entire thing.
The worldbuilding is very well done. Despite being limited to the city of Osylum, the world does not feel cramped and hemmed in as one would expect a prison to feel. Divided into nine Wards, the setting Burnett provides is varied, and each Ward distinct from the others. While obviously a world built on fantasy and imagination, it feels organic. There are some light steampunk elements present, and magic exists alongside technology (mostly of the clockwork variety) in this world.
The characters are mostly as whimsical and entertaining as a Carroll creation. We need a villain of course, and there are some good ones here, especially the Ratkippers and their leader Eschatos, as well as the mysterious Wardens. The supporting cast of characters brought to mind the film Labyrinth, with so many of them providing guidance, assistance, and (occasionally) comic relief, yet almost all of them clearly cut from the fantasy cloth, serving to emphasize and bring to life the fantasy elements of the story. The Linnaea in particular is (are?) an interesting bit of character creation, and I enjoyed the stylistic choice used to depict their dialogue.
But the star of the show is Oneirotheria (say that three times fast). She comes into the tale an almost literal blank slate, and following along with her as she discovers the city she finds herself in is a joy. She is endlessly curious, playful, adventurous, and maybe a bit too clever for her own (or anyone else’s) good. She makes a delightful leading lady, and her constant sense of wonder and curiosity at her surroundings makes for an engaging and entertaining protagonist.
My only qualm is the ending. After the romp that led us up to the conclusion, it felt a little bit flat and bland to me. There is a twist, which some more mentally adept readers may guess at (the lightbulb didn’t turn on for me until the twist was almost revealed), but the hinge upon which it rests felt a little bland. It is by no means a bad ending, but it is slightly trope and after the good time I was having, it struck me as a little anticlimactic. However, I consider that a small gripe in an otherwise engaging, smartly-paced delight of a read.
All in all, I would definitely recommend this book to people who like imaginative and offbeat wordplay (a lá Lewis Carroll), witches and magic, fables, YA, and fantasy and/or steampunk, as well as those who could use a dash of wonder and whimsy in their day. Thumbs up.
October 17, 2023
The witch Oneirotheria wakes up in the prison-city of Osylum and she doesn’t remember much—only the word “ESCAPE”. There’s only one problem: Osylum is surrounded by a vast nothingness, guarded by creepy wardens, and watched over by “The Lady”, a ruler who is always watching. The witch is assisted by a motley crew of life-sized puppets as she tries to discover all of Osylum’s mysteries as well as her own.
I would describe this book as literary leaning fantasy. The writing style contains a lot of wordplay and Oneirotheria speaks in a sing-songy, at times rhyming, sort of cant. It’s not a style that will work for everyone but I really delighted in the construction of each sentence and thought it really helped to create a sort of absurdist tone which fits in perfectly with the madness of the prison-city. In this way, it reminds me of Alice in Wonderland with a darker twist and some sort of grotesque Truman Show where the MC is keenly aware she is always being watched but unsure how…
I really liked the witch; she can turn into a magpie and, like a magpie, she collects words and is always seeking knowledge. As her memories begin to unravel she discovers the word “Love” and I enjoyed watching her come to terms with what that means for her individuality.
In terms of plot, at first it felt a little episodic, which honestly makes sense for a character who is bumping along in the dark (both literally and figuratively) but eventually every “mini adventure” combined to make a whole picture and I really appreciate the clever way it all come together. There were clues along the way but, unless you know what to look for, you (like me) won’t see the final twist coming. The ending was emotional and the payoff was satisfying. Underneath all the wordplay and adventure, the story is about being true to yourself (especially under difficult circumstances), and it’s about love and grief.
I recommend this book if you like unique storytelling and if you too are a magpie for words and language.
Thank you to Jake Burnett and #SouthWindowPress for the ARC in exchange for my honest review
I would describe this book as literary leaning fantasy. The writing style contains a lot of wordplay and Oneirotheria speaks in a sing-songy, at times rhyming, sort of cant. It’s not a style that will work for everyone but I really delighted in the construction of each sentence and thought it really helped to create a sort of absurdist tone which fits in perfectly with the madness of the prison-city. In this way, it reminds me of Alice in Wonderland with a darker twist and some sort of grotesque Truman Show where the MC is keenly aware she is always being watched but unsure how…
I really liked the witch; she can turn into a magpie and, like a magpie, she collects words and is always seeking knowledge. As her memories begin to unravel she discovers the word “Love” and I enjoyed watching her come to terms with what that means for her individuality.
In terms of plot, at first it felt a little episodic, which honestly makes sense for a character who is bumping along in the dark (both literally and figuratively) but eventually every “mini adventure” combined to make a whole picture and I really appreciate the clever way it all come together. There were clues along the way but, unless you know what to look for, you (like me) won’t see the final twist coming. The ending was emotional and the payoff was satisfying. Underneath all the wordplay and adventure, the story is about being true to yourself (especially under difficult circumstances), and it’s about love and grief.
I recommend this book if you like unique storytelling and if you too are a magpie for words and language.
Thank you to Jake Burnett and #SouthWindowPress for the ARC in exchange for my honest review
September 25, 2023
This was, I think, nearly everything I could possibly have wanted it to be.
Welcome to the Osylum, a steampunk London-inspired prison city shrouded in fog, stuffed with rich literary references, and inhabited by marionettes, cannibals, clockwork creatures, ominous Wardens and one insatiably curious witch. You can never leave.
You can't put the book down, either.
It's one thing to write a brilliant fantasy. But it's quite another to make it a celebration of language, real or invented, and spin a darkly whimsical tale like Alice in Wonderland for readers who are quite grown-up.
Delighted to receive the ARC from NetGalley and looking forward to seeing The Witch & The City take the adult fantasy world by storm.
Longer review here for the curious: http://bookmarkedone.home.blog/2023/0....
Welcome to the Osylum, a steampunk London-inspired prison city shrouded in fog, stuffed with rich literary references, and inhabited by marionettes, cannibals, clockwork creatures, ominous Wardens and one insatiably curious witch. You can never leave.
You can't put the book down, either.
It's one thing to write a brilliant fantasy. But it's quite another to make it a celebration of language, real or invented, and spin a darkly whimsical tale like Alice in Wonderland for readers who are quite grown-up.
Delighted to receive the ARC from NetGalley and looking forward to seeing The Witch & The City take the adult fantasy world by storm.
Longer review here for the curious: http://bookmarkedone.home.blog/2023/0....
October 23, 2023
Pub Date: 10/24/23
In the prison city, one can live many lives, but once reborn, you have no memory of lives prior. The MC is a Witch and the one who came before her used magic to leave pieces of her memory behind to help her escape. But as far as she can tell, there is nothing outside of the prison city and the gaps in memory prove difficult to fill. She needs to rely on help from others, but to ask for help is to put them in danger.
Magic is used but this is not your typical witchy story. The writing style is unique. I think this book would do well with particular audiences. Those who have an extensive vocabulary, a love of learning new words, or even those who partake in eReaders that can easily lookup the unknowns will enjoy this book. Those who pick up a novel and want to get lost in a new world or try to put pieces of a puzzle together will also enjoy.
For those who set reading goals of 100s of books/year, are into speed reading to keep up a high amount of new IG content or just generally like to breeze through books, this won't be your cuppa tea.
Thank you #netgalley, the author and South Window Press for the ARC!
In the prison city, one can live many lives, but once reborn, you have no memory of lives prior. The MC is a Witch and the one who came before her used magic to leave pieces of her memory behind to help her escape. But as far as she can tell, there is nothing outside of the prison city and the gaps in memory prove difficult to fill. She needs to rely on help from others, but to ask for help is to put them in danger.
Magic is used but this is not your typical witchy story. The writing style is unique. I think this book would do well with particular audiences. Those who have an extensive vocabulary, a love of learning new words, or even those who partake in eReaders that can easily lookup the unknowns will enjoy this book. Those who pick up a novel and want to get lost in a new world or try to put pieces of a puzzle together will also enjoy.
For those who set reading goals of 100s of books/year, are into speed reading to keep up a high amount of new IG content or just generally like to breeze through books, this won't be your cuppa tea.
Thank you #netgalley, the author and South Window Press for the ARC!
September 16, 2023
First off, thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book! It is in my top five reads of 2023.
If you enjoy dystopic-based books and learning with the main character, this book is for you. When you first meet Oneirotheria you get a sense of newness, curiosity, and vulnerability; as the book progresses you grow with her as she learns about Osylum. The unique take on witch speak is one of my favorite parts of the book!
Once you're hooked into the book you'll struggle to put it down.
If you enjoy dystopic-based books and learning with the main character, this book is for you. When you first meet Oneirotheria you get a sense of newness, curiosity, and vulnerability; as the book progresses you grow with her as she learns about Osylum. The unique take on witch speak is one of my favorite parts of the book!
Once you're hooked into the book you'll struggle to put it down.
July 21, 2023
Thankful to the author and Netgalley for giving me this as an ARC. All thoughts are my own.
This is such a whimsical book. It reads like a fairytale, and I had a ride getting lost in the story. Love this style and the characters. It takes a minute to get into, but it's pretty fun.
This is such a whimsical book. It reads like a fairytale, and I had a ride getting lost in the story. Love this style and the characters. It takes a minute to get into, but it's pretty fun.
July 17, 2023
I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley. This was my first fantasy book and I must say it was very interesting. I found myself immersing in this world and couldn't wait to see what happened next.
July 5, 2023
For me personally, I’d stick this book at a 3.5 but I’ll round up to 4 because anything I didn’t love about the book was minor or just a “not for me” thing. This book was an interesting and fun read. I can totally see why it’s compared to Piranesi in marketing. The prose are a bit different but it did give off similar vibes. If you liked Piranesi, there is a good chance you’d like this one.
I enjoyed reading because of the character more as the book went on. But the prose are definitely the strongest aspect of the book. At times I struggled with it a little. I felt a little disconnected from what was happening because of the writing style. I don’t really dock the quality of the book though because it was still very well written.
The length of this book is also absolutely perfect. I think that’s something people often overlook when considering how much hey enjoy a book. Had this book been longer it would have lost interest but had it been shorter, there would have been too much missing.
I enjoyed reading because of the character more as the book went on. But the prose are definitely the strongest aspect of the book. At times I struggled with it a little. I felt a little disconnected from what was happening because of the writing style. I don’t really dock the quality of the book though because it was still very well written.
The length of this book is also absolutely perfect. I think that’s something people often overlook when considering how much hey enjoy a book. Had this book been longer it would have lost interest but had it been shorter, there would have been too much missing.
July 6, 2023
Well written prose meets interesting plot. First, thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read this novel. I am not a huge fantasy reader but this book was interesting in learning more about Oneirotheria and the city of Osylum. There was a unique magic system and the plot was written well enough that I didn't guess the twists or end. If you liked Piranesi or The Night Circus you'll enjoy this book a lot.
July 8, 2023
The Witch and The City was a fantastical and mysterious world, beautifully created. It was full of twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat nearly the whole book. I received an ARC of this book and I love this idea, and I think that the author does a really great job of bringing it to life!
August 5, 2023
Thank you to NetGalley and South Window Press for sending me the e-ARC of The Witch & the City.
When I first read the preview for this book, I thought it was such a unique premise and I was really excited to read it. Overall, I think that it's an interesting book, but there were some parts that I struggled to get through.
Starting with the good! First, the world-building here is great; the book takes place across the nine wards of Osylum, which just so happens to be a floating prison city. As you progress through the story, Burnett is able to provide a rich background that seamlessly transports you there. It's easy to picture things like the narrow streets, the graffiti-covered buildings, the puppets, and the Wardens gliding around. This leads to the second part of the book that I enjoyed, which is the prose.
Jake Burnett can certainly write! While I found myself off-balance for a lot of this story, that is clearly the author's intention given the basic foundation for the main character. Oneirotheria (what a name - that I still have no idea how to pronounce!) emerges from an egg (?!) to find that she has prior memories that don't belong to her and she has no idea how she got them. The vast majority of the book revolves around Oneirotheria having too many words in her head that she can't possibly know and she's trying to work out what it all means. Burnett has a way of trapping the reader in Oneirotheria's confusion; I felt just as overwhelmed and off-kilter as she did! Beyond that, Burnett is really creative and it shows in the little things (e.g., the graffitied sayings on the buildings, the poems sung by the puppets). I thoroughly enjoyed his writing style.
Now to where the book lost me. As I mentioned above, I found parts of the story to be disorienting at times. Again, this is clearly done with intention, but it was so constant throughout that I found it made it difficult for me to really get into the story. It took me some time to get through the book because I had to step away from it more than I would have liked and then come back to it once I felt settled. Unfortunately, this disconnect for me took me out of it.
Another issue that I had (and again, this could just be me) was with some of the plot points. There were parts of the story that I felt were rushed and I wished there was more time spent on them, while there were other instances where I got to a part and I wished it would go faster. I will say that I did enjoy the ending, however, I still felt like there were a lot of questions that were unanswered. I was left with this sense of being presented with a picture of what the final puzzle should look like, but ultimately there were still pieces missing from my puzzle when I was done.
I also think there were a few really interesting secondary characters that I would have liked to learn more about. I think the author does a good job of providing a well-rounded description of Oneirotheria, but the other characters felt somewhat neglected.
Overall, I don't think this book would be for everyone. However, I would recommend it if you're looking for a quirky and unique story that has a touch of whimsy and a good deal of darkness.
Thank you again to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.
When I first read the preview for this book, I thought it was such a unique premise and I was really excited to read it. Overall, I think that it's an interesting book, but there were some parts that I struggled to get through.
Starting with the good! First, the world-building here is great; the book takes place across the nine wards of Osylum, which just so happens to be a floating prison city. As you progress through the story, Burnett is able to provide a rich background that seamlessly transports you there. It's easy to picture things like the narrow streets, the graffiti-covered buildings, the puppets, and the Wardens gliding around. This leads to the second part of the book that I enjoyed, which is the prose.
Jake Burnett can certainly write! While I found myself off-balance for a lot of this story, that is clearly the author's intention given the basic foundation for the main character. Oneirotheria (what a name - that I still have no idea how to pronounce!) emerges from an egg (?!) to find that she has prior memories that don't belong to her and she has no idea how she got them. The vast majority of the book revolves around Oneirotheria having too many words in her head that she can't possibly know and she's trying to work out what it all means. Burnett has a way of trapping the reader in Oneirotheria's confusion; I felt just as overwhelmed and off-kilter as she did! Beyond that, Burnett is really creative and it shows in the little things (e.g., the graffitied sayings on the buildings, the poems sung by the puppets). I thoroughly enjoyed his writing style.
Now to where the book lost me. As I mentioned above, I found parts of the story to be disorienting at times. Again, this is clearly done with intention, but it was so constant throughout that I found it made it difficult for me to really get into the story. It took me some time to get through the book because I had to step away from it more than I would have liked and then come back to it once I felt settled. Unfortunately, this disconnect for me took me out of it.
Another issue that I had (and again, this could just be me) was with some of the plot points. There were parts of the story that I felt were rushed and I wished there was more time spent on them, while there were other instances where I got to a part and I wished it would go faster. I will say that I did enjoy the ending, however, I still felt like there were a lot of questions that were unanswered. I was left with this sense of being presented with a picture of what the final puzzle should look like, but ultimately there were still pieces missing from my puzzle when I was done.
I also think there were a few really interesting secondary characters that I would have liked to learn more about. I think the author does a good job of providing a well-rounded description of Oneirotheria, but the other characters felt somewhat neglected.
Overall, I don't think this book would be for everyone. However, I would recommend it if you're looking for a quirky and unique story that has a touch of whimsy and a good deal of darkness.
Thank you again to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.
June 27, 2023
I received an ARC copy of this book and am leaving a review voluntarily.
So, this is my second book by Jake Burnett and it’s safe to save he is an intriguing writer. The most compelling thing about any of his books is the prose. Each word is selected meticulously and it’s such a joy to read a book where each page is just jam packed with words I’ve either never seen or see rarely.
As a result, there’s a feel to this book that’s hard to describe. The best way I can describe it is that our main character Oneirotheria has lost memories and the plot takes full advantage of it. Imagine if your memory was a kaleidoscope and it’s been shattered. Everything is distorted and looks wrong but familiar at the same time.
That is what our main character Oneirotheria is experiencing and thanks to this awesome prose, we get to be hopeless lost right along side her.
The city is also an amazing setting. There’s magic in places you don’t expect, rules you don’t know, and with the added pressure of memories that are missing plus mages after our MC for reasons they know and she doesn’t, it’s a thrill ride from start to finish.
The prose is the best piece of the book. It commands everything! I could have blown through this book in a day but I wanted to take my time and absorb everything the author was saying.
So, this is my second book by Jake Burnett and it’s safe to save he is an intriguing writer. The most compelling thing about any of his books is the prose. Each word is selected meticulously and it’s such a joy to read a book where each page is just jam packed with words I’ve either never seen or see rarely.
As a result, there’s a feel to this book that’s hard to describe. The best way I can describe it is that our main character Oneirotheria has lost memories and the plot takes full advantage of it. Imagine if your memory was a kaleidoscope and it’s been shattered. Everything is distorted and looks wrong but familiar at the same time.
That is what our main character Oneirotheria is experiencing and thanks to this awesome prose, we get to be hopeless lost right along side her.
The city is also an amazing setting. There’s magic in places you don’t expect, rules you don’t know, and with the added pressure of memories that are missing plus mages after our MC for reasons they know and she doesn’t, it’s a thrill ride from start to finish.
The prose is the best piece of the book. It commands everything! I could have blown through this book in a day but I wanted to take my time and absorb everything the author was saying.
September 13, 2023
Oneirotheria, a fledging witch with fleeting memories of her past life, sets out to escape the prison-city of Osylum.
Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.
This is a fantastic read - it takes a bit to get into as the writer has a very whimsical and unique style of writing. The unusual plot is very well thought out and easy to follow once you get into the swing of it. It is full of wonder and magic and you can't help but get sucked right into this weird world. The characters are very well developed. I loved Oneirotheria, I thought she was remarkably funny and easy to connect with.
Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.
This is a fantastic read - it takes a bit to get into as the writer has a very whimsical and unique style of writing. The unusual plot is very well thought out and easy to follow once you get into the swing of it. It is full of wonder and magic and you can't help but get sucked right into this weird world. The characters are very well developed. I loved Oneirotheria, I thought she was remarkably funny and easy to connect with.
July 6, 2023
Very atmospheric with a lot of hidden meanings and themes. No one is who they seem. It also is a good standalone book in an age of long series that take years to come to completion (if at all). 4/5 stars.
November 6, 2023
This book!! This book!
Here, now.
What a world. This started out as a read-at-bedtime book but I found myself thinking about it throughout the day and it became a daytime book too. This book is such a fountain of delights that I feel I need to read it again and again to appreciate it all. The more I think about it the more clever it gets. The ending a succession of fireworks.
You’ve probably already read the synopsis so I’m not going to bother with any of that. The characters are interesting and the world is weird but it all works because we’re learning about all of it as our MC does. We don’t get all of the answers but we get the important ones, even ones we didn’t know we wanted and I love the imperfection of that. I love this book and will definitely be adding it to my library.
I was given a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Here, now.
What a world. This started out as a read-at-bedtime book but I found myself thinking about it throughout the day and it became a daytime book too. This book is such a fountain of delights that I feel I need to read it again and again to appreciate it all. The more I think about it the more clever it gets. The ending a succession of fireworks.
You’ve probably already read the synopsis so I’m not going to bother with any of that. The characters are interesting and the world is weird but it all works because we’re learning about all of it as our MC does. We don’t get all of the answers but we get the important ones, even ones we didn’t know we wanted and I love the imperfection of that. I love this book and will definitely be adding it to my library.
I was given a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
October 9, 2023
When I first started reading The Witch & The City, I had no idea what I had gotten myself into. However, this was a book full of whimsy, magic, and linguistics. The language and prose were sing-song; lyrical. The disjointedness of the book was overly masterful in a way of mirroring the remembered pieces of past lives for our main character that came back to her in bits and pieces. I haven't had this much fun with language in a long time. A very unique book with Shakespearean elements ending in a plot twist revealing the true mastery of Burnett's writing.
Thank you to NetGalley, Jake Burnett & South Window Press for an advanced copy of this book!
Thank you to NetGalley, Jake Burnett & South Window Press for an advanced copy of this book!
October 4, 2023
Witchy and whimsical, this book was a lot delight to read! It starts off in chaos, comes together then breaks into chaos again a few times over, but ends in a surprisingly satisfying and neat way and managed to keep me guessing right up until the end.
The Witch & The City by Jake Burnett follows the story of Oneirotheria and we as readers discover the mystery of who, what, where and why she is right alongside her in a strangely lyrical yet very readable prose that I found utterly delightful. It’s easy to see the massive amount of the influences of other authors and stories, and why other reviews have compared it to the likes of Alice in Wonderland, Piranesi to Shakespeare. The titular Witch, Oneirotheria, discovers as much of herself as the readers do along the way starting right from her birth and the same thing can almost be said of the city of Osylum itself, which gives off a steampunk-ish older European feel while still feeling distinctively fantastical. We even get a bit of weird fiction thrown in for good measure, all which keep her exploration and discovery of Osylum and its inhabitants exciting and fresh.
I didn’t pick the twist or the ending, I think I even stopped bothering to speculate at some point and just sat back as I read and enjoyed the ride, not many stories featuring a mystery do that to me. Telling the story in a way that has us know almost everything Oneirotheria does was done in a masterful way, and I have to admit that the tale certainly expanded my vocabulary but not in a way that made me feel like the author was just sitting there with a thesaurus. Personally, I’ve been on a big break from reading and this novel felt like such a good reminder of why reading itself is so enjoyable although I can see that its chaotic nature and sometimes hefty prose won’t be for everyone. It felt like a dense read, yet still a quick one, and I still find myself mulling over its contents a handful of days after completion.
I’d highly recommend this to anyone who loves to explore, learn and discover not only the material in life but human nature itself.
Thanks to NetGalley, South Window Press and the author for providing an advanced copy of the book at my request in exchange for my unbiased review.
The Witch & The City by Jake Burnett follows the story of Oneirotheria and we as readers discover the mystery of who, what, where and why she is right alongside her in a strangely lyrical yet very readable prose that I found utterly delightful. It’s easy to see the massive amount of the influences of other authors and stories, and why other reviews have compared it to the likes of Alice in Wonderland, Piranesi to Shakespeare. The titular Witch, Oneirotheria, discovers as much of herself as the readers do along the way starting right from her birth and the same thing can almost be said of the city of Osylum itself, which gives off a steampunk-ish older European feel while still feeling distinctively fantastical. We even get a bit of weird fiction thrown in for good measure, all which keep her exploration and discovery of Osylum and its inhabitants exciting and fresh.
I didn’t pick the twist or the ending, I think I even stopped bothering to speculate at some point and just sat back as I read and enjoyed the ride, not many stories featuring a mystery do that to me. Telling the story in a way that has us know almost everything Oneirotheria does was done in a masterful way, and I have to admit that the tale certainly expanded my vocabulary but not in a way that made me feel like the author was just sitting there with a thesaurus. Personally, I’ve been on a big break from reading and this novel felt like such a good reminder of why reading itself is so enjoyable although I can see that its chaotic nature and sometimes hefty prose won’t be for everyone. It felt like a dense read, yet still a quick one, and I still find myself mulling over its contents a handful of days after completion.
I’d highly recommend this to anyone who loves to explore, learn and discover not only the material in life but human nature itself.
Thanks to NetGalley, South Window Press and the author for providing an advanced copy of the book at my request in exchange for my unbiased review.
August 7, 2023
Fantasy
Witchy Mystery
After being magically reincarnated, a mysterious witch finds herself on a floating prison-city in an endless abyss. She has no memory of her past except jumbled snippets of someone else’s memories stored haphazardly in her mind of infinite forgetting. All she understands is the word ‘escape’.
Her magical chicken-legged house, holds keys and clues from her previous self who was a witch named Hecate. When Hecate discovers that her time is nearly up she makes as much provision and as possible for her future self to escape the prison she had failed to do herself by leaving letters hexes, spells and magical ingredients to help Oneirotheria make her escape.
This book gave me the same vibes as ‘Howl’s moving castle’ with its steampunk elements and the moving house with its own personality.
Osylum is a city described as a circular maze divided into nine wards with 13 walls including the sky. There is no sun, moon nor stars that surround the city. As she treks through the city she finds quirky characters and cryptic graffiti clues along walls and buildings that’s been left by a mystery person who knew her previous self.
If you are an avid fantasy reader and love mysteries then this is the book for you.
The author did a fantastic job with the writing and has an extensive vocabulary.
A huge thank you to Netgalley and South Window Press for a copy of this e-ARC in exchange for this honest review.
Witchy Mystery
After being magically reincarnated, a mysterious witch finds herself on a floating prison-city in an endless abyss. She has no memory of her past except jumbled snippets of someone else’s memories stored haphazardly in her mind of infinite forgetting. All she understands is the word ‘escape’.
Her magical chicken-legged house, holds keys and clues from her previous self who was a witch named Hecate. When Hecate discovers that her time is nearly up she makes as much provision and as possible for her future self to escape the prison she had failed to do herself by leaving letters hexes, spells and magical ingredients to help Oneirotheria make her escape.
This book gave me the same vibes as ‘Howl’s moving castle’ with its steampunk elements and the moving house with its own personality.
Osylum is a city described as a circular maze divided into nine wards with 13 walls including the sky. There is no sun, moon nor stars that surround the city. As she treks through the city she finds quirky characters and cryptic graffiti clues along walls and buildings that’s been left by a mystery person who knew her previous self.
If you are an avid fantasy reader and love mysteries then this is the book for you.
The author did a fantastic job with the writing and has an extensive vocabulary.
A huge thank you to Netgalley and South Window Press for a copy of this e-ARC in exchange for this honest review.
October 25, 2023
3.5 stars, an interesting slow burn novel about the power of grief
I picked up the Witch and the City because it got comparisons to Piranesi and Circe on NetGalley. Those comparisons are accurate but W&C doesn't quite reach the same heights as those titanic books. However, it is an extremely evocative story set in a unique world where the protagonist winds up struggling with her role in the story as it is told. The titular city is essentially a giant prison composed of nine distinct wards and denizens of the city continually die only to be reborn into the exact same role they initially filled. The witch Hecate wants to end this system and so finds a way to sabotage her own reincarnation so that woman who takes her place, Oneirotheria, has no memories of what came before and must learn all about the city from scratch.
This results in our hero quickly discovering just how twisted and awful the city is and desiring to end the system. Along the way she learns a lot about herself and who she used to be, including the surprising ways Hecate helped build the system she hated. This is the strongest part of the book as its intense character study works well with what a unique character Oneriotheria is. However, the complex nature of the setting does mean that it can be confusing and slow going unpacking everything that is going on in the setting.
Overall, I do think this is a special book that is worth reading despite being a bit uneven.
I picked up the Witch and the City because it got comparisons to Piranesi and Circe on NetGalley. Those comparisons are accurate but W&C doesn't quite reach the same heights as those titanic books. However, it is an extremely evocative story set in a unique world where the protagonist winds up struggling with her role in the story as it is told. The titular city is essentially a giant prison composed of nine distinct wards and denizens of the city continually die only to be reborn into the exact same role they initially filled. The witch Hecate wants to end this system and so finds a way to sabotage her own reincarnation so that woman who takes her place, Oneirotheria, has no memories of what came before and must learn all about the city from scratch.
This results in our hero quickly discovering just how twisted and awful the city is and desiring to end the system. Along the way she learns a lot about herself and who she used to be, including the surprising ways Hecate helped build the system she hated. This is the strongest part of the book as its intense character study works well with what a unique character Oneriotheria is. However, the complex nature of the setting does mean that it can be confusing and slow going unpacking everything that is going on in the setting.
Overall, I do think this is a special book that is worth reading despite being a bit uneven.
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