The Witch and the Wyrm

by Beth Alvarez

Adelinde has spent her entire life dreaming of marrying Bastian, the prince she helped save when she was just a child. But when tragedy strikes and Bastian’s brother is slain, he is thrust into the role of heir to the throne, shattering any hope of a union with a simple peasant girl like Adelinde. Now his hand has been promised to the daughter of a powerful witch, and in exchange, the witch promises to destroy the dragon that took his brother’s life.

Unwilling to abandon his love for Adelinde, Bastian rejects the witch’s daughter—and as punishment, is transformed into a worm. Now, to save her homeland and rescue the prince from his curse, Adelinde must embark on a perilous quest at the witch’s behest, uncover the secrets behind the dragon’s rampage, and face the threat of the ultimate sacrifice to prove her unwavering love.

The Witch and the Wyrm is a sweet, no-spice retelling of the fairy tale Jorinda and Joringel, a romantic fantasy that weaves a heartwarming story of courage, sacrifice, and the enduring power of love.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Fairy Tales

214 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 29, 2024

About the author

Award-winning author Beth Alvarez lives in Memphis, Tennessee, along with her husband, daughter, and cat named Toast.

Once a visual arts major, she has worked as a freelance graphic designer. Against all advice, she makes her own book covers. Reading The Hobbit at 8 led Beth to fall in love with fantasy at an early age.

In her free time, Beth enjoys drawing, tinkering with her beloved Mustangs, sipping tea, sewing for her Asian ball-jointed dolls, and making her prior-Marine husband spar in the kitchen for sake of writing more convincing combat scenes.

Reviews

[D.T. Powell]

I really enjoyed this fairytale retelling. It was nice to read another one that didn't focus so heavily on romance and instead just told a wonderful story that illustrated what love is instead of relying on direct physical interactions between the main characters. I'd definitely read another book like this.

[Eliza Prokopovits]

sweet and delightful

This fairy tale was unfamiliar to me, but the retelling was so sweet and satisfying. There’s action and adventure, true love, and lovable side characters, but no spice or foul language. It left me with all the warm fuzzy feelings. Highly recommend.

[R F]

This has been one of my favorite reads of the year - very engaging. Especially once you get on the adventure!

I've been into retellings this year, and this ranks among my favorites. The pacing is very good, and the characters are all very likable. It doesn't fall into the "pale facimile of strong character" trope I hate, which is...girl is mean, therefore girl is strong.

Adelinde is strong because she is caring and does what is needed instead of what she wants. That, right there, is a strong female character.

It's an easy read, if you're like me and wanted to, it would take an afternoon or two. The action is very well done, and the ending is very satisfying.

[Amanda]

What would you do to save someone you love?

When Adelinde’s attempt to save Bastian from a loveless marriage goes terribly awry, she knows that it is up to her to break his curse and give him another chance at life. A chance meeting with a talking crow saves her in more ways than one as they traverse the kingdom for the witch’s ingredients. But nothing is quite as it seems, and choices come with a price.

A sweet, clean telling of what one will do to save those they love.

[Linda]

Wonderful clean romantasy. 1st time I've read a book where the character(s) get cursed to turn into a worm! The MMC is cursed to become worm for ~1/3 of the book, & the FMC sacrifices herself to take on his curse for another few chapters :D

There's a snarky talking crow (cursed of course!). All in all a great read.

Recommended

[Simone Kirts]

Overall this story had a good plot, but I didn’t like starting with a relationship already in the love stage. I didn’t get a chance to see how Adeline & Bastian’s relationship developed or feel any chemistry between them. I was actually rooting against their relationship. The writing itself was good & it’s a nice clean read. It just wasn’t my favorite relationship trope.

[Kayla]

This was a fun read. I loved Adelinde, and appreciated how her disability was handled. The banter between the characters was wonderful. Would love to see more stories in this world!

[Annette McIntyre]

This book was depressing from the start so I couldn't get into it.

[Lorin]

I really loved reading this wonderful book! I loved the characters and the plot! I had a hard time putting this really wonderful book down!

[Veray]

An interesting retelling.

A story filled with forbidden love, magic, a dragon, a worm and a talking crow. It was quite a wild ride.

[Dawn Brotherton]

Cute and safe

I love sweet romance. Alvarez does a good job with dialogue and keeping the story moving. Highly recommend for young readers who read above their level.

[Aja]

Maybe closer to 3.5 stars.
But totally clean/closed door read. This is my first book by this author and I do want to try her other books.

[Kiana]

I found this book really cute and one that answers the question, would you love me if I turned into a worm? And they really did prove it through this story.