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The Witch Roads #1
The Witch Roads
Book 1 in the Witch Roads duology, the latest epic novel by fan favorite Kate Elliott.
Status is hereditary, class is bestowed, trust must be earned.
When an arrogant prince (and his equally arrogant entourage) gets stuck in Orledder Halt as part of brutal political intrigue, competent and sunny deputy courier Elen—once a child slave meant to shield noblemen from the poisonous Pall—is assigned to guide him through the hills to reach his destination.
When she warns him not to enter the haunted Spires, the prince doesn’t heed her advice, and the man who emerges from the towers isn’t the same man who entered.
The journey that follows is fraught with danger. Can a group taught to ignore and despise the lower classes survive with a mere deputy courier as their guide?
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Status is hereditary, class is bestowed, trust must be earned.
When an arrogant prince (and his equally arrogant entourage) gets stuck in Orledder Halt as part of brutal political intrigue, competent and sunny deputy courier Elen—once a child slave meant to shield noblemen from the poisonous Pall—is assigned to guide him through the hills to reach his destination.
When she warns him not to enter the haunted Spires, the prince doesn’t heed her advice, and the man who emerges from the towers isn’t the same man who entered.
The journey that follows is fraught with danger. Can a group taught to ignore and despise the lower classes survive with a mere deputy courier as their guide?
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
439 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 10, 2025
240 people are currently reading
21116 people want to read
About the author
Kate Elliott
108 books2,889 followersAs a child in rural Oregon, Kate Elliott made up stories because she longed to escape to a world of lurid adventure fiction. She now writes fantasy, steampunk, and science fiction, often with a romantic edge. She currently lives in Hawaii, where she paddles outrigger canoes and spoils her schnauzer.
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April 14, 2025I read this book in three sessions, though I’d meant to make it last. But I couldn’t stop reading. Despite it being a book one, which usually means a cliff-hanger. (Not that I mind cliff-hangers if all volumes are out, but this book isn’t even out yet!)
What worked so well for me? Kate Elliott can always be trusted to fashion an interesting world. This one is no different. The science fictional world of the Sun trilogy was like a TV show on speed, fast, complicated, tough to keep up with, though always worth the effort. In this book, we begin a lot more slowly, with Elen (or just El) who has been living with her head down as a courier, tramping the same route for ten years in the ever-necessary hunt for Spore, which is deadly to all life.
El is showing her nephew Kem the route, as the nephew, a teen, will soon arrive at his Declaration Day, which means picking a career. And Kem’s not sure which one to pick. The two are one another’s family, as his mother vanished under an avalanche. Kem senses that his aunt has secrets, which explodes with the arrival of the nasty Lord Duenn, who recognizes El—and claims Kem as his child, to the latter’s utter horror and betrayal…
And then a visiting prince arrives, and things really begin to pop. The story is an exquisite balance between mysteries and discoveries, introducing characters who each have their own story, rather than existing to provide a chorus for the protagonists. I found all the characters interesting, even those who appear for a few pages—they all had “lived-in” lives.
Most of the book is travel. Quest fantasy has been a tough sell for me when it's on-the-road hardship broken by monster fights broken up by unloading reams of bad poetry at campsites. This story 's on-the-road hardship is woven with good character dynamics, making it intriguing, sparked with tiny glimpses of the numinous as well as mystery. There’s clearly a lot to come in further volumes, bringing us to the cliff-hanger.
In the hands of a deft storyteller, the cliff-hanger can be enticing when woven with some level of resolution. I found the ending to this first book to be perfectly balanced between the promise of the next segment—sure to be very different—with the beautifully done emotional resolution of a main character arc. Growth achieved, giving promise for the future, the lens widens, the mystery deepens, making me desperate to get my hands on the next.
What worked so well for me? Kate Elliott can always be trusted to fashion an interesting world. This one is no different. The science fictional world of the Sun trilogy was like a TV show on speed, fast, complicated, tough to keep up with, though always worth the effort. In this book, we begin a lot more slowly, with Elen (or just El) who has been living with her head down as a courier, tramping the same route for ten years in the ever-necessary hunt for Spore, which is deadly to all life.
El is showing her nephew Kem the route, as the nephew, a teen, will soon arrive at his Declaration Day, which means picking a career. And Kem’s not sure which one to pick. The two are one another’s family, as his mother vanished under an avalanche. Kem senses that his aunt has secrets, which explodes with the arrival of the nasty Lord Duenn, who recognizes El—and claims Kem as his child, to the latter’s utter horror and betrayal…
And then a visiting prince arrives, and things really begin to pop. The story is an exquisite balance between mysteries and discoveries, introducing characters who each have their own story, rather than existing to provide a chorus for the protagonists. I found all the characters interesting, even those who appear for a few pages—they all had “lived-in” lives.
Most of the book is travel. Quest fantasy has been a tough sell for me when it's on-the-road hardship broken by monster fights broken up by unloading reams of bad poetry at campsites. This story 's on-the-road hardship is woven with good character dynamics, making it intriguing, sparked with tiny glimpses of the numinous as well as mystery. There’s clearly a lot to come in further volumes, bringing us to the cliff-hanger.
In the hands of a deft storyteller, the cliff-hanger can be enticing when woven with some level of resolution. I found the ending to this first book to be perfectly balanced between the promise of the next segment—sure to be very different—with the beautifully done emotional resolution of a main character arc. Growth achieved, giving promise for the future, the lens widens, the mystery deepens, making me desperate to get my hands on the next.
July 8, 2025
Wow. I loved this. LOVED THIS. The Witch Roads is the best fantasy by an author new to me that I’ve read in years.
“Life is so brief, the wind murmured. Let your heart swell to fill the moments you have.”
(ch 55 of the advance reader copy)
Elen is a courier who has walked the same route each month for ten years. She survived a terrible childhood and young adulthood, escaping from danger more than once with her beloved sister. Her sister has since died in a terrible accident, and Elen’s only family is her teenaged nephew Kem. It is time for Kem to Declare for a profession, and Elen takes him on her route so he can see what being a courier is like. They stop overnight at a place with a mysterious reputation, and a haunt reveals itself to Elen while Kem is asleep. Soon after she finds herself escorting a prince and his entourage on a dangerous journey – but the prince is now controlled by the haunt.
Refreshingly, the main character is an adult woman (in her 30s) and the teenagers are treated as young adults who still have things to learn. This a thoughtful, slow-moving fantasy that carefully spins out the tale. The world building is good without being overly detailed. There are a lot of intriguing characters that are distinct enough that I had no trouble telling them apart. They have depth. I felt like any one of them could have been the main character.
“Hope was a liar, so she’d trained herself to love what was present around her and let the rest go. To live where her feet were placed.” (ch 65 of the ARC)
Although the story is slow moving, there is plenty of believable action. I relished every page. The covers are gorgeous, and I loved the chapter lengths. They seemed just about perfect if I needed to find a good place to stop. I frequently don't even notice chapter headings but enjoyed the ones in this book (e.g., Of Course He Was Handsome, Should They Live That Long, Don’t Look Down, Intrusive and Rude). The humor in this story was just right for me. Not crude, but often deliciously subtle.
The Witch Roads was also a timely read for me, right now in what seems like terrible times.
“There were people who used their wicked power to rule. Well, not even to rule, but to take and trample, to blight and to bleed life out of living things in order to extend and expand their own. As long as they shone brightly in their own eyes, in their own fastnesses, they cared not if they cast the world into darkness and despair and disorder.”
“And then what happened?”
“The usual story. Those who opposed them, fought them, even though it must have seemed a futile war. Still, honorable people will stand up when they must. In the end, the honorable people won, although at a terrible cost.”
(ch 55 of the advance reader copy)
I’ve read only one other book by Elliott, the novella The Keeper’s Six, which I enjoyed. I’m excited that I now have a bunch of other books by her to read. The Witch Roads reminded me of two books I’ve read recently by Martha Wells, Witch King and Wheel of the Infinite (both of which I loved).
I read an advance reader copy of The Witch Roads from Netgalley. My biggest complaint is that is scheduled to be published on June 10, and then how long will I have to wait for the sequel? (It very much ends in the middle of the story.) I will reread it right before the sequel is published!
Edit: reread in July 2025 before reading the sequel. Just as good the second time.
“Life is so brief, the wind murmured. Let your heart swell to fill the moments you have.”
(ch 55 of the advance reader copy)
Elen is a courier who has walked the same route each month for ten years. She survived a terrible childhood and young adulthood, escaping from danger more than once with her beloved sister. Her sister has since died in a terrible accident, and Elen’s only family is her teenaged nephew Kem. It is time for Kem to Declare for a profession, and Elen takes him on her route so he can see what being a courier is like. They stop overnight at a place with a mysterious reputation, and a haunt reveals itself to Elen while Kem is asleep. Soon after she finds herself escorting a prince and his entourage on a dangerous journey – but the prince is now controlled by the haunt.
Refreshingly, the main character is an adult woman (in her 30s) and the teenagers are treated as young adults who still have things to learn. This a thoughtful, slow-moving fantasy that carefully spins out the tale. The world building is good without being overly detailed. There are a lot of intriguing characters that are distinct enough that I had no trouble telling them apart. They have depth. I felt like any one of them could have been the main character.
“Hope was a liar, so she’d trained herself to love what was present around her and let the rest go. To live where her feet were placed.” (ch 65 of the ARC)
Although the story is slow moving, there is plenty of believable action. I relished every page. The covers are gorgeous, and I loved the chapter lengths. They seemed just about perfect if I needed to find a good place to stop. I frequently don't even notice chapter headings but enjoyed the ones in this book (e.g., Of Course He Was Handsome, Should They Live That Long, Don’t Look Down, Intrusive and Rude). The humor in this story was just right for me. Not crude, but often deliciously subtle.
The Witch Roads was also a timely read for me, right now in what seems like terrible times.
“There were people who used their wicked power to rule. Well, not even to rule, but to take and trample, to blight and to bleed life out of living things in order to extend and expand their own. As long as they shone brightly in their own eyes, in their own fastnesses, they cared not if they cast the world into darkness and despair and disorder.”
“And then what happened?”
“The usual story. Those who opposed them, fought them, even though it must have seemed a futile war. Still, honorable people will stand up when they must. In the end, the honorable people won, although at a terrible cost.”
(ch 55 of the advance reader copy)
I’ve read only one other book by Elliott, the novella The Keeper’s Six, which I enjoyed. I’m excited that I now have a bunch of other books by her to read. The Witch Roads reminded me of two books I’ve read recently by Martha Wells, Witch King and Wheel of the Infinite (both of which I loved).
I read an advance reader copy of The Witch Roads from Netgalley. My biggest complaint is that is scheduled to be published on June 10, and then how long will I have to wait for the sequel? (It very much ends in the middle of the story.) I will reread it right before the sequel is published!
Edit: reread in July 2025 before reading the sequel. Just as good the second time.
July 14, 2025
This one was pretty fascinating. Part one of a duology, it centres around a courier/guide through dangerous lands.
What makes these lands dangerous? Well there’s probably a lot of reasons but none more so than the Pall.
Basically spores sprouting from the land itself. Pretty much guaranteeing a painful death.
Our guide and her nephew are tasked with guiding royalty along these roads.
And within these mists….a haunt. A spectre from days long past.
I won’t get into spoilers but he’s pretty great. A lot of supernatural/unsettling mystery surrounding him.
Not only him though. Our lead, with her past. The prince with his. The realm in general. It’s a slow reveal with little bits given here and there which is pretty tantalizing.
Crown of Stars is one of my all time favourite series. I really can’t say enough great things about it. This is my first venture into another world of Kate Elliott’s.
And it has further cemented her as one of my favourite authors.
Can’t wait for the sequel. 5 ⭐️!
What makes these lands dangerous? Well there’s probably a lot of reasons but none more so than the Pall.
Basically spores sprouting from the land itself. Pretty much guaranteeing a painful death.
Our guide and her nephew are tasked with guiding royalty along these roads.
And within these mists….a haunt. A spectre from days long past.
I won’t get into spoilers but he’s pretty great. A lot of supernatural/unsettling mystery surrounding him.
Not only him though. Our lead, with her past. The prince with his. The realm in general. It’s a slow reveal with little bits given here and there which is pretty tantalizing.
Crown of Stars is one of my all time favourite series. I really can’t say enough great things about it. This is my first venture into another world of Kate Elliott’s.
And it has further cemented her as one of my favourite authors.
Can’t wait for the sequel. 5 ⭐️!
dnf
June 17, 2025DNF 33%. I thought I wanted epic fantasy going in, something while I work on my review backlog, and maybe I do, but not this one. Normally I'd wonder if it's my depression/fatigue thing acting up or the book, but given that I have just read two I couldn't put down in a row (
Alien Clay
and
The Bone Harp
), it's absolutely the book. God damn is it slow - it takes about 150 pages for the events described in the blurb to happen - and even worse, it's so, so criminally dry. The characters are bland, the world is bland, it's one of those fantasy books that seem to be mostly characters walking to a place, the "weird bio-magical infection" plot device I've seen done better by other authors many times over, and there was nothing to hold my attention whatsoever.
It would have ended up a very mediocre 3* had I finished it, and honestly, why bother?
It would have ended up a very mediocre 3* had I finished it, and honestly, why bother?
May 30, 2025
Video review here: https://youtu.be/77C_magM6HA
I received an ARC from the publisher and an eARC via NetGalley.
The Witch Roads has everything I love about Kate Elliott books and reaffirms why Kate Elliott is one of my favorite authors! Elliott’s world building really shines here with the reader transported into a world where mysterious Palls cause deadly Spores to appear that mutate and destroy any life they come into contact with. The world is rife not with just these mysterious dangers, but magic, intrigue, politics, and a depth of lore that makes the world feel very complex.
Elliott does a fantastic job quickly establishing many of the large elements of the world, while delivering a very satisfying slow-burn reveal of many other mysteries of both the world and the characters. Both the mystical and mundane are captured as lowly Deputy Courier Elen ends up guiding a powerful Prince and his entourage through dangerous territory to facilitate the Prince’s mission. The way would be fraught with danger already, but when another entity ends up taking over the Prince’s body, things get much more complicated.
The thing that stands out the most to me about this world is just how real it feels despite the obvious fantasy elements. The author has a way of capturing day to day life and very real conflicts, emotions, and cruelties both within the characters and the world around them. I definitely am a worldbuilding focused reader, and I felt greatly rewarded with what’s been set up in this first entry (with so much more that can be delved into in the next book) but the characters, especially the main character Elen also just felt so real and nuanced. You probably know or have met someone who shares a lot in common with the character and so it’s easy to be drawn into her story.
I was a bit hesitant with this one due to the premise making it sound like this might be a bit more on the YA side, but instead this very much is a triumphant return to Adult Epic Fantasy for Kate Elliott. A complex world and characters, a gripping journey, and exploration of ideas and themes that are all too real despite being part of the fantasy world set up here. Elliott manages quite a lot in not a lot of page count here (this is a duology after all) and yet still finds time for deep exploration and some truly beautiful passages. This one is definitely worth your time to check out, especially if you are someone who isn’t ready to jump into her phenomenal but much longer Crown of Stars series quite yet.
I received an ARC from the publisher and an eARC via NetGalley.
The Witch Roads has everything I love about Kate Elliott books and reaffirms why Kate Elliott is one of my favorite authors! Elliott’s world building really shines here with the reader transported into a world where mysterious Palls cause deadly Spores to appear that mutate and destroy any life they come into contact with. The world is rife not with just these mysterious dangers, but magic, intrigue, politics, and a depth of lore that makes the world feel very complex.
Elliott does a fantastic job quickly establishing many of the large elements of the world, while delivering a very satisfying slow-burn reveal of many other mysteries of both the world and the characters. Both the mystical and mundane are captured as lowly Deputy Courier Elen ends up guiding a powerful Prince and his entourage through dangerous territory to facilitate the Prince’s mission. The way would be fraught with danger already, but when another entity ends up taking over the Prince’s body, things get much more complicated.
The thing that stands out the most to me about this world is just how real it feels despite the obvious fantasy elements. The author has a way of capturing day to day life and very real conflicts, emotions, and cruelties both within the characters and the world around them. I definitely am a worldbuilding focused reader, and I felt greatly rewarded with what’s been set up in this first entry (with so much more that can be delved into in the next book) but the characters, especially the main character Elen also just felt so real and nuanced. You probably know or have met someone who shares a lot in common with the character and so it’s easy to be drawn into her story.
I was a bit hesitant with this one due to the premise making it sound like this might be a bit more on the YA side, but instead this very much is a triumphant return to Adult Epic Fantasy for Kate Elliott. A complex world and characters, a gripping journey, and exploration of ideas and themes that are all too real despite being part of the fantasy world set up here. Elliott manages quite a lot in not a lot of page count here (this is a duology after all) and yet still finds time for deep exploration and some truly beautiful passages. This one is definitely worth your time to check out, especially if you are someone who isn’t ready to jump into her phenomenal but much longer Crown of Stars series quite yet.
June 2, 2025
This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
3.5 hearts
Worldbuilding is one of the things Kate Elliott does well, having read a few of her books for comparison. The Witch Roads leans into this love of worldbuilding heavily as she takes the reader on a journey through a smugglers route, treacherous not only due to the difficulty of the route and the company traveling it but also because of the people after them and the deadly spore that could flare up and infect their party. The Witch Roads, first in a series of the same name , is a heavily immersive read, with an emphasis on the world building and hierarchical cultures. It will best serve readers who enjoy books that are about the journey and making it to the final destination.
El helped raise her nephew, Kem, after she and his mother escaped a cruel lord to make their own way in a far off village. They have been free of that life for almost sixteen years but the past has come calling and El has to think quickly if she is going to help save her nephew from his father. It just so happens one of the princes to the land needs an escort to get to the farthest settlement to the north and El is the only one who can lead the party through a smugglers pass to get there in time. There are some political intrigues happening, the prince has enemies and needs this journey for some unknown reason to El.
If the journey was made with the prince it might have been insufferable. But when the party was in one of the resting places a magic took the prince over, the being needs to go to the same place they are headed and the Haunt needs a ride in a willing body. The Prince's body will do nicely and so a friendship between El and the Haunt is started on their journey to the edge of a mist, the Pall, filled with infectious spore and dangers to the entire land.
I struggled to read this book. The beginning was really well done and set up the book well. We learn about El and Kem's relationship and how they are coping after the loss of Kem's mom. We also get a view of life in a small village and it was rather engaging, especially after learning El and Kem's mom ran away from the life they used to live. But the journey in the middle was a lot of travelling on the Witch Road, with stops in villages and incremental movement in the plot. I struggle with travelling books in general, so for me it wasn't as interesting. There is also a wedge between El and Kem that needs to get worked out but we, the reader, had to wait most of the book for that conversation to happen. At about the 80% mark is when most of the interesting things, for me at least, happened. The last twenty percent I finished in one sitting and couldn't put it down.
Kate Elliott is a great writer that builds fantastic worlds. If you have read anything by her before, you know what you are getting. This wasn't one of my favorites by her, due to all the traveling but I liked were the story ended up and it is set up very promisingly for the next book in the series. The idea of the Pall and how dangerous it was like a deadly ocean of its own was original. I think there is a huge story about what it truly is that we have only just scratched the surface of. I want to know much more about El's history and how she ended up with the special talent she has. There is a lot of potential for this series so I will be checking out the next book as well.
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
3.5 hearts
Worldbuilding is one of the things Kate Elliott does well, having read a few of her books for comparison. The Witch Roads leans into this love of worldbuilding heavily as she takes the reader on a journey through a smugglers route, treacherous not only due to the difficulty of the route and the company traveling it but also because of the people after them and the deadly spore that could flare up and infect their party. The Witch Roads, first in a series of the same name , is a heavily immersive read, with an emphasis on the world building and hierarchical cultures. It will best serve readers who enjoy books that are about the journey and making it to the final destination.
El helped raise her nephew, Kem, after she and his mother escaped a cruel lord to make their own way in a far off village. They have been free of that life for almost sixteen years but the past has come calling and El has to think quickly if she is going to help save her nephew from his father. It just so happens one of the princes to the land needs an escort to get to the farthest settlement to the north and El is the only one who can lead the party through a smugglers pass to get there in time. There are some political intrigues happening, the prince has enemies and needs this journey for some unknown reason to El.
If the journey was made with the prince it might have been insufferable. But when the party was in one of the resting places a magic took the prince over, the being needs to go to the same place they are headed and the Haunt needs a ride in a willing body. The Prince's body will do nicely and so a friendship between El and the Haunt is started on their journey to the edge of a mist, the Pall, filled with infectious spore and dangers to the entire land.
Never mistake silence for forgetting
I struggled to read this book. The beginning was really well done and set up the book well. We learn about El and Kem's relationship and how they are coping after the loss of Kem's mom. We also get a view of life in a small village and it was rather engaging, especially after learning El and Kem's mom ran away from the life they used to live. But the journey in the middle was a lot of travelling on the Witch Road, with stops in villages and incremental movement in the plot. I struggle with travelling books in general, so for me it wasn't as interesting. There is also a wedge between El and Kem that needs to get worked out but we, the reader, had to wait most of the book for that conversation to happen. At about the 80% mark is when most of the interesting things, for me at least, happened. The last twenty percent I finished in one sitting and couldn't put it down.
Kate Elliott is a great writer that builds fantastic worlds. If you have read anything by her before, you know what you are getting. This wasn't one of my favorites by her, due to all the traveling but I liked were the story ended up and it is set up very promisingly for the next book in the series. The idea of the Pall and how dangerous it was like a deadly ocean of its own was original. I think there is a huge story about what it truly is that we have only just scratched the surface of. I want to know much more about El's history and how she ended up with the special talent she has. There is a lot of potential for this series so I will be checking out the next book as well.
"You are a story," he said, his tone so warm that she flushed, as if the cold air had burst into flame around her.
She pressed a hand to her chest.
He said, softly, gently, "A wild and alluring story, whose mysteries I adore."
July 26, 2025
This is the first Kate Elliot novel I've read, and maybe I should have started with one of her older books. This was fine, just not my cup of tea. It's well written enough that I did not mind the excessive amount of walking, but it has too much magic and the world-building just didn't interest me.
This has an extremely rigid, stratified society, with "menials" falling on their faces before royalty. It seems to have a near perfect equality of the sexes, where princes and soldiers and midwives are just as likely to be women as men - yet it's also quite rapey, of women only, which seems an odd juxtaposition.
I liked the main character very much, but I was repelled by her romance with a "haunt" which is possessing the body of an arrogant prince.
It's the first book in a duology and it ends with an abrupt cliffhanger, but I don't think I care enough to read the second book.
This has an extremely rigid, stratified society, with "menials" falling on their faces before royalty. It seems to have a near perfect equality of the sexes, where princes and soldiers and midwives are just as likely to be women as men - yet it's also quite rapey, of women only, which seems an odd juxtaposition.
I liked the main character very much, but I was repelled by her romance with a "haunt" which is possessing the body of an arrogant prince.
It's the first book in a duology and it ends with an abrupt cliffhanger, but I don't think I care enough to read the second book.
July 20, 2025
Review originally on JamReads
The Witch Roads is the first book in the eponymous epic fantasy duology written by Kate Ellliott, published by TOR Books. A quest story that shows Elliott's ability at crafting a really complex world, fully fleshed, balanced with a cast of characters whose interactions make this a really rich novel, sprinkled with dashes of mystery and secrets that slowly crawl into the plot.
Elen, our main character, lives in Orledder Halt, a small outpost far from the Empire's capital; she works as a deputy courier, walking the roads and watching for signs of the Pall, a virulent infection that swiftly mutates any animal or plant that enters in contact. Elen has many secrets, especially from her past; but destiny puts her in the role of guiding a Prince's party over an alternative route because of an avalanche. After stopping at an ancient shrine, a haunt starts controlling the Prince; Elen can't be sure of the spirit's motives, but she needs to avoid people discovering it, making the journey even more interesting.
Despite Elliott's ambitious worldbuilding scope, you don't really feel like you are being info dumped; instead, all the lore bits and pieces are naturally introduced as part of the narration, picking your curiosity, giving details that might end being relevant. While I'm not exactly a fan of the whole quest fantasy as a subgenre, the execution on The Witch Roads is simply immaculate; putting a focus on giving us complex characters whose interactions draws our attention into the reading (also the whole El's backstory is captivating to discover).
The pacing is a bit of a slow-burn at the start, introducing you to the complexity of the world and the relative mundanity of what's Elen world, to later break them and use that base as the call for adventure, progressively picking up the pacing.
The Witch Roads is a really well executed novel, perfect starting point for an epic fantasy duology; if you love classic fantasy worldbuilding with some twists, definitely you will enjoy reading Kate Elliott's latest release!
The Witch Roads is the first book in the eponymous epic fantasy duology written by Kate Ellliott, published by TOR Books. A quest story that shows Elliott's ability at crafting a really complex world, fully fleshed, balanced with a cast of characters whose interactions make this a really rich novel, sprinkled with dashes of mystery and secrets that slowly crawl into the plot.
Elen, our main character, lives in Orledder Halt, a small outpost far from the Empire's capital; she works as a deputy courier, walking the roads and watching for signs of the Pall, a virulent infection that swiftly mutates any animal or plant that enters in contact. Elen has many secrets, especially from her past; but destiny puts her in the role of guiding a Prince's party over an alternative route because of an avalanche. After stopping at an ancient shrine, a haunt starts controlling the Prince; Elen can't be sure of the spirit's motives, but she needs to avoid people discovering it, making the journey even more interesting.
Despite Elliott's ambitious worldbuilding scope, you don't really feel like you are being info dumped; instead, all the lore bits and pieces are naturally introduced as part of the narration, picking your curiosity, giving details that might end being relevant. While I'm not exactly a fan of the whole quest fantasy as a subgenre, the execution on The Witch Roads is simply immaculate; putting a focus on giving us complex characters whose interactions draws our attention into the reading (also the whole El's backstory is captivating to discover).
The pacing is a bit of a slow-burn at the start, introducing you to the complexity of the world and the relative mundanity of what's Elen world, to later break them and use that base as the call for adventure, progressively picking up the pacing.
The Witch Roads is a really well executed novel, perfect starting point for an epic fantasy duology; if you love classic fantasy worldbuilding with some twists, definitely you will enjoy reading Kate Elliott's latest release!
April 23, 2025
Full disclosure: I won a free ARC of this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
Wow! This was really good!
Our main character is Elen. She lives in Orledder Halt, a small outpost far from the Empire's capital. She works as a deputy courier, walking the roads between outposts delivering messages and watching for signs of the Pall.
The Pall is a virulent infection, sort of a supernatural fungus-like plague. It sprouts from underground, forming a mist that hugs low lying areas. Anything living--plant or animal–caught within it swiftly mutates, and it spreads like wildfire. There's a substance called Holystone that is anathema to the Pall, and some roads are paved with it, and many buildings are walled with it, all to check the Pall's spread.
Elen's past contains many secrets, one of which is the Viper, a supernatural snake that lives in her arm and feeds on the Pall. Magic is tightly controlled within the Empire, largely the province of government theurgists. Elen could easily find herself burned at the stake if the Viper became known.
One day, a Prince arrives in Orledder Halt. He's so high-ranking that Elen wouldn't dare dream of speaking to him without involving several interlocutors to relay the words up and down the social hierarchies. But she is assigned to guide his party over an alternate route to avoid an avalanche that's closed the main road. Stopping at an ancient shrine en route, an incident takes place. Elen realizes that the Prince is now being controlled by a Spirit. If this becomes generally known, things could go badly for all. But how can she be sure of the Spirit's motives when they can't even talk without scandalizing everyone?
That all sounds very involved. Fortunately, Kate Elliott is much better at slipping necessary exposition seamlessly and smoothly into the text than I am. The world created within these pages is complex and engaging. The characters are relatable and interesting. The book does end without resolving everything, even though it does reach a reasonable stopping point. I'm especially sad that, because I read the ARC, I'll have to wait even longer than many of you will for the next book. The chances of my also winning the giveaway for that one seem pretty slim.
The Witch Roads is one of the most engaging Fantasy novels I've read in quite some time. Highly recommended!
Wow! This was really good!
Our main character is Elen. She lives in Orledder Halt, a small outpost far from the Empire's capital. She works as a deputy courier, walking the roads between outposts delivering messages and watching for signs of the Pall.
The Pall is a virulent infection, sort of a supernatural fungus-like plague. It sprouts from underground, forming a mist that hugs low lying areas. Anything living--plant or animal–caught within it swiftly mutates, and it spreads like wildfire. There's a substance called Holystone that is anathema to the Pall, and some roads are paved with it, and many buildings are walled with it, all to check the Pall's spread.
Elen's past contains many secrets, one of which is the Viper, a supernatural snake that lives in her arm and feeds on the Pall. Magic is tightly controlled within the Empire, largely the province of government theurgists. Elen could easily find herself burned at the stake if the Viper became known.
One day, a Prince arrives in Orledder Halt. He's so high-ranking that Elen wouldn't dare dream of speaking to him without involving several interlocutors to relay the words up and down the social hierarchies. But she is assigned to guide his party over an alternate route to avoid an avalanche that's closed the main road. Stopping at an ancient shrine en route, an incident takes place. Elen realizes that the Prince is now being controlled by a Spirit. If this becomes generally known, things could go badly for all. But how can she be sure of the Spirit's motives when they can't even talk without scandalizing everyone?
That all sounds very involved. Fortunately, Kate Elliott is much better at slipping necessary exposition seamlessly and smoothly into the text than I am. The world created within these pages is complex and engaging. The characters are relatable and interesting. The book does end without resolving everything, even though it does reach a reasonable stopping point. I'm especially sad that, because I read the ARC, I'll have to wait even longer than many of you will for the next book. The chances of my also winning the giveaway for that one seem pretty slim.
The Witch Roads is one of the most engaging Fantasy novels I've read in quite some time. Highly recommended!
May 21, 2025
Tor Publishing Group provided an early galley for review.
I will admit that the cover is what caught my attention on this novel. Researching the author's work, I see that Elliott has several fantasy series under her belt with this novel being the start of a new one. I was pleased to see from her introduction that this book has reignited her love of writing. It is encouraging to an amateur writer like myself that even professional writers sometimes find themselves in a dry spell.
This story is very much one of journey and discovery. The geography and places that dot it are very much like characters themselves. It brings to mind other fantasy novels where travel is a key component of the narrative: J.R.R. Tolkien's and Stephen R. Donaldson's works from my youth. Elliott has invested a lot in the world-building here (her "about the author" note at the end states her focus in that area yields immersive results), and it comes across intricately on the page.
However, for my tastes I found that the focus on places and scenery at times pushed aside any main character interaction or dialogue. There were chapters early on where not a word was exchanged between Elen and Kem for pages on end. I found myself bored. I suspect this is because my nature tends to be about getting to the destination (and all that means) and not so much on the routes it takes me. I am like that in real life, I am like that in my writing, and I am like that in my reading.
For the right kinds of readers, this book be captivate.
(DNF at 23%)
I will admit that the cover is what caught my attention on this novel. Researching the author's work, I see that Elliott has several fantasy series under her belt with this novel being the start of a new one. I was pleased to see from her introduction that this book has reignited her love of writing. It is encouraging to an amateur writer like myself that even professional writers sometimes find themselves in a dry spell.
This story is very much one of journey and discovery. The geography and places that dot it are very much like characters themselves. It brings to mind other fantasy novels where travel is a key component of the narrative: J.R.R. Tolkien's and Stephen R. Donaldson's works from my youth. Elliott has invested a lot in the world-building here (her "about the author" note at the end states her focus in that area yields immersive results), and it comes across intricately on the page.
However, for my tastes I found that the focus on places and scenery at times pushed aside any main character interaction or dialogue. There were chapters early on where not a word was exchanged between Elen and Kem for pages on end. I found myself bored. I suspect this is because my nature tends to be about getting to the destination (and all that means) and not so much on the routes it takes me. I am like that in real life, I am like that in my writing, and I am like that in my reading.
For the right kinds of readers, this book be captivate.
(DNF at 23%)
June 5, 2025
*I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.*
Listen, I could sit here and tell you that I found the prose kind of clunky occasionally; that sometimes things are awkwardly phrased, or here and there a sentence is a few beats too long to fit the rhythm of a paragraph. I could nitpick all day.
But absolutely NONE of that matters, because The Witch Roads is deliciously, compulsively readable; it’s a book that reaches out and grabs you. When I picked this up, I was stressed to the max; I was moving house, which was all the usual kinds of stressful plus managing our very freaked-out pets; I was terribly ill; and it was the middle of winter, which where I am is Extreme and Extremely Depressing.
(We’re not gonna talk about how smart it was to pick up a nearly 600 page doorstopper in the middle of all this, ‘kay? Kay.)
And in the midst of this – all of this! – I was GLUED to the pages. Fellow readers, I devoured The Witch Roads in three days. Three days of doing everything that needed doing on fast-forward so that I could get back to Elen and the adventure she Did Not Ask For, Thanks A Lot. AND I REGRET NOTHING!
It’s really difficult for me to put my finger on what it is that makes this book so impossibly addictive. Kate Elliott has always been extremely hit or miss for me, and a big part of it is definitely mood or timing – if I’m not in the right headspace (whatever mysterious headspace is required; I can’t identify it) I bounce off her books; but when the stars align, her stories enchant me. But the stars should not have aligned for this one! Not right then! It was the worst possible moment for me to pick up a new Elliott book (again, let’s not get into wtf I was thinking; I do not remember and it’s probably better that way).
AND YET.
Unputdownable. I resented having to sleep! Witch Roads demanded priority, which was very unfortunate timing, but that just didn’t matter.
(Thank all the gods I have such an understanding partner. The things he has to put up with!)
Elen is not your typical fantasy heroine; she is extremely practical, treasures what she has and doesn’t let herself dream of more, has pride in herself but isn’t bothered by others looking down on her. Optimistic would suggest she always expects the best to happen, and she doesn’t, but she is so appreciative of the good things in her life, the small pleasures and small beauties she encounters. I really loved that about her. There is something extremely soothing about her personality; she has a very calming influence, even from beyond the page. In an emergency, she’s exactly who you’d want by your side, both because she’s very competent at anything she sets her hands to, and because she always keeps her head.
Elliott makes it quietly clear, through small asides and subtle blink-and-you’ll-miss-them revelations, that Elen – and her now-deceased sister – have a Mysterious Backstory. Brace yourself for some serious twists, because although Elliott sets you up to think you know what that backstory is, you will be completely wrong. It’s the best bait-and-switch reveal I’ve encountered in a while, and when all the pieces actually come together, it’s with a galaxy-brain moment that makes the wait for it more than worth it!
Quite a lot of the book is like that: there are a number of distinct but intertwined plotlines, taking place across wildly varied scales – and none of them are simple, or obvious, or quick to explain themselves. Elliott drip-feeds us information, and it feels like playing chess with a master. Perhaps in the hands of another storyteller, this could have been drawn-out or annoying, but there’s too much going on right in front of us at every moment – the travails of the journey Elen and the prince are on – for things to feel slow or boring. Elen is so viscerally present, both to us on the page, and in living every moment she has, for us to ever feel divorced from the story. It doesn’t hurt at all that the rest of the cast is wonderfully vibrant too: most especially Kem, Elen’s trans nephew, and the being possessing the prince, who we definitely should not trust but damn, he’s charming!
The empire Elliott has created has a very mild trace of ancient China, with all of its citizens fitted into an immense, hyper-strict hierarchy, much of which is taken up by an extensive bureaucracy. But this is a land beset by Spore, outbreaks of magical spores that horrifically mutate all living matter; where carriages bearing the imperial family are drawn by panthers; and griffin-riders carry the most urgent messages back and forth. Ancient ruins, prehistoric skeletons, and glimpsed non-humans give the setting an immense weight of history without any need to info-dump the reader. But if you’ve read anything of Kate Elliott’s, you already know she’s a top-tier worldbuilder!
If you’re at all tuned in to the marketing around this one, you’ve probably heard that Witch Roads is the book that made Elliott fall in love with writing again. I think that comes through beautifully; it’s as much fun to read as it apparently was to write, has a magic to it that is immediately enthralling. On paper, Witch Roads shouldn’t have interested me much; if I’d been told the whole of the plot, it wouldn’t have sounded like my sort of thing at all. But I’ve already told you how unbelievably and instantly hooked I was, and I challenge anyone not to be.
Easily one of the highlights of 2025!
Listen, I could sit here and tell you that I found the prose kind of clunky occasionally; that sometimes things are awkwardly phrased, or here and there a sentence is a few beats too long to fit the rhythm of a paragraph. I could nitpick all day.
But absolutely NONE of that matters, because The Witch Roads is deliciously, compulsively readable; it’s a book that reaches out and grabs you. When I picked this up, I was stressed to the max; I was moving house, which was all the usual kinds of stressful plus managing our very freaked-out pets; I was terribly ill; and it was the middle of winter, which where I am is Extreme and Extremely Depressing.
(We’re not gonna talk about how smart it was to pick up a nearly 600 page doorstopper in the middle of all this, ‘kay? Kay.)
And in the midst of this – all of this! – I was GLUED to the pages. Fellow readers, I devoured The Witch Roads in three days. Three days of doing everything that needed doing on fast-forward so that I could get back to Elen and the adventure she Did Not Ask For, Thanks A Lot. AND I REGRET NOTHING!
It’s really difficult for me to put my finger on what it is that makes this book so impossibly addictive. Kate Elliott has always been extremely hit or miss for me, and a big part of it is definitely mood or timing – if I’m not in the right headspace (whatever mysterious headspace is required; I can’t identify it) I bounce off her books; but when the stars align, her stories enchant me. But the stars should not have aligned for this one! Not right then! It was the worst possible moment for me to pick up a new Elliott book (again, let’s not get into wtf I was thinking; I do not remember and it’s probably better that way).
AND YET.
Unputdownable. I resented having to sleep! Witch Roads demanded priority, which was very unfortunate timing, but that just didn’t matter.
(Thank all the gods I have such an understanding partner. The things he has to put up with!)
Elen is not your typical fantasy heroine; she is extremely practical, treasures what she has and doesn’t let herself dream of more, has pride in herself but isn’t bothered by others looking down on her. Optimistic would suggest she always expects the best to happen, and she doesn’t, but she is so appreciative of the good things in her life, the small pleasures and small beauties she encounters. I really loved that about her. There is something extremely soothing about her personality; she has a very calming influence, even from beyond the page. In an emergency, she’s exactly who you’d want by your side, both because she’s very competent at anything she sets her hands to, and because she always keeps her head.
Elliott makes it quietly clear, through small asides and subtle blink-and-you’ll-miss-them revelations, that Elen – and her now-deceased sister – have a Mysterious Backstory. Brace yourself for some serious twists, because although Elliott sets you up to think you know what that backstory is, you will be completely wrong. It’s the best bait-and-switch reveal I’ve encountered in a while, and when all the pieces actually come together, it’s with a galaxy-brain moment that makes the wait for it more than worth it!
Quite a lot of the book is like that: there are a number of distinct but intertwined plotlines, taking place across wildly varied scales – and none of them are simple, or obvious, or quick to explain themselves. Elliott drip-feeds us information, and it feels like playing chess with a master. Perhaps in the hands of another storyteller, this could have been drawn-out or annoying, but there’s too much going on right in front of us at every moment – the travails of the journey Elen and the prince are on – for things to feel slow or boring. Elen is so viscerally present, both to us on the page, and in living every moment she has, for us to ever feel divorced from the story. It doesn’t hurt at all that the rest of the cast is wonderfully vibrant too: most especially Kem, Elen’s trans nephew, and the being possessing the prince, who we definitely should not trust but damn, he’s charming!
The empire Elliott has created has a very mild trace of ancient China, with all of its citizens fitted into an immense, hyper-strict hierarchy, much of which is taken up by an extensive bureaucracy. But this is a land beset by Spore, outbreaks of magical spores that horrifically mutate all living matter; where carriages bearing the imperial family are drawn by panthers; and griffin-riders carry the most urgent messages back and forth. Ancient ruins, prehistoric skeletons, and glimpsed non-humans give the setting an immense weight of history without any need to info-dump the reader. But if you’ve read anything of Kate Elliott’s, you already know she’s a top-tier worldbuilder!
If you’re at all tuned in to the marketing around this one, you’ve probably heard that Witch Roads is the book that made Elliott fall in love with writing again. I think that comes through beautifully; it’s as much fun to read as it apparently was to write, has a magic to it that is immediately enthralling. On paper, Witch Roads shouldn’t have interested me much; if I’d been told the whole of the plot, it wouldn’t have sounded like my sort of thing at all. But I’ve already told you how unbelievably and instantly hooked I was, and I challenge anyone not to be.
Easily one of the highlights of 2025!
July 31, 2025
At the end of this book I felt quite torn: I liked where the story ended up but we took far too long to get there.
First with the good, the world-building here is solid. I got a real sense of the people and the places they lived in. There's some really interesting concepts here, like the Pall, a fog-like entity that can cause "spore" to form. Spore can quickly overtake and mutate whatever it touches, making it a very dangerous thing.
I also liked that the main protagonist is a woman in her 30s. She's very confident in her abilities and is well-respected. The "Haunt" character was charming and intriguing. I also liked that Elen had flaws (as well as her sister Ao) that we learn as the story goes on.
My biggest issues are that the book feels very long. As Elen and the party make their journey, there is so much repetition. Elen's viper stirs. Kem is mad. Xilis and Jirvy snipe at each other. Someone reminds Elen that she's not of the same class as the others. I also just found Elen to be bland. She doesn't have a lot of personality, and while I understand she's supposed to be a salt-of-the-earth type, it didn't translate well. She also does completely out of character things where she says things wildly out of pocket, gets berated for it, and then does it again.
There also was a lot of world-building that relied on chapters that had history of the world or characters asking questions and getting answers. I much prefer an organic world-building and more mystery. There's a chapter in the end that explains Elen and her sister's origins, but I didn't feel like it was needed. I had already gleaned a lot of it through the story, and the pacing was kneecapped by the long chapter that was inserted.
Overall, I did enjoy it, though it was a bit of a slog at times. I don't think I'll read the second book as the ending didn't compel me all that much. The world and history Elliott has constructed is impressive and I think her writing was quite good.
First with the good, the world-building here is solid. I got a real sense of the people and the places they lived in. There's some really interesting concepts here, like the Pall, a fog-like entity that can cause "spore" to form. Spore can quickly overtake and mutate whatever it touches, making it a very dangerous thing.
I also liked that the main protagonist is a woman in her 30s. She's very confident in her abilities and is well-respected. The "Haunt" character was charming and intriguing. I also liked that Elen had flaws (as well as her sister Ao) that we learn as the story goes on.
My biggest issues are that the book feels very long. As Elen and the party make their journey, there is so much repetition. Elen's viper stirs. Kem is mad. Xilis and Jirvy snipe at each other. Someone reminds Elen that she's not of the same class as the others. I also just found Elen to be bland. She doesn't have a lot of personality, and while I understand she's supposed to be a salt-of-the-earth type, it didn't translate well. She also does completely out of character things where she says things wildly out of pocket, gets berated for it, and then does it again.
There also was a lot of world-building that relied on chapters that had history of the world or characters asking questions and getting answers. I much prefer an organic world-building and more mystery. There's a chapter in the end that explains Elen and her sister's origins, but I didn't feel like it was needed. I had already gleaned a lot of it through the story, and the pacing was kneecapped by the long chapter that was inserted.
Overall, I did enjoy it, though it was a bit of a slog at times. I don't think I'll read the second book as the ending didn't compel me all that much. The world and history Elliott has constructed is impressive and I think her writing was quite good.
August 28, 2025
It took me two months to finish this. Not because it's not good - I really liked it! But somehow I could not read more than a chapter at a time. I don't know why.
I liked El and Kem, the Haunt was great as well and I have absolutely no idea how this will continue in the second book. The writing needed a bit of getting used to but it was beautiful. The world was amazingly built and I really loved that we have high fantasy and one of the main characters is queer - and almost everyone just accepts it (there's one person struggeling with the fact, told retrospectively, and one person being an asshole about it). Plotwise I always had a feeling that there wasn't that much happening but I never got bored as we follow El and the whole party down the road. I'm really looking forward to the second book!
I liked El and Kem, the Haunt was great as well and I have absolutely no idea how this will continue in the second book. The writing needed a bit of getting used to but it was beautiful. The world was amazingly built and I really loved that we have high fantasy and one of the main characters is queer - and almost everyone just accepts it (there's one person struggeling with the fact, told retrospectively, and one person being an asshole about it). Plotwise I always had a feeling that there wasn't that much happening but I never got bored as we follow El and the whole party down the road. I'm really looking forward to the second book!
December 5, 2025
I would have rated this higher but I wanted the ending to have a bit more grit. It was a very well fleshed out world with an interesting magic system but it read very, very slowly. Very Robin Hobb -esque. But it's all vibes. 400+ pages of people walking and sleeping, changing out their horses, revealing their histories, customs, and cultures through dialogue which is slowly revealed by the author, evenly across all 439 pages. So you won't really have a full understanding of what the Pall is or how the spores come to be until you reach the second to last chapter.
This is my second book by Kate Elliott. I read The Keeper's Six and was underwhelmed, nay, confused by the worldbuilding and portal elements of that world. So I wasn't sure if I would like this one or not, but I'm pleased to say that I did. I only wish I had been warned about how slow paced it is as I was in kind of a reading slump and wanted something that moved much faster. But this was a library loan and it was my turn, so I ploughed through as best I could. I will say that the voice of this novel is way different from The Keeper's Six, and that Elliott's creativity is masterful. I will read The Nameless Land happily as I feel I have come to know the characters in The Witch Roads in a way I never thought I'd have the patience for and I want to see what happens next; though I say this with the caveat that I will have to definitely be in the mood for a slow read so that I can be sure to appreciate this masterpiece for the gem that it truly is. Only my current mood keeps this from being a 5* and I don't know if that will change. But I'm glad I gave this author another go. No regrets.
EDIT: Can we also just have a moment for the cover, please?
This is my second book by Kate Elliott. I read The Keeper's Six and was underwhelmed, nay, confused by the worldbuilding and portal elements of that world. So I wasn't sure if I would like this one or not, but I'm pleased to say that I did. I only wish I had been warned about how slow paced it is as I was in kind of a reading slump and wanted something that moved much faster. But this was a library loan and it was my turn, so I ploughed through as best I could. I will say that the voice of this novel is way different from The Keeper's Six, and that Elliott's creativity is masterful. I will read The Nameless Land happily as I feel I have come to know the characters in The Witch Roads in a way I never thought I'd have the patience for and I want to see what happens next; though I say this with the caveat that I will have to definitely be in the mood for a slow read so that I can be sure to appreciate this masterpiece for the gem that it truly is. Only my current mood keeps this from being a 5* and I don't know if that will change. But I'm glad I gave this author another go. No regrets.
EDIT: Can we also just have a moment for the cover, please?
May 28, 2025
the kind of book that makes you cuss a lot when you’ve finished it because you need the next one so bad
July 3, 2025
I think I've finally fallen out of love with Kate Elliott as an author. It's a while since I've given her older work a re-read, but I'm sure that it's better then this. I certainly remember it as better then this.
The pace absolutely crawls. It's a real slog to get through this novel. We get detailed descriptions of the heroine going to the toilet when going to the toilet it not in anyway necessary for the plot. The heroine bears a suspicious resemblance to the author. None of the characters have any personality. There are plot holes you could drive a truck through. The author repeatedly breaks the rules of her own created world in the way that the characters interact with each other. And I didn't love the transgender propaganda aspect either, and I think that it will age as poorly as Elliott's earlier novels which celebrated terrorism. If you're going to include something as hotly contested as a "transgender child," you really ought to do some research, otherwise you are going to contribute to harm and annoy people, like myself, who do know something about that subject. I feel betrayed by her as a woman. I thought you were a feminist Kate, but you're just a handmaiden.
Badly done, Emma - to quote the eternal Jane Austen
The pace absolutely crawls. It's a real slog to get through this novel. We get detailed descriptions of the heroine going to the toilet when going to the toilet it not in anyway necessary for the plot. The heroine bears a suspicious resemblance to the author. None of the characters have any personality. There are plot holes you could drive a truck through. The author repeatedly breaks the rules of her own created world in the way that the characters interact with each other. And I didn't love the transgender propaganda aspect either, and I think that it will age as poorly as Elliott's earlier novels which celebrated terrorism. If you're going to include something as hotly contested as a "transgender child," you really ought to do some research, otherwise you are going to contribute to harm and annoy people, like myself, who do know something about that subject. I feel betrayed by her as a woman. I thought you were a feminist Kate, but you're just a handmaiden.
Badly done, Emma - to quote the eternal Jane Austen
September 16, 2025
I obviously am in the minority here looking at other reviews of this book, but I found this painfully boring. I actually fell asleep twice while trying to read it. Not for me
May 3, 2025
30 y/o mc, woman fantasy mc written by a woman and isn’t completely insufferable, actual high stakes oh i LOVE
July 16, 2025
I occasionally read fantasy books, well, usually series fantasy books. When I started this read, I was quickly drawn into the story, although I knew there would eventually be an additional book that did not keep me from relishing it. The further I read, the more I enjoyed this world that the author created.
The characters were definitely medieval, but the medievel of knights and kings and queens are not as we would expect them to be. Yes, we expect evil characters to counter-balance the good but this evil is so much more than a single character, or even multiple characters. You see, an evil has set upon the land and all who live within this world fear this evil.
Well created fictitious characters, some of whom are not necessarily human, and secrets, so many secrets, are used to draw you into this tale of adventure and danger. You will enjoy traveling with this unusual group to their desired goal but, of course, all will not be as expected. Sadly, really happily, there will be another book and the story will continue and maybe we get more answers to our questions.
I won this book in a GoodReads giveaway. Thank you to #TorPublishing and the author #KateElliott.
The characters were definitely medieval, but the medievel of knights and kings and queens are not as we would expect them to be. Yes, we expect evil characters to counter-balance the good but this evil is so much more than a single character, or even multiple characters. You see, an evil has set upon the land and all who live within this world fear this evil.
Well created fictitious characters, some of whom are not necessarily human, and secrets, so many secrets, are used to draw you into this tale of adventure and danger. You will enjoy traveling with this unusual group to their desired goal but, of course, all will not be as expected. Sadly, really happily, there will be another book and the story will continue and maybe we get more answers to our questions.
I won this book in a GoodReads giveaway. Thank you to #TorPublishing and the author #KateElliott.
November 5, 2025
An intriguing world Elliott has built. Deadly spores that kill while they spawn. The Pall that blankets forbidding regions of the empire. Magic roads that repulse the spore. Court machinations. Who will succeed the current ruler? And at the end of this tale we learn the past of our heroine. Interesting that. Who is "El?" And even with the ending history, do we know her yet?
Finally, one known as the Shorn or the Haunt. How ancient is this nefarious ghost?
3.5 stars rounded up. On to book two of this duology. The Nameless Land
Finally, one known as the Shorn or the Haunt. How ancient is this nefarious ghost?
3.5 stars rounded up. On to book two of this duology. The Nameless Land
July 26, 2025
3.5 stars
This was good. To be honest, I don't have anything bad to say about it. It was quality writing with extensive and detailed world building, and these days that's a freaking breath of fresh air. It just moved too slowly for my liking. I don't enjoy the journey-style novel--think Lord of the Rings and The Thief. This very much resembled both of those, and as such, I was bored frequently. If the book had been edited to be about 100 pages shorter, the pacing would have been considerably improved. But that's just my opinion. Some people really love in depth descriptions, and if that's you, this one will be a winner. Overall, though, the story was solid and the characters were interesting and three dimensional. Don't think I'll read the sequel, though.
This was good. To be honest, I don't have anything bad to say about it. It was quality writing with extensive and detailed world building, and these days that's a freaking breath of fresh air. It just moved too slowly for my liking. I don't enjoy the journey-style novel--think Lord of the Rings and The Thief. This very much resembled both of those, and as such, I was bored frequently. If the book had been edited to be about 100 pages shorter, the pacing would have been considerably improved. But that's just my opinion. Some people really love in depth descriptions, and if that's you, this one will be a winner. Overall, though, the story was solid and the characters were interesting and three dimensional. Don't think I'll read the sequel, though.
July 26, 2025
This reads very much like a classic fantasy, and I love it! Such impressive world building, and great cast of characters. I love the Haunt and El so much! Their depth, kindness, and appreciation and awareness for their world was absolutely beautiful and touching. I can’t wait to read the sequel when it comes out later this year.
September 3, 2025
A little bit The Broken Earth, a little bit The Goblin Emperor, a little bit Man’s Search for Meaning. Very Kate Elliot, in the best ways. She writes with the ease and confidence of someone who’s been doing this since the ‘80s.
Fair warning: This is a CHONKY book and it goes at its own pace. Not a quick read, but one that will pull you along like a riptide.
I’m going to start ending my reviews with the specific spoiler that I care about when choosing books.
Happy ending?
Fair warning: This is a CHONKY book and it goes at its own pace. Not a quick read, but one that will pull you along like a riptide.
I’m going to start ending my reviews with the specific spoiler that I care about when choosing books.
Happy ending?
July 10, 2025
An arrogant prince is stuck at Orledder Hall, and needs the help of Elen to get his party through the hills to his destination.
This is a fantastic start to a duology full of political intrigue. It has really rich world building that we find out about through a treacherous journey. It is wonderful learning about the politics, religion, magic, class system, and lore of the world in such an exciting way. There is great character building focusing on themes of found family, gender, and class. This was a fantastic start to a series, and I highly recommend it for those that love epic fantasy.
Thank you to Tor and NetGalley for the copy for review.
This is a fantastic start to a duology full of political intrigue. It has really rich world building that we find out about through a treacherous journey. It is wonderful learning about the politics, religion, magic, class system, and lore of the world in such an exciting way. There is great character building focusing on themes of found family, gender, and class. This was a fantastic start to a series, and I highly recommend it for those that love epic fantasy.
Thank you to Tor and NetGalley for the copy for review.
July 27, 2025
3.5⭐️
This was actually very well written. The author did a great job at building out a world full of mysterious forces and an interesting hierarchy. I think the long and in depth passages about the landscape along with the slow pacing just wasn’t for me. I am undecided whether I will read the sequel but I am also curious about how this will conclude.
This was actually very well written. The author did a great job at building out a world full of mysterious forces and an interesting hierarchy. I think the long and in depth passages about the landscape along with the slow pacing just wasn’t for me. I am undecided whether I will read the sequel but I am also curious about how this will conclude.
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May 7, 2025DNF at 20% A very rare occurrence but I can’t bring myself to care.
September 20, 2025
Yearning between a lowly deputy courier and the haunt possessing a prince’s body.
Elen has been working as a deputy courier for many years after a secretive past life. She’s very good at her job of knowing the lay of the land and walking the same path to ensure it’s clear of spores. (These spores appear to operate similarly to cordyceps from The Last of Us.)
This story picks up when Elen takes her trans nephew, Kem, to accompany her on her route. Kem is trying to decide which career path to take, including whether to declare as a deputy courier or other profession. When Elen and Kem return from this fairly routine trip, they discover some big name political figures have arrived at Orledder Halt. Some political and family drama ensues, resulting in Elen and Kem being forced to accompany a very arrogant prince on a secretive mission through dangerous territory. At the very beginning of the journey, Elen advises the prince not to enter the spires. Of course, he does so anyways, and what emerges is a haunt in the prince’s body.
I did have to reread the beginning several times before I was finally ready to see this book through. I really struggled with the first 20% of this book because there were so many extremely long winded passages full of imagery that may or may not prove to be relevant (in either book one or the sequel). I can’t picture things in my head, so I tend to struggle with descriptions of every little detail in a scene. This can be challenging for me because I don’t know from lengthy descriptions what is important for me to fully internalize and save for later. The characters grew on me, and the story became much more interesting when Elen, Kem, the “Prince,” and his entourage get on the road. We follow the whole crew, and start to decipher their various backgrounds and motivations, as they journey through the land, stopping at various little towns. Elen, as someone who has travelled these lands before, is clearly a beloved member of the communities. However, as sympathetic of a character Elen is, she’s not perfect. She must work through how to be supportive of Kem and repair the trust she broke by failing to disclose important information to him. Most interestingly, the ancient, mysterious haunt possessing the Prince's body, is very intrigued by Elen. He continues to show her treatment that others in the Prince’s entourage find peculiar for a “low-class” deputy courier. I enjoyed their slow-burn relationship very much and hope there is more to come in the second book.
I would recommend The Witch Roads to those who like heavy world building and journey-based stories like those in Assassin's Quest or the Hobbit. The Witch Roads is the first in a duology, and the second book publishes November 4th.
Thank you Tor and NetGalley for the ARC!
Elen has been working as a deputy courier for many years after a secretive past life. She’s very good at her job of knowing the lay of the land and walking the same path to ensure it’s clear of spores. (These spores appear to operate similarly to cordyceps from The Last of Us.)
This story picks up when Elen takes her trans nephew, Kem, to accompany her on her route. Kem is trying to decide which career path to take, including whether to declare as a deputy courier or other profession. When Elen and Kem return from this fairly routine trip, they discover some big name political figures have arrived at Orledder Halt. Some political and family drama ensues, resulting in Elen and Kem being forced to accompany a very arrogant prince on a secretive mission through dangerous territory. At the very beginning of the journey, Elen advises the prince not to enter the spires. Of course, he does so anyways, and what emerges is a haunt in the prince’s body.
I did have to reread the beginning several times before I was finally ready to see this book through. I really struggled with the first 20% of this book because there were so many extremely long winded passages full of imagery that may or may not prove to be relevant (in either book one or the sequel). I can’t picture things in my head, so I tend to struggle with descriptions of every little detail in a scene. This can be challenging for me because I don’t know from lengthy descriptions what is important for me to fully internalize and save for later. The characters grew on me, and the story became much more interesting when Elen, Kem, the “Prince,” and his entourage get on the road. We follow the whole crew, and start to decipher their various backgrounds and motivations, as they journey through the land, stopping at various little towns. Elen, as someone who has travelled these lands before, is clearly a beloved member of the communities. However, as sympathetic of a character Elen is, she’s not perfect. She must work through how to be supportive of Kem and repair the trust she broke by failing to disclose important information to him. Most interestingly, the ancient, mysterious haunt possessing the Prince's body, is very intrigued by Elen. He continues to show her treatment that others in the Prince’s entourage find peculiar for a “low-class” deputy courier. I enjoyed their slow-burn relationship very much and hope there is more to come in the second book.
I would recommend The Witch Roads to those who like heavy world building and journey-based stories like those in Assassin's Quest or the Hobbit. The Witch Roads is the first in a duology, and the second book publishes November 4th.
Thank you Tor and NetGalley for the ARC!
May 30, 2025
This is my first Kate Elliot book and I can see why she’s so popular. While I did not love this book I thought it was really good and I can see the series getting more exciting and interesting as more books come out. While I liked El and Gesavura’alalin (the haunt) I did not go attached to any other characters. I gave this a 4/5 stars due to the world building and the surprises the author sprinkles in throughout the book. I am pretty sure I will be reading book 2 just because of the little twist at the end.
September 8, 2025
4.5 stars
I just know that Kate Elliott will never fail me
I just know that Kate Elliott will never fail me
August 21, 2025
The first volume in a High Epic fantasy duology and my first work by this author.
A blend of quest, travel, politics and even a dash of romance.
I loved the glimpses of older civilizations, ancient magic and mysterious buildings from the long gone past of this world.
The main character, humble a courier, won me over with her love for her transgender nephew and her appreciation of the simple things in life.
As the story grew, so did the cast of characters and they were all well written.
The plot had a few "on the edge of your seat" moments, but mostly it was slow paced due to the repetitive nature of the travel element and the many scenery descriptions.
I need to be transparent that rarely do romances work for me. Here I had some mixed feelings, but no major complaints.
The novel ended on a cliffhanger so I am looking forward to get the conclusion.
Despite the minor criticism, I enjoyed my time with this novel.
A blend of quest, travel, politics and even a dash of romance.
I loved the glimpses of older civilizations, ancient magic and mysterious buildings from the long gone past of this world.
The main character, humble a courier, won me over with her love for her transgender nephew and her appreciation of the simple things in life.
As the story grew, so did the cast of characters and they were all well written.
The plot had a few "on the edge of your seat" moments, but mostly it was slow paced due to the repetitive nature of the travel element and the many scenery descriptions.
I need to be transparent that rarely do romances work for me. Here I had some mixed feelings, but no major complaints.
The novel ended on a cliffhanger so I am looking forward to get the conclusion.
Despite the minor criticism, I enjoyed my time with this novel.
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