We Three Witches

by Rosie Talbot

“I would do anything for you, Edie.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of…”

A sapphic YA romance murder mystery from BookTok sensation and queen of gothic fantasy, Rosie Talbot.

1930s haunted York. Viola Samphire was once part of a coven of four powerful witches, but now only three survive. A devastating fire in an artist's studio led to Edie dying of smoke inhalation.

When Viola discovers that the fire was no accident, she hunts for clues, but she is getting used to a new witch ability - to see ghosts. Most importantly, she can see the ghost of Edie, the witch who died in the fire, and her unrequited love.

With the help of her friends, witches Bea and Merle, and her beloved bones she throws to show her fate, Viola knows she will discover who killed Edie. But Vi's bones are stolen. And children are dying, Vi can see their ghosts. What if everything is connected? A stolen gift, a murderer, an underground network of spirits with corruption rife...


And Viola soon realises that admitting her love for Edie could change the course of their future, could it even bring Edie back from the dead?



 



The thrilling and heart-wrenching new novel from the author of Sixteen Souls, Twelve Bones and Phantom Hearts. Perfect for fans of Adalyn Grace, The Crimson Moth and VE Schwab. Romantasy meets murder mystery: Sixteen Souls was an instant YA bestseller, dubbed by Book Tok as "Heartstopper with Ghosts".

 


Praise for Sixteen Souls:


"Deliciously dark" - Cynthia Murphy, author of Last One to Die, Win Lose Kill Die and The Midnight Game


"Delivers fun and frights in equal measure. A fantastically spooky, thrilling adventure!" - Kat Ellis, author of Wicked Little Deeds


"Flawless twists, this book immediately pulled me in." - H.M Long, author of Hall of Smoke


"A captivating take of loss, friendship and love that had me gripped from first to last." - Menna van Praag, author of The Sisters Grimm

Genres: Fantasy, Queer, Young Adult, Paranormal, LGBT, Lesbian, Witches

368 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 9, 2025

About the author

A lover of dark and tightly woven stories, Rosie is inspired by creepy things in junk shops, haunted houses and strange magic. She is a graduate of Curtis Brown Creative and Write Mentor.

By day she works as a bookseller. By night, she spends time sewing big skirts with even bigger pockets and wondering why her family has a suspiciously large collection of cauldrons. She currently resides in a mysterious pocket of the Sussex countryside with her very patient spouse and two cats called Tinkerfluff and Captain Haddock.

You can connect with Rosie via Tiktok and Instagram (@merrowchild) or on her website www.rosietalbot.co.uk.

Reviews

[Alwynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rosie Talbot’s sapphic romantasy is set in York during the 1930s. Viola, together with friends Edie, Merle and Bea, is a practitioner of witchcraft, although divination’s Viola’s special skill. But when a freak fire kills Edie and threatens the lives of everyone in her miniature coven everything Viola once believed seems close to illusory. Although Viola soon finds she has a new ability, she can see the dead including Edie. For Viola this is both a blessing and a curse. It’s wonderful to see and talk to Edie again but Viola realises she squandered their chance for a real relationship. Edie and Viola bonded over their love of reading including Djuna Barne’s scandalous Nightwood, a favourite of Edie’s who, unlike Viola, is openly queer. And, as time passed, Viola fell in love. Now Viola’s growing sense the fire was no accident places her and Edie’s spirit in danger. Can they solve the mystery and escape the malevolent forces crowding round them? Talbot’s a more-than-able writer and this is an atmospheric, well-researched piece. I enjoyed the period details - and Edie’s feisty personality - but I found the pace a little slow and the array of minor characters a bit overwhelming. I’d have preferred a less open-ended finale too. Apparently, this is a prequel to Talbot’s earlier novels which I haven’t read so that could be why this didn’t quite work for me – so my mixed feelings possibly more to do with me than Talbot's narrative.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher Scholastic for an ARC

Rating: 2.5

[Neha Garg (thereadingowl_) · Rating 3 out of 5]

"When your world burns, paint with the ashes"

When I first read the blurb (Swipe the pictures to see) for this book I knew I had to read it. The story is about four witch friends who form their own coven. They have grown up learning together and practising together. When Edie dies in a fire accident, Viola is broken. Viola survives and with her survival, she gains the ability to see spirits. What follows is an intense sequence of events uncovering the truth behind the fire.

🔮 Why I loved this book:

🪬It’s the perfect pick for October. It’s witchy, has ghosts, possessions, arcane rituals, symbols, a bit of gore, and is just full of supernatural things of the kind I love.
🪬I loved the relationship between Viola and Edie. Their friendship transcends the physical. The power of love and sacrifice is beautifully described.
🪬 Loved Viola’s rage and her urge to destroy anything that hurts Edie. Stories with female rage have a special place for me.
🪬 Loved the setting. York of the past is charming. Even though it’s teeming with ghosts, the appreciation for the city is palpable. The historical setting comes with men who think they can control women like slaves but their destruction makes it fun.
🪬It’s action-packed. Viola is not shown as a know-it-all. She fails and learns but doesn't give up.
🪬The cover. It’s gorgeous. 😍

🔮What could have been better imo:

🪬The side characters, especially Meryem, are not given much attention.
🪬The title didn't make much sense to me as the story is mostly about Viola and Edie with Bea and Meryem playing minimal roles
🪬The cliffhanger. I wish it had a happier ending and a clean closure. Right now it has scope for another book.

🔮 Would I recommend it?
💯 yes. Especially if you love witchy stories like I do. I had a great time reading it.

[Courtney Mulholland · Rating 5 out of 5]

We Three Witches, is an angry, unapologetic, emotional, and untamable book, of magic, love, betrayal, found family, nightmares, and finding something you weren't even looking for.

I feel a connection to most books about witches, a sort pure, blissful, soul-entwining, connection. But with We Three Witches, it tapped into an anger, and an untamable thirst for something, that I didn't know I had until now.

"I'm just a girl. Can I change anything for the better?"

[Eilidh Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have previously heard quite a good few things about Rosie Talbot’s other books set in York, and they definitely have peaked my interest at some points so when I heard this one was coming out and it featured some things I have either been really enjoying in my books this year or want to read more of, I knew that it was going to have to be the book that I gave Rosie Talbot a shot with.

We Three Witches follows Viola who after being in a fire in her father’s art studio and losing one of her closest friends in the fire, she discovers that the fire itself wasn’t an accident and while she hunts for clues she is getting used to the new witch ability, of being able to see ghosts, including Edie her friend who died in the fire and unrequited love. With the help of the rest of her coven, Bea and Merle and her bones she throws, Viola believes she will discover who killed Edie but as her bones are stolen and children are dying, Viola begins to wonder if it is all connected and realises admitting her love for Edie could change the course of their future.

There were quite a few things that I enjoyed about this book and while it wasn’t a new favourite book I did really enjoy the writing and can see why someone would love this book.

One thing I really enjoyed about this book was the development of all the characters throughout the book whether they be characters we were meant to like or not. It felt like every character had a reason for what they were doing and were complex that had me wanting to learn about each character even if I didn’t like their actions. I really enjoyed reading about Viola particularly and her actions throughout the book. I understood most of her decision making and definitely did feel sorry for everything that happened to her.

The setting of old York was well developed and really atmospheric making the rest of the book with the ghosts feel even more impactful, while I wouldn’t want to be anywhere near these ghosts I did want to visit this old York setting.

I don’t know if I will read the other books Rosie Talbot has written within this world as I don’t think this book was entirely for me and I did put off reading it for a wee bit but depending on what else she releases I would be interested in reading more from her in the future as I enjoyed the way she developed the setting and the writing throughout the story.

Thank you to Scholastic and Netgalley for a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the author and publisher for an early copy of this book via NetGalley! That has not influenced my review and all opinions are my own.

This book is perfect. I don’t even know where to begin with this review because I just need time to process how incredible this was. Sapphic witches with hints of the occult and spirits? I NEEEEEEEDED THIS BOOK!!!

Let’s start with the setting. The world building itself is great. We get into the action immediately in the first few lines and for someone like me with ADHD it was so nice to feel hooked straight away.

The emotions this book put me through are so hard to describe. I fell in love with our main character Vi very quickly which is a testament to the author’s writing. Vi’s character progression throughout the book is stunning. At the start, we may think she’s quite selfish and naive, and by the end she is a strong, selfless and loyal woman and I loved being on this journey with her. Edie is incredibly sweet and I would die for her tbh. The sapphic relationship in this book is so incredibly heart warming. It’s tentative, warm, and sweet, and I was so invested in this relationship. The author wrote this relationship so incredibly well, and I really loved the loyalty and devotion between these two women. As a queer woman, I cannot even begin to say how much the representation means to me.

There are some plot twists in the book that I absolutely did not expect and couldn’t have predicted even if you’d asked me. The plot is exciting and spooky and it was a consistently good read for me. This was a book I could not put down and I needed to finish it as soon as I could. The writing style is excellent, and I just love how everything came together and made sense. It was such an easy read.

This book explores themes of love, sacrifice, hope, sisterhood and bravery. It is a hauntingly beautiful story that love can survive anything. There’s trauma, plot twists, and villains, and it is an absolute ride. But I’m so thankful I’ve had the chance to read this. If you like novels by Ava Reid and Silvia Moreno-Garcia, you’ll love this book! I will now be ordering a physical copy for my shelves!

Rating: 5/5 stars (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

[Caffs37 · Rating 4 out of 5]

We Three Witches is a beautifully crafted tale that intertwines the enchanting and the eerie, delivering a well-paced witchy thriller that captivates from start to finish. Rosie Talbot's writing sparkles as she weaves a sapphic romance within a gripping murder mystery, keeping me on my toes with tantalizing twists and turns that lingered in my mind long after I finished this book.

Set in the haunting backdrop of 1930s York, the story revolves around Viola Samphire, a once-powerful witch who grapples with loss and newfound abilities. The tragic death of her coven sister Edie in a suspicious fire sets Viola on a path of discovery and danger, as she uncovers shocking truths about the past, her evolving powers to see ghosts, and the implications of her unrequited love for Edie.

Rosie does an exquisite job of blending humor, heartache, and suspense, accompanied by well-developed characters like Viola, Bea, and Merle, whose friendships add depth to the narrative. The atmosphere is imbued with a sense of urgency as Viola races against time to solve the mystery of Edie's death, navigating an underground world of spirits and corruption.

The author’s ability to invoke emotion is remarkable, particularly in how Viola's journey of love and loss intertwines with her mission to uncover the truth. As the plot thickens and the stakes rise, I was left guessing, wondering how much of the past can be rewritten and whether love can transcend even the boundaries of death.

For anyone seeking to enrich their ‘ber ’ months TBR, We Three Witches sets a high standard for thrilling, witchy storytelling and heartfelt romance. Rosie Talbot has undeniably left an imprint with this work, and I can't wait to explore more of her magical stories. Highly recommended this one!!…

[Jo’s Haunted Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

A witchy sapphic YA romance set in haunted York? I knew I had to read it! And also because I absolutely loved Rosie's previous books.

We Three Witches is set in 1930s York and it is pretty much a prequel to Sixteen Souls and Twelve Bones, with a character that also appears in Twelve Bones so although you can still read it as a standalone, if you have read Twelve Bones you will know some of the details already.

Viola, our main character, is in a coven of witches and they are setting up a bones reading when disaster strikes leading her on a dangerous quest to find out who was behind it.
The premise of the book is what drew me in, it is a murder mystery with a romance and ghosts. I liked how atmospheric the setting was and loved that it was set in an old York. It is fast paced and the magic system is well thought out. Whilst I liked We Three Witches, I did not love it which really made me sad as I absolutely loved the other books. It is possible that some editing has been done after the arc was put out but I found some bits repetitive and I felt like the coven relationship could have been a bit more elaborated as I found the girls quite distanced from each other and most of the plot was just Viola doing things independently. That being said, I loved Edie and how kind and passionate she was and really enjoyed especially the last 30% of the book as I felt like it had a stronger plot and storytelling.

All in all this is a good book especially for the creepy Halloween season and I am looking forward to more books by the author.
Thank you Scholastic for the eARC in exchange for a honest review.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Thank you for the eARC!

"When your world burns, paint with the ashes"

We Three Witches accomplished exactly what it set out to do from the get go: answer all the questions about the 'big bad' from Twelve Bones. Described as a 'sapphic villain origin story' We Three Witches manages to blend murder mystery, female rage, historical fiction and Rosie Talbot's fabulous prose to create an engaging novel which beautifully elaborates on the existing world-building from the 'Death Touched of York' duology.

It is important to note that reading both Sixteen Souls and Twelve Bones prior to this book is a must. As not only do we see glimpses of well-beloved characters and established magical systems in this novel, but it also provides the looming sense of dread and foreboding from understanding where the story is heading.

Viola Samphire is a complex main character crafted with a wonderful blend of power, stubbornness and justified rage. Watching as her journey of love, loss and betrayal slowly chips away at each soft point until we reach a version of the Viola we already know feels as inevitable as it is devastating.

Whilst I did hope to see more of that eventual all-consuming fury and wrath on the page, I still think this book was a great addition to the existing series and helped to capture the villain we know through an empathetic lens.

[KateJoanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

This just wasn’t for me, I don’t think it was what I was expecting and I just personally didn’t gel with the characters, writing or plot. I felt like a lot of things were lacking in this book and that it needs work.

The second half was much better than the beginning, the pace picked up and I did eventually get into the story, I like the concept and some of the characters but a lot of other aspects just fell flat.
I never understood or felt her love for her coven/best friends and don’t think that was really well depicted.

Personally I found the main character irritating at times and the whole novel a little slow, simplistic and plain. It is very much YA and I think had I read this in my teens I would have loved it, but it’s not a book I could enjoy now.

It seemed a little too obvious and direct, missing details and descriptions which meant I had no idea what era its set in and was very confused at the start.
Definitely needs some polishing up and to be marketed for a younger audience, I loved the premise and some of the plot but in the end as a whole it was not for me.

[Bookish Martina]

DNF at 30%

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the eARC.

We Three Witches centres around a murder mystery and a sapphic, friends-to-lovers romance. After a coven meeting quite literally goes up in flames, Viola is saved from the brink of death... only to discover she can now see ghosts, including that of her unrequited love and coven-friend, Edie, who died in the fire. As the two uncover that the fire was no accident, mysterious deaths begin occurring across the city, and Viola’s fortune-telling bones are stolen. Could it all be connected? And how much danger are Viola and her coven-sisters truly in?

As much as the premise of this YA fantasy appealed to me, it unfortunately didn’t manage to hold my attention. I read about 30% before realising I wasn’t very engaged, possibly due to what I felt was somewhat lacklustre and unconvincing writing. The characters and plot had potential, but I couldn’t immerse myself in the story or feel invested in the characters’ fates.

I’m sure this book will still appeal to many readers, it just wasn’t for me.

[Blue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trigger warnings for We Three Witches include: death & dying, body horror, gore, blood magic, violence, kidnapping & imprisonment; murder and fire.
☆
☆
This is a prequel to the story told within Sixteen Souls. It involves Viola. The story in itself was interesting, and I liked seeing characters you meet in the other novels, like Milicent, Tempest and Rachel, as well as having new characters too, like Bea and Merle.
~
As a main character, while I understand where it came from and why, I kinda hate Viola. Just her manner and demeanor with other people, even the ones she considers friends just rubs me the wrong way.
~
I will say I struggled with this particular novel. I think part of it is the historical aspect. Not that it's a problem, or that I didn't like it. It just took me longer to read than I was anticipating since I was already familiar with the writing style and the world building. That being said, I was happy to in this world and know more about events that shaped the ones from later books. I also really appreciate the author taking the time to have discussions with me about this story.
•
Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an ARC copy of this book.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starting my autumn/spooky season early and this gave all the eerie, witchy vibes.

Based off of York's known history of Witches, we follow Viola and her coven through the streets of ghouls and witches as Viola tries to figure out who tried to kill her and her friends in a fire, along with one of them who died and is now a ghost.

Great characters, fun plot, a lot of spooky moments and creepy ghosts. The sapphic romance was so sweet and also so emotional given the circumstances, and the ending hurt... Need to know what happens next!

I've visited York several times at Christmas and seen lines for the ghost and witch tours, so having real visuals in my mind of those cobbled streets and fascinating buildings brought this even more to life. Great book for any witch lovers and historical lovers.

[Thank you Scholastic for the ARC]

[A.K. Adler · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I would have enjoyed this more if I hadn't already read Twelve Bones, which gives a lot of spoilers for the plot of this novel. I didn't find it very suspenseful. I also wasn't as engaged by Viola's voice as I have been by Sam's in her previous books - it feels more girly (as it should, since the protagonist is quite a girly sort of girl; just didn't do it for me). The romance didn't really develop, but was presented in a rather overly emotional way (girliness again! It's not a bad thing, I just don't connect to it). I didn't dislike it, but it didn't grab me as Talbot's other books have.

[Rainy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Scholastic UK for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I will admit that I haven't read any of the previous books, I have added them to my TBR to change that. I enjoyed this book I think it's perfect for a Fall read. I adore sapphic, murder mystery set in history. I thought it well paced and kept me engaged.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oof. This book was a lot darker and gorier than I remember Sixteen Souls being. I could not put it down and there was always a new twist when I least expected it! But I took off a star because ugh what an ending 😭

[ᴛᴇʀʀɪ · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was so fun! put me through the feels and i cant believe i have to wait for the next one to come out - awful, awful cliff hanger but another slay from an amazing author

[afra · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was such a beautiful book - fast-paced, easy to follow, professionally written, and with a lovely narrative voice. The cover and title were just as impressive. It became one of those special books I shared with my friends on my Bookstagram account.

This is an ARC review. I appreciate receiving this physical copy from publisher and the author in return for an honest review.