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17 days and 04:56:57
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Roots & Wrath: A Dark Fantasy with Horror Novel
Not yet published
Expected 22 Sep 26Win a free kindle copy of this book!
17 days and 04:56:57
10 copies available
U.S. only
“Roots & Wrath is witchy, bitchy, and one hell of a ride! Like The Craft meets Mean Girls, but these frenemies are all grown up and plotting murder. I'm obsessed.”
— Emma C. Wells, USA Today Bestselling Author of This Girl’s a Killer
Once, there were six.
Six young witches hungry to achieve remarkable things…until they performed a clandestine ritual in the dark wood. Only five witches returned. The secret they buried beneath a hungry great oak split them apart forever.
Now there are five.
Eighteen years later, the death of their legendary mentor forces them back together. In her will, the professor binds them to carry on her work until their magical bond is shattered for good…by death.
Soon, there will be four.
The remaining witches scramble to uncover who is willing to kill to escape their bond. Magical spells and broken alliances—not to mention a relentless ghost of their past deeds—drive them back to the dark wood to unearth their past.
Can any of them survive the specter of the dark wood and finally put the past to rest?
Roots & Wrath is a standalone dark fantasy featuring ruthless, unapologetic female characters in a twisty, suspenseful whirlwind of a plot. Perfect for fans of The Craft, Yellowjackets, Plain Bad Heroines, The Return, and Once and Future Witches.
— Emma C. Wells, USA Today Bestselling Author of This Girl’s a Killer
Once, there were six.
Six young witches hungry to achieve remarkable things…until they performed a clandestine ritual in the dark wood. Only five witches returned. The secret they buried beneath a hungry great oak split them apart forever.
Now there are five.
Eighteen years later, the death of their legendary mentor forces them back together. In her will, the professor binds them to carry on her work until their magical bond is shattered for good…by death.
Soon, there will be four.
The remaining witches scramble to uncover who is willing to kill to escape their bond. Magical spells and broken alliances—not to mention a relentless ghost of their past deeds—drive them back to the dark wood to unearth their past.
Can any of them survive the specter of the dark wood and finally put the past to rest?
Roots & Wrath is a standalone dark fantasy featuring ruthless, unapologetic female characters in a twisty, suspenseful whirlwind of a plot. Perfect for fans of The Craft, Yellowjackets, Plain Bad Heroines, The Return, and Once and Future Witches.
465 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication September 22, 2026
About the author
E.J. Wenstrom
13 books121 followersE. J. Wenstrom believes in complicated heroes, horrifyingmonsters, purple hair dye and standing to the right on escalators so the leftside can walk. Her award-winning fantasy series Chronicles of the Third RealmWar features a mashup of mythology, folklore, and a little chaos. It starts with Royal Palm Literary Award Book ofthe Year Mud (#1), Tides (#2), and Sparks (#3), as well as the prequel Rain(#0).
When she isn’t writing fiction, E. J. Wenstrom is a regular contributorto DIY MFA and BookRiot,and co-hosts the FANTASY+GIRL Podcast.
Get a FREE novella when you join E. J. Wenstrom's email list: http://ejwenstrom.com/rain/
When she isn’t writing fiction, E. J. Wenstrom is a regular contributorto DIY MFA and BookRiot,and co-hosts the FANTASY+GIRL Podcast.
Get a FREE novella when you join E. J. Wenstrom's email list: http://ejwenstrom.com/rain/
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 8, 2026
⤷ 3/5 stars ── .✦
this was a fun read. i liked the main cast, how their personalities differed so much while having the exact same aspiration, how fleshed out their characters were, and especially how morally grey they were. it's refreshing to pick up a book about female characters who aren't typical mary sues. they were all so diverse and interesting. my favorites were definitely alicia and isa, though everyn is close behind.
that being said, i found the magic system presented in this book quite confusing. it feels like the reader isn't really introduced to, or given an explanation, of the power system, but rather expected to have some level of understanding about it. personally, i struggled to grasp how the magic system worked, and i often felt like i was missing context.
i do want to highlight that this is only the second witch-themed book i've picked up. maybe i'm not used to the typical terminology used in the witchy genre. maybe those who often read witchy fantasy would have an easier time understanding it. either way, i personally found it a bit complicated to follow. my confusion did prevent me from connecting with the story as much as i wanted to.
still a solid read despite that.
i would also like to add that i did not feel bad for the rat even once. #shehaditcoming
this was a fun read. i liked the main cast, how their personalities differed so much while having the exact same aspiration, how fleshed out their characters were, and especially how morally grey they were. it's refreshing to pick up a book about female characters who aren't typical mary sues. they were all so diverse and interesting. my favorites were definitely alicia and isa, though everyn is close behind.
that being said, i found the magic system presented in this book quite confusing. it feels like the reader isn't really introduced to, or given an explanation, of the power system, but rather expected to have some level of understanding about it. personally, i struggled to grasp how the magic system worked, and i often felt like i was missing context.
i do want to highlight that this is only the second witch-themed book i've picked up. maybe i'm not used to the typical terminology used in the witchy genre. maybe those who often read witchy fantasy would have an easier time understanding it. either way, i personally found it a bit complicated to follow. my confusion did prevent me from connecting with the story as much as i wanted to.
still a solid read despite that.
i would also like to add that i did not feel bad for the rat even once. #shehaditcoming
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
WOW. i was immediately drawn to this book with the promise of witches, and man was i HOOKED FAST. without spoiling think, harry potter meets pretty little liars meets thriller/horror/mystery. this book was truly special and i don’t think i have ever read anything like it. while i don’t think it was exactly a horror novel i still loved the way that a fantasy world was intertwined with drama and mystery/thriller vibes. i was literally guessing what was gonna happen up until the last chapter. i loved the crew of girls and their diversity. i also LOVE a book with past and present chapters so that was a huge bonus. highly recommend this to anyone who is obsessed with the prior mentioned genres and themes. i will be placing a pre order for the physical copy immediately and cannot wait to see what else this author publishes in the future! thank you to both netgalley and E.J. Wenstrom for providing me with the opportunity to read this ARC 🖤
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
3,5⭐
It took me a little bit to get into the story but once I did it went very well. The writing was simple but enjoyable; besides wishing the magic system was better developed, the author knew how to use and explore the characters very well and the constant switch between pov's and past and present worked in favor of the narrative. Not one thing was black and white here and that works really well with the horror genre.
Thank you to Netgalley and E. J. Wenstrom for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
It took me a little bit to get into the story but once I did it went very well. The writing was simple but enjoyable; besides wishing the magic system was better developed, the author knew how to use and explore the characters very well and the constant switch between pov's and past and present worked in favor of the narrative. Not one thing was black and white here and that works really well with the horror genre.
Thank you to Netgalley and E. J. Wenstrom for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
June 9, 2026
Rounded up from 3.5.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews