Witches

Witches #1

by Kathryn Meyer Griffith

A good witch must face and defeat an evil witch from another time. There are witches in the world…some are good and some of them are downright evil. Amanda Givens is careful how she uses her benevolent powers. She doesn't want the people of Canaan, Connecticut to know they have a witch among them…even a good white witch. For years, she's lived quietly in a remote cabin with Amadeus, her quirky feline familiar. At first with her husband, Jake, the love of her life, until a car accident; but now alone after his death. But when she's wrongly blamed for a rash of ritualistic murders committed by a satanic cult, she knows she can no longer hide. She's the one the cult is after and she is the only one who can stop them and prove her innocence. Yet as punishment for fighting and destroying the cult, she's drawn back in time by the ghost of the dark witch, Rachel Coxe, who was drowned for practicing black magic in the 17th century. Now, as Amanda tries to rehabilitate Rachel's reputation in an effort to save lives, as well as her own, and falls in love all over again with Joshua, her reincarnated dead husband from the future, she has to rely on a sister's love and magical knowledge, and a powerful sect of witches named the Guardians, to help her get home safely. Now the long-awaited sequel WITCHES II: Apocalypse is OUT as well as a DOUBLE book of both Witch titles.

Genres: Horror, Witches, Paranormal, Fiction, Suspense, Supernatural, Thriller

441 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

About Kathryn Meyer Griffith 2023
Since childhood I’ve been an artist, and have worked as a graphic designer in the corporate world and for newspapers for twenty-three years before I quit to write full time. But I’d already begun writing novels at 21, over fifty-one years ago now, and have had thirty-five (romantic horror, horror novels, romantic SF horror, romantic suspense, romantic time travel, historical romance, thrillers, one non-fiction short story collection, dinosaur books, and murder mysteries) previous novels and thirteen short stories published from various traditional publishers since 1984. But I’ve gone into self-publishing in a big way since 2012; and upon getting all my previous books’ full rights back for the first time in 36 years, have self-published all of them. My seven Dinosaur Lake novels and Spookie Town Murder Mysteries (Scraps of Paper, All Things Slip Away, Ghosts Beneath Us, Witches Among Us, What Lies Beneath the Graves, All Those Who Came Before, When the Fireflies Returned, and Echoes of Other Times) are my best-sellers.
I was married to Russell for over forty-three years; have a son, two grandchildren and a great-granddaughter. I live in a small quaint town in Illinois. I have a quirky cat, Sasha, and we live happily in an old house in the heart of town. Though I’ve been an artist, and a folk/classic rock singer in my youth with my late brother Jim, writing has always been my greatest passion, my butterfly stage, and I’ll probably write stories until the day I die…or until my memory goes.
2012 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS *Finalist* for her horror novel The Last Vampire ~ 2014 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS * Finalist * for her thriller novel Dinosaur Lake.

*All Kathryn Meyer Griffith’s books can be found here:
http://tinyurl.com/ld4jlow
*All her Audible.com audio books here:
http://tinyurl.com/oz7c4or

Novels and short stories from Kathryn Meyer Griffith:
Evil Stalks the Night, The Heart of the Rose, Blood Forged, Vampire Blood, The Last Vampire (2012 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS*Finalist* in their Horror category), Witches, Witches II: Apocalypse, Witches plus Witches II: Apocalypse, The Nameless One erotic horror short story, The Calling, Scraps of Paper (The First Spookie Town Murder Mystery), All Things Slip Away (The Second Spookie Town Murder Mystery), Ghosts Beneath Us (The Third Spookie Town Murder Mystery), Witches Among Us (The Fourth Spookie Town Murder Mystery), What Lies Beneath the Graves (The Fifth Spookie Town Murder Mystery; sixth, All Who Came Before, When the Fireflies Returned (the seventh Spookie Town Murder Mystery), Echoes of Other Times (the eighth Spookie Town Murder Mystery), Egyptian Heart, Winter’s Journey, The Ice Bridge, Don’t Look Back, Agnes, A Time of Demons and Angels, The Woman in Crimson, Human No Longer, Six Spooky Short Stories Collection, Forever and Always Romantic Novella, Night Carnival Short Story, Dinosaur Lake (2014 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS*Finalist* in their Thriller/Adventure category), Dinosaur Lake II: Dinosaurs Arising, Dinosaur Lake III: Infestation and Dinosaur Lake IV: Dinosaur Wars, Dinosaur Lake V: Survivors, Dinosaur Lake VI: The Alien Connection, Dinosaur Lake VII: The Aliens Return, Memories of My Childhood, and Christmas Magic 1959.

Her Websites:
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Reviews

[K.S. Marsden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amanda is in mourning for her late husband; but cults, public hysteria, and long dead witches do not respect her grief. Amanda has to step up and realise what it means to be a powerful white witch.

Amanda comes from a long line of witches, and she has known what she is since she was a young girl. She learnt at a young age, to keep her powers hidden, in an attempt to fit in and not scare the normal people around her.

After a short introduction into the Black witch Rachel's death in the height of the witch-craze; the story really begins with Amanda struggling with the loss of her husband, Jake, who recently died in a car accident. Her grief is palpable, as she dares to go against all her training and use Black magic, and luckily she is brought back at the brink.
From her darkest moment, she finally starts to embrace life again, seeing the friends that she has neglected, and restarting her little pottery business.
But just as Amanda starts to appreciate the world around her, mysterious deaths at the hand of a dark cult upsets the balance.

I really like the setting for this story. It is a very stark and realistic view of the world; that despite our "progress", human nature doesn't change. Things they don't understand can still cause mass panic and hysteria; it's almost too easy to ignite a new witch craze.
Likewise, people are still a mix of good and bad. There are those that will help, and those that will take advantage.

The story follows Amanda's modern-day life; followed by Amanda living in Rachel's 17th Century life.
There were points in both where you get swept along in the simple day-to-day existence (I have to say my favourite part was following the 17th Century world).

The not-so-good.
There are sections that feel very slow-moving. Yes, Amanda is affected by the depression etc of losing her husband, and that does come across. But there are parts where it gets bogged down in description of every little sight, sound and action. It does help to add a normalness to a witchy story, but it slows down scenes that could be exciting, and reduces the effect of tension-building.

I also felt there were chunks of exposition thrown in unnecessarily. There was too much background for too many people. I understand that the author might want to share absolutely everything, but I just lost track. The information wasn't shared in the smoothest way, either, so it was clearly a background-filler-upper.
I think the central story was strong enough to stand on its own without all of that.

The characters all felt very samey. They had the same voice and had no traits to distinguish between them.
I felt that Rebecca (Amanda's sister) was a little bit of a lost character. She's built up to be jealous, entitled, fame-hungry... which would be awesome, but it just misses the mark. In the sections where she is the main narrator, I felt that she was too kind and too humble from the start. I felt that she missed out on a fantastic personal journey.

There were high-points and low, so overall I think it was a 3.5 out of 5 for me.

[Barb (Boxermommyreads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first started reading "Witches," I wasn't really sure what I was getting into. In fact, the first chapter was extremely long and so full of explanations and details that I was afraid the book was losing me. However, once I got about 25% in, the book took off for me and I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. "Witches" is also a hard book to categorize but I can say it has tons of elements which I know many readers appreciate - paranormal, suspense, mystery and mild horror. There is also a huge time travel element in the book which was probably my favorite part because I have really been enjoying historical fiction with paranormal elements recently.
Amanda recently lost her husband and lives outside the town of Canaan. She is a white witch who prefers the simple life and who also enjoys helping people and respecting the land on which she lives. Amanda has always been persecuted and judged by people who don't understand her, so she keeps a lot of her abilities secret and hidden from others. Her only real family she has left is her two sisters, one who is a witch who has used her gifts to become a well-known author and "mainstream" persona, and one who has no supernatural capabilities at all who resides in Boston with her husband and children Suddenly people are being killed in Canaan and the town is living in fear of a satanic cult who is taking over the area. Amanda has been approached by an evil entity, a witch named Rachel, and it doesn't take long before the town starts blaming Amanda for everything that is happening.

I really liked Amanda as a character. Although a loner, she still craves human companionship and has a close, yet sometimes stained relationship with her siblings. I have to state that my favorite part of the book was the familiars created by Griffith. I ADORED Amadeus, Amanda's cat (although please don't tell Booker T) and Tibby, the tiny mouse familiar of Amanda's sister Rebecca. They both add quite a bit to the story and play pertinent roles. Sometimes I found myself more interested in their actions that some other things going on.

I really enjoy books about witches so I knew the chances were good I would like Griffith's book. While I did initially find it slow, there is an awful lot of story packed into the pages and not for a second do I regret picking it up.

[Nancy (The Avid Reader) · Rating 5 out of 5]

The following review is my opinion and not a paid review. I was given a free copy of the book from the author for my honest opinion.


Amanda Givens is a witch a white witch who lives in the twenty first century and only uses her powers for good. She is a very loving and caring person. She will help anyone she can in any way that she is capable of helping them. She will only use her powers when absolutely necessary and in ways that no one will know what she is doing. Amanda lives alone in a cabin out in the woods away from the town of Canaan, Connecticut. It hasn't been that long ago that she lost husband and she has been depressed and hasn't been to town in a while. She missed him so much that she almost gave up, she thought if she couldn't have him in her life then life just wasn't worth living. She wanted him back so bad that she almost did something magical that would have caused her a lot of grief but in a different way than just missing him is causing her. If it had not been for familiar a cat whose name was Amadeus who stopped her. People were being found murder in Canaan by a Satanic cult. They were after Amanda and she knew she was the only one that could put a stop to all the killings.


Rachel Coxe is also a witch but she uses black magic and is a very evil and cruel person. She was very mean to everyone even her own two little girls. She would use people to get what she wanted from them. Her girls never had enough to eat and a lot of times they didn't get anything to eat. Rachel always ate first and if she left anything then they could eat it. Rachel always had nice dress and shoes to wear but her girls had like maybe one dress a piece. Rachel only cared about herself she had no heart. She used her magic to get whatever she wanted and the people in the town was afraid of her so they chased her probably with all intentions of hanging her but instead they chased her to the river and drowned her. Rachel wanted her life back and she knew a way a spell that would get her just that. She brought Amanda back in time back to her time. Amanda ended up living Rachel's life in her body. Amanda being the nice person that she is can't fool Rachel's daughters into thinking that she is their mother. Amanda is nice to the girls and helps out around the house. She feeds them and clothes them. She treats them like human beings and like a mother should.


Amanda has to find a way to get back to her own life and time. She likes the life that she has as Rachel. She has wanted to be a mother for a long time and with living Rachel's life she has that. She also meets another guy who is very nice to her and the girls and helps them out when he can. Amanda falls in love with him she never thought that she could ever love anyone else after losing her husband. Does Amanda make it back to her time? How does she get back home? What happens to Rachel's girls? Does she take the girls back with her to her time? Does she take her new man back with her to her time? To get the answers to these questions you will have to read Witches for yourself. You won't regret it if you do. Witches is a very good book I mean you have murder, magic, evil, talking cats, love and time travel all rolled into one magical read. I own Ms. Griffith a very huge thank you for giving me the opportunity to read Witches. Thanks I really, really loved it. I love reading just about anything with witches in it.

[Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Are witches still persecuted in modern times? If you live in a small town where crazy things have been happening and the towns people suspect that you might be a witch, the answer could be yes. In this book, we are shown what it could be like for modern day witches, even good ones, when things go bad. Then, the author flips the coin, taking us to the past and showing us what it was like during historic times when the witch hysteria was in full swing.

We are also shown the difference between good witches and bad witches. Unfortunately, even when you are a good person, bad things can happen and sometimes it might take a while for good to overcome evil. Karma always wins in the end though. The concept of the Guardians is something new and it would be fun to see more of them. The author also shows us the scary side of evil without making it gory, though it does get very creepy in some spots. The concept of love transcending time is a theme throughout, as Amanda finds her deceased husband (in another form) in the past. However, this is primarily a good versus evil book rather than a romance. The romance is more implied than it is a main star of the book.

The fun parts of this book include talking familiars, magic (of course) and watching a modern woman try to blend in during the 1700's. The idea that witches are given a familiar at a young age that stays with them throughout their life, bonds with them and can communicate with them was interesting. It was funny how a witch could end up with almost anything as it's familiar. Amanda has a cat, but her sister has a mouse. The mouse is hilarious, with his cowardly lion impression and squeaky voice.

Very few areas of complaint can be found with this book. One thing that did drive me crazy was that the author kept saying “twentieth-first century” rather than the “twenty-first century”. Used once it is easily overlooked, but it was actually phrased this way several times and each time it was a bit jarring. There's not a lot of dialogue at the beginning of this book, other than maybe with Amanda's cat familiar, as we get to know the main character. Grieving her husband, Amanda has isolated herself, so there isn't any interaction with others for quite a while at the beginning. It's not all narrative though, as we get to learn about her powers as a witch. It's important to get to know these things about her, but it does make the beginning pretty slow paced, but it certainly picks up as the story progresses.

If you are looking for a paranormal book about magic with a creepy twist and a slight romantic element, this is an excellent book to invest in. My advice is to read it on a stormy night, or near Halloween, but then I love that sort of thing.

originally posted at http://longandshortreviews.blogspot.c...

[Sam (Hissing Potatoes) · Rating 1 out of 5]

The pacing was slow, dry, and not helped by the frequent, jarring sentence fragments. The protagonist and antagonist were set up as Completely Good and Completely Evil with no hope of any nuance or hook whatsoever.

[Vicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

First half was slow for me but I enjoyed the second half.

[Sherry Fundin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A curse, reincarnation, familiars, a battle between good and evil, Witches by Kathryn Meyer Griffith is loaded with many witch things that tease and titillate your paranormal and supernatural desires.

I have been watching Charmed (a TV series) reruns for a long time now, so it is easy to visualize all the going on, from familiars to scrying to all the powers needed for the battle coming Amanda’s way.

Amanda is a good witch and a good person, lonely since the death of her husband. She has her family and some friends in her isolated surroundings and she will need them. The selfless love she spreads and gives to others freely, asking for nothing in return makes me feel she deserves only the best.

The familiars are faithful companions and can be amusing at time. I couldn’t help but laugh at Tibby, a mouse familiar. I can see him throwing his little paws in the air in frustration.

Murders.

It will be Amanda and her familiar, Amadeus, against the diabolical cult that is killing the residents of Canaan. She is a bit naive, unwilling to believe the danger that stalks her and I want to be with her, fighting at her side, making things right for her.

The witch hunt puts a target on her back and it is worse than she thought. The battle between good and evil will take all she has to survive.

The sense of evil and foreboding of what is to come was present from the opening pages. The grisly murders, the impromptu storms, and the death and destruction run rampant in Canaan.

I didn’t see the direction Kathryn would take for this unusual witch’s tale and the world I would be in. Her vivid descriptions and detailed, complex characters make me love and hate them…but Amanda…

The terrible things Kathryn puts her through come alive on the pages. She is not afraid to make her characters suffer, sometimes killing them off, making me love her writing, because I have to stay on my toes and be ready for the surprises she will spring on me.

The writing is outstanding, but I am not surprised by Kathryn’s ability to bring this magical world to life, making me devour the words, unable to stop, wanting to know…

Kathryn Meyer Griffith takes WITCHES to a whole new level, keeping the suspense rising,the pacing constant. I am anxious, curious, suurprised, amazed, fearful, terrified as read of Amanda and those around her as demons and black magic rise and good magic fights back.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Witches by Kathryn Meyer Griffith.

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[Arlena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author: Kathryn Meyer Griffith
Published By: Damination Books
Age Recommend: Adult
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Raven Rating: 5

Review:

"Witches" by Kathryn Meyer Griffith was quite some new read for me and I enjoyed this paranormal read. Be ready for some horror, mystery and a little bit of romance to see how Ms. Griffith well cover the storytelling in "Witches."

There was two witches...a good witch who was Amanda Givens..white witch in that used her powers for only good living in a cabin in the wood of Canaan, Connecticut with her cat, Amadeus. However, life for her would be turned ugly in that she was wrongly blamed for murders that had been committed by a Satanic Cult... 'drawned back in time by this ghost of Rachel Coxe, who was a dark witch who had drowned for being involved in black magic during the 17th century.' All of this end up being a true good vs. evil....light versus dark. The difference between good witches and bad witches...and then enters Karma which will be in the end ...then the concept of the Guardian is something now that comes. Now, just what am I talking about... trying not to spill any of this...... so, this will be the time that I say you must pick up "Witches" and see just what it is all about. This will be a very interesting read for you. Be ready for some fun stuff like magic.. ... Amanda had a cat... her sister (Jesse) had a mouse...which was funny with its cowardly lion impression and squeaky voices... pick up the read!

I found this a excellent book which offers witchcraft with love, lot and lots of adventure. If you are in for a good paranormal magic with many weird twist with some elements of romance and even some family blending......I would recommend "Witches" as a good read to you.

[Laura Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nothing like some witches to keep me reading into the wee hours. I should add that I’ve read many of Kathryn’s books and that always happens.

The age old battle of good vs. evil is portrayed by white magic and black magic.

Some things never change. Even for witches in present times. Amanda is still grieving over the loss of her beloved and just wants to get through each day. Living in a small town, her unusual ways raise suspicion and she’s the likely culprit for the town folks when the murders begin.

It’s Salem all over again as the town turns on Amanda, calling her a witch, shunning her, and casting the first stone.

As Amanda begins her own investigation, she stumbles into a dark and deadly plot involving dark magic and demons. Now, she’s desperate to reveal the truth before she’s outed by a posse and hung until dead.

A fun thing was the talking familiars. They came in all shapes and sizes and had very vocal opinions. It was also fun to see witches trying to hide what they were from the modern world. They all had different levels of power and couldn’t just twitch their noses and appear somewhere. Even witches had to use cell phones and airplanes.

I thought it worked really well for the story when the author took her story back in time to the witch trials. The contrasts and similarities of life as a witch was intriguing and kept the story moving quickly.

I thought I knew how this would end and worried that it wouldn’t work. That it would be awkward and rushed. Not so. I give kudos to Kathryn for surprising me and pulling it off.

I received a copy of this book free of charge from the author.

[Su Halfwerk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amanda is a powerful white witch and a good-hearted woman who has lost the love of her life. She struggles with her grief even as a black witch, Satan’s favorite, plots against her. The black witch has her eyes on Amanda and her evil plan can change history and doom everyone. The first part of the book is Amanda’s back story, who she was and how she came to be where she was.

I loved the vividly drawn scenes be it at Amanda’s place, Jessie’s, or Rachel’s. I chose these three places because they are either separated by distance or time (you’ll know what I mean when you read it).
I wish there was more of Amadeus and Tibby, even a scene with both in it. That would've been hilarious.
Witches doesn’t have the trap most books fall into, the repeated self-doubting questions. On the contrary, it possesses a good balance that serves to remind us of Amanda’s loss or reason for happiness without rubbing it in.
The nifty ending was the perfect wrap-up.
This book is worth the time and money to read, I strongly recommend it.

[CoffeeTimeRomance andMore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could hardly wait to delve into the pages of this book when it arrived on my desk. With a blend of horror, mystery and a touch of romance, I found myself engulfed within the covers of Witches. Ms. Griffith writes in such a way that the reader is able to use all of their senses as they read. The descriptions leap off the page and wrap around the readers mind. Amanda is such an easy character to relate to. Even Rachel, with her black magic and dark side, is relatable on certain levels. This is a true good versus evil, light versus dark, tale. I am so glad this book has been re-issued by another publisher since I missed it the first time around.

Kimberly
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More

[Mareena · Rating 5 out of 5]

For my #10 challenge (Reader's Choice), I read Witches by Kathryn Meyer Griffith. Amanda Givens is a white witch - a witch who uses her powers for good. She lives alone in a cabin in the woods of Canaan, Connecticut with her feline familiar, Amadeus. When Amanda is wrongly blamed for a rash of ritualistic murders committed by a Satanic cult, she is inevitably drawn back in time by the ghost of Rachel Coxe, a dark witch who was drowned for practicing black magic in the 17th century.

Now, as Amanda tries to rehabilitate Rachel's reputation in an effort to save her own life, she has to rely on a sister's love and magical knowledge, and a powerful sect of witches named the Guardians to help Amanda get home safely. I give this romantic horror story an A+! I thought it was great.

[Seriously Reviewed · Rating 4 out of 5]

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This book is not only about about withes, good or evil. It is much, much more. With a cast of wonderful characters, this paranormal read will keep you on the edge of your seat and guessing until the very last page. It is a very sweet story about witches that could change even the most cynical's mind.

Amanda, a white magic witch has rarely used her powers in recent years. Especially in public. She knows the rules. Every spell costs a price. Big or small. Public use is strictly against the laws of witches. It's penalties are far greater. For if a witch were seen to be using her powers by a normal everyday person, it would mean fear and hysteria all over again for her kind.

Years of sadness in her life--the death of her mother, being labeled and chastised as a "freak", and the sudden loss of her beloved husband a few months ago--finally take their toll. Amanda is brought to the very edge of temptation and she wants her husband back. She would give anything to be with him again...after all, even a witch can only take so much. Caught in the throes of a summoning the dead spell, her familiar Amadeus saves her from sure damnation. Or so it seems.

When the outbreak of a sadistic, satanic cult murders occur, Amanda is reminded not only of the Witch Trials of her ancestors, but also a time in which she was physically forced to leave the town she grew up in. But living in Canaan, Connecticut should be easier for her. She stays to herself, bothering no one. Amanda throws herself back into the work of making pottery, tending to her home and visiting friends once again. Until, she is told her name has been written in the blood of the latest murder victim. Living with only her very opinionated cat/familiar Amadeus leaves her very little protection against what looks like a modern day witch hunt. Rarely do people ever change. Superstition and fear control even the most open minded when disaster strikes close to home. Amanda has now become the hunted.

Is it all about the difficult, intricate story of good versus evil? Or is it about the price we would be willing to pay to have the one we love more than anything back in our arms? Could it be--both? There's a fine line. Who wouldn't be tempted to cross it, just to hold their once in a lifetime love again?

You will have to read this book and decide for yourself. For, things are never really that simple.
Thank you Kathryn Meyer Griffith. I really enjoyed this book and I didn't want it to end. I became so involved in Amanda's life. I could feel her pain and her joy. It was almost as if she were a friend. And I really wanted to know more about her sisters and how their lives turn out. I am especially curious about Amanda's niece and whatever became of Rachel's children.

I recommend this book to everyone YA and older. A story with substance, fantasy and history. An emotion stirring, at times heartbreaking read that I am so glad I had the privilege to read.

[cRistina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Witches tells a horrifying tale of the struggle between white and black magic as experienced by the witches whose lives were impacted by one particular event transcends time as a vengeful and consuming darkness. This novel is full of malevolence, wrath, and mystery, yet somehow there are moments of love and purity that ring of sincerity. This juxtapose works well in this exceptionally well written story that vividly portrays a world where evil and good are virtues more complicated than they appear.

Amanda Givens is a gifted white witch with a feline familiar, Amadeus, who prefers the minimalist lifestyle her remote cabin in Canaan, Connecticut provides. There she has been able to escape the prejudice and dangers being a witch can carry. Her feigned safety crumbles with the death of her husband, and to make matters worse, the area becomes riddled with satanic rituals threatening mass hysteria. Grief ridden, Amanda suffers momentary weakness as she nearly brings her dead lover back with a dark spell laced with black magic. After that near catastrophe, things go from dangerous to life threatening. Amanda is forced into do or die situation and its up to her and her sisters to restore safety.

I didn’t know what to make of the synopsis when I read it, then became hesitant when the prologue was set in a different century. I am so glad I stuck with it.

The premise is dark, sinister even. It’s basically about a White Witch who becomes enslaved in a different time by a Dark Witch as a way for her to return to the land of the living to wreak havoc… now throw reincarnated love interests, love of family, crazy town’s people, and the depths of sibling rivalry and you get the gist of the rest. Griffith does a bang-up job with plot development. The story line steadily builds and topples over when least expected. It is consuming from the beginning and only gets better as the story unfolds. Characters are interesting, complex and effective in contributing to the novel.

This tale is one that will keep you guessing from start to finish, and one you will not be able to put down. If you have time for a lengthy read, I would highly suggest this one.

*** I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. ***

[Kathryn]

WITCHES wins Coffee Time Romance Review's CTRR Award
May 1, 2011
FROM COFFEE TIME ROMANCE REVIEWS
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Witches by Kathryn Meyer Griffith *wins CTRR Award from Coffee Time Romance and More Reviews*
Written on May 1, 2011 by Kimberly in CTRR Award

Kathryn Meyer Griffith is a name that is probably familiar with most readers. She has been writing for 39 years and has been published for 26 of those. Kathryn has fourteen novels and seven short stories under belt, but she says (with a laugh) she is proud to admit that she was writing about paranormal long before that other Meyer (Stephenie Meyer) came on the scene. Many of her books are being re-released by Damnation Books and that is bringing about a whole new wave of readers. I don’t think you will hear her complaining about that at all. Witches was released in 1993 by Zebra Books, but Damnation has re-released it as an Author’s Revised Version.
I could hardly wait to delve into the pages of this book when it arrived on my desk. With a blend of horror, mystery and a touch of romance, I found myself engulfed within the covers of Witches. Ms. Griffith writes in such a way that the reader is able to use all of their senses as they read. The descriptions leap off the page and wrap around the readers mind. Amanda is such an easy character to relate to. Even Rachel, with her black magick and dark side, is relatable on certain levels. This is a true good versus evil, light versus dark, tale. I am so glad that this book has been re-issued by another publisher since I missed it the first time around.

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

I attempted to read this book but couldn’t connect with the author’s writing style. In my opinion she has way too much boring exposition of everyone’s life history and children and dull descriptions of endless details that do not move the plot forward or build suspense or create anything in the story (other than a need to nap while reading). The writing is very stock and cliché filled with boring dialogue and lack of effective characterization. I think the author’s idea of character is to describe eye color, hair color and facial features of every single person met, which to my view simply sketches visual dolls without substance. Uck. I couldn’t get past the first 40 pages.

It could be that the writing style is too modern and choppy for me.

[Toni · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tense tale—flashing between centuries and contrasting each sister’s actions as they strive to one more reach each other. The discovery that Joshua will one day become Jake is a nice touch on the reincarnation theory—having it happen in reverse. The addition of Tutuba and Amadeus—one a smart-mouthed little mouse, the other a blue Maltese who’s at least 34, if not older—gives the story a welcome bit of comic relief.

Well-written and characterized, this is a tale of sisterly love, the love between a husband and wife, and the determination of that love to survive. Read it. You won’t forget it.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fresh out of high school, I lost it on a trip to the Bahamas. I hope who ever found it in the airport enjoyed reading it as much as I did. Many years later, I was able to find a replacement copy via amazon store front and oh man I enjoyed re-reading it. I will make sure to keep this copy safe!

[April Sanders · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was great! The ending was very good, answered all my questions about what was going on. I feel so releaved that ever thing worked out the way it did. Thank you Kathryn Meyer Griffith, for letting this book exist!

[Latasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

the story is right up my alley & was interesting but there was times when the dialogue just didn't seem natural and it took me out of the book. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was not my favorite. she was too monotone.

[Justine Middleton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was an easy read, but really captivating and exciting. The characters were interesting and well developed. It would make a great beach read.

[Sheri White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable story. Review to come at Rise Reviews in the next few days.

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not going onto my decent trash book shelf. It almost did, but the depictions of Indigenous people were ugh, you know. I also lost interest at the time travel theme.

[Michelle Randall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed for Readers Favorite

Amanda is a white witch, meaning that she works night nature to help people, but there are others in the world that have trade their favors with evil and use dark magic for bad purposes. Always have been and always will be, power corrupts people. In the area there is a cult killing people and trying to gain power, and Amanda should be focusing on them, but grief over the death of her husband in a car accident has caught her unaware. Amanda is finally finding her feet and coming back to the land of the living and getting ready to move on, when the cult starts targeting her, leaving messages for her when they kill making the local people want to run her out of town. At the same time, the spirit of a witch put to death for practicing her craft is trying to get Amanda to help her find peace, and Amanda is sure there is something wrong with her request. Even though they haven't always been close, Amanda turns to her sister, who in turn ends up being her biggest help in figuring out the mysteries. Witches is a well thought out and complex story of righting past wrongs done to innocent people and making things right, while at the same time putting the evil-doers away. Author Kathryn Meyer Griffith has woven past and present together into a wonderful story that makes you believe in the good guy again, the power of love, family and good friends.

Witches tells the story of two completely different women whose lives end up being pulled together. Amanda, who is a white witch and is good, using nature to do no harm but to help everyone that she possibly can. Rachel, who is a black witch, and uses magic for her own purposes and for what it can get her no matter who it harms. Then there is the witch hunter of the seventeenth century, who took way too much pleasure in putting women to death for being witches. The differences in the two women are so completely opposite, but to many, all they see is the name witch, that is until they have need of Amanda's services. Luckily she is able to change a number of peoples minds about what a witch really is and what it means to be a witch. She is also able to change history and make sure that innocent people are not killed out of spite. Author Kathryn Meyer Griffith has written a wonderfully complex and powerful book.

[Nichole Geery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely a page turner!

This was such a fantastic read!! Lately I have had trouble with finding a book that keeps my attention and I finally found one! I couldn’t put it down but forced myself to so I could enjoy it instead of zipping through it. The story line was so engaging and natural…I could feel the emotions of Amanda almost as if I were her, meaning that the author truly worked some magic into this book by developing characters that are believable as if you could well meet them in real life. Damn good book!

[Sherry Christenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t even begin to explain how much I loved this book! Not only is the storyline awesome with twists and turns you won’t see coming but the charachters are real people you can’t help but care about. What I like best about the book is the level of detail in places and events. I could visualize exactly what was happening right down to each detail. I definitely think this book is movie worthy. I really really enjoyed it and really hope for a second book to see where this family goes from here

[Michelle VanDaley · Rating 4 out of 5]

My review is based on the audiobook. What a great story that spans over multiple periods of time. The author gets in depth with these characters so that the reader is truly invested. The narrator does a fantastic job bringing the story & characters to life - I particularly like the mouse's squeaky voice. I look forward to more from this author & narrator

[Books Shelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got hooked from the description - I love books about magic and the good and bad in it. Witches shows both of them. I enjoyed the characters and the plot. The setting is very well described. I felt as if I was there with Amanda. I recommend this book to all fantasy lovers. Oh, it starts a bit slow but it is worth the wait, trust me!

[Judy M Morris · Rating 1 out of 5]

I enjoyed every word. Please keep writing about witches.

I just stumbled into your books. This is the 6th one I have read and by far the best. I enjoyed every word and will keep reading. Please keep writing !

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very Intertaining

I really enjoyed reading this book. The characters were fun, some were frightening,and some were heart-warming. It had a nice fast pace. I will be reading more of her books.