Sour

by Iris Kain

As a gray witch, twenty-six-year-old Murphy Blackwell lived an isolated life, sheltering the world from her damage. Gray witches are chaos witches—the most hazardous type known to humankind. She was to blame for the mayhem that occurred whenever she ventured outside of Witch’s Brew, her heavily warded home and business, and there was little she could do about it. Murphy had no life and no family. The only friends she had were two coven members who never left her side after the night the three of them lost their mothers. The killers were never found.

Betony is a strong-willed high-schooler determined to learn all there is about the craft. As her primary instructor, she has adopted Murphy, a solitary practitioner, but Murphy isn’t sure about her aspiring student’s designs. Betony says all the right things. So why is Murphy second-guessing her motivation?

To Murphy’s shock, a gunman evades the wards and enters her shop, shattering her sense of safety. Then, her high priestess delivers a new blow, one that endangers everything—what she is, who her friends are, and the survival of the entire town of Gryphon.

190 pages, Hardcover

Published December 5, 2021

About the author

Over the years, Iris Kain has called Michigan, Arizona, South Carolina, Georgia, and Germany home. She loves gargoyles, spiders, and black cats, as well as anything that makes you laugh while checking your closet for critters with teeth. She’s a fan of horror and hard rock, and enjoys playing the piano. She currently resides in Alabama with her son, cats, and two adorable Swedish Vallhund dogs.

Reviews

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fun because set in Alabama but not well developed. Just a little bit of thought and characters' actions didn't actually make sense for their situations.

[Cat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review of Sour by Iris Kain — ★★★½

Murphy Blackwell has the unfortunate fate of being a chaos witch. After losing her mother at a young age, Murph’s coven rallies around her to help her control the unpredictable magic that swirls within her. Now an adult, she lives almost like a hermit; rarely going out and relying on deliveries for nearly everything, but she’s built a thriving home-based business: a cozy café and witchy shop beloved by local teens. When one of those teens begins showing dark tendencies and unusual magical traits, Murph starts to wonder whether she might be the prophesied Grey Witch after all.

I enjoyed this book and finished it in just two days. The author does a great job with world-building and gives her characters real depth. The romantic subplot felt a bit rushed for my taste, though that may be because I prefer a slower burn. Overall, I’d give Sour 3.5 stars. I don’t feel a strong pull to continue the series immediately, but I might pick up the next book when I’m craving something easy and fun.

[Madison McMillan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and had the privilege of meeting the author at a convention. She was extremely sweet and even signed my copy. I just wish a few parts were a bit better developed. Other than small things, it’s worth the read!

[Annmarie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5 for sure! Unexpectedly good! And a dash of smut lol hoping this is part of a series because I want to know more about Mama Murph and her coven!

[Sea Caummisar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had the honor of buying my signed copy of this book in person at Scarefest Lexington. The author was polite (even complimented my hair....) And I got a good vibe from her. Witchy books aren't normally my jam, but I decided to give this one a try. It felt more like reading a cozy than a paranormal horror, but perhaps it's a YA? Yeah, I know I read plenty of hardcore stuff, so what I consider cozy and YA, most other people probably wouldn't.
The book was actually a fun read. I had an almost 2 hour drive home from the convention to get a jumpstart on it, and next thing I knew, I came home and finished it shortly later while lying in bed. So I read it in one evening. That's a sign of a good story, right?
I don't read about witches often, so I'm not well versed on the subject. The beginning of this story gave me so many interesting facts about witches that I know feel like I know a bit more about witches. For example, all the different color types of witches and what they represent. I had never heard of a chaos witch ever in my life, but being gray would be undesirable.

[chuck Kienzle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

Witchcraft was made a part of the real world. Given the premise of the situation that the protagonist found herself made sense. I do wish the tragic backstop of the victim had been fleshed out earlier
Highly recomend.