This book is interesting but very slow paced with a lot of character discussing but not very much happening just not my cup of tea but if you don't mind slow pace this might be for you.

I received a review copy of Witchsign in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank Den Patrick and Harper Voyager.

Under the cloud-obscured skies of Cinderfell reside blacksmith apprentice Steiner and his sister Kjellrunn. One day a mysterious ship arrives in the dock containing the Empire's Invigilators who are looking for the Witchsign in the residents' youths. Should the Witchsign be detected the children showing the signs are taken away (and presumed executed). It's not really a spoiler for me to reveal that one of the previously named youngsters is taken following the Invigilation and the story that follows is regarding what happens to the teen that leaves Cinderfell and what happens the one that remains.

Excluding one chapter later on in the novel, all the chapters are from the point of view perspective of either Steiner or Kjellrunn. They have spent their entire lives in their sleepy old town and both aid their father in the running of the family blacksmith. Steiner is feisty but good-natured and Kjellrunn is a bit kooky, believing in the old stories, the old Gods and has an undeniable kinship with nature. They both develop a decent amount throughout Witchsign yet it definitely reads like the first step in a pretty epic adventure. Steiner is frustrating to follow occasionally when he gets angry and hits people with his special hammer. I'm hoping what we see here is just the angsty time in his overall development as it would be annoying for me to follow a character like this for three books.

Kjellrunn is the more interesting of the two perspectives yet, until the last 25% of the narrative; what happens in her scenes just isn't as entertaining. Patrick does craft some very good supporting characters though such as Silverdust and Kimi, and it is quite enticing to continue the series as I am aware these players become point of view perspectives in the later books. One character that I didn't really have time for was Steiner's rich "rival" Aurelian. Their paths cross throughout the book, and like a Streets of Rage villain, Aurelian gets stronger every time he is seen. I only finished Witchsign yesterday and I can't even remember what happened to Aurelian in their final fight as I found them uninteresting.

The Ashen Torment trilogy is a Scandinavian-inspired fantasy drama that can be read by adults and savvy YA readers too. The map included in the book is absolutely beautiful and detailed but in this entry, we only really are witnesses to two places. These are skillfully depicted as the author presents a clear and picturesque view of what was happening and where. There are certainly political happenings, myths and lore, and the presence of deities in Ashen Torment but these don't really take the forefront here, though I am interested in diving deeper into the world in the later books. The magic system seems pretty intriguing too, however; we aren't really told how it works to any great degree. In the following books, I would like light to be shed on the magic a bit more.

I'm not quite sure how I feel about Witchsign if I'm honest. If I didn't already have all of the Ashen Torment novels then I may have DNF'd it about 40%. It was quite good, the worldbuilding, the magic, the side characters, and the fact I wanted to and know there is more to learn about this world. That being said, it was just stuttering and plodding along. The chapters take about 8-15 minutes to read, so these lengths helped me carry on, and I will admit that the last 25% or so is very good and tight with some great setpieces and is wrapped up in fine fashion. This could be read as a standalone but I am carrying on because Patrick promises such potential with this series that I am truly hoping it is realised. With that being the case, if I get halfway through Stormtide and it is just more of the same then I may not make it to Nightfall. Witchsign was definitely a hit and miss read for me.

Witchsign by Den Patrick is a slow burn of a novel, but promises a solid foundation for the Ashen Torment series. Den, whose previous stories included the dark fantasy series Erebus Sequence, writes Witchsign as a novel that can be appreciated by adult and YA readers alike.

Their town of Cinderfall is colored in gray shades, whether it be from ash or dirty snow, brother Steiner and sister Kjellrunn have only known the gray their whole lives. Steiner is a fledgling blacksmith apprentice; his goals in life are to take care of his family, especially his eccentric sister Kjellrunn, find a wife to love, and live in as much comfort as he can fight for. Kjellrunn has always known she was a little bit different. Instead of chasing boys and persuing relationships as some of the other girls in her village, Kjellrunn seeks out the calmness and solemnity of the forest. It brings her quietude, beauty, and color.

A ship arrives, as it does every year, full of the Empire's Invigilators. Invigilators are servants of the Empire and, specifically, the Emporer that seek out and sense those with witchsign. A set of power of the elements. Some have the ability for fire, some earth, some wind, and some water. If an Invigilator detects the witchsign than that child needs to report to the ship the following morning and be taken away permanently. No one knows what happens to the child. They are just gone. The Inviligators are rightly feared by parents and children alike. The time of the Invilligators has come, and it is Kjellrunn's turn to be tested...

The story is told almost entirely from the perspectives of the two kids, Kjellrunn and Steiner. Kjellrunn is left in the village and shunned by the whole community save for her dad and uncle. Steiner is mistakenly shipped away to an academy/prison that sits on a rocky island surrounded by rough seas called Vladibodgan. The island's location is a great secret and only know to those of high ranks in the Empire, and ships that bring supplies to the island. The kids' lives have taken drastic turns from each other. Steiner must survive his ordeal. He doesn't have Witchsign, and that is of great embarrassment to the invilligators in charge. Kjellrunn shunning leaves her unable to get food for her family; her family's smith is also being shunned and told to move to another town. Kjellrunn only wants to survive and help et her brother back at all costs. At the same time, Steiner wants to get off of the island and protect his sister.

I think this parallel of intention between Steiner and Kjellrunn is the heart of the story. Both are desperate to save the other. This desperation fuels the characters desire chapter by chapter. It is an exciting perspective for a reader to watch the scenes unfold and know that they might miss each other if they are successful.

As far as characters go, Steiner and Kjellrunn are pretty standard. At least at this point. Steiner is a sort of angsty teenager but, at his core, has morals and strength. Kjellrunn is also similar, angsty, but where Steiner has a core strength, Kjellrunn has a lot of emotion. I think this part is a means of differentiating her from other characters in the book. She feels a connectedness to the world and nature specifically that is not experienced in other characters. Both characters have moments where they are irritating. Steiner is very much a hothead, and Kjellrunn is a bit flighty. I think that as the story progresses, we will see these two characters mature. Their natures both will be tempered by experience, and they will grow as people.

There are also some great side characters in this book. The book mainly focuses on the siblings; however, we get insight into the side characters and interact with them. I get the impression that their presence in the main character's life will play a crucial role in future books.

I generally enjoyed Witchsign. Some moments slowed the pace down, and I was looking forward to switching perspectives. I think inevitably when reading Witchsign you will be either Team Steiner or Team Kjellrunn. Both have similar goals, save the other person. But I found myself on Steiner's team. I looked forward to the parts that featured him while not being wholly engaged in Kjellrunn's plight. Maybe that will change in future books, and Kjellrunn will be a character that will have more growth and be more enjoyable for me to read. But as it stands, she seems almost as a side character.

The worldbuilding shines in this book. Patrick expertly creates a unique world. Some elements build on popular mythology in fantasy novels, but generally, the world feels very fresh and inventive. I loved the magic system. The last 20% of the book moved at a lightning pace. The action, coupled with the sold world creation, made it fly page to page. I hope that this pace continues in the next novel, Stormtide, and I am looking forward to seeing what new plot twists Patrick will pull.

This book had an interesting premise and interesting characters. I enjoyed it and the fantasy elements. The story just felt a bit slow and that surprised me because there is so much between the pages of this book. I would still recommend it for people who love fantasy. It's a good read.

Witchsign is Book 1 of a potential trilogy called The Ashen Torment. We meet and follow brother and sister Steiner and Kjellrunn in this fantasy tale about siblings who fight for each other in every imaginable way, a tale full of lies and adventures. The siblings live with their father, a smith who lives a simple life in his forge and the local tavern. Kjellrunn is an odd child who has no friends. She is protected by her older brother Steiner. They live in the province of the Scorched Republics which still lives in fear of the dragons and arcane although dragons haven’t been seen for over 75 years. Anyone who shows signs of the arcane is said to be tainted with Witchsign and are taken, never to be seen again… Or are they?

I thoroughly enjoyed this. It was a true fantasy story with many dark aspects and a lot of folklore. We learn about many different races and hear many different stories. The book follows both siblings, with chapters from either viewpoint. I enjoyed overall being able to follow the story from both sides and it made for an interesting dynamic, rounding the story out. The world building in this story was fantastic. It was in depth, fully imagined and never left me wanting. From the description of the forge and tavern in the town, to the Vigilants and the below ground areas it was clear that the author had a very clear and well thought out universe in mind. It didn’t just feel like I was reading about a small town and an island, but that there was a bigger universe being built. The plot itself was very clear and flowed well, but for me the genius of this came with a lot of the ‘side stories’ – the politics between the Vigilants, the stories of the other races we meet, and the bigger empire.

My negatives on this would be that some of the characters felt ‘forced’ and not necessarily needed, more just to pad out and ensure that type of character was represented. There seemed to be a need to fill every role – for example the small child hidden away or the big blond brut who was a bully. I felt that if the author hadn’t felt a need to include these the story would have been just as enthralling and intriguing.

My other issue was pacing. I think I’ve mentioned this a lot in reviews of YA fantasy books, but there is a definite tendency to go full pelt at the beginning and the end and then the middle ends up being this very long drawn out full of nothingness portion. I feel like it’s an attempt at replicating the adult fantasy world that is generally language heavy with a focus on the world description and people and narrative that is designed to develop over hundreds of pages. However the general precedent in YA fantasy is that if you are over ~500 pages then its not really the done thing… that people won’t read…. That more than that makes it adult…. But what if its not? How many stories have we seen where bloggers, reviewers, even just plain old readers on GoodReads have said ‘Oh I wish there was 50 more pages’ or ‘If only it had another 100 pages’?!? For me this is where this book lies. Just a bit more and it would have been a 4* out of 5*.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this story and It’s a 3* out of 5* for me, I will absolutely be giving book 2 a go… and soon!

With a title as Witchsign and a series title of Ashen Torment I was incredibly hopeful that this was going to be great series right up my alley. Unfortunately this was not the case. Not even the addition of dragons could save this for me.

Withsign is told in dual perspective between the two siblings Steiner and Kjelrunn. The story is set in a Scandinavian type world. Amidst cold, sea and woods. Here children get tested each year to see if they have the witchsign. If they do they get taken away by the empire, never to be seen again. They are presumed to be dead. When Steiner gets taken, mistakenly seen as a withsign carrier instead of his sister, he discovers that death is not what awaits these children.

It sounded really good and the start was mostly solid. But after that it really dwindled. I was bored. I had to try really hard not to skim read. Nothing truly grabbed my attention. Not the characters, not the world, not the plot. There was absolutely nothing vibrant about the writing.

There were some odd inconsistencies and not everything was explained. For instance, children get tested every year up until a certain age for the witchsign. Why is that? Can’t they see it the first time? Does it develop over time? How does that work? Or how one of the characters was seen as incredibly powerful but she’d barely done anything. How does that work? And then without training she can just whoop everyone’s but. If there had been more showing of her powers that might have been believable but nope. And why oh why do parental figures feel the need to still hide EVERYTHING even if it is already discovered there is a witchsign. What is the point of hiding everything from your children then? And there are more things like this.

Adding on to that is that I just couldn’t care about the characters. They were very characterized a certain way. Steiner was the hero, never scared. Kimi was either angry or the voice of reason. Kjelrunn was the bitter child. And so on it went. They never really got away from the role that was set for them. I also read a review by a Finnish reviewer who said that Vartiainen was a very common Finnish surname and that there was a lot of mixing of random names between the scandanavian languages that wasn’t much appreciated either.

So all in all for me this wasn’t a great start to a series. I certainly will not be reading on with this one.