would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this amazingly frightening book

and what a book to read for hallooween...there is enough magic,mayhem, murder, witches and ghouls to go around....

a brother and sister who have the power to see ghosts and help them on their way but the story that follows is thought provoking and frightening....they are betrayed in the worst possible way....

but there is another survivor out there, a witch who has gone underground and with a bit of luck casper will find her and hopefully get her to help

i seriously could not put this book down...as it has all the elements i love plus its actually a very good story and to find out its part of a series...well i am now hooked...

another author to add my list of authors to keep an eye out for...

dont miss this chance to read this book...its brilliant

3.5 of 5 stars
https://lynns-books.com/2019/10/01/the-witch-who-courted-death-supernatural-sisters-4-by-maria-lewis/
The Witch Who Courted Death was a fun read, almost a read of two halves being part urban fantasy and part coastal fantasy (I know that’s not really a ‘thing’).

We start the story with an introduction to Corvossier von Klitzing and her twin brother Barastin, both living in Berlin and affectionately nicknamed Casper and Creeper. The two are very strong mediums often playing a role in the supernatural community by helping lingering spirits to pass to the next world.

Fairly early on into the story disaster strikes and Casper’s brother and their guardian are brutally murdered. The murder is pinned rather conveniently on the witches but Casper doesn’t believe this to be the case and with vengeance in mind starts to make quiet enquiries of her own until she uncovers another survivor of a similar attach – a witch, in fact, who has gone into hiding.

Casper’s search for this mysterious witch eventually lead her to a quaint Cornish village where her continued investigations could lead to terrible danger not just for herself but also for the witch in hiding. The attackers who killed her family have a goal in mind and need to finish both attacks successfully in order to achieve it.

I enjoyed this, it was a quick and entertaining read, it got off to a very quick start and I really enjoyed the urban fantasy style, plus I loved the dramatic conclusion. The world here is easy to imagine and I had no problem getting on board in spite of this being the 4th book the author has written in this world (although I would add it’s not necessary to have read the prior instalments as this stands on its own).

In terms of the characters, I liked Casper. I liked her interactions with ghosts in particular and she’s an easy protagonist to follow. What definitely struck me was Casper isn’t a teenager and this comes across in the way she speaks and behaves. She has a maturity that is really refreshing – she’s probably late 20s (I can’t recall her exact age) but it was definitely good to read from a pov where the character has a certain confidence and strength lent by experience and age.

Criticisms. Well, as I mentioned above the story gets off to a very quick start and I loved the urban feel. The first half of the story had me turning pages quickly but the second half definitely slowed things down a little. The plot concentrated a little more on the romance at this point, which whilst it was sweet, did lead to a much quieter tone. The conclusion ramped up the action though and the ending had an openness that I appreciated.

Overall, I had a good time with The Witch Who Courted Death. It was a quick and easy read. I really enjoyed the urban elements to the story and it was a great book to fit in between some of my more chunky books.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

Please note that this book is not for me - I have read the book, However I had to DNF and because i do not like to give negative reviews I will not review this book fully - there is no specific reason for not liking this book. I found it a struggle to read and did not enjoy trying to force myself to read this book.

Apologies for any inconvenience caused and thank you for the opportunity to read this book

I don’t read urban fantasy very often, and to be honest, I’m not sure why. A story filled with witches, supernatural creatures and magic is normally my ‘thing’. Couple that with a strong female lead, and that should be enough to lure me in. The draw for this was the added promise of a European based story, filled with the right amount of supernatural elements to almost make it believable in the ‘real’ world. It didn’t disappoint.

The world building is highly complex, and in a lesser hand it may have distracted from the story, but in this case it’s balanced nicely between the imaginative and real world to enable it to enhance the story. There’s a lot of detail here, and clearly a lot of thought has gone into the world itself to make it work. I enjoyed the little hints of pop culture thrown in too, it added a bit of light relief to what could have otherwise been quite a dark novel, and the writing itself flows well and is easy to read. I will say that the pacing is sometimes uneven. We get lots of action thrown together quite quickly, but the story just as quickly slows down to a snails pace and changes in tone somewhat from action/thriller/horror to fantasy light. Sometimes it requires a bit more punch, a bit less sitting around and talking.

That said, the narrative is good and Casper is an excellent female protagonist. She’s witty and interesting, able to carry herself and the story enough to keep me entertained while developing interesting friendships (and more) along the course of her adventure. I liked that she’s a little bit older than the normal female lead. There’s less of the moping teenager about her, and more of the sassy adult. She can crack a joke or talk to a man/woman (yes for diversity rep!) without turning into mush. I found the romantic elements were good too, and seemed to develop organically and naturally as the story progresses without distracting from the main storyline too much. It never feels forced or uncomfortable. The same can be said for Casper’s relationship with her brother. It feels very genuine, and adds depth of character to both of them.

I surprisingly excellent urban fantasy that combines detailed world building with gloriously diverse female leads.

The Witch Who Courted Death was a book that I received from Netgalley and it was completely different than what I was expecting and not in an all round bad way. There were a lot of levels within this story and they added something unique to the story, and made the characters a little more rounded especially with having separate back stories which all end up entwining. I do think that there was a lot of untapped potential in this book and sometimes it felt that the “magic” system was a little vague. It just felt a little half-hearted at times and I wanted for it to be a well developed part of the world.

There is a really traumatic event in The Witch Who Courted Death and the whole story was hinged around that happening and that trauma is what drives not only the plot forward but motivates the characters. The way that the incident was described helped bring the trauma and the implications to the forefront. It really shaped the way the characters interacted with everything within the story and their future. I thought that the fact the trauma lived on through the entire story and never really leaves them was a more realistic view of the world than them getting over it as soon as possible.

One thing I wasn’t particularly keen on in The Witch Who Courted Death was the romantic side of things. I think there could have been more developed. I thought that it was rushed and a little forced, I wanted there to be more hidden glances and more of a buildup. I thought that the actual relationship was an afterthought, I wanted it to be more of a given. Something we could have seen happening all the way through. There was a definite lack of chemistry and build up to everything and the way it all came about didn’t seem to make a lot of sense. I just wanted there to be something more.

I think the resolution was really underdeveloped and I’m still not completely convinced that I know what the hell was going on. Everything happened really quickly and it was tied up really neatly, like maybe a little bit too easily. I wanted more of an explanation and I wanted a complex climax rather than the lack of detail that we ended up with. I think that was why I was reluctant to give it any more than a 3-star.

I actually would recommend The Witch Who Courted Death. I think the premise was actually really interesting but the execution was a little sloppy. I think it would probably be a book that would benefit from a sequel to maybe develop some of the points that weren’t in this book.

I hadn’t known what to expect from this book and I’m book shamed to admit that I hadn’t heard of Maria Lewis. However I am so glad I took the plunge with this outstanding urban fantasy. Any author who can include mentions of ‘Bob The Drag Queen’, ‘Mr Kipling Angel Slices’ and ‘The Legend of Zelda’ deserves pop culture kudos.

What I loved about this book is that it knows exactly what it is wants to be, a fresh reimagining of the world of the supernatural that spills over with a love of pop culture. It has brilliant pacing and storytelling and it’s a book that is immensely fun to read.

Lewis writes extraordinary women, one-armed Corvossier (Casper) is strong, quirky and fiercely independent and her sassy brother Barastin is a positive role model for the LGBT community.

Some fantasy books can become mired in their own effort to become works of enduring fiction but this book, and this is not a negative, is written to be read and enjoyed, it has the same fizzy joy as pop culture pinnacle Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

An immensely fun and must read urban fantasy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ out of five

This book was on my radar and i was so happy when i saw on netgalley. It was really fast paced, humorous and wonderful. Maria Lewis create an amazing world and characters. I learned this book was a spin off and main series was on my list too. I think it would be good if the fight scenes were little bit longer but overall this was one of the best urban fantasy book that i read. 4.5/5 stars.

This is a fast paced, funny, well written and engaging urban fantasy.
I'm happy I requested it because I discovered a new to me interesting series and a good author.
I loved the characters, the world building and the fast paced plot.
it's a page turner I couldn't read fast enough.
I look forward to reading other installment in this series.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

This is a supernatural fantasy from Maria Lewis that is fun, humorous and entertaining. Corvossier 'Casper' von Klitzing and her twin brother, 'Creeper' Barastin, are rare gifted and powerful mediums living in Berlin with the woman who raised them, Collette Blight, in the 1970s secure tower of Bierpinsel. They help traumatised ghosts move on, until a nightmare tragedy leaves Barastin and Collette dead, and Casper losing her arm. Casper is left shell shocked, she has instantly lost all the family she ever had and her pain is intensified when the Treize who govern the supernatural world insist the attack on her was orchestrated by witches, which she knows is not true. It takes time for her to physically recover and get used to operating a prosthetic arm. To her relief, Barastin who saved her, returns to accompany her as a ghost.

Lewis provides fine and skilfully constructed world building with an array of supernatural creatures, from goblins such as the immortal Hogan, werewolves, rogue wolves who own and run the coolest nightclub for the supernatural, Phases, the three crones, ghouls, witches, shifters, and the various elements that comprise the governing Treize structure, such as the Praetorian Guard, housed in the Bierpinsel. Casper has unavoidable changed after what has happened and with the help of Barastin, the pict immortal custodian, Heath, she plans and plots vengeance against those behind the attack. Nothing else matters or impinges on her consciousness as she directs all her energies on this task, and a trip to Riga in Latvia begins to give her an inkling as to who was behind the killings. A secretive and below the radar group run by Oct has carried other deadly atrocities in the past and has others planned, with Caspar still a target. Only a Australian aboriginal witch, Kala Tully, has managed to evade them and go into hiding.

Caspar is determined to find Kala, identify everyone behind the attack, and foil their nefarious and horrifying aims which entails going to Boscastle in Cornwall, and visiting Uzbekistan. In a world of spells and charms, special fortified armaments and more, Caspar and her diverse range of cohorts make detailed plans to take on Oct in the Museum of Witches in Boscastle in a thrilling finale. One of the best parts of this novel is seeing Casper make strong connections and relationships such as the ones with Opal and the young witch, Sprinkle, providing strong reasons for her to want to live after the dreadful losses she had endured. This was a lovely read, and I can see elements of it, especially those in the second half of the novel, appealing to some Harry Potter fans. Many thanks to Little, Brown for a copy.

This book was a fun read. Wonderful funny characters with heart. I’d never read anything by this author before but I loved her writing, fast paced and full of humour. A great twist on witches for the twenty first century.really enjoyable read, recommended.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

This was such a fun YA urban fantasy. I’d never read one of Maria Lewis’ books before but I’m going to have to track down Who’s Afraid now. Casper and Creeper are great characters. The humour is cheesy and hilarious – reminded me of Sarah Beth Durst’s Drink Slay Love in that respect. There was plenty of action and an engaging plot. A great, light read. Thoroughly enjoyed.