Cover Image: The Witchling's Girl

The Witchling's Girl

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Member Reviews

*I received this book as an ARC on NetGalley*

Sadly, this book just wasn't for me. The plot felt quite plain and slow burning, which might suit some people but unfortunately it did not work for me. It made my reading experience feel like a chore and I probably would have stopped reading about halfway through had this been a book I had bought myself. It often felt like the story needed a major incident to speed up the pace and move the plot along. Despite this, I loved the narrative voice and connected fairly well with the main character, Haley.
Overall this did not suit me but readers who prefer a slow burn story may enjoy this book.

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She was only a child when Haley brought her cat back to life and her mother had to take her to Marian, the Witchling of her small town. Haley is being abandoned and betrayed by her own mother and she doesn't handle it well. She now becomes the Witchling's girl and we see slowly the process of this procedure throughout the years. We see her grow along with the witch and learn everything from her for when her time comes.

If you're looking for some witchy books, look no further. This book is perfect for Halloween or whenever you feel the need to read something dark and haunting. I loved every page, the characters were complex and well developed and I loved the pacing of the story and the fact that I could never guess what would happen next or what secrets these characters kept in the past or what they were hiding in the present.

"I could never leave. Not even for a week. When Marian died, I would be the witchling of this town, and their dead would need me. I was chained forever to these people who did not love me."

The world building and all the facts surrounding their kind of witchcraft was fascinating to read. The House of Dead was definitely something I didn't expect to love and I was pleasantly surprised by this. The relationship between Marian and Haley was something I truly enjoyed reading , how it started and how it developed. Definitely one of my favorite reads this month and I would highly recommend it. I'm certain you'll fall in love with these characters and this intricate and unique world building the author has created.

ARC was kindly provided by Hodder & Stoughton, via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

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I was given a digital review copy of this in exchange for a fair and honest review. The Witchling's Girl drew me in due to the cover - it was spooky but beautiful. I don't know what I was expecting, but it definitely wasn't this. I think I expected something more like a YA fantasy/spooky with witches, which this absolutely wasn’t.

We follow the story and live of Haley as she discovers she isn’t quite as normal as everyone else around her. Haley is abandoned by her Mother at age 7, given up to the local Witchling to learn her craft. Haley has the gift of Death Magic and takes her place as The Witchling’s Girl. Haley shadows and grows with Marion, learning the craft along the way. From tending to births and healing to death and ensuring those that pass get there judgement day. They deal with bullies, losing people, armies invading and everything in between.

This was an incredibly beautifully written story that talks a lot about community, small villages, loyalty and death. Good deaths and bad deaths, how to ensure a good death, how to deal with a bad death. The world building and the rich prose were incredible. I felt like I could live in the House of the Dead – I could see it in my mind with absolute conviction. I feel like I could close my eyes and be able to walk around the house.

The characters were, again, well written with incredible depth. The interactions between Marian and Hayley were both incredibly and devasting. They were moving, realistic and nothing was hidden or off limits.

The plot and the story were interesting and intriguing. At its essence it’s the story of a girl growing up in a small town and everything that comes with that. But its so much more. There actually isn’t a massive amount happens when you step back and look at the plot line and timeline but it doesn’t matter. It is told in such a rich and full way it draws you in.

I thoroughly enjoyed this and would recommend it. The only reason it isn’t a 5/5 is down to a single character. I was not a fan of the Leah character and, while she had her use in the plot, I feel like it could have been written a bit fuller to come up to the level of Marian and Hayley. Don’t mistake me – I enjoyed it and she fitted well, I just wanted *slightly* more.

4/5 stars for me. I’d read this again!

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“Beautiful, hopeful, and emotional. Plus, Sapphic Witches too!”

First thoughts- started this book a few days ago and it was so amazing. It’s everything you would expect in a witchy fantasy: atmospheric, witch history, a little romance, and amazing characters. Straight from the first page, I was hooked with the House of the Dead and the witchling that lived in it. The book is told from the perspective of a seven year old girl, Haley, and her life as the new witchling. Though, as the story goes on, it shows her growing up.

Description- The WItchling’s Girl is about a young girl, Haley, who is discovered to be the witchling. This means she basically has powers to raise and guide the dead, as well as wield healing magic. She is taken to the house of the dead, where she is to live with the current witchling and learn what it means to be a witchling and learn what she must to look after the town. Every town has a witchling that looks after it’s people.Marian, the current witchling, dies, and so Haley must fend for the whole town. She is succeeding, but a strange sickness begins to gather in the town which results in seizures and strange language. During the book, Haley is visited at times by a WItch named Leah. But being a witchling means you have agreed to vows, but can they be broken? Throughout the book, their relationship takes form quite beautifully.

Major Characters

Haley- I really enjoyed Haley as a character. She had depth and we saw her reasoning for the things she has done. She also had a really well written character development. She starts off as a scared child yet cunning, and throughout the book she begins to grow into an amazing character. She slowly learns to trust others. Haley finds it harder and harder to keep her vows and be the perfect healer.

Marian- She was one of my most favorite characters throughout the book. She was so… strong. In the beginning, I thought she was a woman who did not care for others and just stuck to her vows, but later we learn how much love she has for people. She visits some people that I cannot name because SPOILERS.

Leah- Leah is a character that you either love or don’t care for her. I honestly was in between. She was a good character, but I think the author could have made her more important. She appeared in a chapter and then was gone the next, which I did not really enjoy. I see why, I just wish it was maybe told from her perspective along with Haley.

Writing- The writing was AMAZING. It pulled me in right from the start, and through the whole novel. I loved how it felt like Haley was literally talking to me. The writing did not falter at all, and did not feel like words were repeated or unnecessary. It also read super fast.

“You cannot rage at the wind and rain. Blame instead the person who draws down the lightning upon you.”

Ultimately, this is a story where women are bound by duty and justice, love and fear, and are trying to find their path in a world not of their making. It’s about deciding what is right and what is wrong.

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The end of October was meant to mark the end of my witchy recommendations, but I HAVE ONE MORE! The Witchling’s Girl is atmospheric, dark and such a unique witchy read.

On the day Haley reawakens her pet cat, who had just died, her mother delivers her to the Witchling’s house, to spend the rest of her life training to take over the Witchling’s position. Devastated, young Haley tries everything to escape her fate, but every village must have a Witchling. Without one their sick would not be healed, their babies may not be born alive and there would be no-one to carry their dead to the underworld….or re-animate them if the family wishes. As she learns the ways of the Witchling, the vows she must take, including the forsaking of all loved ones and any chance at a future relationship or family, seem harder and harder to live by.

I love my witchy books to be the type that pull me in to a dark world, and hold me spellbound until the end and The Witchling’s Girl captivated me from the very start. There is nothing fluffy about the magic performed by the Witchling and the story is full of closely held secrets and the raw brutality of the inescapable parts of life. This book is not a rush of action, it develops at a meandering pace that is perfect for a spooky read. The characters are exceptionally well developed and although there were a lot of side characters to keep track of, I never had a problem connecting the dots of who was who. I loved the way we got to watch Haley grow, as the elder Witchling aged, throughout the story. It connected me so completely to them both. The writing was nothing short of magical and this haunting story took my emotions and shook them to the core. Make sure you add this one to your TBR!

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Unfortunately, this book was definitely not for me.
It's rare that I read a book and am not able to take anything away from it at the end.
Throughout this book I honestly couldn't say I saw any real plot happening. Over 60% through and still nothing of note had happened. The scenes were also quite repetitive, you just constantly had people coming to the house to be healed and it followed the same formula time and time again without development.

I honestly didn't enjoy the writing style of this book and found it quite difficult to follow at times. There were sections that were written in second person when it didn't really feel like it flowed well and kept addressing the reader with questions which just took me out of the story because there was no relationship built with the reader for it to make sense. It didn't keep to one steady POV throughout which I think really made it suffer as a whole.

I normally don't have an issue with books with little or slow plot, as long as there is good character work. Unfortunately, I didn't think there was any depth or personality to these characters. I found myself forgetting the name of the main POV as soon as I finished the book. She was also quite irritating to me, the only basis of her character was constantly feeling sorry for herself.
There were so many characters that were introduced for a few pages as a patient and then had no purpose for the rest of the book.

The romance also made no sense to me. The main character had a weird obsession with Leah's character, which had very flimsy basis. There was absolutely zero chemistry and so when she had repetitive inner monologues on her feelings for Leah it just seemed to come from no where. Also, the weird fling she has with one of the village fisherman again, made no sense and had no purpose to it. It was also stated that he was with someone else at the time which really quite bothered me. I don't enjoy cheating tropes in books and because this "plot" didn't go anywhere or have any bearing on the story later on, I felt it wasn't necessary and made me dislike the main character even more.

Speaking of inner monologues, it seemed like most of the book was written as one entire inner monologue. There was very little dialogue, and when there was dialogue a lot of it was told through her memory and quite difficult to tell who was talking.

It was very difficult to tell what time period this book was set in, also there was little to no description of setting. Most of the novel was set in one house and yet there was very little description of even those few rooms.

There was mention of war, which again had no bearing on any actual plot. There was no information given regarding the reasons for this or for why the lords were given names such as Claire and Jonathan. Which, I'm sorry, but that was just weird and quite hilarious to me. I really couldn't take them seriously.

I had big issues with the pacing of this book, it seemed to be told as one long memory but I felt like the author tried to create mystery and intrigue by saying things such as "I didn't know then, that that would be the last time I'd see them etc " at the end of chapters. I could see what she was trying to do but because of the writing and no connection with the characters, it just fell completely flat and became repetitive very quickly.

The writing style couldn't save it for me I'm afraid, it was quite simplified language and I generally prefer writing with a little more lyrical prose.

I was quite disappointed because I was really intrigued by the premise of this book. Herbal witches or midwives mixed with elements of the stories of baba yaga with the witchlings guiding the dead through to the afterlife through their house. I knew very little of the premise apart from this going into the story so I don't think I had unrealistic expectations but, sadly, I found it very difficult to get through this book as when I put it down I had no motivation to pick it back up again.
If I wasn't reading this book for purposes of review I probably would have DNF'd it.

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The Witchling’s Girl follows the story of Haley from the time she discovers her gift and becomes the witchling’s girl and then what happens to her throughout the following years with the world around her changing and different people entering her life.

The book follows Haley’s life from when she was a child till she is an adult and details her role of becoming the witchling and what she gets up to, the plot itself is not very exciting however I really enjoyed the writing style and tone of the book. The way the book was written made me want to read on and made Haley’s story interesting, we follow her throughout different important parts of her life but my favourite thing about the book is Haley herself and her voice. She has a lot going on and her new role means she is isolated from those around her but as the story progresses we see her slowly start to trust people and deal with her vulnerability and her conflicted emotions around having to do her job/keep her vows and balance them against her feelings for the people she cares about. There is also so much about the world she lives in that she does not know and without answers she makes mistakes, there is so much guilt she carries and it was interesting to read about her and what her choices lead to – the ending of the book connects to something from her past and I liked how everything linked together.

The plot of the book is not action packed or very dramatic but that was fine because the slow pace and simple storyline suited the tone of the book. I also liked how throughout the book there is references to the past and the future and information about other side characters, it made the storytelling aspect of the book interesting to read.

I really enjoyed the story overall; the setting, the magic and the characters but I did feel like the book was building up to something especially near the end of the book which lead nowhere and I would have liked to know more about the world the book is set in – more about what happened to those the witchling helped.

3/5

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The Witchling's Girl we follow Haley, who as a young girl discovers she has the power to bring back the dead. Her mother instantly takes her to the House of the dead and leaves her there, to train and become the next Witchling when the current one dies!

We start with Haley as an angry child grieving the loss of her life and family and resenting the current Witchling for holding her in the House of dead, but as the years pass we get to see her change into this young strong woman, as she learns her craft her confidence in herself rises and she begins to accept her life as the Witchling.

Being the Witchling her life has never been simple, she has to stick to the laws of never having a family of her own, never having a love, the town's people must come first and she has a duty to care for them all the same.

Soon there's a strange disease sweeping through the town and people start to act strangely and commit terrible crimes before they eventually seizure and die. This disease is erratic and unpredictable and goes on for some years, through it Hayley meets the mysterious Leah and starts to form a strange bond with her.

I really loved the magical elements to this story, it was really well told and I had some serious Baba Yaga vibes.
The characters were all really well developed and I loved the chemistry between Haley and her lovers, every time I was routing for her to just find some happiness somewhere.

While the ending was sad I totally understand why the writer went down that route, it really did add to the whole story and I was left thinking about it for days after I'd finished the book.

A beautiful read and one I'm glad I read in October for those witchy vibes.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for a e-arc of this.

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This book drew me in from the first chapter, and wove a thrilling and beautiful story about life, death, and one girl's place somewhere in the middle. It's much more visceral and haunting than I was prepared for, and I found the tone incredibly fitting, like you're being told a sad, spooky, beautiful tale by firelight. It's stunning, tragic, terrible, and hard to read at times, full of grief and healing. I would recommend it highly.

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I'm really torn with this book, it was beautifully written but I found it hard work. The character development was really well done but I just feel like not enough was happening to move the book along. The pace of this was painfully slow and it took about 50-60% of the book for anything to actually really happen. I prefer my books with a heavier plot base, however if you like a slow character driven story then this will definitely be for you. The authors writing style however, deserves five stars.

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Wow.
The Witchling's Girl is beautifully written and intense in all the right places. Haley is forced into becoming the witchling's girl at a very young age when she begins to show signs of magic and healing and this book follows her as she grows up under the guidance of Marian, the witchling of the village. Haley makes mistakes and breaks her vows multiple times in the name of love but this is what makes her such a good character because it shows that it is ok to make mistakes as long as you own up to it and deal with it. The vows are cruel and I'm glad she was selfish when it comes to matters of the heart and I loved the character of Leah, even though she is shown to not have the capability to have feelings for people she still cares a lot for Haley.
This book is certainly one of my favourite reads of the year and I am surprised with how good it was and it will stay with me for a while.

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This is a wonderfully written book with a good premise that I enjoyed. I like the idea that each village has a witchling to heal people. I loved the idea of this book and I liked the magic. The main character Haley is good and I enjoyed her development through the book. I also like Marian who is Haley’s teacher and maternal figure. The relationship between them is good and I enjoyed it. I also really enjoyed the LGBT representation in the book and how it is shown. I admit this was a little darker than I expected and it has some heavy themes which I wasn’t expecting but I did like. This is such a hard book for me to review as I liked it but I can’t explain it well.

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Recounting her own story, protagonist Haley unravels the world of the witchlings for the reader; a time entrenched in magic, embroiled in war, entangled in duty.

The witchling of a village is both bringer of health and proclaimer of death. It is her role to care for people without bias, being compassionate but impartial. Haley is discovered as a witchling’s girl with the power to resurrect the dead when she is seven. She is then handed over to Marian, the town’s current witchling, to be parted from her family forever. Her duty is to one day replace Marian as the town’s witchling and protect people from harm while also facing their fear as the woman that deals with the dead.

Haley’s formative years are spun throughout the novel, showing her growth as a witchling and a person. The careful balancing of tone as Haley grows is particularly well crafted; her younger self reads far differently than it does by the end of the novel, but at no point did I feel like she was overly childish. Perhaps this is due to the reflective tone of the writing. You are aware for the entirety of the story that Haley knows much more than she is sharing. Yet, these do not feel like needless hooks - they definitely kept me turning pages.

Likewise, there is a careful conversation between female duty in many forms. Haley is constantly torn between what she has been told to believe is her responsibility and what her feelings dictate she should do. Particularly in the case of Leah, Haley’s allegiances are incredibly blurred; but it is in a striking moment of loss that takes the novel in a direction that allows Haley to see that obligation and emotions as a witchling can live comfortably alongside one another if you are careful.

I found this to be an original storyline with some interesting character development and plotting. I don’t think I’ve read anything like it before which is rare to come across these days! The world building was an important feature for me and I think it is something keen readers of fantasy will really enjoy.

I felt I was kept on my toes enough to peak my interest, especially with Daniel and Samuel’s storylines. Marian is probably my favourite character. Her quiet demeanour and authority alongside her clear motherly love for Haley is something the protagonist only sees with age. Their dynamic felt very organic and helped to introduce the reader to their world without overwhelming them. I felt the most emotional impact from her story arc. I wasn’t particularly a fan of Leah as a character - probably due to her differing morals to that of Haley which I felt more akin to - but it was great to read a fresh interpretation of a sapphic relationship with different obstacles to overcome than the norm.

The lore behind the witchling magic and the underworld was also fascinating, even more so with hindsight about the novel’s conclusion. I’d love to read more from this world and get a feel for the magic of the rune tattoos, the witch’s world, and more about the lords fighting the war - there’s so much potential in that story!

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for this e-arc.

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Thank you Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for providing me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I just finished reading The Witchling girl and it was a fantastic. It was such an awesome fantasy novel. This book has a very unique new world and magical system.

In this book we follow Haley who as a young girl discovers she is a witchling, which basically means she has power to raise and guide the dead, as well as healing magic. She gets taken to the House of the Dead, where she must now live with the current town witchling as an apprentice and can never see her family again. The House of the Dead, with has a resident witchling, who acts as the village healer, midwife and helps people who are dying and guides the dead to the underworld.

Haley is a fantastic character, you really experience her character development throughout the book. This book has great LGBQT representation. The chemistry between Haley and Leah, a mysterious character who is brought in later in the book is delightful.

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I remember reading Helena Coggan's first book, 'The Catalyst', and WOW - her writing has come on in leaps and bounds since!

'The Witchling's Girl' features a truly unique new world and magical system. The imagination is astounding, and there was a flavour to it that reminded me strongly of 'Daughter of Smoke and Bone'. I quickly went from intrigued to engrossed.

With all that said, the book is really, really long, and slow-moving. A key character, Adrienne, doesn't appear till well over halfway through. It is also... unrelentingly grim. Dark, bitter stories work best with flashes of humour. My patience did start to wear thin after a while, to the point that when I finished the book, although I was glad to have read it, I felt slightly disengaged.

So - a beautifully imagined story for those who have the time to give it the attention it deserves.

(With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review

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The Witchling’s Girl is the perfect book to read for the month of October - dark, secretive and peppered with dark magic. 

I was hooked from the first chapter. The concept of every town having a witchling was so unique and like nothing I’ve ever read before. I love books based around witchcraft, so it was refreshing to read something different and imaginative. 

I fell in love with the characters, the story and the world. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the page for one second, and I couldn’t sleep for thinking about the story. The writing was stunning - some of the best writing I’ve seen for a while. The author really got inside the character’s head and it felt like they were narrating the story right next to me. 

The book is told from Haley’s perspective as if she was narrating what happened. We followed her from when she found out she was destined to be a witchling, through her training, until the end of her story. It added another unique factor, and the author wrote it well. It could feel somewhat distanced at times, though. 

I haven’t felt this emotionally invested in a book for so long, and it was amazing to feel like that again. It was dark, atmospheric and exciting. The kind of dark that has you hiding under the covers, peering out into the darkness like something is going to get you! I will definitely check out other books by this author and will look out for more from them!

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Thank you Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for providing me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. My review is my own and not influenced by others.

4,5*

I just finished reading The Witchling girl and it was a fantastic, beautiful, and emotional reading experience. The writing style was great; it pulled me right into the story and kept me fascinating trough the book to the ending.

The world building was unique; the characters were great and well elaborated and the end made me emotional. It made me wonder and inquisitively. I think it was a great job of the writer to choose this ending to keep the book in de minds of the readers.

The Witchling girl a book I highly recommend when someone wants to read a fantasy book that is unique on its own.

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What an absolutely fantastic, magical read. It’s a crime to have to wait till next year to get my grabby hands on a physical edition!

The way Helena writes is wonderful and made this book such an interesting and captivating read.
We begin in the eyes of a 7 year old girl. The perspective given from someone of this age is refreshing. Haley is deathly afraid, of monsters and being in trouble, whilst referencing a future where she becomes what scared her.

Set in the house of the dead, the pages ooze both death and witching which enthrals you. To want to read more. To dive through the pages yourself.

Haley grows up to become the witchling, her purpose in life is to selflessly help others through sickness and death whilst vowing to forsake herself of all we deem are our rights - she cannot marry, love or create relationships that may cloud her judgement.

Towards the end I worried, how can this story complete. Will it be disappointing, open ended even? However, no. The last two lines, though I won’t spoil them, gripped at my heart and left me feeling satisfied yet curious still that this was the end.

Thank you so much Hodder Books for this ARC, I’m very grateful to have been allowed the opportunity to discover and love such a wonderful read.

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I really enjoyed this book! It follows Haley who is abandoned at the age of 7 by her mother to be the successor of a witchling.

Haley has the power to raise and guide the dead and we follow her from an angry, lost girl who is mourning the loss of her old life, to an apprentice learning to grow and come to terms with her new life, creating new relationships and it’s just so incredibly detailed you really start to grow attached to Haley as a character.

The descriptions the author gives are amazing and I genuinely felt like I had stepped into another world and easily managed to lose myself in this book.

I can’t wait to read more by Helena Coggan, I will definitely be looking out for her books!

This was the perfect book for October!

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This was a beautiful and heartbreaking story about powers of healing, what happens when we die, what it means to be “good” or “evil,” and what it means to love. Told through a fantastical story about singular women (witchlings) who act as the town doctors, healers, and gatekeepers to the underworld of souls. They are necessary to a town’s survival, but evil always lurks behind closed doors, and souls that have been wandering for eternity in the underworld would do anything to live again. We learn about a witchling’s purpose, her vows, and her duties primarily through the aging witchling’s teachings to her reluctant young replacement. Any child found to possess death-magic, or powers of resurrection, are sent to the witchling to live a cloistered and outcast life, but very much an essential part of the town’s survival.

The story pulled me along at a fast clip for the first half of the book while we learned about this world and saw witchling Marian teach young Haley her ways, then slowed to a saunter as we begin living as the town witchling alongside Haley. Haley struggles to adjust and can’t quite keep her vow of never loving another or finding human closeness. Her bisexuality is refreshing and easily slips along the story as a simple matter of life, and we feel the sorrows and challenges of her struggle. The warring lords are also frequently storming towns and hurting with abandon, and in this way there is a Medieval feel to the setting, though the world is clearly a new one. I also loved the sentience of the witchling house, getting to know its inhabitants and letting doors open or not as recognition and need allow. There is also a network of tunnels to a kind of eternal purgatory in its basement, which is amazing.

So creative and atmospheric, I will look forward to other works by Helena Coggan.

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