Holy crap once I started I couldn’t stop. It’s the first time in a very long time I had to fight sleep to keep reading. I will recommend this to everyone I come across. I look forward to more by this author.

Patrick Delaney has wriiten a very good sppoky tale with Witch 13, it was atmospheric and I liked the way the characters developed, It also had the right level of gruesomeness to enhance rather than distract the reader and the witch was eerily enigmatic. The only downside i found was there were moments that the plot went one way without really giving any meaning or othe references to it which left me a little puzzled but the overall book was good and would be pefect to curl up with on a dark night next to a logfire.

I would have loved to have been a spooky Halloween read, it has the perfect vibes for it. It's not a scary read but more of a creepy read.
I'm not sure it's my favourite read of the year so far because I did struggle to read it a bit at the start but that's probably just being able to get into it.
Being set almost entirely in a police station the world building is a bit limited but the characters being interestingly written makes up for this.
I was a bit disappointed with the ending, it didn't feel like it was enough, if that makes sense.

I liked the concept of this book but found it unbalanced and hard to fully get into. I found it really picked up about halfway through. Some aspects that I liked were the descriptions of the witch as well as the little bit of information we got on the witch's backstory. I also thought that the second half had good pacing in that it moved quite quickly through to the finish line. I wish there were more details on the witch's backstory and the 13 witches, what was said was interesting and made me want more information.

1.5 rounded to a 2. I STRUGGLED through this book. Maybe I need thriller & horror together because this book dragged for me and I wasn't even interested enough in what was happening for me to push myself to finish it.

DNF at 60% - not a 1 because the author is a good writer, but I couldn't make myself finish it because it was too slow and not attention grabbing enough for me.

3⭐️
Overall, this is an interesting horror read. I really enjoyed the writing style, and the mixture of POVS from main characters. I did not expect the plot twist at the very end of the book, which I quite enjoyed since until this point it was perhaps a little predictable for my liking. Never the less, the darkness of the witch MC coupled with the innocence of Max’s point of view - makes for an enjoyable read for all age groups.

Perhaps one thing that should be mentioned, is that the book is published under a sapphic/lgbtq genre, but is is most certainly not an lgbtq focused story, nor are there any lgbtq relationships involved. There is a brief mention to the female MC’s ex girlfriend, and even a brief explanation of her affair with a male MC - so I think that the book should not be read under a false assumption that it will feature queer representation.

Nevertheless, it was a fairly quick read and at no point did I find myself getting bored - which is what I look for in horror/thriller books.


*eARC received in exchange for an honest review for Oblivion Publishing through NetGalley*


https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/0fc21b63-2ab0-4ea4-8099-5fd3105d8036

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4688780158

My reaction to the ending of this one was huh? What the heck happened?

This had the spookiness down pat. The gore, helplessness, and fear was done well. But the overarching storyline was all over the place. There were many times I was confused on what exactly was going on. I think if this had less POV's it would have helped greatly.

Major kudos for the images in here, those were great.

There were minor editing errors that hopefully will be fixed, mostly it was the wrong words being used, not misspelled.

*Potential SPOILERS*- I felt confused a lot of the time while reading this. Especially the ending, though. There were a lot of times that things just didn't seem realistic (yes I know this is about a witch but still)... Like when Sterling (the MC) is driving back to her house, in a "terrible storm" that no one can go out in, to get a paper, is in a panicky mind frame and decides to lay in her bed and touch herself while hysterically crying... Or when another character, Bill, randomly comes back and is now driving a school bus that he got from who knows where? Or when a child supposedly hit a police car window so hard with his hand it cracked the glass... Also things would happen and you kinda had to figure out what was going on because it's never really explained. One minute the MC is smiling to herself and thinking of her parents and the next there's descriptions of crunching noises and shattered windshields because apparently there was an accident. Then there were the continuity errors like saying a police car has the netting between front and back seats, but a few pages later the MC is in the front seat reaching into the back of the car. The main thing that kept me reading was that it was pretty creepy/gruesome at times and the idea behind it was interesting. The art throughout the book was also well done and enjoyable. Side note: was not a fan of any of the characters tbh, but especially the MC Sterling she seemed selfish and just... No. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed Witch 13.
It was a great spooky read and I was a big fan of the writing style.
I definitely recommend this book and it would make an excellent Halloween read.
Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a complex book with complex characters. I can’t say that I liked any of the characters besides the little boy, Max. They were unique and genuine. They had lots of flaws. Like the people you meet in real life.

The main character, Sterling, was driven by her past and her mistakes. They shaped every action she took. Her partner, Chase, was equally haunted by his past mistakes. And a villain can easily sweep in and manipulate someone who’s that vulnerable.

I loved the atmosphere of this book. It was dark, isolated and brooding. The freak storm, the power outages, the loss of communication; it was all very ominous feeling.

Awesome book with characters that felt real and a witch who knew how to exploit every little thing.

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

well this one has to be the strangest book i have read in a while...a witch, a witch as bad as the one from the wizard of oz..

so if your into horror and witches this is the one for you...

Small town, creepy, witches, dark, and elements of nightmares--if these things appeal to you, then this book is a perfect addition to your dark and stormy night's read. It's a fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat spooky tale that will enthrall many supernatural book fans.

Thank you NetGalley and Oblivion Publishing for the opportunity to read an advance reading copy.

Witch 13 is a dark, creepy novel that reads a bit like a horror movie. It is visual and visceral, with some beautiful and creepy illustrations that definitely add to the experience.

On the night that Sheriff Sterling Marsh is leaving her job, things get weird. There are accidents, missing people and personality changes, all happening whilst a storm rages on outside, making everything feel very atmospheric and claustrophobic. And behind it all, there is the question of who, or what, is the witch? The mystery definitely kept me reading. The novel is fast paced and very readable, with some absolutely wild plot twists. My only issues were that on occasion it felt a little overwritten, and the large cast of characters was a little overwhelming at times.

The writing style was good and i was into the story! This has spooky vibes which is good for Halloween time and anytime. There is a switch between characters , so you may need to take notes. . the mystery of the witch was good. LGBTQIA representation is there too !! :)

I DNFed this.
The story was good but I could not continue because the writing was full of descriptions of every single thing which was really frustrating for me and that led to me being bored most of the time.
that being said I do feel like some might consider that a good thing so this is purely personal.

Overall, an enjoyable read. Had some four star potential but there was a huge unnecessary exposition drop towards the end, and then the actual end was pretty blah in terms of resolution. Mostly likeable lead with an inexplicable thing for her coworker who she is the supervisor for.

Would def recommend to those who like stories where characters are trapped somewhere— they aren’t, exactly, but it captures that feeling of claustrophobia and lack of escape.

There is literally no reason to call the monster a witch. Sure, she looks like a storybook witch. But that’s it.

The horror ramps up progressively throughout the book, and the author is great at building tension and defusing and building and defusing.

I wanted to like this book, i struggled to stay interested in the book and didn't connect with the characters and felt the story was a bit all over.

First off, thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of Witch 13! This was a wild ride! When a unknown lady shows up to town with unblinking eyes and not talking, her witch costume seems like a total prank, but when people start dying…things get twisty! The ending was not what I saw coming, but it was good! I did feel like it was a little drawn out in the beginning with not much happening, but then it rushed to finish. I would have preferred more action, less side story focused.

Witch 13 was not what I thought it was going to be, it was so much better.
The prologue was what I thought the whole book would be like, but it was not. The book was set in a police station for the most part and the eerie witch that happens to come along during the storm. However, about midway through the book is where I felt it come back to my initial expectations.
When a long book feels short, I know it’s good, which is why I definitely enjoyed this book. I felt like I was going through it so quickly and was shocked when I saw how much I had read without even realizing. The chapters were long enough to show what was needed but not too long that they felt like they were never ending.
I enjoyed the two stories that were intertwined throughout the book, making me able to see what was going on with the children and the adults. Both have different interactions with the witch, so it was interesting to see how they reacted to the mysterious figure.
I was a bit lost about what was happening at times, but the confusion was typically rapidly resolved.
I really enjoyed the talk of mental health and how I could see it was deteriorating as the book went on. It made it seem realistic as the characters deal with their issues. I definitely felt bad for what they were going through and was sad at a few of the scenes.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and think it was definitely worth the read.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley, Oblivion Publishing, and Patrick Delaney for providing me with an ARC of Witch 13 in exchange for an honest review! These Thoughts are my own.

This was amazing! The Author's writing is wonderful, easy to follow and he hooks you by the end of the first chapter. We have a Classic/ True Evil Witch with the power to unleash absolute Hell, it has ALL the spooky, creepy, horror vibes! It is a great read for fall/winter if you are a seasonal/mood reader. I did not want to put this book down & will definitely be looking into other works by this author.