This book had a really great premise and was intriguing. Each chapter was needed and helped move along the plot in some way. I was never bored reading. I was also never that shocked.
Without giving too much away there were some weird parts that didn't seem to fit massively but then felt out of place even after explained.
The writing was fine but the characters felt flat. I would have loved for them to have been flushed out a bit more.
Overall, I think it was a good book and I'll be picking up the authors other books. Not completely raving though

I finally got round to reading this, it's been on my kindle for s0000 long!
I hadn't realised it was YA but that didn't really matter as I do enjoy YA.
'I tried to keep you safe, but I see now that I can't. They won't stop until they have vou.
Ivy has been searching for her mother after being abandoned as a baby. She has finally discovered where she is and plans to meet her.
Strange things start to happen though and after a man attacks her at work she decides now is the time to leave and with the help of her work buddy, Tom, she sets off for the island off the coast of Wales.
With more strangers attacking her along the way, she starts to see why she was abandoned, and why her mother left her the heart-felt note in her locket.
Things get stranger still when they discover how isolated the isle is and that the all locals vacate it in winter, all except her mother!
This was a good read, Ivy's character is very likeable and her relationship with Tom is really well portrayed.
The isolated isle is perfectly described and very atmospheric.
Also I love that the majority of the story was set in Wales and is steeped with Welsh folklore, mythology and Arthurian legend.
Perfect for fans of witch tales, King Arthur, Merlin and UK folklore.
Thank you to @hotkeybooks and @netgalley for my ebook.

This book is a great fantasy book, perfect for the upcoming spooky season. The story is about an ancient power, related to Arthurian legends and Welsh mythology. The book was very enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC copy of this book, in exchange for this honest review.

Ivy has been searching for her birth mother for years but one day at work. Mysterious phone call sets a lot in motion. Can Ivy figure out what’s going on before something spooky happens?

This book was a really good young adult fantasy book - perfect for the upcoming spooky season. I loved how Merlin was woven through this book such a clever story. I really liked the character of Ivy who really wanted to find out what was happening in her life and with her birth mum. This book was a great mix of fantasy and real life. Funny at times with the two main characters but also with a great plot. This was my first book by this author but I’m definitely going to be on the look out for more.

i wasn't sure what i was getting when i asked for this book as i have read Rachel Burge twisted tree but its been so long so it was like finding this author again

as someone who has read many merlin and morgana books i was happy with a book which made merlin the bad guy and morgana the good one, it was refreshing and a new way of seeing the much loved folklore around these two

i love the setting and it was easy to envision as someone who has been to a few the places that were mentioned in the book and that made the story flow easier for me and i love how much this author goes out of her way to research and get the atmosphere of the places she writes about perfect. would like to see a second book but i am happy with the fact we got this one

I loved reading Waking the Witch. Great writing style, kept me wanting more. My kind of witchy read.

A book with a promise of a story about an anciet and dark power, relations to Arthurian legends and Welsh mythology. I never read anything related to it, so to say I was intrigued would be an understatement!

We see the world through a seventeen-year-old Ivy's eyes. She was left as a baby, and her whole life went from one home to another, always wishing for her family. When some strange events take place at the beginning of the book, she finally starts the journey of finding her mother. And, she has an unplanned, almost unwanted companion for this journey. Yet, she will be glad to have him with her when the world, as she knows it, will drastically change.

I found the story sweet and normal, very casual, if that makes sense. She arrives to meet her mother in a damp coat, wearing guys shorts, in unpleasant weather. It's not picture perfect, and I loved that. The whole story had that atmosphere for me, even when things took a dark and unexpected turn.

My favourite part was the first night at the mother's house. The creepy atmosphere was very well written, actually made me uncomfortable! However, after that, things didn't work out all that well for me. It was interesting, but the story started to feel rushed and unfinished. I wanted more exploring of the myths and events, seeing more of... well, everything.

It is well written, I liked to see Merlin portrait in different lights as well. But it just did not hit the sweet spot for me. I just feel that if the book had been longer and the world had been unravelled more, it would be definitely a five-star read.

Also, I don't know if there's gonna be a second book, but the ending definitely indicates that there should be one. A lot of things were left unfinished and are just hanging there.

Rachel is one of those authors that I just love. Her writing style and story telling are exactly my sort of style.

I have to admit that this book takes a while to kickstart. I even found myself flirting with the idea to DNF just because I don’t have any form of patience with books right now.

But I’m so glad I continued and let the darkness creep in. This book felt so unique and a love letter to less talked folklore.

I found myself on Google searching for elements to add to the story, my own viability to see the island, the birds and the history it pulls from.

Towards the end we sort of lull, I’m not yet sure if the ending is one I would have hoped for but that’s not to say I disliked it. It just happened so fast, the book was over.

If this continues into a series (or duology) then grand, if not, I’ll be a bit disappointed. It hurts to have a book end within the last short percentage and leave you feeling a bit empty and unsatisfied.

Love you Rachel. Please keep enthralling me.

This is the 2nd book I've read by Rachel Burge and it didn't disappoint. Based on the legend of Merlin and set in Wales the characters and story are wonderful. Ivy works in a butterfly Farm/exhibit and after a mysterious and cryptic call from a mother she never knew weird things behind to happen resulting in Ivy and her friend Tom driving to Wales in search of Ivy's past.

I really enjoyed how the Merlin legends were woven into the story and the character building of the witches. There was enough supernatural and paranormal activity to keep me gripped. A nice stand alone book. Highly recommend.

I absolutely loved Waking the Witch! I started it knowing almost nothing about the blurb/plot - picking it up simply because I knew it was a retelling of Arthurian legend - and I'm so glad I did. I could not have predicted what type of story this was going to be, it's so unique for an Arthurian retelling, and is honestly like no other urban fantasy I've read in recent years. Highly recommend!

This had a really good premise but I found it lacking in quite a lot.

I liked the idea of using the Arthurian legend but I would’ve love more information about that time. Perhaps some more scenes showing the main character with her sisters.

There wasn’t enough back story about the characters to keep me interested. I didn’t feel like I really knew them so I struggled to care about them.

I was so surprised by how much I loved this book!

We follow Ivy, who has been moved around to various foster homes after her mother was unable to look after her. She manages to track her mother down, but she reaches out to Ivy, warning her to stay away and most importantly away from the shadows.

Ivy ignores her mother's warnings and strange things start happening. She decides to stick to her plan of travelling to a little island off the coast of Wales and is finally reunited with her mother.

Honestly, this story is paced so well! I was gripped and addicted. There are mentions of witchcraft, Merlin and family secrets, I would highly recommend!

I'm not sure how useful this review is, as the less you know the better!

I didn't realise this was YA when I started reading this but I was really intrigued by the blurb and haven't read a good witchy book in ages. I really enjoyed this story, it was a fast and easy read but this didn't detract from the plot and the story development. Some parts of the story were so creepy and reminiscent of some horror movies, like the repetitive movements when someone was "possessed" or the ways the witches moved when transforming. I liked the indirect link to mental health when Ivy was hiding her feelings away which caused the demons to manifest, and the freedom she achieved when she opened up. I've not read much on Merlin & Morgan Le Fay so I found this part quite interesting and makes me want to read more about them.

IF I DO NOT GET MORE OF THIS IN THE FORM OF A BOOK 2, I will RIOT.

This book is an addictive, creepy, atmospheric YA that draws on Arthurian myth with witches, themes of sisterhood and all set on an isolated island. This novel is utterly enchanting, I could hardly put it down it had me hooked from page one. Action packed and fast paced this has quickly become favourite read.

Waking the Witch follows Ivy our MC, a teen who’s spent most of her life in the foster system. Determined to finally locate her biological mother, she find finally tracks down rumours of her, living on a remote welsh island, whom some claim to be the legendary isle of Avalon. But in locating her mother, an ancient power starts staking Ivy and her only chance of survival is to look deep within herself.

Ivy is a character who’s been through a lot, her time in care makes her feel like she doesn’t belong, but watching her develop and work through her complex emotions surround her life was compelling. The friendship with Tom and their banter was a joy to read, with Tom being the only person from her life before the discovery of her mother and the slow burn development of their friendship towards a more romantic tone is beautiful and I NEED MORE. The female friendships that develop within the novel are some of the most wonderful I’ve read in a while. The message of female empowerment and sisterhood provided through these friendships is incredible. Despite its slim size, I fell in love with the characters and if that doesn’t tell you all you need to know about how well rounded the characters are, I don’t know what is.

I liked this modern retelling of a Merlin and Morgan Le Fay retelling.

It was a great mix between being just the right amount of spooky on the level of Garth Nix's Troubletwisters series and having some nicer not creepy moments.

I had no clue how it was going to get from the butterfly house to a spooky island in the middle of nowhere but it did rather wonderfully.

It was a very easy to read story and I really liked the idea of how the witches changed into birds except for certain times of year. It was a good bit of magical realism. Very easy to believe it could be real.

I really enjoyed Rachel Burge's previous book The Twisted Tree, which I found to be atmospheric and filled with norse mythology. However, Waking the Witch felt a little disappointing in comparison. It's based on Arthurian legend, and I thought it would have the same atmospheric tone as The Twisted Tree but unfortunately it felt a bit bland in comparison with not much world building or backstory for our characters. The plot is also very slow to build up, and for such a short book I don't think the pay off should have taken so long to get there. The writing also feels very 'young' - and I know that the target audience is young adult, but this fell definitely on the younger side. I guess overall I just wanted a bit more from this - more character development, more backstory and more atmospheric descriptions.

Not as good as the author's previous books, but younger readers might enjoy this introduction to the Arthurian story.

I liked this book, but I didn't love it. I finished it but only have it 3 stars. It felt like something was missing for me, although I can't explain what it was.
A lot of others seemed to love this book though so I think it was just me and my heads pace at the time as opposed to it being a 'bad'book.

I forgot to download this before it archived but I have managed to read it after the release.

Witchy, Arthurian legend, welsh mythology? count me in because I have a massive love for all three. Waking the Witch was such an engaging read however while I did enjoy it I really did hope for a lot more from it. yes it's YA it just seems like there was a lot missing, depth, character building, parts were really dragged out whilst overs were rushed a little too quickly and while this was a quick read I really did want more from it.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this E-arc.

Ive been really into books about witchcraft recently. I really enjoyed this, the story was engaging and really caught my attention. A quick, easy read.

I would struggle to be able to review this book due to issues with the file/download. The issues stopped the flow of the book. The issues are:
- Missing words in the middle of sentences
- Stop/start sentences on different lines
- No clear definition of chapters.