This will be the perfect spooky read for October and the Halloween season. The story telling is perfectly paced, the characters we developed and included my favourite fantasy genre - witchcraft. If you loved once and future witches then this is the book for you.

WAKING THE WITCH


A fantastic mythical YA fantasy novel and fully deserving the full five stars.

Thank you #Netgalley for my E-arc copy of #WakingTheWitch and allowing me the chance of reading this brilliant novel before its publication in exchange for my honest review.
Not my usual read but I’m so glad that I read it.

I instantly fell in love with this beautifully written novel, I was encapsulated from the first paragraph. What a beautiful start. And the descriptive pros were sensational throughout.

“ A darkly spellbinding story of witches, sisterhood and coming of age, steeped in Welsh mythology and Arthurian legend…Her mum warned her not to come and to stay away from the lighthouse, but now it's too late. As the shadows draw closer, Ivy must look deep within herself if she wants to survive. For not every story in folklore is true, and some evils aren't what they seem...”

WOW! This book was amazing. I loved everything about it - the characters were really relatable and I was rooting for Ivy all the way. The banter between her and Tom made me laugh more than once (despite the scary things happening!). It was atmospheric, fast paced and the inclusion of Arthurian legend and Welsh myth was really clever. I will definitely be picking up a copy of the book when it comes out.

Waking the Witch is a fast paced, YA novel, that delves into strong feminist themes. Ivy is working in a butterfly house, living with foster carers after she'd been abandoned as a baby. She never lets anyone gets close and is desperate to find out where she came from and who she belongs to. She discovers her birth mother is living on a remote island off the coast from Wales and when she's fired from her job, she sets off with the kindly Tom to find her Mum, only her mother is terrified that the shadows of the past will harm Ivy if she comes to visit.

This book was a quick, dark yet fun read. I love that I'm starting to see more books set in Wales, using our culture and mythology as a backdrop to stories. This novel has strong, feminist themes, highlighting how females are still seen as objects by some men. I also enjoyed how the book took on some of the Arthurian legends and myths and melded them together.

Ivy was a strong character. She hides her emotions and refuses to let anyone in and yet she's partnered with Tom, who is warm and desperate to break down the walls that Ivy has built around her. The two characters had a great dynamic.

I'm assuming there's going to be a sequel...it really can't end like that! But it does read as a good standalone too.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an e-arc in return for an honest review.

I really liked this one! I have read Burge's other novels, steeped in Norse mythology so I was really excited to learn more about Arthurian legend and mythology.

The story follows Ivy as she searches for her mother, after spending her life in foster care. However, she finds a little more than she bargains for when she is plunged into the world of magic.

This is such a unique concept and it was really well executed, in my opinion, It opens really fast-paced to lure you in and then grips you with the sense of adventure.

Ivy is a well-written character, which always makes the reading of a book much easier!

If you like witches, Arthurian legend and atmospheric writing, then this one is definitely for you.

Thank you to Netgalley for the e-arc.

‘Just because you can’t feel the magic inside you, doesn’t mean it’s not there.'

Ivy has gone from foster home to foster home, not truly feeling like she belongs anywhere. She has the butterfly museum, where she works, and that is the closest place that feels like home to her.

She has her coworker Tom, the two of them throwing practical jokes at each other, and Ivy's eyes rolling almost every time that Tom opens him mouth.

But Ivy refuses to open up to him, or anyone in her life.

She bottles up her feelings, afraid to be hurt.

And then, when a letter arrives and then a phone call soon after, she is ready to leave and chase after the ghosts that haunt her.

This book was honestly amazing! I loved the use of Arthurian mythology and Ivy's character was so well written.

This book has a sense of uniqueness to it that was refreshing and made it so enjoyable to read.

I will definitely be recommending this book! Its great for lovers of King Arthur books, witches and spontaneous adventures that can lead to anything!

Thank you so much to the publishers for providing me with an eArc of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Ivy has grown up in foster care, never knowing her mum but always searching for her. One day she gets a lead that takes her to Bardsey Island, but her mum isn't all Ivy finds.

She is thrust into a world of magic and demons, a world where witches and King Arthur are all real and realises she isn't safe - there are shadows searching for her, but what do they want with her and why did her mother give her up?

I have always been fascinated with the myth surrounding King Arthur so I'm constantly searching for new iterations. Enter Waking the Witch, a book that blends the real world with that of myth and legend.

I read this book in a day because I was obsessed with finding out everything as soon as possible. The way the elements of the King Arthur myth were blended with our world, magic, demons, and witches was brilliant and entertaining.

I loved the friendship between Ivy and Tom, the constant banter was entertaining but it was also great seeing how they would do anything for each other.

It was great when the witches were properly introduced, but I would have loved to know more about Morgan and the others. I feel this book would have benefitted from being longer, with the history and characters more well-established, especially Avalon, and the end felt a little rushed to me, but it was still an enjoyable read.

What an incredible read! It had me on the edge of my seat, second guessing what i thought I knew. Highly unpredictable and highly satisfying. It is so intelligently written, which makes it impossible to put down!

Writing aside, i fell in LOVE with the cover. The vibrant colours really draw the eye! It will take centre stage on my shelf! The blurb doesnt give too much away, but perfectly sets up the story, and is intriguing enough to make you read it straight away!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked the idea behind this book but unfortunately the delivery fell flat for me.

The pacing was a bit all over the place with a really slow start and rushed ending.

I also feel the writing style was a little young for my personal taste but this is YA so that can happen at times.

The ending I also feel was a bit ambiguous. The main character, Ivy, has wanted nothing more than to have a family and honestly, I still don’t know if the ending resolved anything. I have more questions than answers.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book started off at a super fast pace, it opens with our main protagonist Ivy 17 years old and working in a butterfly farm, Ivy is intuitive but is very closed off to the people around her. She grew up in the social care system and has been looking for her birth mother for a very long time. Finally, she has a lead into her mother’s whereabouts and travels to the remote Bardsey Island off the coast of Wales.
Ivy is soon pulled into a fairy tale of myths and monsters in order to finally understand what and who she really is.
So it’s not very often that you come across a novel that is not only based in England but has very England places and vernacular, I loved the generational references, it felt like I was listening to my own children. The plot is fast-paced and while not a very long book it had so much going on. Overall, I enjoyed this novel, and would definitely recommend it to a younger audience.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bonnier Books UK for the advance reader copy.

Ivy has spent years looking for her birth mother, but when she finally finds her on Bardsey Island, she is shocked by what greets her. According to folklore, the cormorants that fly over the remote Welsh isle are the terrifying witches of Arthurian legend - and they are searching for Ivy. Her mum warned her not to come and to stay away from the lighthouse, but now it's too late. As the shadows draw closer, Ivy must look deep within herself if she wants to survive. For not every story in folklore is true, and some evils aren't what they seem...

I love reading new takes on witches and Arthurian mythology and this really did not disappoint. The writing was great and atmospheric. However, the pacing did seem a little off in the second half of the book and the ending left me wanting a little. I really look forward to reading more from Rachel Burge.

Please can we have the next in the series now please, I really don't want to wait to see what happens. I read this with the older children and they both enjoyed it immensely ,as did I. An exciting and heartening tale of a young woman finding out who she really is ,and WOW the punchline is worth waiting for.

I LOVED this book! Ivy was fantastically feisty and her relationship with Tom was brilliantly done. I was so invested in them as a couple and their funny banter felt realistic and really added to the book. The story itself was amazing - gripping from the first page and the witches were wonderfully creepy and strange. I loved how Ivy found a family in the end..

DNF this book at over 50%, I can’t bring myself to read anymore.

I’m not the intended audience for this- it’s YA but definitely more middle grade/YA rather than upper.

Most of the book is the main character trying to find her mother, but it takes mostly 50% of the book of the MC travelling to finally see her mother. Also takes this long to get to the part about witches and a “portal”. It is not a slow moving book. but these main points took reading half the book to finally get to them.

It took a while for the plot to start moving, and I was hoping for more darkness and creepiness from the witches and it isn’t like that.

Thank you NetGalley for the E-Arc!

I love a good book that hooks you in from the first page and this was it. It starts off so innocent yet creepy and the level of creepy goes up and up as we get through the book.

So descriptive, so creepy, but I loved the king Arthur vibes, the sisters, the witches, the friendship etc.

Written so well!!

This book grabbed me from the start, I found it so addictive as well as a little creepy at times. The story was very clever and I do hope there is more to come in this series as I would love to find out what happens next. Highly recommend. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Wow, wow, wow! Gripping from the first chapter, this book was absolutely page turning and my new favourite! It had everything I love, witches, magick, Avalon, Merlin and so much more. What a twist on Merlin. I loved it. A great read that shows the true power of what love can do!

“The caterpillar becomes a butterfly not through struggle, but surrender”

In Waking the Witch we meet a teenage Ivy who has just tracked down her birth mother after being adopted, and sent her a letter with her contact info. Around the time her mother calls with a warning to stay away, Ivy starts to realise strange happenings all around her and must, of course, ignore her mothers warning and track her down to an island. When she gets there Ivy’s world gets turned upside down in this YA thriller steeped in Aruthurian legend and Welsh mythology.

As a self-confessed scaredy cat, I wanted to shy away from this book when I saw ‘horror elements’, but being on the witchy kick that I am, I couldn’t resist a book with the literal word in the title. I’m so glad I picked this up. Yes, it was a little creepy, but nothing I couldn’t handle and that slightly darker mood was contrasted by the humour of Tom, the friend/love interest. I thought this was a fresh take on witches and I loved that it was an empowered coming of age story. I was gripped from beginning to end and even though I felt like the crisis was maybe a little too easily solved, I thoroughly enjoyed the incorporation of myth and legend.

Thanks to Netgalley and Hot Key Books for providing me with an eArc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly this had me at the Title and the Cover! This was a real coming of age story with realistic characters (even if they were witches) and a gripping story! Ivy was a badass and held her own the whole way through the book no matter what was thrown at her, although we do get to see her vulnerable side too!

A book filled with witches, myths folklore and legend what more could you want? A little sprinkle of romance and found family just adds to this really enjoyable YA story, definitely kept me turning the pages right to the very end!

Would love a second book to follow the story!

Wow wow wow! I haven’t read as much of a book in one day in ages, over 170 pages in one sitting! Just brilliant.

I enjoy a good YA book with a strong main character and this certainly ticked those boxes. Ivy is a young girl, abandoned at birth and trying to trace her real mother. She finds her, but that’s when it all starts to go wrong. The mythology and legend within this book are brilliant, I’ve always been a fan of Arthur and Merlin (The Sword In The Stone was one of my favourite films growing up) and this incorporates them seamlessly. I don’t want to say more that might give away the story so just go read it. The cover is stunning too.

I am so looking forward to reading more by this author, and keeping everything crossed there is more to follow this one.