Certainly as many of you know, Olivia Atwater is one of my favorite modern day authors. So, of course I jumped at the opportunity to advance read her upcoming release, 'The Witchwood Knot.'

Taking place in the same world I've come to know and adore.. as the Regency Faerie Tales, Olivia has lead us on a new journey in this.. her Victorian Faerie Tales series. This one's just a little bit darker, with a lovely gothic fantasy setting full of both wonder and chills. Even the cover has a beautiful papercraft feel to the art style that really gives off delicate, antique vibes.

Our main character, Victorian governess Winifred Hall, is charming and relatable. One of the things I love about Olivia's characters is they always feel very natural.. from their flaws to their quirks. There's no over-the-top attempt to make them stand out, they simply do because they come across like very real people.

Winnie doesn't even particularly like children.. or people.. for that matter and she has good reasons for the way she feels. Her backstory is richly textured. She's kind, though not falsely friendly. She's warm with those who have earned her love and trust.

Another of my favorite things about Olivia's writing.. is every character in the book always has a fully-fleshed out personality and story of their own. We may get more or less of it based on their role in the story, but make no mistake.. they are each individuals with a very specific part of the tale to tell.

The character development is as lush as the story itself.

Mr. Quincy, who is an absolute delight in all of his persnickety interactions.. and the clear frontrunner for my favorite in the book, despite my fondness for Winnie. Robert is at first, rather decidedly obnoxious, but as I came to understand his situation.. I liked him very much too. There are plenty of other great characters too.. and the villains are indeed dark-natured, just in a palatable way. For the most part.

As Olivia's writing has such a whimsical ambience, she did surprise me a little with a very morbid reveal about two-thirds or so of the way through. She handles it with her usual grace and eloquence, but I was a bit stunned at the horror of what I came to realize.. and I loved that. In fact, I'm still talking about that one incident in the book, around home.

All in all, it was another wonderful story. She just never fails me as an author. I always know I can count on her for a new tale I'm going to obsess over. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fantasy, romance, historical fiction, or just all around great storytelling. I can see a potential trigger or two here for some people, so if you have any of those.. just dm me and ask.. or do your research first.

Now I need a signed copy.. and hopefully a pretty special edition down the road. *cough* Kickstarter *cough* Fairyloot *cough*.. someone help me before I choke here..

Thanks, netgalley and starwatch for letting me review this book!

Winifred Hall approaches Witchwood Hall with a clandestine purpose- a magician posing as a governess, she is there to protect the young lord longfellow from the dark spirits haunting his home, by request of his grandmother. However, despite her skill and experience, Winnie is tricked and trapped from the moment she hands her luggage through the door to the cunning Mr. Quincy, and must take her life and the fate of the villagers into her hands to break the ties that bind the inhabitants of the Witchwood.

This book was so fun! Definite Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell/ Emily Wilde vibes, with a ton of cozy spooky ambiance. I like how the novel slowly unfolded winnie's past, and the fairy tale asides. I would most certainly read a series about the sisters which i am keeping mt fingers crossed for. 🤞

"The Witchwood Knot" by Olivia Atwater promised a dark faerie tale set in a magical version of Victorian England, but unfortunately, it fell short of expectations. The initial excitement of a gothic romance in a Victorian setting quickly waned as the story unfolded.

I failed to establish a connection with any of the characters, despite their potential. The lack of emotional engagement made the eventual emergence of romance feel more like a mystery, devoid of the expected gothic/Victorian atmosphere. The writing style, while okay, carried a certain stiffness that further hindered the immersive experience.

The Victorian setting, a key selling point, didn't deliver the anticipated vibe. The atmosphere remained vague and disappointing, lacking the essence of true Gothic or Victorian elements. The reliance on chapters telling a fairy tale felt lazy, disrupting the narrative flow and missing an opportunity for a more natural integration.

While the protagonist, Winnie, presented an appealing no-nonsense character, the overall lack of connection with the story, coupled with the confusion stemming from the shared universe with another series, left me grappling with a tangled narrative. The existence of crucial backstory in another series may explain the disconnect, but it doesn't excuse the failure to captivate.

In the end, "The Witchwood Knot" left me with a sense of frustration, akin to attempting to untangle a knot that proved impossible to unravel. Despite the potential for a captivating tale, the execution fell short, leaving me yearning for a more immersive and coherent experience.

Thank you to Netgalley and Starwatch Press for this gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Witchwood Knot- ⭐️🌶️

Fantasy
Romance
Victorian eta
Gothic Setting
Fae
Slow Burn
Clean Romance
Magic


This was a charmingly gothic-light tale! I found myself enjoying the dark house with a dark secret, but wishing for a little more. With the FMC called to the house to play hero and governess, I was immediately invested in her story. From what I understand, it is the same world as another series by Olivia Atwater, just a different time period. I wish a little more of the time period was evident in some way. But, I enjoyed this so much, and it read nicely as a stand alone. I will be going to read the other series.

The World-building was interesting in that it was done by having story within a story chapters. I find that it was an info dump, but it worked fairly well in bringing the past into play, as well as explaining some of the more tactile parts of the magic system. The dream/reality line was seamless and a great way to bring more whimsey into the story. I wish more of the FMC’s magic was explained. It wasn’t used more than 3 times, and I was still not sure how often it was used outside of dealing cards.

I liked the main characters and found them to be compelling in their journey to overcome their trauma. The FMC had such strength and grit. And the MMC was a complete softie with a hard exterior. I enjoyed the brutal truths and how the romance developed, in spite of the main characters. The side characters, while few, helped moved the plot along well. I’m hoping future books will get to know them better.

Yay for cat familiars!!!!

Thank you NetGalley and Starwatch Press for an Advanced eReader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I liked this. It was really atmospheric, and I enjoyed the world overall. I wasn’t really sold on the romance between Mr. Quincy and Winnie. I wish there was a little more development to the characters, and would have liked to see more of Winnie’s sisters. I think my favorite character was Ollie!!

I feel like The Witchwood Knot was a bit of a let down. The writing style itself was okay, if a little stiff in my opinion.

I had a difficult time initially getting into the book and unfortunately, that feeling didn’t ever really go away. I didn’t connect much to the characters and the pacing felt very slow.

I was excited by the Victorian setting, but I didn’t get that vibe really at all. There atmosphere was very vague and and disappointing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Starwatch Press for this opportunity to read rate and review this arc which is available November 28,2023!

Return to the world of Half a Soul in this gothic dark fae Victorian England romance and be bored out of your damn mind.

I could not get into this book! I was not invested nor truly involved with the characters and plot. The idea is cool but for the love of god it read like a dry Jane Austen novel but with a more modern sensibility to it.

*BOOK REVIEW*
The Witchwood Knot
x Olivia Atwater
Pub date 11/28/23

☆☆☆☆/5 stars
A dark faerie tale set in Victorian England on a sprawling gothic mansion checked every one of my boxes. You meet Winifred, a strong-willed governess who isn't what anyone would expect, especially the grumpy Mr Quincy... they all see a beautiful governess, but she is the total opposite of her looks. She is given a near impossible task by the lady of the house to watch over her young grandson and protect him from what happens within the house and the witchwood knot. Add in a corrupt employer, a not so dead house pet, devious fae, and menacing dream dimension, and you have a well paced story that promises surprises at every turn. I really enjoyed the glimpses into Winifred's backstory and how it intertwines with the faeworld. I'm really hoping for a sequel because I'm very curious about some of the other characters.

4 Stars
This was such a good gothic fantasy. I was never bored and could not wait to find out what happens. I love Winnie, she is a total bad ass. I can't wait to see her take on her future challenges. I am looking forward to the next book.

Thank you NetGalley and Starwatch press for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The Witchwood Knot was creepy, compelling, and romantic.

If you’ve read and enjoyed Olivia Atwater’s Regency Faerie Tales then this is a step darker, but retains the easy to read feel of her previous books.

I adored Winnie and Mr Quincy as main characters, and was intrigued by the way they developed/revealed themselves throughout the book.

The way the story is woven into the world of Regency Faerie Tales was a delight for readers of the previous series, but doesn’t require any prior knowledge so won’t be inaccessible for new readers.

For those who aren’t looking for romance, the book has romantic elements but it isn’t a main plot point and doesn’t overwhelm the story or fantasy elements.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed The Witchwood Knot and can’t wait for the next book in the series!

DNF @60%

I picked this up one because I loved Half a Soul but this one just wasn't clicking for me. The plot never hooked me and I found myself forcing myself to pick it up and was just really slogging through it so finally decided to just put it down.

The other elements of the book were are perfectly fine, just not outstanding to the point of overcoming by boredom with the plot as a plot driven reader

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for this ARC for an honest review.
Firstly, I love the premise of this book. Gothic, creepy manor, a magical dream state.
Second the plot is truly great.
However, I wish we got into Winnie's magic more, besides a few card tricks her "dark magician" powers were unseen, and I'm unsure why that wasn't more apart of the book since it seemed like a big part of her character.
This book would be a 3.5 star for me, I didn't hate it. I liked it, liked reading it. Just thought it was missing something.

This is the closest I’ve been to achieving the feeling I had when reading HALF A SOUL since, well, reading HALF A SOUL. I still think that one comes out on top for me but if you wanted another Atwater to reach the same heights I did.. this’ll do the trick for you. I think. I hope.

Some years have passed since the end of the Regency Faerie Tales series and we have some familiar faces, yes, but a whole host of new ones. This particular instalment takes place in a haunted manor and involves a governess who isn’t a governess who must break a curse and defeat a monster. But the monster might not be the one you expect; or at least.. isn’t the only monster that needs defeating. And I really really am looking forward to exploring more of the particular flavour of villain that Atwater has introduced into her world.

This was a really excellent kickstart into this new series and I like the level of the stakes and how the rules are familiar but with a twist.

My one complaint, and it’s not a small one but it’s not huge, is the big conflict/confrontation was way too quick. Piff, poof, done. That wasn’t well done for me and I’m not sure why that was the choice. A little more tension and build-up to that would’ve been nice even if, to some extent, there had been a resolution of conflict right before.. and a bigger reveal of what is to come after. There still should’ve been more gravitas to the moment, I think. And I realize none of this will make sense if you don’t know the scene but.. this needed a better layered structure nonetheless.

Overall though I’m very happy with this start and hope this series doesn’t dwindle in enjoyment like the first one did. I believe in you, Atwater! More of HALF A SOUL and, now, more of THE WITCHWOOD KNOT, please.

The Witchwood Knot is a Victorian Fantasy Romance novel. It features tricky faeries, a magician governess, and a Victorian house near the woods. I loved the setting and atmosphere of this book. It felt like the perfect blend of magical and gothic. The house is almost its own character, and exists in the real world and the fairy realm.

I adored the main character, Winnie. She is crafty, smart, and relatable. She has magical abilities and even a ghost cat as a familiar. I really enjoyed the discussion she brought up around men's expectations/entitlement toward women.

The romance was sweet and I really liked the love interest. However, I felt that the romance was a pretty small part of the story, and ultimately I wish it was more featured. If there is a sequel, I hope we get to spend more time with this couple.

Overall, this was a really fun read with good characters and a magical world.

This book deserve it's name... this story was quite the knot !

3.5 stars

This is a lush and dark fairy tale, with trickster faerie who love nothing more than to play trick on human. After having read half a soul by the same author, I wasn't expecting it to be quite so dark! I don't think it would be too much for more sensitive people, but it could please those who prefer heavier story, some sequence are borderline horror. The writing itself is also very good properly set the tone of the story.

The story start quite slowly and I was expecting it to be more heavy on the romance, which only start later in the book. As such I wasn't quite as interested in the first half as I was on the second one. Said second half was gripping and I finished the rest of the book in was sitting.

It's a slow burn true enemy to lover, but, as I mentioned, don't expect too much romance in the first half

At first I struggled to connect with the characters, but like the pacing, it got better as the story unfurl and we got to learn more about them. Like the book itself, the characters are not all rainbow and sunshine but they do have strong moral compass.

Trigger warning: Sexual abuse on minor and harassment. Nothing too graphic or anything, but it is an important theme of the book. I did not feel has if it was only used as a trope, it was an important part of the character development.

4.5 overall! I should start by saying that I finished reading Howl’s Moving Castle and Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries before hopping to read this book and honestly, it was the perfect combo and transition from book to book which added to my enjoyment. 😂 It's not that the characters here perfectly matched the ones found in HMC and Emily Wilde, but there were some elements from both books that also were present here so it just really added to this experience for me since I was super in the mood!

Anyway!! With that said, this is my first read from Olivia and I'm ABSOLUTELY going to be going back and reading her Regency Faerie Tales after this. 🥰I know there were probably lots of Easter eggs that I missed and I can't wait to go back and connect the dots! If you also haven't read her Regency books, I did not feel lost at all reading this so you don't have to read them in order, but if you want to know exactly what's being told here, then probably not a bad idea to start there first.

I really loved Winnie as a FMC, and I adored Mr. Quincy as well. Their characters individually and their dynamic together was really fun. I swooned so hard at their moments together. LIKE SO HARD. Gives really great historical romance vibes too! The whole journey was really fun, but the last 25% was SO GOOD. I absolutely gobbled it all up. Overall, I really enjoyed learning about what the Witchwood Knot was, and really delving into the world + the mystery here and can't wait to read more from Olivia.

You can't convince me that this gothic, eerie romance set in a reality not too different to our own wasn't written specifically for me! Olivia Atwater's writing is so immersive and tackles emotionally tough topics with such grace and a fantasticly quiet hint of humor - I can't get enough of her novels.

The Witchwood Knot takes readers on a journey to Witchwood, a gothic manor that is keeping a dark secret from the outside world in an alternate history, where faeries exist and thrive on causing mayhem.

Our FMC, Winne, is strong, pragmatic and essentially a dream character to follow through a story because she views life with such a brilliant, 'can-do' attitude. When she realises that not all is as it seems with the boy she has come to the manor to watch over, Winnie decides to use all of her skills to save him,

This is such a joy to read, if you are a fan of gothic fiction/romance then this is one to pick up!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Starwatch Press for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review!

Review to be published 28/11/23 - @everythingsophiereads

I really love the way that the story felt like some mythical Gothic fairy tale for adults. It almost felt like a ya book but with adult characters. And I loved it. I love a good Gothic haunted house story anyways but the way this story weaved together felt right..

Olivia Atwater's "The Witchwood Knot" whisks you away to a Victorian England where faeries roam and spooky manors hold dark secrets. Meet Winifred Hall, a governess who knows a scam when she sees one. When her unruly charge turns into a wooden statue overnight, she uncovers a fairy kidnapping and dives headfirst into the rescue mission—alone, thanks to a lord who doesn't believe in faeries!

The story's heartbeat lies in Witchwood Manor, a place dripping with mystery and filled with otherworldly dangers. Join Winnie as she navigates this haunted abode, enlisting the help of Mr. Quincy, the suave yet shady faerie butler. As she digs deeper into the Witchwood Knot, her smarts and tricks might not be enough, leaving her to question who she can truly trust.

Winnie's journey from a bit of a snob to a more layered and relatable character is a highlight. Her bond with Oliver, the undead feline companion, is both adorable and protective. And Mr. Quincy? Let's just say he's more than what meets the eye, with his wine-red gaze and secrets aplenty.

Love creeps in slowly, adding a dash of romance to the eerie atmosphere. The relationships between Winnie, Mr. Quincy, and the ominous Lord Longfell are as tangled as the mysteries they unravel.

Atwater's writing casts a spell, with faerie tales sprinkled throughout, adding to the mystical vibe. While the start might feel a tad slow, stick around—the story picks up pace, drawing you into a world where magic, suspense, and Victorian charm collide.

In a nutshell, "The Witchwood Knot" is a wild ride through a fantastical world, merging dark fantasy and a hint of romance in a captivating Victorian setting. Despite a leisurely start, it's a tale that sticks, leaving you enchanted long after you've closed the book. For fans of faeries, mystery, and a touch of gothic, Atwater's creation is an absolute delight—a page-turner that casts an irresistible charm.

The Witchwood Knot really personifies the phrase haunted gothic mansion. Right from the beginning of the book, you can feel the intensity of Witchwood Manor and the darkness that surrounds it. Stories are abound, of a cursed mansion and of dangerous faeries roaming the halls. Olivia Atwater draws you in with sharp, strong prose which fits the theme and the vibes of the story very well. I especially loved the incorporation of cautionary fairy tales across the story; it really cemented that yes, this book is quite different from other gothic fiction that I've read.

I quite loved our protagonist, Winnie. At the start, she is cold, closed-off and as one would say, prickly. However, as Atwater slowly weaves this enchanting tale, we learn more and more about Winnie and why she is the way she is. No spoilers from me, but I will say the way we learn about Winnie's past was just incredible. Of course, there's also the enigmatic Mr. Quincy, the faerie butler who moves through the halls of Witchwood Manor, causing chaos. Mr. Quincy has his own dark secrets; and like all fae, he is wily and fickle, and quite dislikes Winnie. Together, these two have a really nice dynamic, that slowly grows into grudging friendship and eventually something more.

All in all, The Witchwood Knot is a darkly intriguing gothic fantasy tale, with just the perfect pacing and prose that leaves you craving for more. I have never read Olivia Atwater's previous series, but I will definitely be picking that one up soon!