This novel has a captivating premise that immediately drew me in. I found Sidney (the main protagonist) likeable. However, as the narrative progressed, it becomes entangled in numerous layers of explanation for its central "treasure hunt" resulting in a convoluted plot, like a drawn out history lesson from conspiracy theorists on YouTube.
While I suspended disbelief for much of the narrative, the inclusion of a villain attempting to lure humanity into a virtual reality space felt jarring and unrealistic. The story shines brightest when it delves into the small town’s history, the characters in it, and the intrigue of the actual treasure hunt. Perhaps spreading out the exposition over multiple books would make smoother integration of its complex themes and avoided the feeling of cramming too much into a single novel.

Anyway, if you enjoyed Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code, you might enjoy this one!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

SOOOOO SOOOOO GOOD! I recommend everyone to read this incredible book. You'll love it and you'll thank me later.

Drawn in by the beautiful cover, I was so intrigued by the plot and mystery element that is set up so well. This was full of adventure, twists and action.

I was drawn to this book by the gorgeous cover, the title and the story description. I was intrigued by the beginning of Sidney’s story and eager to learn why she was ousted from the Smithsonian, what artifact she was searching for and how her relationships with the other characters in the book would develop. I did find the initial part of the book to be rather slow moving but wanted to continue reading to learn more. I really enjoyed the codes, clues and puzzles Sidney followed along the way and the ongoing mysteries of the hidden artifact, the secret society, and various relationships Sidney developed through the storyline.

Sidney’s grandmother was a charming character and I would have loved to read even more of her. I found Sidney’s mother to be a very one dimensional, somewhat fake character and felt she could have been much more developed. More information on Gabe would also have been appreciated. When the idea of the conspiracy to use AI and VR to take over the country and control the populace was revealed, I was disappointed. I think the storyline of the warring dynasties was a sufficient conflict and felt the VR storyline to be over the top and too much into the sci-fi realm. The witchy ‘powers’ of the women and the time travel aspects were great and enough.

That being said, overall I quite enjoyed the book and would like to discover what happens next and how Sidney moves forward.

Thank you to NetGalley and Severn House for the ARC of this book. The review is my honest opinion.

As a not historical reader, this book was amazing! I fell in love with the hunt for the artifact and it kept me wanting to turn each page. There were a couple times throughout the book where it was very historical/science heavy. The sections weren’t my cup of tea, but I understand the importance of them for the story. The ending was something I did not see coming.

Definitely 4.5 stars

“An Intrigue of Witches” by Esme Addison the first instalment in A Secret Society Mystery. What a great start to a new paranormal adventure mystery series. Introducing the Secret Society mystery series, and kick-ass red-headed heroine Sidney, a Black historian poised on the brink of discovering her true past . . . and her hidden witchy powers!

I loved Esme Addisons other series An Enchanted Bay Mystery series and am saddened it’s not continuing. Which in turn made me excited to read Intrigue of Witches , at first I was iffy until I hit the 25% mark in the book. It seemed to political, and conspiracy theories that float around today, but I really got into it in the end. I loved learning about early American history etc.
It felt like Dan Browns Di Vinci code type of adventure thriller full of conspiracy, intrigue, history, lost treasure, magic and did I mention time travel. I tried to stay awake to finish but kept falling asleep then I would wake up read another few chapters fall asleep but at 4am I made a cup of tea and had to see how it ended.

The mystery is interesting and well plotted, and I loved the characters. I’m sure we will learn more about the characters in further books and I look forward to Sidney’s next adventure. I can see these books as a movie too!

I highly recommend this series to all my mystery loving friends. I am looking forward to book two.

I requested and received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Severn House and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my OWN.

An Intrigue of Witches by Esme Addison offers readers a mix of mystery, puzzles, sci-fi, and a touch of magic. Sidney, a historian on furlough, embarks on a treasure hunt in her hometown of Robbinsville, guided by cryptic clues. As she delves deeper, the quest becomes increasingly dangerous.

The narrative echoes the suspense of The Da Vinci Code, with Sidney's journey reminiscent of a cinematic adventure. The exploration of different societies and magical elements adds depth, especially for fans of Ancient Egyptian history.

While the plot is engrossing, occasional information dumps can disrupt the flow. Nevertheless, An Intrigue of Witches was entertaining for a first installment... unsure if I would continue on with the series.

I loved the book blurb - the idea of witches and conspiracy theories and the search for an artifact. I even liked the beginning, returning home to work in a museum and discover the truth. Felt like an escape room.
Even liked the secret societies and symbolism. However, it became political and immersed in virtual reality. I don't have an interest in either. Well-written but I am not the best audience for the story.

This was a great introducing to this world, it had everything that I was hoping for. I loved the idea of "National Treasure meets A Discovery of Witches" and glad it worked with the story inside. The characters were everything that I was looking for and enjoyed the overall feel of this book. I enjoyed the mystery of this book and thought it had everything that I wanted in this world. Esme Addison has a great writing style and left me wanting to read more in this series.

An Intrigue of Witches" by Esme Addison is a riveting blend of mystery, history, and magic that keeps readers on the edge of their seats from beginning to end. With a compelling protagonist, a richly imagined setting, and a plot brimming with twists and turns, this novel delivers a captivating reading experience that is both poignant and entertaining.
At the heart of the story is Sidney Taylor, a talented early American history professor whose career has hit a roadblock due to an inconvenient historical discovery. When she receives a cryptic invitation to visit the historic small town of Robbinsville, North Carolina, and embark on a treasure hunt for a missing archaeological artifact, Sidney sees it as an opportunity to both reconnect with her grandmother and potentially change her fortunes.
It's worth noting that the story takes some time to gain momentum. The initial chapters may feel slow-paced as the narrative sets the stage for Sidney's journey.
As Sidney delves deeper into the treasure hunt, she finds herself unraveling two-hundred-year-old clues that lead her into a world of secrets, conspiracies, and magic. The discovery of the artifact sparks a chain of events that thrusts Sidney into the midst of a terrifying conspiracy—one that threatens to shake the very foundations of America's principles.

This is a first of a series about Sidney, a young black woman who has made waves in the history world with her captivating finds and work at the Smithsonian. She is the daughter of a prominent newswoman and the speaker of the house. She is furloughed and offered a job to come back home to find an artifact. What she doesn’t realize is how much this adventure will tell her about herself, her family, and a history she didn’t know was hers.

This book has been described as National Treasure meets A Discovery of Witches. For me the background of the story got really complicated- Egyptian queens, magic, time travel, Astro physics, slavery, persecution, solar flares, and VR technology. I think there’s promise here but wished it was a smoother entry with a bit more finesse.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

I was drawn to the cover and the blurb of this book and was excited to get going with it. Sadly it just was not for me - and I was disappointed as I had so many high hopes.

I felt like the first few chapters were quite slow and hard to get into, but I managed to push through. As the story developed I felt like the author was trying to cover a lot of different topics which became a little overwhelming and the historical side just fell flat for me. It also became hard to follow and I found myself struggling to keep up.

A massive thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this e-arc, it was a fab opportunity - just not for me on this occasion.

An Intrigue of Witches definitely has the same feel to it as the National Treasure films. I really enjoyed the majority of the characters and loved getting to follow them on their journey to uncover mysteries about their past.

However, this book leans much more science fiction than fantasy for me, even though there is a magic system. The intertwining of quantum physics and the magic system was confusing for me to understand, although that may be the point as Sidney is struggling to understand it for herself.

I almost DNF’d it due to all of the conspiracy theories about VR and AI which felt like it got weirdly political. In the end I am glad I kept going because the parts that held more true to the history of the secret society were enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Severn House for the e-ARC.

Secret society of black witches ruling the world, a villainous organization trying to control the population with virtual reality, and race to find a missing artifact that can save the world.

Sidney is a history professor who finds herself furloughed from her dream job at the Smithsonian when she finds an artifact that suggests everything we know about American history is a lie. Without a job she returns to her hometown of Robbinsville, North Carolina where the local museum director has a job just for her. Sidney needs to find an artifact lost to history after a secret society of witches was murdered in 1820. Sidney, her friends, and family must come together to find this artifact if they have any hopes of saving the world.

This book started off really well. The background of the witches in America was really fresh and fun, the characters were interesting, the world building made sense. Then around the 60% mark it just started falling off the tracks and really struggled to get back on. The puzzles felt like cheap escape room plots. The main character who is smart becomes really oblivious to the heavy handed foreshadowing. The villain goes on like 3 really boring monologues that are basically just rehashing the plot of WALL-E and the "good guys" belief that their the ones with divine right to rule without any kind of supporting argument for that outside of being born special just did not support the first half of the book. By the end it got a little bit back on track but I'm not really sure if a sequel can save the overarching plot.

From a story structure stand point, the transitions from one scene/location to the next were almost non-existent and very jarring. There were multiple places where a character was either called or referred to by the wrong name out of dialogue. Some of the dialogue was the most jarring, out of place, nonsense I've read in a while.

An Intrigue of Witches by Esme Addison is a very good mystery, historical fiction, and fantasy. The plot reminded me of "National Treasure" mixed with virtual reality. There are a few points where the story drags, but it is worth making it through. I enjoyed this story.

Mystery, history, and a delightful adventure! This book is like National Treasure meets A Discovery of Witches in the best way. It was so enjoyable, with a complex, intriguing plot with the right number of twists. It’s a treasure hunt mixed with historical discovery mixed with the mystical.
Some of the themes were a bit far fetched, but the author pulled it off and tied everything together. The depth of the myths and history used helped ground the book. I couldn’t stop reading and the end left me feeling inspired and satisfied.

This was described as National Treasure meets Discovery of Witches. DoW is my favorite book so I was “intrigued.” I really enjoyed the National Treasure/Da Vinci Code aspects of the book. It had more of a Da Vinci Code feel to it than DoW, even with the supernatural/witch aspects. A definite read if you like escape rooms, mystery, and treasure hunts.

DNF. Got 20% in and 80% of that was infodumping with multiple descriptions of the same thing/people.

I really liked this book, the merging of history with magic and secrets was interesting and kept me engaged throughout. Some parts felt kind of slow but i can appreciate we were learning at the pace of the FMC. I would recommend these to readers who enjoy a historical element with fantasy woven into the plot.

I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and honestly review an advanced reader’s copy of this book.

This was fine! I kind of struggled in the beginning. The main character felt quite flat to me. I couldn’t really connect with her, didn’t really feel in her head.
And while the plot was fun, and maybe slightly too fast moving, I think the writing really let it down.
It’s just so much of “I did this, and then I did this and I thought about this and then I did this-,” It was All Tell, no Show. And that made this really hard to read.
It’s a quick read though, and I think the plot was definitely intriguing! I definitely recommend making up your own mind about this one.
2.5⭐️