This was a really decent and unique read with a great cast of characters.

There was the odd moment that made my interest dip a little, but overall I really enjoyed my time with it.

A great opener for a series, and I'm looking forward to seeing where the trilogy goes from here.

Brilliant book
Loved wvery moment of reading this book.
Definitely feel this is going be huge and end up as film or TV series
Wow

Apparently I am incapable of saying no to witchy books, and I'm completely okay with that. 😂

I really enjoyed the magic in this story and how one favor can become something much bigger and more complicated than anyone anticipated. The story kept pulling me forward because I needed to know exactly what the consequences were going to be.

I loved the atmosphere, the characters, and the magical elements. This was one of those books where I settled in expecting a fun fantasy and ended up much more invested than I planned.

Rating: 5 stars

🖤✨ Witch’s Favor by Victoria Szalay ✨🖤

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you so much to Fox Ear Publishing for the ARC!

Okay, witchy romantasy? I’m listening. 👀

This was such a fun start to The Favor Trilogy. I really enjoyed getting pulled into the magical world and watching the story unfold as the characters find themselves tangled up in something much bigger than they expected.

The witchy elements were definitely what kept me invested. There’s magic, secrets, complicated relationships, and enough tension to make me want to keep turning pages to see where everything was headed.

I also liked that the story has that romantasy balance—there’s a relationship at the center, but there’s enough happening around it to keep the plot moving and make the world feel bigger.

There were a few moments where I wanted a little more depth and development, but overall, I had a good time with this one and I'm definitely curious to see where the trilogy goes next.

Witches + magic + secrets + romance? Yep, I’ll be back for book two. 🖤🔮

What can I say about Witch's Favor to make it number one on your TBR? It's a wild ride of magic, poisoning, fae, orcs, witches, prejudices, genuine characters, hope, found family, and more. It is in my top 5 reads of 2026!

Dylan, our main character, is a witch who has spent her life for as long as she can remember, enslaved on what used to be a cruise ship. The cruise ship has been repurposed by the fae to force witches to make resources from creatures and vampires to weaponry and potions while slowly killing them by containing what they call stolen magic within their bodies. Dylan has lived on the ship incredibly long, almost to the point of being unheard of, as she was a toddler when her fate trapped her on the ship. As she's so different, surviving as long as she has, most people keep a wide distance between them. Living on the ship has definitely made Dylan into a flawed character, but in the most genuine and believable ways. Dylan is content to keep her head down and just continue with the life she's always known while living with her found family consisting of Micah, Sirai, and Louella "Lou." She even has a way to keep the three alive longer, keep them from dying from the poisoning at least. When two Weaver witches, some of the most feared coven in the world, are captured and put on the ship, things change and Dylan is thrown wildly out of her depth. She has no memories of the world outside the ship, but now she's working to help her found family and these two new (possibly insane) witches escape.

Dylan isn't your typical "save the world" heroine. She's deeply flawed, and wants nothing more than to just live each day with her small family safe and together. There are twists and turns you couldn't expect. I cannot wait for book two, I loved this book and all the different characters. Even the characters I hated, I loved because of how flushed out and well thought out they all were.

Would absolutely recommend!
5/5 Stars

Well that was an interesting story! It seems to be a mix of urban fantasy and romantasy. The plot isn't only driven forward by the main relationship but a lot of it is. It's single PoV, fade to black and brutal as hell. No one is safe on this ship.

Dylan is an excellent POV for this kind of story, I almost wish we started the story earlier to experience how Micah, Sarai and Lou met her. She's a paranoid survivor that's been through too much for a teenager. She's survived being on a prison ship since we a toddler. This grim and paranoid personality makes it cool to see the emotions and actions around her. A lot of emotions read well and felt rather than just told.

The setting of a cruise ship turned into a prison is a wild and amazing idea. I hope we see more world building from Dylan's perspective because they know nothing of the outside world! So much lore to uncover that we really don't get to see yet.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing the ARC!