Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway! -- Hedge Witch by Simon Kewin

Hedge Witch by Simon Kewin
Series: Book 1, The Cloven Land Trilogy
Publisher: Stormcrow Books
Publication Date:  April 2014

 

Format: ebook
Source: Xpresso Tours for Blog Tour

Rating:

Synopsis:
Fifteen year-old Cait Weerd has no idea she’s being sought by the undain: sorcerous creatures of necromancy that feed off the spirit of the living. She doesn’t know the undain need her blood to survive. She doesn’t even know she’s a witch, descended from a long line of witches. Cait Weerd doesn’t know a lot, really, but all that’s about to change.

At Manchester Central Library she’s caught up in sudden, horrific violence. In the chaos she’s handed an old book that’s been hidden there and told to run, hide the book or destroy it. It contains all the secrets of the undains’ existence. They and their human servants want to find that as much as they want Cait.

What’s more, she learns that the fate of two worlds is at stake here. Just what she needs. Along with definitely-not-a-boyfriend Danny, she has to decide what the hell to do. Run, fight or just hope it all goes away.

It’s only then she learns who she really is, along with the terrible truth of what the undain have been doing in our world all this time …

Review: 

I requested to read Hedge Witch due to the cover, the punky feel with a synopsis about witches… sold! I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised by the story as well. The plot started out a little slow, learning about the main character Cait and her family, but them picked up as soon as the reader is whisked off into another world. This 2^nd world is a fantasy dream, witches and evil sorcerers and all of it is tumbling into the real world where Cait and her grandmother are trying to save both worlds.

The fast paced storyline was made all the better by the cast of characters, all so unique and fun to follow on their journeys. In the real world, we have Cait – a strong willed, hardheaded teen, her grandmother, her mother, Danny, and the evil Nox and his ‘help’.  In the land of magic, we have so many others, Fer, Johnny, Ran, Hellen and the evil Lich King.

I found there to be a nice balance in the number of characters and their worlds, but also loved the magical elements. In the real world it was/is harder to perform magic – even for those coming from the other world, this aspect kept some of the ‘real’ world feel to the world.

I have read a lot of books about witches and the part that so many seem to avoid is how the power affects the person using it. In the case of Hedge Witch, whenever someone uses magic they are depleted –either with physical pain or depression or the like. I think that this really added another level to the story, it made the characters think about how and when they wanted to use their abilities versus just using them all the time and taking advantage of their gifts.

Overall this was a very enjoyable book. I look forward to the next installment!

Hedge Witch Sampler

ePub: http://bit.ly/1oAJGEw

KIndle: http://bit.ly/1hfzDRv

Witching Hour short stories

ePub: http://bit.ly/1iaEleh

KIndle: http://bit.ly/1ilPaLS

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About the Author

Simon was born on the misty Isle of Man but now lives deep in the English countryside with his wife and two daughters.

He writes science fiction and fantasy as well as some stories that can’t make their minds up.

Find out more on his website at simonkewin.co.uk.

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