"A Witch with a weak song is barely a Witch at all."

My Pre-Reading

Having never read anything by Amber Argyle, I wasn't really expecting too much from this book. Don't get me wrong - I was excited to start it just from the synopsis. I love books that present new ways that nature and the elements are controlled, and I was not disappointed here. There may be a few spoilers ahead, so proceed with caution.

I really enjoyed the way that Brusenna grew and matured and changed over the course of the novel. At first, I felt bad for her and definitely wanted to jump into her world and punch all of the people in the market for being mean to her simply because she was a witch. Then, she kind of turned into a brat when her mom had to leave, buy I think it was an understandable and realistic reaction for a girl her age. By the end of Witch Song though, I found myself very much liking the girl Senna had become.

I'm glad that Argyle didn't spend too much time going over the details of Senna's stay at Haven. I think there was just enough detail to get through that time in her life, but not too much that the reader is left bored and stuck in a rut. Actually, I felt that most of the book was like that.

I have a love/hate relationship with authors killing off characters that are clearly very important to the protagonist - I hate that it has to happen but I love when it's done well and the protagonist grows from the experience. Here, I think it was done very well. I was a little disappointed with how it was dealt with and then seemingly forgotten though. Senna's reaction was very believeable, but I have a hard time believeing that everyone else would be as insensitive as they came off, even if it was a logical way to be.

The story progressed well, and most characters were well developed. Having a major antagonist and several minor ones added to the urgency of Senna's quest, and I really enjoyed reading about how the witch hunters were foiled time and time again. Although there were a few parts that were iffy for me, I really enjoyed this book and am very excited for the sequel, Witch Born, to come out soon. I would give this book a 4/5, and would recommend it to YA readers looking for a tale with magic, nature, romance, and adventure.


--Ashley