Witch Voice by Amber Argyle

[rei_sawakami]

This is for Witch Song by Amber Argyle. It's book one of a series, but this is just a review for the book as an individual. Witch Song is a fantasy adventure YA novel.

So I learned from reading this novel: don't underestimate Kindle freebies. Because this one is a gem. I'd gladly pay full price for this one, because it's a really really good book. Well, to me, that is. If you're not a fan of fantasy or witches, move on to the next book on your list. But (since I'm terribly precise) I'm giving this book a 3 out of 4.

Witch Song is a book about a witch named Brusenna, or Senna, who goes on an adventure to defeat the dark witch Espen, who has imprisoned all of the witches but her, using them to amplify her voice. In this book, a witch's power is carried out with a sung spell, and it is used much in the same way any kind of magic would, so the voice is very important.

I really liked this book as a whole. I'm really into the concept of witches, so I'm a little teeny tiny bit biased, though. What really made this work for me was the character transformation. I think it's something that all young people go through, finding themselves, except minus magical powers and all that jazz. I really felt like Senna grew up in this novel, and it somehow made me proud of her and made me root for her. The concept of singing to make plants grow was really interesting for me, because a few days ago I was reading up on how music and positive words can influence plant growth. I'm not sure if the author researched this for the novel, but it was really cool for me.

What wasn't so hot was the romance aspect. I felt like it was kind of just added in and forgotten about. There were romantic scenes, and I did see how the author tried to write the connection between the two, but it just seemed...fake. It's almost as if they just fall in love at first sight and everything is happily ever after. I just can't imagine such a perfect relationship, because besides separating occasionally to keep each other from harm, Senna and Joshen don't argue in the... two or so years that they're in love. If the author was going to add a romance factor, I'd have wanted her to focus more on it instead of throwing it on a side table. Witch Voice would have been perfectly fine without the romance, and I think a half-hearted romance just weakened the story.

Overall, I thought this was a good, quick read. I spent maybe an hour and a half on it, so it's perfect for a one-sitting type of thing. I'd recommend this to my friends who like this kind of genre, but not to anyone looking for a book that will pluck at her/his heartstrings.

[H0LD0Nthere]

Thanks for this review. Seems comprehensive. I like youth books. If you read it in an hour an a half, is it more novella length?

[rei_sawakami]

I guess. It does seem like a novella but I'm not 100 % sure.

[gali]

Thank you. It sounds good. I just bought it and will give it a shot.