THE HEDGEWITCH OF FOXHALL By Anna Bright

March 12, 2024 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

THE HEDGEWITCH OF FOXHALL By Anna BrightThe Hedgewitch of Foxhall by Anna Bright
Published by HarperTeen on 3/12/24
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Historical, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 400
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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Magic is fading from Wales—choked off by King Offa’s Dyke, the enemy earthworks that spans the entire border. Even the dragons have disappeared. And now an attack is imminent.

Prince Taliesin would love to watch magic die. Prince Dafydd fears it, and the throne. But when their father promises the crown to whichever son can destroy the dyke and restore magic to Wales, the brothers are forced into an uneasy rivalry.

Ffion works hedgewitch magic for poor folk, not princes. Unlike the power-hungry Foxhall coven, she uses only what nature can spare. But when the coven’s greed costs Ffion everything, she will need power beyond her wildest dreams to get back what she’s lost.

So when Prince Taliesin arrives, begrudgingly seeking a witch’s aid, Ffion agrees to help him—even if it means walking from one end of Wales to the other with the most use-less peacock she’s ever clapped eyes on. Even if it means striking a bargain with Dafydd behind Tal’s back. The fate of Wales depends on their quest . . . and so might the fate of Ffion’s heart.

Short and Sweet Review

In Wales magic is fading and that’s because of King Offa’s dyke which spans the whole border. Ffion is the last hedgewitch and she only uses what nature can spare to conduct her magic, unlike other witches who will sacrifice the whole forest if they have to. Prince Tal doesn’t care if magic is gone forever he doesn’t like it, his brother Dafydd fears magic but tolerates it. When the king orders the princes to destroy the dyke in exchange for the throne the princes set off. Tal ends up seeking a witch in order to complete the quest and he ends up finding Ffion. Ffion agrees because she knows the fate of Wales depends on if they can accomplish this quest.

This was a very interesting book. I enjoyed Ffion as a main character and that she was always willing to help people and do magic as long as it wouldn’t damage the land around her. Tal wants to be the king so he’s determined to complete the quest but also he doesn’t mind that the magic is dying especially because of what he saw the havoc magic caused in his life as a child. Dafydd doesn’t want to be king but he doesn’t have a choice but to go on this quest. We get to read from all three characters POVs, my problem with this was that they didn’t have a distinct voice so sometimes I thought I was reading from one character when it was really another, other times I would have to go back and check which character was narrating. I liked seeing that Ffion had a connection with Dafydd that she didn’t know about but I guess it could be weird because this connection did not come with consent. I do thin the love triangle between Ffion, Tal, and Dafydd was unnecessary because she’s with Tal most of the book so they obviously have a better connection. Anyway the ending was okay, the reveal was lackluster.

Overall, I liked the premise of this book and where I thought it was going. There were moments where I wanted to finish the book in one go and others where the story was dragging and I just wanted to be done. The plot was good but I just wish it was a bit more fleshed out and maybe it would have helped if the chapters for each character was longer. I do think this book is different from other books Bright has written, this book wasn’t my favorite but I would still recommend it!

Filed Under: Reviews

THE SONG THAT MOVES THE SUN By Anna Bright

June 23, 2022 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

THE SONG THAT MOVES THE SUN By Anna BrightThe Song That Moves the Sun by Anna Bright
Published by HarperTeen on 6/28/22
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 462
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Best friends Rora and Claudia have never felt more like their lives are spiraling out of control. And when they meet Major and Amir—two boys from one of the secret cities of the spheres, ruled by the magic of the astrological signs—they discover they’re not alone. There is a disruption in the harmony between the spheres, and its chaos is spreading.

To find the source of the disharmony, Rora and Claudia will embark on a whirlwind journey of secrets, romance, and powerful truths—about themselves, each other, and two long-ago explorers named Dante and Beatrice, who were among the first to chart this course toward the stars.

Short and Sweet Review

Claudia and Rora are best friends but lately something has been off in their lives. The girls meet Major and Amir at a concert and learn that the boys are from one of the secret cities of the spheres, which are ruled by the magic of the astrological signs. The group learns that there is a disruption in harmony on the spheres which is causing chaos to spread. The group teams up to find the disharmony by traveling the spheres and on this journey they all learn a little more about themselves.

This was an interesting but fun journey of a book. Our main characters are Claudia, Rora, Amir, and Major. We got the POVs from Claudia and Rora, and we also get one from the past that shows Dante, Marco Polo, and Beatrices adventures. Claudia and Rora are from Earth while Amir and Major are from other planets. When the girls learn that fixing the disharmony can possibly help fix what’s been wrong with them, they join the boys in a quest to fix what’s gone wrong. I liked the characters, Rora and Claudia are best friends but are also as close as sisters they care about each other and want the best. Rora has had a rough few months and she knows that music helps her for a short amount of time and it turns out she’s an amplifier. There is a romance between Claudia and Amir, and Rora and Major. The romance was sweet but it was obviously rushed. I enjoyed the journey through the spheres and seeing the other planets and learning that they had different songs, and seeing the effects that each planet had on other planets. I thought the boys were great travel companions for the girls. I loved seeing the girls take charge while they were in the spheres even though they weren’t from there they didn’t take a backseat. Claudia was probably the brains and was determined to figure out what was going wrong, while Rora was unsure of things but she eventually became more courageous. Claudia and Rora learn a lot about themselves during this journey and I liked seeing the character development.

Overall this was a fun book, the adventure and plot was great and I loved the inclusion of astrology and traveling the planets with these characters.

Filed Under: Reviews

THE BOUNDLESS By Anna Bright

June 3, 2020 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

THE BOUNDLESS By Anna BrightThe Boundless by Anna Bright
Series: The Beholder #2
Published by HarperTeen on 6/9/20
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Retellings, Young Adult
Pages: 511
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

When Selah found true love with Prince Torden of Norway, she never imagined she’d have to leave him behind. All because the Beholder’s true mission was a secret Selah’s crew didn’t trust her to keep: transporting weapons to the rebels fighting against the brutal tsarytsya, whose shadow looms over their next port of Shvartsval’d. A place Selah hoped she’d never go.

But gone is the girl who departed Potomac filled with fear. With a stockpile of weapons belowdecks and her heart hanging in the balance, Selah is determined to see the Beholder’s quest to its end.

Short and Sweet

After finding out that the Beholder was storing weapons that she didn’t know about, Selah has to do the hardest thing ever and leave Torden behind. Now Selah is aboard the beholder transporting the weapons to rebels who are fighting Baba Yaga. Selah never wanted to go into Baba Yaga’s territory but now that she’s there she’ll have to learn how to be as cunning as Grandmother Wolf if she wants to see her home of Potomac again.

Characters

Selah: Selah grew so much, she became a lot stronger and realized sometimes you have to do things you don’t want to for the greater good. Selah had to go through a lot in this book, she had to leave her fiancé, she got captured and had to deal with the cruel conditions of being in Baba Yaga’s territory, she had to learn to be as cunning as the generals to win her freedom.

Anya and Cobie: Anya and Cobie made the decision to stay with Selah when she was being taken to Baba Yaga’s territory. I ended up loving these two girls more than I thought I would, the friendship between all three of them blossomed into something beautiful. They were strong and always stood by each others sides, when one had a weakness the other would provide strength, they were smart and just resilient.

Romance

Selah and Lang: Selah and Lang had a lot of tension between them one that could seem like it would blossom into a romance. There were a lot of moments when they would try to make each other jealous or just have a lot of arguments. I think these two were better off as friends but I wouldn’t have been upset if they did end up as a couple.

Selah and Torden: These two were so cute together I loved them! When they were apart Selah would think about how to get back to him and she kept his engagement ring and looked back to it for strength. Torden was amazing he was always looking out for Selah and he was just so caring and understanding! My favorite couple!

Quotes

~ “I would be a wolf so she could be a lamb.”

My Thoughts

~ The Boundless takes place right after the end of the first book, Selah is on her way with the crew to deliver weapons to the rebels. Unfortunately Selah ends up being captured after she does something risky and is taken away to Baba Yaga’s territory. The Boundless is very different from The Beholder, Selah is no longer looking for someone to marry now she’s helping the Beholder crew carry out their mission delivering the weapons. Selah ends up meeting Fritz who is a potential candidate to be her husband but instead he’s more of an ally and also one of the rebels. After helping Fritz and his sisters do something dangerous Selah is caught along with Cobie and Anya and taken away. I thought the book started off a little slow and I didn’t think it picked up until the halfway point. It was interesting to see Selah’s interactions with Baba Yaga mainly because she was always walking on eggshells around her. Selah, Cobie, and Anya were brave and smart and they did what most people wouldn’t do, they plotted against the Baba Yaga. The ending was more fast paced and I liked how all of the characters that we’ve seen before come together to complete a common goal. The ending was great and I loved that Selah took care of business back at home.

Overall

The Boundless shows us that we are always the author of our own fairytale. I loved seeing how much Selah grew as a character she was smarter and more ruthless than she was in the first book. I loved the characters and the interactions and the plot was great! This was truly an amazing end to the series!


Filed Under: Reviews

THE BEHOLDER By Anna Bright

June 7, 2019 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

THE BEHOLDER By Anna BrightThe Beholder by Anna Bright
Series: The Beholder #1
Published by HarperTeen on 6/4/19
Genres: Retellings, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 448
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

ReviewedbyDani

Selah has waited her whole life for a happily ever after. As the only daughter of the leader of Potomac, she knows her duty is to find the perfect match.

But after an excruciatingly public rejection, Selah’s stepmother suggests an unthinkable solution: Selah must set sail across the Atlantic to visit a series of potential suitors—and if she doesn’t come home engaged, she shouldn’t come home at all.

From the gardens of England to the fjords of Norge, Selah’s quest will be the journey of a lifetime. But her stepmother’s schemes aren’t the only secrets hiding belowdecks…and the stakes of her voyage may be higher than any happy ending.


Short and Sweet

After Selah is publicly rejected by a boy she thought she would spend the rest of her life with, Selah’s step mother comes up with the idea to send Selah across the Atlantic to meet potential suitors, and come back engaged or don’t come back at all. The only problem is Selah’s step mother isn’t the only one with secrets…

Characters

Selah: Our main character. Selah’s main goal is to stay in Potomac and look over her father because he seems to be getting weaker, but she knows she has no choice but to go and meet her suitors and come back to her father as fast as possible. Selah is naive and trusts people based on how they look. She’s an interesting character to say the least she kind of lives in a fairytale, except her life isn’t one.

Romance

Selah and Bear: Selah and Bear meet at her first stop and Bear is her guard. Selah ends up falling for Bear the more they spend time together and get to know each other but things get very complicated when something is revealed at the end of the visit.

Selah and Torden: These two meet during Selah’s second visit and I really liked them together. I’m not sure if it was exactly instalove or if they actually did take the time to get to know each other but they were compatible in my eyes. I think if the circumstances were different for the both of them then things could have been magical.

Quotes

~ “It was clear as day to me from the beginning that you were the one.”

My Thoughts

~ The book starts off pretty fast paced, and I liked that about the book, things start to slow down each time Selah makes her way to where her potential suitors are.

~ There were three stops and at each stop Selah was set to meet a suitor but there’s one stop Selah didn’t want to go to because of stories about Baba Yaga. But Selah is reminded that if she misses these meetings with her suitors it may offend the countries that are welcoming her.

~ I wanted to know more about Selah’s stepmother and what she was up to but we don’t get to know much because Selah is away.

~ I liked the crew of the Beholder each person on board had a different personality and Lang was great he was the captain of the ship and he made sure Selah made it to each of her stops.

~ Getting to meet Selah’s suitors was great to because you never knew what they were going to be like and the first stop had a big surprise.

~ The ending was the only thing I had a problem with because I wasn’t a 100% sure what exactly was happening or what the crew of the beholder was actually up to.

Overall

I thought this was a good book. I liked going across the Atlantic and meeting the suitors, I liked learning more about the crew. I think my favorite stop was in the fjords of Norge the characters there were vivid and I liked how close they were as siblings. Like I said I’m not sure what’s going to happen in the next book but I’m excited to find out!

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Filed Under: Reviews