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inthebrineydeep's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
ceebee86's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
A really solid book.
I found that I did not give it a perfect 5 because some parts in the first half felt like such a slog.
But this thing is really Victorian gothic to the core.
I really do appreciate the theme of SA survival. I could feel the familiar nausea in Winnie as she was experiencing it herself in the story.
Winnie as a whole was pleasant to read actually. Her cleverness and humanity shine through. Not all authors can write a clever character.
I also really liked the “telling a fairy tale” format that was used for expositional moments. It made it feel like the vibe wasn't abruptly halted to explain something.
What brought this rating way up was the love interest. The development he went through and the way his character evolves as he comes to love Winnie was absolutely perfect to my tastes.
I found that I did not give it a perfect 5 because some parts in the first half felt like such a slog.
But this thing is really Victorian gothic to the core.
I really do appreciate the theme of SA survival. I could feel the familiar nausea in Winnie as she was experiencing it herself in the story.
Winnie as a whole was pleasant to read actually. Her cleverness and humanity shine through. Not all authors can write a clever character.
I also really liked the “telling a fairy tale” format that was used for expositional moments. It made it feel like the vibe wasn't abruptly halted to explain something.
What brought this rating way up was the love interest. The development he went through and the way his character evolves as he comes to love Winnie was absolutely perfect to my tastes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Blood, and Grief
Moderate: Violence, Vomit, and Suicide attempt
lifewithloopy's review
3.75
I enjoyed this book quite a bit and wanted to give it 4 stars. My reason for knocking off the quarter star is that there are some repetitive descriptions of one of the main supporting characters. That detail can get a little tedious.
Otherwise, this is a fun read with an alternative take on the Gothic Romance genre. To be honest, I was over half way through the book before anything overtly romantic happened. The romance is pretty restrained, closer to something thing in Victorian-era novels, which I really appreciated.
If you saw 'faeries' and 'romance' and thought of ACOTAR, you're going to be disappointed. This book is not that. I think if you liked Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, you might like this book.
I'm interested to see where this world goes and will be reading Rosemary & Thyme when it comes out.
Otherwise, this is a fun read with an alternative take on the Gothic Romance genre. To be honest, I was over half way through the book before anything overtly romantic happened. The romance is pretty restrained, closer to something thing in Victorian-era novels, which I really appreciated.
If you saw 'faeries' and 'romance' and thought of ACOTAR, you're going to be disappointed. This book is not that. I think if you liked Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, you might like this book.
I'm interested to see where this world goes and will be reading Rosemary & Thyme when it comes out.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Blood, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Animal cruelty, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, and Classism
aaliyahjn's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Beautiful.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault
erinnicolecreads's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This book was so beautifully written & darkly whimsical! The story follows Winnie, a governess hired at Witchwood Manor, but there is more to why she is there than that. We meet mysterious characters & encounter eerie quirks of the manor, & as the story goes on, we start to learn why exactly Winnie is there & what is causing all of these creepy things to happen within the manor. This story was like a fairytale flipped upside down & I had so much fun reading it & finding new pieces of the story to unfold the mystery! The world building was also so stunning & the characters were so interesting. Great read!!
Thank you so much to NetGalley & the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!!
Thank you so much to NetGalley & the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
l1brarygirl's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
3.5
This was different than Atwater's other Regency novels, which I loved. This one had less romance and upped the Gothic faerie vibes. It didn't have the cozy vibes I loved but I still really liked this one. It does deal with some heavier topics (see TW)
Of particular note: This book takes place in the early 1850s, which places it as much as 30-40 years after Half a Soul and 25-30 years after Longshadow
Of particular note: This book takes place in the early 1850s, which places it as much as 30-40 years after Half a Soul and 25-30 years after Longshadow
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Gore, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Blood, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment
Minor: Animal cruelty, Drug use, Vomit, and Grief
maybelles's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Loved it!! Where can I find more?
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
ash_oak_crafts's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
A super atmospheric gothic read, with a sprinkling of The Nutcracker. At times I got the creeps from this strange faerie other world known as the Witchwood Knot. I adored the gently tragic love story. Great magical world with wonderfully developed setting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Death
rachratesreads's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This book was so much fun. There’s a soft spot in my heart for anything that plays on the Victorian Gothic, and that is essentially what this book is. There are no innocent fairytales to be seen in this world. The happenings in Witchwood Manor remind me of Grimm’s fairy tales—they are dark, merciless, and none of the characters have a moral high ground. I can’t really explain more without spoiling some of the best parts of the novel, because there are so many fun twists and turns. No one is who they seem to be, including our protagonist, and that made the story all the more enjoyable. The side characters are what made this book. While their tales weren’t the most important thing happening, it made the world feel real. It gave the main characters someone to interact with, while also adding some humor to the otherwise dark story.
You can find my full review at https://rachratesreads.com/2024/01/28/review-the-witchwood-knot-by-olivia-atwater/ or @rachratesreads on IG
You can find my full review at https://rachratesreads.com/2024/01/28/review-the-witchwood-knot-by-olivia-atwater/ or @rachratesreads on IG
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment
Minor: Sexual assault
caitcoy's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I wasn't entirely sure how I'd feel about this one since I didn't love Half a Soul and had been unsure about continuing with that series. As a side note, while I think you can certainly read this without having read those, I actually regretted not finishing that series first since there are some characters/history in common. Happily, Witchwood Knot was one of those atmospheric fae stories that I knew within the first chapter that I would love.
This is considerably darker than Half a Soul and has very strong Labyrinth vibes and I was really delighted by the darker take on fae and the clear influence of Atwater's deep love of fairy tales. And while I'm not always someone who loves a strong focus on themes, I really appreciated the way that Atwater spoke about the dangerous position that someone of Winnifred's station could be in around men who could easily take advantage. And yet Winnie never felt powerless, she had to navigate a world where she had less overt power and find ways to protect herself and did so admirably. I also really loved the way that the romance was handled and the strong focus on consent and power balances.
As someone who enjoys cozy stories really only when there's an element of danger or threat that might cause others to feel like they're not cozy enough, The Witchwood Knot perfectly struck that balance. If you like T. Kingfisher's blend of dark and cozy, a heavy focus on fae and fairy tales with a bit of a very slow-burn romance, I'd definitely recommend picking this up. I feel certain already that it'll feature in my favorites of the year.
This is considerably darker than Half a Soul and has very strong Labyrinth vibes and I was really delighted by the darker take on fae and the clear influence of Atwater's deep love of fairy tales. And while I'm not always someone who loves a strong focus on themes, I really appreciated the way that Atwater spoke about the dangerous position that someone of Winnifred's station could be in around men who could easily take advantage. And yet Winnie never felt powerless, she had to navigate a world where she had less overt power and find ways to protect herself and did so admirably. I also really loved the way that the romance was handled and the strong focus on consent and power balances.
As someone who enjoys cozy stories really only when there's an element of danger or threat that might cause others to feel like they're not cozy enough, The Witchwood Knot perfectly struck that balance. If you like T. Kingfisher's blend of dark and cozy, a heavy focus on fae and fairy tales with a bit of a very slow-burn romance, I'd definitely recommend picking this up. I feel certain already that it'll feature in my favorites of the year.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment