When I saw Olivia Atwater, the author of the charming Small Miracles and the Regency Faerie Tale series (home to delights like Ten Thousand Stitchesand Half a Soul), had written a spooky continuation of the latter's world, I knew I had to read it. Like all of her novels, The Witchwood Knot features a charming and quirky romance as well as a strong female protagonist, Winnifred “Winnie” Hall, who is dealing with the often catastrophic fallout of faeries. 

 

 

Unlike the former entries in Atwater’s world, this novel takes place in the Victorian Era, rather than that of the Regency. Fans of Victorian novels might be disappointed that this setting doesn’t play more of a role in the novel, but it’s really just a briefly mentioned backdrop. The main action revolves around the home in which Winnie finds herself employed in as (a very reluctant), governess. Winnie quickly discovers that the eponymous Witchwood Manor is home to more than just the ailing lady of the house and the few servants who can bear to work there.

 But The Witchwood Knot is unlike Atwater’s other novels in that it asks the question: are fairies really the true monsters of the world? Winnie is more traumatized than Atwater’s previous heroines, which is handled with sensitivity and realism. Though I found her backstory incredibly compelling, I did, at times, think that this clever and resourceful heroine was a little too calm and level-headed for what she had been through in the past. Despite finding her ability to think so quickly and rationally on her feet in times of great danger and emotionally triggering situations a little difficult to believe, I still found Winnie to be an interesting and complex main character with a lot of admirable qualities.

 

I also really enjoyed the darker atmosphere and tone of this novel. It’s certainly less cozy than the others of Atwater’s works I read, but it never came across as too spooky or chilling to me, in spite of being marketed as a gothic novel. I couldn’t help but to feel like The Witchwood Knot  wanted to be both scary and gothic as well as sweet and charming, but that it didn't quite find the right balance to both of these things. Though I enjoyed both of these elements, I couldn’t help but to wish that the novel had fully committed to one of the tones.

 

 

For example, the darker elements of the novel pertained to the male lead, which made it hard to support his romance with Winnie. For much of the novel, he was a main and sinister antagonist working from the shadows to thwart Winnie, so I wasn’t quite sure he was even actually supposed to be the love interest for her for most of the novel. Though it was hard for me to see this character in a different light, it did end up working for me, just not as well as I think it could have or as it did in Atwater’s previous novels.

 

I think it’s also worth noting that The Witchwood Knot does include references to Atwater’s previous novels. Unfortunately, I read these books over a year ago, and have a very poor memory, so I wasn’t able to fully appreciate these references as they were intended. Though The Witchwood Knot is the first in a new series, and the references ultimately aren’t that pertinent to the novel, this may not be the best book to get started with when exploring the author’s works. However, it certainly sets up well for future entries in the series and I'm very interested to see where it all goes.

 

I will definitely pick up new entries in the series, as I'm very invested in the world and its characters. I think fans of Olivia Atwater's previous books and new readers who are looking for a fantasy read with spooky-but-not-too-spooky vibes will really enjoy The Witchwood Knot. 

 

 

  

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