Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - The Witchwood Knot

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.

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lifewithloopy's review

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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.

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aaliyahjn's review

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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.

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erinnicolecreads's review

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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!!

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l1brarygirl's review

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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

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maybelles's review

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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?

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ash_oak_crafts's review

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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.

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rachratesreads's review

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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

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