Reviews - The Bane Witch: A Novel

ARC Book Review: #TheBaneWitch #NetGalley | 5 Stars | Witchcraft, Magical Realism, Family Drama

A very little poison may do a world of good - unless you're Piers Corbin, of course. From the poisonous (but not deadly, at least to her) pokeweed berries she ate by the fistful throughout her childhood, to the poisonous man she finds herself bound to in matrimony (and who she'll only leave in death, if his current proclivities continue), poison has always been the heart of the matter. When she manages to pull off an elaborate scheme to fake her own death and head for the hills - and, hopefully, her last remaining family member - Piers discovers that poison isn't just the past running to greet her - it's her birthright, and the culmination of generations of women who fought back against the world by ingesting poisons and using them to pull a (Dixie) Chicks on the Earls of the world. As Piers settles into her new incognito life, she must work to earn the right to her family's legacy while also avoiding the handsome town sheriff who has more than a few questions about the bodies she's been leaving in her wake. And to top it all off, Piers has caught the attention of a local serial killer, who seems to be moving in ever-tightening circles towards her. Can she find her place as a black widow before she becomes the prey in his spider's web?

Another absolutely thrilling witchy business-meets-female-empowerment read from Ava Morgyn! If you like "The Witches of Bone Hill", "The Bane Witch" feels like that book's older cousin who grew up hard in the sticks (in a good way) - the themes here are darker, there's more adult content (murder, spice, death in general), and the stakes are certainly higher for not only Piers, but the mountain community she calls home. But there are still also elements of grassroots, homespun witchcraft (this time, of a garden variety, pun absolutely intended) that you probably loved in her past works mixed with a story of a woman who overcomes the oppressive forces in her life to become something new - and in this case, even more powerful and deadly. If you were intrigued by the idea of a book that combines "Practical Magic" with "Gone Girl", you'll absolutely get that here, along with a healthy supper serving of that one TikTok with the Paris Paloma "at least I've got to try" audio; Lady Tofana/Aqua Tofana vibes; small-town investigating and small-town romance; mycology lessons; having the den of harpies come to you; women who are the human equivalent of Gila monsters; the Nicole Kidman divorce picture but make it in a log cabin; and the vibes of "Goodbye Earl", if you're feeling coy. I had a super craving for mushrooms after reading this and a super craving for more by the excellent Ava Morgyn - congrats on another fantastic novel!

Content Warnings

r3vonyx's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Complicated

3.25

✒️📖ARC REVIEW📖🖋️

3.25 rounded down

The beginning of the book was fantastic! It was very similar to gone girl, and well thought out. However, our main character is just as smart as she is stupid. She planned the first part of her escape with practiced efficiency, but the majority of her actions afterwards are sloppy. You are feed pieces of how she planned the great escape from a dual point of view from one of the detectives. There is a great deal of connivence in the book that allows the main character to get away with quite a bit…a bit more than she probably deserves. Honestly, would not have minded this as much if it didn’t make the ending so predictable

When she finally meets the venery, they seem to agree. The meeting, or conclave, was hypocritical and cringy. Their actions leading up to the meeting mark them as jealous in my opinion, or at least shortsighted. The main character is “special,” but they don’t go check on her, a literal ticking time bomb, after her mother passed. Honestly would have saved everyone some trouble.

Enough about why the book gets some stars knocked off (really just cringy character actions that kind of don’t make sense). The concept is unique…many stories of women with poison are inspired by France and include them slipping poisons not modified by their own bodies. The lore and origin of the Bane Witches is well thought out, and Morgyn delivers the tid bits seemlessly with story’s action. There is some character development, but some of the venery names get lost in the sauce-they are all named after flowers and there are over a dozen of them.

There is also a dog!! He comes in handy. Mrytle explains the different abilities the “family” has, and is really a lovable, motherly figure in the book.

Despite the sweet moments in the book; this is not cozy or light hearted. The book is practical magic/thriller/literally fiction or commentary on some judicial failing for crimes against women and children. Not only does the main character question her role in the world as a Bane Witch, but also asks the reader what if they existed and took out “insert horrible human here -I can only think of Ted Bundy right now.” Could you live with it if you knew the truth?

I was provided a free advanced reader copy courtesy of St. Martin’s Press and Ava Morgyn via NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.

#arc #advancedreadercopy #NetGalley #TheBaneWitch #AvaMorgyn #StMartin’sPress

bookish_canadian's review

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adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

nicciobert's review

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dark hopeful inspiring

3.5

kusine's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

lottie1803's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

4.0

thinkbooksgreat's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Complicated

3.25

brendalovesbooks's review against another edition

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1.0

This was very not my thing. Mostly I was really bored, but the style of story wasn't for me either. (I received an arc of this from edelweiss)

nrskelley's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I do not know why I waited so long to read this book. It has been on my ARC TBR for a long while and I kept saying I’ll get to it next……and now I know why. I knew I was going to need something absolutely gorgeously dark and twisted……yet fun and interesting. The idea of women who can use their bodies to right the horrific wrongs of men…….amazing right? But the way that the author wrote it all made it all the more interesting and at times wholesome (weird I know).
There are some TW here so be sure and check before you read but I think you’ll find it to be a delightfully delicious read.
I received an ARC of this title, all opinions are my own.

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