The Vine Witch (The Vine Witch, #1)

by Luanne G. Smith

A young witch emerges from a curse to find her world upended in this gripping fantasy set in turn-of-the-century France.

For centuries, the vineyards at Château Renard have depended on the talent of their vine witches, whose spells help create the world-renowned wine of the Chanceaux Valley. Then the skill of divining harvests fell into ruin when sorcière Elena Boureanu was blindsided by a curse. Now, after breaking the spell that confined her to the shallows of a marshland and weakened her magic, Elena is struggling to return to her former life. And the vineyard she was destined to inherit is now in the possession of a handsome stranger.

Vigneron Jean-Paul Martel naively favors science over superstition, and he certainly doesn’t endorse the locals’ belief in witches. But Elena knows a hex when she sees one, and the vineyard is covered in them. To stay on and help the vines recover, she’ll have to hide her true identity, along with her plans for revenge against whoever stole seven winters of her life. And she won’t rest until she can defy the evil powers that are still a threat to herself, Jean-Paul, and the ancient vine-witch legacy in the rolling hills of the Chanceaux Valley.

• ISBN10: 1542008387
• ISBN13: 9781542008389
• Publish Date: 1 October 2019
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Amazon Publishing
• Imprint: 47North
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 268
• Language: English

Reviews

[Baroness Book Trove]

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.The Vine Witch by Luanne G. Smith is a uniquely different take on witches. I love the concept of this book, as it is refreshingly good.

Is Elena willing to commit murder?

Elena Boureanu

Elena Boureanu is the main character and the character that we follow the most. She is a vine witch that was cursed for seven years to spend the rest of her life as a poisonous frog. She started off wanting to hurt her ex-fiancee, as she thought was the one who was cursing her. Instead, she decided she would do what she does the best, working in the vineyard to bring another good wine to fruition. She has grown a considerable amount from the time we begin the journey to the end. 

I like that Elena doesn't take no for an answer and that she also makes good choices at the end. 

Jean-Paul Martel

Jean-Paul Martel is the novice winemaker that has bought Chateau Renard and has been trying to make good wine for the past three years but hasn't been able to. He doesn't believe in the country vine witchcraft nonsense that everyone is telling him. To make good wine is in the science of it. Well, that is until Elena walks back onto the grounds. He lets her stay and makes her his silent partner. Over time Jean-Paul also goes through a lot of character development. I liked the result of the new Jean-Paul as he is more openminded.

I like that Jean-Paul assisted Elena when she needed it and that he was gentlemanly to Elena and her grandmother. 

Five Stars

The Vine Witch by Luanne G. Smith is a great book, and it feels like the intricacies of magic within the world are so well put together that you don't even doubt what the author is saying. Ms. Smith has crafted a beautiful and unique world of magic that sucks you into it. I enjoyed the different types of witches to how it's different from the country to the city about their beliefs in witches. It's all just so fantasizing, and it mesmerized me in.



Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of The Vine Witch by Luanne G. Smith. 

Until the next time,



Happy Reading!

This review was originally posted on Baroness' Book Trove

[kimbacaffeinate]

Elena Boureanu is a vine witch who casts spells to enhance the vineyards of the Château Renard, situated in the Chanceaux Valley. Or at least she did before someone cast a spell on her.

She had been missing seven years. Most suspected she was dead. Upon her return she discovers the woman she thinks of as a grandmother has sold the vineyards to Jean-Paul Martel. Jean-Paul is a former lawyer and man of science who doesn’t believe in the areas practice of vine witches, but something is wrong with the vineyards. Elena will need to do some serious work to save them. She has other plans as well and those involve poison and revenge.

What a delightful tale from the setting to the paranormal elements. I loved everything from the characters to the dirt in the vineyards. I can hardly believe this is Smith’s debut novel. Fans of fantasy like the Discovery of Witches will want to add this series to their bookshelves. I am actually hoping the movie rights are acquired as these would be delightful on the big screen.

The tale delivered a few twists, as we discover who cursed Elena. This first book wraps up nicely, and I am curious to see what book two, The Glamourist, brings us in June of 2020.

Susannah Jones was a new to me narrated by she quickly added voice to these characters enhancing emotions, tensions and quirks. Through pacing and tone she helped to build the suspense and add tension to key moments. Subtle inflection brought a genuineness to the romantic elements. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer

[leahrosereads]

As a lover of fantasy, I'm pretty used to reading books that have different settings and characters but similar magical systems, and I'm totally cool with that. Because I love fantasy, and I love that there are some aspects of the genre that are canon. But, it's always nice discovering something completely new (to me). That's this. I haven't read many books that follow witchcraft in nature/natural settings, and having a gift surrounding wine and beer and perfumes and baking and whatever else is such a neat concept.

I really liked the setting - turn of the century France, with new technologies and old way thinkings meshing together with a set of characters that were captivating.