Witch Born (Witch Song, #2)

by Amber Argyle

A witch. Her guardian. Centuries of secrets . . .

Brusenna defeated the dark witch, saving her fellow witches from imprisonment and death. She found love and a place to belong. But the longer she stays with the witches, the more disturbing secrets she dredges up from their sordid past.

Secrets that threaten to destroy them all.

A new threat merges with the old as the witches' dark history begins to catch up to them. Only Brusenna realizes the extent of the danger and how to stop it, though doing so might cost her everything.

Including her life.

Will Brusenna and Joshen overcome all obstacles and find their way back to each other? Can Brusenna save the witches one last time?

• ISBN10: 0985739401
• ISBN13: 9780985739409
• Publish Date: 5 September 2012
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Starling Books
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 330
• Language: English

Reviews

[inlibrisveritas]

Witch Born is book two in the Witch Song series, and the last one centered around Brusenna. Senna has defeated the Dark Witch and saved Haven, but something else is beginning and she’s becoming more powerful as time goes on. It was a real treat to be able to finally get back into the world of Witches and elements, and in a different format!

There may be spoilers for book one below this!

I was a bit worried that I wouldn’t remember all that happened in the first book since it’s been awhile, but I found it easy to slip back into the world Argyle has created. Senna is having trouble moving past the devastation they have wrought on the country of Tarten, and wants to put the world to rights. However she finds herself in the middle of another battle, one that the Witches of Haven thought long over. Witch Born is a book centered around coming into one’s own, and putting aside differences. Senna is not thriving the way she had hoped in the tutelage of Haven, instead she feels stifled and isolated. Many of the witches do not trust her, others simply don’t like her, and a few wish to keep her cooped up and out of harm. But Senna longs to fix Tarten, and in trying to do so she finds herself brimming with new power and finding a veiled threat. I really loved getting to learn more about the Witches lore, and getting more explanations of how the four elements play into the structure of the world. There is a ton of action, vivid magic, and a lot of twists & turns as Senna tries to discover the unseen threats origin and fix Taren. As short as this novel is I still found it to be rich in descriptions, and I could easily picture the dusty lands of Tarten, the tall ancient trees of Haven, and the dangerous swells of the ocean.

I love strong female characters and that is one of Argyle’s strongest points in her writing. The witches in this book are fierce and independent, and for the most part live apart from men and outsiders. Senna’s journey in this book is just as much about finding her own independent strength as it is about finding her power. Her relationship with Joshen is still sweet, and a great addition to the story but I really appreciated that Argyle took the time to force Senna to find herself without Joshen and to find that she can stand strong on her own.

While I will admit that our narrator, Melissa Reizian Frank, is not among my favorites I did enjoy her rendition of the tale. I’m notorious for being ansty with audiobooks since I read much faster than they can, and I did feel a bit of that with this one as Melissa’s pace is a slower one. However I did enjoy her accents for each of the regions, and thought she gave the witches voices of their own.

I’m a bit sad to see the end of Senna’s journey, and what an end it was, but I’m glad I got to enjoy yet another one of Amber Argyle’s rich tales.

[Kelsenator]

Review to come!

[sstaley]

I was so lucky to be able to read both books, one right after the other. If I hadn't been able to, I would have gone a little crazy! I had to start book two immediately to see what would happen. I let the author know how I felt about her books when I sent her a message on Facebook, here is what I said...

"There is something missing in your books...a warning at the beginning that your stories are so addicting that you won't be able to put the book down."

When I wrote this to Amber I truly meant it. I took my Kindle to work and it was so hard not to sneak a peek when I shouldn't during the day. I did read it during Silent Reading Time and during my lunch time. That is my warning to you also, once you start reading this series, you won't want to stop reading.

Things I Liked:
-Beautiful Writing Style: Amber has such a beautiful way with her words. The Witches in this series cast spells by singing. I loved the words sung by the witches as they cast protection spells. I hate to admit, even when they cast spells to hurt their enemies. Here is an example of main character Brusenna's, or Senna as she is called mainly in the story, her spell casting...

"Let not the curse of Witches
Destroy a land of natural riches.
Plants, preserve life in thy roots,
Seeds sleep in earth, send forth
no shoots
Until the Witches shall disperse
This terrible and unjust curse."

I am a singer, so I loved that singing was the method of yielding the Witches power. To cripple a witch and put a stopper to her powers, they gag her. But, you will be amazed at everything the witches can do with their powers.

-Great Main Character Senna: Here is why I loved this character;though she is a truly powerful witch, she is still very "human" in many of her actions. She is not perfect. She has doubts about herself and what she can accomplish. She has feelings and often puts them on the line. In other words, she is very relatable. I like this in a character. It is very easy to put yourself in her place with what she is thinking and feeling.

-Interesting Magic System and History: I loved figuring our how the witches gain power, and what the power is. I also was intrigued with how the witches could control the natural elements. The history also unfolds in the second book, Witch Born. By no means does this make the book boring. It only enhances the story as events unfold.

Gorgeous Covers:
Do I need to say more???

-Great Love Story:
Senna and her Guardian, Joshen, have a very sweet, but normal relationship. They share a great love, but they also have their share of arguments. Through most of both books there is no love triangle; and that is all I am going to say. ;)

-Refreshing and Original Storyline:
I have been reading a lot of fantasy and paranormal stories the past two years. The Witch Song Series is very different from other stories that have witches in them. If you're tired of vampires, this is a great choice! The author states at the beginning, "The Author wished to use America's resonance with the Salem Witch Trials. Therefore, the technology and setting for Nefalie are loosely based off of seventeenth century New England" and this time period has always fascinated me. There is also a lot of action that leaves you sitting on the edge of your seat, from chapter to chapter. I couldn't read fast enough!

Overall, I really loved this series full of interesting characters with such a refreshing and unique storyline. I recommend Witch Song and Witch Born to ages 11 and up. With a main character that grows and matures, you grow to love and admire her. This is a fantastic read which I will read again!

Now you have a chance to win an e-copy of Witch Born and some Witch Born Swag!


Enter to win an ecopy of Witch Born at my blog. The contest ends September 5th 2012.

http://whynotbecauseisaidso.blogspot.com/2012/08/review-of-witch-song-series-witch-song.html

[Kim Deister]

Witch Born is the second book in the Witch Song series and it was easily as good, if not better than the first book! I truly love this series. They are so engrossing and beautifully written that I know I am going to be reading for hours, completely incapable of putting it down once I have started!

Much like the first book, there is so much to love about it! I love that the author uses song as the medium for spellcasting, rather than traditional chanting. The spell songs Argyle created for her characters and often hauntingly beautiful, even those used in magical combat. Although this series is about a group of witches with extraordinary lives and powers, they are still very "human" as characters. They have failings and doubts and imperfections that combine to make them easy to relate to as a reader. I love that because it allows me to live their stories and think their thoughts and feel their feelings. I love the refreshing take on magic and history that Argyle created, the "how's" and "why's" of how the witches got their power. The story is deeper in this book, more insights and back stories into the history of how everything came to be as it is. I love the romance between Brusenna and Joshen as well, sweetly normal in a world of magic and chaos. It also isn't made out to be unattainable, "fairy tale" perfect, but fraught with the occasional argument or issue.

I know they say not to judge a book by it's cover, but it clearly okay in this instance. The gorgeous covers are perfect for this series! This is a series I will be reading again and again.