Witch Song (Witch Song, #1)

by Amber Argyle

[inlibrisveritas]

This is one of those books that really captivate your imagination right from the beginning. The writing is detailed and rich and Argyle’s skill weaves a really interesting and fantastic world. The settings are very easy to picture and even the roughest terrain sounds kind of beautiful in a way, though I think I am partial to her jungle settings. I could practically feel the humidity. There is also fairly unique lore when it comes to magic, which really adds to the story since I haven’t read very many books like this. The witches are some of the most fascinating that I’ve read about. Their power lies in their voices and their songs, and when they sing they can control the elements of their world. Witchlanders by Lena Coakley is the only other novel with magical song that I’ve read, but it has a very different feel to it. The books opens up fairly strong and sets the pace for the entire novel and it turned out to be a real page turner, especially towards the end.

The main character Brusenna (Senna) starts off a rather sheltered young girl who barely uses her song and knows practically nothing of her world, but as the story progresses she blossoms into a strong young woman with the ability to lead others. She did have a tendency to beat herself up over a lot of things, like not being strong enough or deserving, but she does grow out of some of it over time. I just wanted her to find peace within herself. Joshen is a wonderfully loyal and sweet companion of Senna. He puts her safety above everything else, but he’s also willing to let go when it’s needed. Their relationship is very sweet and it grows naturally on it’s own, though one instance of emotional outpouring is a little awkward but it’s fairly cute. I think the most important thing about their relationship is the fact that it’s not the center of the story, Senna has her priorities in order and doesn’t drop everything for romance. The other side characters are just as interesting and add quite a bit of variety to the story, everything from unique recluses to daring sailors.

The actual journey is just as unique and Senna encounters a wide array of settings, creatures, and people. The one thing that bothered me were the time skips. It’s nothing terrible but there are moments where the actual progress of time isn’t mentioned, so it was a bit difficult to guess how much time had passed until it’s mentioned again later. Towards the end there are a ton of high points that really keep you reading, and when you think the story might be coming to a close you realize they still have more to do. The conclusion really has me curious as to what happens in the next one.

So if you are looking for a different kind of witch book this one might be for you.