Olivia Atwater’s Half a Soul was my favourite read of 2022, so when I saw that she was returning to that world I couldn’t wait till the end of November and requested an ARC (for you non-bookish types who have somehow found yourselves here, its a Advanced Reader Copy) with all my fingers crossed. It arrived on my kindle on a dark autumnal day and I pretty much read it all in one go. If you love the Regency Faerie Tales series – I think you’ll love this too.

Set in a magical version of Victorian England, The Witchwood Knot is a dark sumptuous gothic tale with faeries, magicians and curses. With a fascinating magic system it has a really lovely romantic plot line underpinning the whole story, without taking away from the page turning drama! 

Our main character Winnie arrives at Witchwood manor at the request from the dying owner to be the governess of her grandson. I loved Winnie from the start, she has a blunt, witty, no nonsense personality, with a fascinating and sad childhood that we learn about as the story progresses. With a not quite “enemies” to lovers relationship, and a supporting cast of loveable characters and creatures this book is exactly what I wanted from the author.

There are some content warnings at the start of the book that readers should checkout, but I want this post to be spoiler free as it’s such a magical journey you go on with these characters. This is book one in the Victorian Faerie Tales series, and I cannot wait to see where it goes.