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A review by effy
The Witch and His Crow by Ben Alderson
5.0
After the murder of Hector’s parents when he was just a child, he has devoted himself to tracking down witch hunters and avenging his parents. When his latest mission results in him being thrust out of the shadows and back into the coven he has avoided for so long, Hector must now compete in deadly Trials to find the next Grand High.
I had an absolutely amazing time with this book. It is so full of twists and turns and I loved the relationships that Hector has with both Romy and Arwyn. It was so delightful to see Hector embracing a chance to no longer be a lone wolf and to lean on those around him. Alderson never fails when it comes to writing compelling banter between his characters and this book was no exception with it sizzling right off of the page. I really loved Caym (his crow) too and thought he was a really interesting and unique character.
The magic system was really interesting as it was grounded in an elemental system but Alderson managed to create something unique by having each witch’s expression of their magic system be just a little bit different. Additionally, I thought the rings of colour that appear around a witch’s eyes when they tap into their power was a really nice touch.
As the story progresses, the reader is learning new information alongside Hector. This works really well as neither Hector nor the reader is ever fully sure of the limitations of the new knowledge and there is a question of whether the things that he does will work or not. I am very excited to see the “old magic” explored further as the series continues.