I made a fae bargain with netgalley to receive this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Witchwood Knot follows Winifred Hall, a stern young woman who has arrived at Witchwood Manor as governess to the son of the current Lord Longfell. Neither the manor nor Winifred herself are without their secrets, however. When events conspire forcing Winnie onto a 'Labyrinth'-ian quest to retrieve her young charge from Faerie, she finds an unlikely ally(?) in Witchwood's mercurial butler, Mr Quincy.

This was a wonderful first installment in Atwater's Victorian Faerie Tales series. Our 'knave' Winnie and her knack for lying made for an intriguing heroine, and I found her to be clever and resourceful in the face of adversity. I only wish we had more opportunity to see this in action against the faeries of Witchwood, as well as her magic which seemed fascinating (as did the magic and her sisters, more of them please!).

I was very unsure of Mr Quincy at first, especially as Winnie was already surrounded by so many terrible male characters, but he quickly proved himself and was a well written foil to Lord Longfell. I have seen a few negative comments about a particular aspect of his appearance which I disagree with (but then again, I have been known to book tickets to The Nutcracker just to see the Rat King again so...).

I have found that Atwater is often a master of weaving terrible and disturbing parts of humanity and society into a faerie tale, but this book is a lot darker than her others, covering themes of sexual assault and grooming. It was handled well and with sensitivity, but double check content warnings before reading. I thought the focus on reclaiming one's own sexuality was accomplished well through the story and Winnie's development as a character.

I am a fan of the gothic genre and would have loved for Winnie to have a bit more time to initially explore the manor, (whose introduction I felt cleverly resembled the opening of The House of Usher) to really give the setting more of a chance to breathe. Historic details such as Winnie's chaterlaine and all of the victorian mourning customs added a lot to the general vibe.

The novel recaps the most relevant parts of Atwater's previous series, but I would say reading the regency faerie tales would give a good head start on this one and without them the magic and setting might seem a bit confusing and underdeveloped.

Overall a great start, I'd love to see more of Winnie and Mr Quincy but otherwise am eagerly awaiting the next instalments!

I enjoyed The Witchwood Knot immensely. Already there are different vibes from Atwater's Regency series, including an underlying, unresolved enemy that will continue into the following books. One of my favorite parts was that the setting is almost exclusively limited to this haunted Gothic house, complete with screaming wallpaper faces and cursed inhabitants. This book is dark in a way that is menacing, eerie, and sinister, rather than violent. The sequence where Winnie and Mr Quincy are moving through the cursed dream version of the house reminded me of The Starless Sea, one of my all time favorites.

Like some other reviewers, I was frustrated that the events in the synopsis end up happening over halfway through the book, which is less the book's fault and more of an issue with its marketing. Some moments had the potential to be a plot twist if I wasn't spoiled going into it.

Overall, I would recommend it to anyone interested in a whimsical Gothic mystery with an amazing cast of characters.

When I first heard about Olivia Atwater's new book, I thought it sounds good but I'm sure it won't be as good as Half A Soul. I was wrong. It was better.
My biggest complaint about Half A Soul was that it, at times, felt a little YA. This book did not. Despite its lack of sex or even violence it still managed to come across as mature.
I was promised a gothic fantasy and that's exactly what I got! The haunted house was unlike any haunted house I'd read about before. The was the fae are interwoven into what is typically a ghost story was brilliantly done.
The characters were just phenomenal. I loved the way Winnie slowly softened but never weakened throughout the book. Mr. Quincy was a really interesting character was well. Both characters were really fleshed out.
I loved the romance! It was so subtle but it felt natural and not at all forced.
I can't wait to read the rest of the series!
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

This was a perfect blend of Oliva Atwater's regency era fairy world and a Grimm fairytale. The result was a gothic, dangerous fairy tale with a lot of heart. While the vast majority of the story takes place inside this one estate, there is mystery around every corner and inside every character. It had me guessing where the story was going at every turn of the page. And the little sprinkle of romance was a sweet little surprise.
I would highly recommend for anyone who loves fairy tales, historical fantasy, or Oliva Atwater's unique, detailed, magical worlds.

“There has always been something wrong with Witchwood Manor, ever since Lord Longfell had it built. At first, it was less noticeable—little noises in the dead of night, and whispers in the halls. But then… the servants started leaving. Some disappeared entirely. I woke at night to awful, screaming faces in the walls…”

My thanks to Starwatch Press for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Witchwood Knot’ by Olivia Atwater.

I loved Atwater’s Regency Faerie Tales and was pleased to discover that she was starting a new series set in the same fictional world though moving forward to the Victorian period.

Winifred (Winnie) Hall arrives at Witchwood Manor hired as governess to Robert, the son of Lord Longfell. The boy is quite a handful though it transpires that the faeries of the Witchwood are planning to abduct him. However, Lord Longfell doesn’t believe in faeries, leaving Winnie in the unenviable position of having to protect him by herself. Still, she has hidden resources and is able to enlist the aid of the Manor’s faerie butler, Mr Quincy. No further details to avoid spoilers.

While there are mentions of characters from the earlier Regency series, I felt that this worked fine as a standalone. A few fairy tales are integrated into the story.

This proved a delightful, atmospheric novel blending Atwater’s faerie lore in a Victorian Gothic setting. Winnie was a superb protagonist, intelligent and much more than the governess that she first appears to be. Given their conversations it’s clear that the dowager Lady Longfell is aware of her background. The narrative manages to subvert some of the usual historical romance tropes. I also adored the presence of Oliver (Ollie), Winnie’s spectral feline familiar.

Overall, I enjoyed ‘The Witchwood Knot’ very much and felt that it was a promising start to this new series. I look forward to reading the next book, Rosemary & Thyme, listed for publication later in 2024.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

Wow-what an excellent book! I enjoyed every minute of this story (and I kept stopping so it would last longer!)

Miss Winifred Hall goes to cursed Witchwood Manor as a governess to spoiled Robert Murray as a favor for her old mentor, Lady Longfell. In reality, she’s there to protect him from the faeries.

The Witchwood Knot is a beautifully atmospheric gothic tale set in the same world as Half a Soul, but in a Victorian rather than Regency time period. There are references to the earlier trilogy, but this can also be read as a standalone.

I loved the protagonist, Winnie, from the first page. Her voice and outlook were delightful and the slow uncovering of her back story was very well done. The writing is excellent and really conveys the eerie, nightmarish atmosphere of the manor and a sense of the cruelty and other worldliness of the Faeries. The romance is a slow burn, but swoony, and Oliver, Winnie's one-eyed undead cat protector is perfection.

If you like a little bit of T. Kingfisher, combining elements of horror, whimsy and romance, with a dash of Holly Black’s cruel and conniving Faeries and a gothic Victorian haunted house setting this book is for you.

I’m absolutely looking forward to more books in this world!

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the ARC. This is my honest review.

If you’re looking for a cozy book that you can finish in one or two sittings, you need to pick up anything by Olivia Atwater!

I binged her Regency Fairy Tales series (HALF A SOUL, TEN THOUSAND STITCHES, and LONG SHADOW) in anticipation of her newest release, THE WITCHWOOD KNOT. This is the start of a companion series called the Victorian Fantasy Series that takes place after LONG SHADOW but in a more gothic setting.

These books are all cozy romances that take place in an alternate history England where some humans have magic and fairytale creatures live in the forests.

Heres what I loved:
- The combo of historical romance plus learning about the fairy realm made the books much more interesting to me than I think either element would have been separately
- All of the books were about 300 pages, which is the sweet spot for romance for me! They went into enough detail to build interesting characters without dragging
- I loved how each book featured a different type magical creature. It made the world building feel very natural and gradual rather than forced all up front
- While I do recommend reading them all in order, each was its own story arc which made them all feel equally strong as individual books, so there was no middle book syndrome or disappointing wrap up

The characters and conflicts in the Witchwood Knot were all compelling and make a great one or two sitting read. I highly recommend this series!

When Victorian governess Winnie arrives at Witchwood Manor, things are not as they seem. For the mansion is haunted and Winnie is not as she seems. Winnie is actually a magical practitioner sent to protect the manors bratty child, Robert. When he changes into a rule abiding child overnight, Winnie just knows that something is now very, very wrong. Along with gruff Mr Quincy, the story unravels into a deeper story of mystery and gothic romance.

I dove into this one headfirst, very excited because nothing should make me happier than Faeries in Victorian times. The addition of the "factual" texts about faeries were such a smart way to help wind the story together without being an overwhelming story element. This is very slow burn, taking quite a little bit to get up to speed, but once the story started rolling I couldn't put it down. The Witchwood Knot is a lighter gothic fantasy with romantic elements perfect for fans of Gallant with T Kingfishers darker fairytale stories.

Thank you to everyone involved in this advanced copy for honest review, The Witchwood Knot is available now.

A gentle tale in Victorian times, with plenty of faeries. A sprinkling of romance and necromancy makes a showing. For those who like gentle fantasy and faerie tales. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

Olivia Atwater never fails to delight. Whimsical, lighthearted, but with real enough emotional stakes, her books are always a treat to get cozy with. Great fun.

While it did take me a bit to fully engage with this book, once the plot gained momentum, I was hooked and found it difficult to set aside. As someone who typically leans towards romance-heavy reads, I appreciated the subtle touch of romance towards the story's end. The overall vibes of the book were captivating, but I must admit there were moments when the plot felt sluggish. Some scenes, in particular, seemed unnecessarily prolonged and, for lack of a better word, 'frilly.' The story and characters, with their unique and intriguing qualities, were a highlight. However, the pacing, unfortunately, didn't align with my preferences. In conclusion, The Witchwood Knot presents a mesmerizing journey into a fantastical realm where magic and mystery intertwine, leaving a lasting imprint on the imagination well after the final page.

This was SO GOOD. All the things I love in a gothic esque book . I feel the characters will stick with me for a long time

I enjoyed this a lot but not as much as some of her previous work. I feel that parts of the plot dragged slightly, however I loved the atmosphere and setting. It was a dark tale filled with adventure, magic, and romance.

I read "Half a Soul" earlier in December and fell in love with this world! Was it wild for me to skip from the first book in the series to the most recent? Probably. Do I think it negatively impacted me? Absolutely not. Can I wait to read the rest of the books? NOPE!

I enjoyed this so much. Things were a little darker than the regency fairie tales (which you would expect) and so wonderful. I enjoyed the darkness. I enjoyed Winnie. I enjoyed seeing our favorites from Half a Soul coming back into the story. I cannot wait to see where this is going. As long as Olivia Atwater writes a story about a girl dealing with meddlesome fairies, you better believe I am going to read it. :)

Worthy continuation of the universe that we discovered in Half a Soul. If that book was whimsical and romantic, this was darker and grittier, and a little more sinister. Loved the main leads and their slow burn romance, and how they help each other find their own autonomy. Loved the cat, as well. And though some may complain about the ending, I thought the openness of it was perfect, leaving the author plenty of room to explore the universe further-- which she definitely should. Would love to read more of her work.

Victorian gothic fantasy - say no more!!

A gothic dark but whimsical fantasy romance that is somewhere between Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries and Pride and Prejudice 🤭

Winifred got a job in a strange house as a governess to the young master, but all the things are not as they are... When the boy got takes to the faerie and replaced with a changeling she has to seek help from the unusual ally.

Overall it was super entertaining, I listened to the audio witch made this book better! I loved the magic in the book and all the revelations that came with it got me sitting on the edge on the seat.

🚨 TW: sexual harassment / child grooming (not on page but omg, made me sick to my stomach)

I loved this book it was so fun and atmospheric i also loved how the whole story came together. I absolutely loved Winifred and how she went about things, she was such a great main character. I also loved her familiar ollie he was adorable. I also loved the romance in this book. Overall I enjoyed this book and the author's writing and hope to continue the series in the future and read her other series. Thank you to Starwatch Press and Netgalley for providing this eARC in exchange for our honest review.

This is the second book by Olivia Atwood that I have read and overall I have really enjoyed her writing. I find that the style is really consistent and I don’t find myself being pulled out of the world with out of place words or phrases like other books.

I do think that I slightly preferred Half A Soul more than this one because it was more of a cozy vibe which is what I was looking for. Also, I found that the magic (especially Winifred’s) felt a little bit underdeveloped. There was mention of her being a black magician but I don’t think it was truly explored or that it made that much of a difference to the story.

Finally, I just wanted to mention the romance and relationship between Winifred and Mr Quincy. Although I think I preferred the romance on Half A Soul I did think this was a good slow burn. However, please can we stop giving MMCs tails?!

Overall, I did really enjoy this book and am glad to have read it. I didn’t expect it to be so closely related to the Regency series and think if I had known I probably would’ve read the other books first.

3.5 ⭐️

I really enjoyed this - interesting characters and a whimsical setting. Lots of fun and i particularly enjoyed that the characters’ intentions were not always what you thought they’d be to start with

I was absolutely thrilled to receive an ARC of the Witchwood Knot since I have read and enjoyed some of Ms. Atwaters work already! This book is much darker than her previous stories but I would still consider it whimsical and cozy.

The gothic yet cozy vibe in this book reminded me of T Kingfisher to an extent (but less scary) which from me is the highest of compliments.

The reason why this was not a 5 star read for me was because the story was a little confusing at times and the romantic subplot didn't capture me the same way as it did in her other books.

I would give it a 4.25 which means I still thoroughly enjoyed it! It is also paced really well and feels like a complete story even though the ending leads me to believe book 2 will be even better!