Clean young adult Fae fantasy with a classy gothic feel, filled with romance, mystery, and magic. Add in the duo with a strong female lead and handsome dangerous male.

Almost a five star novel, it needed a little more build up of the romance. I’m being picky though because the voice, descriptions, pacing, and world building are superb and captivated my attention so that I nearly read it in one sitting.

Highly recommendable to any age group.

This was an absolute delight! Olivia Atwater's books have been on my radar for awhile (I even purchased Half a Soul recently, though I haven't read it yet) but this was the first book I've actually read by the author, and now I'm off to eagerly hunt down the rest of her backlist. I've found a new favorite author!

The Witchwood Knot is a deliciously gothic fairy tale with wonderful relationship building, a dash of whimsy and romance, and classic faerie vibes along the lines of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell and the Emily Wilde series. As well as immaculate vibes, the plotting and pacing were perfect--I could hardly put it down. There are definitely some dark themes and moments, but overall I found this rather charming.

Absolutely loved this one and will be excitedly yelling about it to anyone who will listen.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc! Opinions are my own.

From the same world of the great "Half a Soul", "The Witchwood Knot" maintains the great world building and magic of previous books.

I really liked the main character and side ones. They were quite unique, and I looked forward to knowing what would happen. The writing was great, and the world building fantastic! My only wish would be a little more romantic interactions, or even just interactions between the couple - though I can see how it would be hard to fit considering where they started.

Overall, another great book by Olivia Attwood! She is quickly becoming one of my favorites authors in the fantasy/magical genre.

This was a delightful gothic tale about a governess on a mission beyond caring for her charge.

The balance of faerie lore, current events, and the past creates a beautiful connection throughout the entire book. Winnie is tough as nails and Mr. Quincy had great depth to his character beyond a mischievous faerie.

This is great for anyone who enjoys enemies to lovers, magic, strong period setting, dark, gothic tropes & themes.

3.0 / 5.0

The Witchwood Knot is a Victorian-inspired gothic fantasy with lAlice in Wonderland adventure” vibes and a little romance.

I had a hard time getting into this. The plot starts immediately but the world building is very muddled. The pacing should compensate for this, as it moves quickly, but because there are no common plot devices used to establish the setting and magic, the reader has to derive this information from what is present in dialogue and the antagonist’s thoughts. So it is long and mildly dry. I felt like I wasn’t catching all the clues that the author was leaving for me, which caused me to re-read parts so I could figure out what’s happening, but the information is just not there. Like Alice when she is in Wonderland, the reader just has to stumble along to the next puzzle and put the pieces together as they are acquired.

The whole plot of the tale centers around a child that the antagonist cannot stand, a fae that is actually written rather well, and a possessed knot of forestland. It is spooky and strange in places, but I wasn’t really engaged by it. It lacks that elusive element of a fairytale that captures a reader and entices us to want more.

Overall, I don’t know who to recommend this to. It wasn’t bad but I also didn’t find it to be particularly good. It’s just right in the middle.

Until Next Time,
MC

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for access to the eARC of this book.

I just love stories about fairies, and have really enjoyed Olivia Atwater's Half a Soul. So this book ties in to that world, with references to Lady Hollowvale, Lord Sorcier, and others. The setting is a moody, enchanted manor house set in a dark, enchanted forest, making it just right for your spooky fall reading list!

Winnie is tasked with unraveling the Witchwood Knot in order to save the young lord of the manor, who has been taken by the Witchwood fairies. Mr. Quincy, the "butler," keeps appearing to Winnie, even in her dreams, and becomes her fairy guide as they seek to find the center of the knot, and rescue the child. Both have been victims of circumstances, and as they learn each other's stories, they begin to feel compassion for each other.

I think you can sum this up as a Victorian historical fairy fantasy with an enemies to lovers romance!

I found the refernces to child sexual abuse/adult sexual harassment to be deeply disturbing, and would recommend caution when handing this book off to younger readers.

I recieved a arc from netgalley, all opinions are my own!

I’m not going to lie I requested this title because it had “knot” in it and I was ready to pick up some omega verse book. Sue me. However, I was not disappointed by the lack of alphas and omegas because it gave me this gothic themed book with a subplot of romance- which in my opinion is the best combo.

I loved the whole whimsical fairy vibe of the book, which is a perfect read for the fall. The pacing of the book felt slow at the beginning but it definitely picked up towards the middle. The characters shared funny banter and it was overall a cozy read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

It’s like if Emily Wilde and Nettle and Bone had a gothic, Wuthering Heights-esque book baby!

The Witchwood Knot had enjoyable banter, some loveable characters, and a subtle romance that didn't really become prominent until the end. There's just enough mystery and fae folklore that the repetitious setting and at times lulling pace were easy to overlook. Overall I enjoyed my time with this read and would recommend it as the perfect read for a rainy, wintery day.

4/5 ⭐

The Witchwood Knot is a gothic horror and dark fantasy tale of a haunted manor. We follow our FMC Winnie who takes up residence at Witchwood Manor as the new governess. In reality she is there to uncover the secrets to Witchwood Manor and the tortured faeries that inhabit it. Without going too much into the plot, I will have to say this is the perfect book for spooky season. Atwater does a great job at weaving together elements of a whimsical faerie tale, with a gothic horror story. It's just enough to spook you, but not quite enough to fully creep you out.

While the story starts off a little slow, I understand the need for the build up. The latter half of the book is much quicker paced and sucks you in. This is actually my first Olivia Atwater book so I don't have any comparison to her previous books or their relation to this one. Overall I'd recommend. Her writing is ver whimsical and capturing. It's definitely a cozy, gothic and spooky fall read!

***I received this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you to the author/publishing company and netgalley for this opportunity!

Enjoyed this book so much!! I am a sucker for a fantasy romance. The world building was so good and interesting. There is a slight moment within the book were the story slows down. But overall it was a thrilling ride & love story that I enjoyed.

3 stars

This is a Regency fairytale story with some gothic vibes and overall I did enjoy the story and the characters but the pacing was a bit off and the setting and world building was odd and confusing to say the least and after reading some other reviews (since this is my first Olivia Atwater book) I realized this was part of an ongoing "universe" and I feel that's why I had this feeling of missing some of the plot. Still, this was entertaining and engaging even if I didn't love the romance.
I'll definitely be reading the previous books in the future because I feel like this will help me enjoy this one more.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have not read any of Olivia’s books before so this was my first time and this took me down a road of a gothic Victorian manor with new governess Winnie and the secrets of the manor that no one can seem to talk about. We later learn than Winnie has been sent to the manor to save the dowagers grandson from faeries.
I loved the eery whimsical gothic feel to this book and the FMC was strong, powerful, take no prisoners sort of a woman which I always love in a story. It wasn’t my favourite read hence the 3 stars but I enjoyed it non the less, thank you NetGalley for the arc

3.5

I have had Olivia Atwater’s [book:Half a Soul|60717747] on my TBR for ages, so when I saw she had a new book up for request on NetGalley I immediately hit request. The Witchwood Knot apparently spins off of her Regency Faerie Tales series, though I don’t think not reading that series first hindered my enjoyment of this at all. I think there were nods and call backs to the previous series that might have made more sense if I had read those first.

Overall, I went into this expecting a cozy fantasy romance and that is mostly what I got. The romance is there but it doesn’t really come into play until the very end of the book and I think there could have been a little more fluff to show the change from “enemies” to more. Both characters have sharp edges, they are liars and have ulterior motives but I really liked them and their banter and enjoyed watching their character arcs. I also enjoyed the mystery plot, though the world building tended to be hazier in the way most fae stories are, which is why I don’t usually gravitate towards them. That being said, I liked where we left off and would be interested in continuing this series, especially if it continues to follow Winnie and Mr. Quincy, though her previous series had different main characters for each book.

Also, there is an undead cat familiar and I love him with all my heart 🖤

I knew I was a fan of Olivia Atwater from the Regency Faery Tales series and this cemented her as an auto buy author. This book was a bit darker than her previous works, but in all of these historical stories she brings up some of the not so squeaky clean aspects of that time period without making the book depressing to read. The atmosphere was incredible. It was truly Gothic and I would recommend reading this book during the fall/winter months. I devoured this in one sitting and I cannot wait for more!

3.5 stars rounded up

I really love the whole series but there were a lot of places where I had to stop and try to remember if someone was a new character or a reference to a previous book. I can see how it would be a confusing world to be thrust into with no prior knowledge of how the rules work. Having Winnie tell the other stories as fairy tales to Robert was a clever way to add backstory but there could have been more.

Overall it was a really enjoyable read - I practically read it in one sitting

Thank you NetGalley and Starwatch Press for the eARC.

Before I say anything else - I really think someone needs to fix the blurb for this book! The things it mentions happen half-way through the book!

I really enjoyed Olivia Atwater's Regency Faerie Tale series, particularly Half a Soul, so I was very excited to pick up The Witchwood Knot.

It was great to be back in magical England, with its devious fair folk and brave humans.
Winnie arrives at Witchwood Manor to pose as governess to her old benefactor's grandson, while secretly protecting him. Something is not quite right at the Manor, but no one seems to be able to talk about it (literally), so it's up to Winnie to figure it all out, and keep the boy safe. Lucky for her, she is a magician and is also very familiar with faeries and their quirks.

I really liked Winnie as a character. She is determined and resourceful, hard and soft at the same time. Olivia Atwater doesn't shy away from difficult topics (even though they are presented in a 'lighter' way, suitable to the tone of her books), so Winnie has a sad backstory.

Mr Quincy was delightfully morally grey, I really enjoyed their interactions, especially how Winnie didn't give an inch and slowly earned his regard. Although the romance felt a bit under-developed to me.

Unfortunately, the plot didn't really draw me in, it wasn't particularly exciting for me, which is why my rating isn't higher. Some parts were quite repetitive, and it was also relatively predictable.

I think the world needed a better introduction, especially for readers who haven't picked up the Regency series. They will have no clue what a Lord Sorcier is! The characters also make brief allusions to the 'current situation', and I couldn't tell until later on if I was supposed to remember something from a previous book, or have any clue how and why things had changed.

Overall, I enjoyed it, it was a solid 3.5 stars read for me, but can't quite bring myself to round it up.

I fell in love with Olivia Atwater’s writing after having read her Regency series. Half a Soul easily being my favorite of said series. The Witchwood Knot being #1 out of all her books that I’ve read. The characters are strong and the storyline is original and fresh… although I do feel one of the characters would be better off without a certain added body part, but I digress.
I was pleasantly surprised to find frequent connections to her Regency books. I hope that continues throughout the series. With the Regency Faerie Tales the main characters were all connected in one way or another but switched for each book. I could see that happening with the Victorian Faerie Tales as well, but would prefer if it did not. I genuinely enjoyed Winnie and would love to see her story continued in future books.

3 stars...thank you NetGalley for the ARC...I enjoy a good Dark(ish)Faerie story. This was a quick read for me. There was magic, and fae debauchery. It didn't quite catch my fancy thoroughly but it may just be right up someone else's alley. I liked the characters and the loyalty Winnie showed towards the other characters.

At first I was just expecting a haunted house with some faeries and a sassy butler, but I got so much more than that.

This was a great read for Halloween season. It will also be fantastic for anyone looking for an intriguing story on how to protect a child hellbent on walking into danger. Or anyone who loves a gothic romance. Or anyone who has loves a female heroine who takes no shit from any man (or child or half rat).

🐈‍⬛🧡This is one of my favorite covers I have seen in a long time. Lisa Marie Pompilio outdid herself.🧡🐈‍⬛


My favorite things in this story include:

✨A dead cat who comes to life as a familiar. And hates men? And protects women? And only has one eye? Amazing. Iconic. 90% of the time an author includes a cat I know I will love the story.
✨Magicians.
✨A rat man.
✨Winnie. I loved Winnie. I loved that she lies and cheats. I love a spinster in her twenties who is suspiciously unmarried. I loved that she is smart. I love women who carry knives with them. I love her resilience.
✨The quote: “I will return when he has cried enough to suit me.” SCREAMING. CRYING. THROWING UP.

On a more serious note, I loved that the author included a Content Warning (TW: sexual harassment). My heart belongs to authors who put their readers’ mental health first. I also loved Olivia Atwater’s Afterword for this story.

Thank you so much to Olivia Atwater, Starwatch Press, and NetGalley for the eARC of The Witchwood Knot! I think many fans of romance or gothic romance alike will adore this book.

I came oh so close to not finishing this book. I simply did not connect with it in any way. Finding out after the fact that a great deal of the backstory is apparently contained in another book, or series of books, likely explains some of this. But I am not sure I would have connected with it even with more of the backstory. I liked Winnie - she takes no cr*p, she is smart and clever. But I could not understand how she came to be, or to stay, in Witchwood Manor. The butler who wasn't a butler is somehow supposed to serve as both villain and love interest. At all times while having a tail. It just didn't work for me. It was also hard to get invested when one main character cannot die, and the other will wake up alive even if she dies while dreaming in the Witchwood Knot. I ended the book feeling like I had just read a big knot that I wasn't able to untangle.

2 stars. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a complimentary ARC of this book. The opinions herein are my own.