Witch Wife by Lumen Reese is a dark, captivating fantasy that took me by surprise. Following Irene Shannon, a woman who has lost everything, the story weaves a complex tale of magic, betrayal, and survival after she’s taken captive by a king. The world-building is rich and immersive, with magic and politics seamlessly intertwining.

Irene is a deeply layered character, and her relationships with others add depth to the plot. Just when you think you understand where the story is headed, Reese throws in a twist that keeps you on the edge of your seat.
If you enjoy dark fantasy with a strong female lead and plenty of unexpected turns, Witch Wife is a must-read. It’s a gripping, emotional journey that will leave you wanting more.

I am not the biggest fan of historical fiction; and that is probably why I took a star off for this read. But if you're an Outlander type fan - you might vibe with this. The author really laid into the emotions of her characters & the grief writing was really beautifully done.

Witch Wife is an unforgettable start to the Crocus Trilogy—a tale of resilience, rebellion, and survival in a richly imagined world. If you’re into genre-bending stories with fierce heroines, found families, and a dash of the fantastical, this one’s for you. And with more adventures to come, I can’t wait to see what Lumen Reese has in store next!

I thought this was very good. Didn’t expect it to grip me the way it did. The pacing was very slow at times, but I really enjoyed the story overall. The fmc was badass.

I really enjoyed parts 1 and 2 of this book, but part 3 lost me. The insta love between two side characters was just too much for me. I was intrigued by the plot and the setting was very interesting, but the character development was weak to me. I wanted more from the characters, and I was disappointed by how one dimensional they were. Overall, this one just wasn't for me.

4/5 Stars ⭐️

As the first book in the Crocus trilogy, Witch Wife by Lumen Reese is an enthralling beginning to what promises to be an unforgettable series. From the very first chapter, I was captivated by the compelling storyline and deeply nuanced characters.

The narrative takes an exciting turn when the sisters venture into a new dimension, and I must admit, I was initially thrown off by the king having a vehicle in what seemed like a medieval-inspired world. However, as the story progressed, the unique blend of medieval and modern elements began to make sense, adding a fresh and intriguing layer to the world-building.

My only critique is the book’s length. While the overall pacing worked well, the battle section felt a bit drawn out, and the chapters themselves were quite long. Trimming these sections slightly could have enhanced the reading experience.

Despite this, I thoroughly enjoyed the novel. It gave me nostalgic vibes reminiscent of Overlander, and I’m already eagerly anticipating the release of the next book in the series in 2025. Reese has crafted a world and characters that I can’t wait to revisit.

Highly recommended for fans of fantasy with unique settings and strong sibling dynamics!

Which wife by Loomen Reese, this is the first book in a trilogy that unfortunately I don’t think I will be reading. When we meet Irene her husband is dead the battle is lost and she is in a cage for days and wants to die and I get it she lost her Insta love husband in the battle now she thinks she’s going to be a slave but OMG if she didn’t say it 100 times that she wanted to die she didn’t say it once. Then we go on and she’s not a slave but incaptured guess at the Kings home and he has an appointment to offer her and that is to marry and live lavishly because they think she’s a witch he wants her to marry his nephew but the only problem is as I mentioned before she just wants to die and oh yes she’s not a witch. The reason I think she’s a witch or not reasons I will discuss here because I don’t want to give anything that wasn’t in the summary away. No her guard or rather her companion is Annette and she tries more than once to defeat Annette but it seems Annette is too smart for that. I do want to say I really like Annette. While Iris definitely wants to die she also wants to know if her twin sister is OK. Not to mention the whole thing with the girl Meeve abandoning her family because her mom gentleman father and little sister didn’t defend her against a group of pirates and so she ignored them and wanted to go with Iris in metric I mean really because your dad couldn’t defeat a group of pirates you no longer speak to him… That just seemed all too unbelievable. Okay I’m not going to continue with this review because I keep thinking of all the reasons why I didn’t like this book for one it took me over a month to finish for two she told you every exact thing she was doing it was over described not to mention I couldn’t place what time. They were in and then when part two came in to play it confuse me even further. I also didn’t understand how they were trying to make it like Iris was so capable and so smart and yet instead of playing along as you go along she faught against everything she just irritated me I did like her sister Fiona a little better but I don’t see myself reading book too.#NetGalley, #KensingtonPublishing, #LumenReese, #WitchWife,

A multi genre first book in a planned trilogy. First books MUST build a community into which the cast of characters are expected to live and sometimes die. Lumen Reese has managed to accomplish this without slowing down the stroy line for explanations. The characters are three dimensional and real. They pull emotions rom a reader as the story quickly moves them from the pits of despair to a depression so deep, it's frightening and then gives them quiet moments of joy and remembrance in the battle for their survival. WITCH WIFE is a book so full of promise that it's going to be hard to wait for book #2 to see if Reese can keep us enthralled.

Lumen Reese’s Witch Wife is a spellbinding tale of resilience, rebellion, and survival that blends historical fantasy with themes of empowerment and defiance. With a fiercely determined protagonist and a richly imagined world, the novel delivers a gripping narrative of love, loss, and the will to fight against impossible odds.

Plot Overview

The story begins with Irene Shannon, a battle-hardened woman captured on the battlefield and brought to Britain in chains. Branded a witch by the British royals, she is pressured to marry into their family to secure power, but she refuses with unyielding defiance. What follows is a gripping tale of intrigue, alliances, and rebellion as Irene plots her escape with an unlikely group of allies, including a royal bastard raised in a brothel, a one-legged general, and a gay earl. As she learns her husband may still be alive in the monster-ridden New World, Irene’s resolve grows stronger, propelling her into a dangerous journey to reclaim her freedom and her love.

Strengths

Reese crafts a fiercely compelling protagonist in Irene Shannon, whose raw determination and warrior spirit drive the novel forward. Irene’s grief, rage, and unrelenting will to survive make her a complex and relatable character. The supporting cast is equally engaging, with each ally offering unique perspectives and deepening the story’s exploration of loyalty and rebellion.

The novel’s world-building is outstanding, blending historical elements with fantastical twists. The contrast between the oppressive, politically charged court of Britain and the monstrous dangers of the New World creates a rich, dynamic setting. Reese weaves tension seamlessly into every scene, whether it’s a battle of wills with a manipulative king or the pulse-pounding dangers of Irene’s escape.

Themes

Witch Wife explores themes of power, autonomy, and survival in a deeply patriarchal and dangerous world. Irene’s resistance to the king’s demands becomes a broader symbol of defiance against systemic oppression. The story also touches on found family, with Irene’s unlikely allies offering moments of tenderness and solidarity amid the chaos. Reese masterfully balances personal stakes—Irene’s love for her husband—with broader themes of freedom and justice.

Critique

While the story’s pacing is generally excellent, some readers may feel the first act in the British court lingers slightly too long before Irene’s escape plan takes shape. Additionally, while the supporting cast is memorable, a few characters could benefit from more backstory or development to fully realize their potential.

Conclusion

Witch Wife is a thrilling, emotionally charged tale of rebellion, resilience, and love. Lumen Reese delivers a richly imagined world, a fearless protagonist, and a narrative that deftly balances action, intrigue, and heart. Fans of historical fantasy and stories about powerful women refusing to yield will find much to love in this captivating novel. It’s a testament to the strength of the human spirit—and the unbreakable will to fight for freedom and love.

This book was unexpected, but enthralling. It starts out seeming like a historical fiction, but in reality it is sci-fi, futuristic, and dystopian, with some threads of historical fiction threaded through in a history-repeats-itself theme. Some drama, some romance, some war. A bit of everything wind together to create an enchanting story. Can't wait to continue the series.

This was an okay read, but messy. I thought the internal dialogue of the main character was too short. Every sentence was like 3 words, and it really bothered me. Also, I thought the blurb on this book was very misleading and isn't until almost 20% in that you really discover the plot and backstory. To me the build was so lackluster that I felt like I had to slog through it. If the second part had been the start of the story, it would have been way more interesting. This book just wasn't for me.

Witch Wife by Lumen Reese
This is the first book in The Crocus Trilogy series.
I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading this book, but boy let me tell you, it delivered.
This book was a beautiful story so full of emotion and suspense.
The author excels in the character development and world building in this uniquely told story.
Irene Shannon, the main character has strength, determination, fortitude and drive for her undying love. She is a fierce warrior who has been captured on the battlefield and drug away in chains after losing her sister and husband and killed a lot of people in the war.
Thinking she would be put to death she soon finds out she will instead become a prisoner for the British royal crown, the King.
The British royals have heard tales of the two English sisters aligned with people of the New World and believe that Irene is a witch with a prophecy of the two sisters to fulfill and want to marry her into the royal family, so that they have allies in this New World. What follows is a battle of wills and unlikely allies.
Irene of course refuses with her full chest and she soon learns her dead husband may actually still be alive thus igniting a force of determination in Irene to escape and return to the monster infested New World regardless of the cost to find her husband.
While this book begins painfully slow in the beginning while there is world and character development the buildup is exciting and thrilling. The book gives readers multiple elements of fantasy, romance, historical fiction, sci-fi and horror all wrapped up in this beautiful story drawing in multiple genres of book lovers.
This book leaves you feeling so many emotions from sadness, love, dread, excitement, intrigue, anger fear, pulse pounding excitement to terror and fear.
The author Lumen Reese has successfully left us with questions at the end left unanswered leaving you frustrated yet wanting more leading readers directly into the excitement of book two to seek the answers!

Thank you to the author Lumen Reese and Net Galley for providing me with the ARC copy in exchange for my fair and honest review.

This is a great story, but confusing. First she’s in a carriage with horses, and the next the king is driving a car and people are fixing cd players. First she’s fighting with swords, then building time machines. It would have made a better story if the author had chosen an era and technology style and stuck with it.

thanks to netgalley for providing me an e-arc of this book in exchange for a review!

i found the setting of this to be one of the most interesting parts of the book, and one i was increasingly interested in learning more about. at its face value, it seems to take place in mid 1800s england, but as the book goes on it takes more of a sci-fi dystopia turn into a world where there are some leviathan-level monsters and the americas and the british are at war again.

irene is a compelling protagonist, and it was easy to root for her. i find her understandable and driven through all parts of this book. i'm excited to see where this trilogy goes next!

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

Book review 📚
Witch Wife by Lumen Reese
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Like all books, I judged this one completely by the cover (which by the way is absolutely stunning) and the title may have pushed me even further to request. When I tell you this was beyond anything I expected, I am not joking. This was phenomenally good.

Reese has taken fantasy and thrown on some horror aspects, creating somewhat a dark fantasy? I don’t know but either way it works. There are moments of pure heartbreak and pain, to then being warm and happy. Its an intense mix of emotions and you feel every damn one of them!

The characters were described fantastically, feeling what they felt along the way, seeing what they see and becoming attached to them and their journey (specifically Irene). The characters all seemed to work together and some of them truly do bring the story to life.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this book as an e book. I liked this book. It was suspenseful, it had character building. The female main character deciding on which path she should choose and coming back from loosing everything. Her family is gone, and now she is has to fight to get everything back. What would you do for a chance to find your lost love?

I had no idea what I was getting into when I read this book. I'm happy I went in blind because it absolutely blew me away. I want everyone to have the same experience so I do not want to post too many spoilers. However, the world building in this book is amazing as well as the complicated characters along with their relationships. Just when you think you are starting to grasp the plot of this book, it throws you for a total loop and you're left speechless. I don't even know what genre this book is because so many are entwined and it is done so smoothly. It has mystery, intrigue, thrill, romance, science fiction, paranormal fantasy and so many different variations of them. I was astounded and cannot wait for the next book in the series!

I've been looking for a book with fantasy and horror vibes and I think this is what I wanted! First off, the characters were so well done. They felt perfect in this world and really helped drive the world building up. The witch aspect was a great vibe for me. Really enjoyed how that element was brought in. Overall I really enjoyed the writing style here. It left me wanting more and look forward to what's coming next!

Witch Wife was an interesting read. At first it felt like a historical novel and I was really confused because I was sure it was described as being a fantasy book, but soon enough everything made sense.

The main character reminded me of Celaena Sardothien, but very suicidal and dependent on her sister; her maiden was my favorite character and I was quite intrigued with her. The royal family was very insipid, and the "good guys" at the end were actually better villains. Basically, the characters were okay, but a bit too flat.

The plot was quite slow moving, but for me it didn't feel boring, mostly because I was really interested to see the main character's transformation. I also want to add that the book is a bit more about how she felt and dealt with losing the war and being a prisoner than on actual action, so there is not a lot going on for such a long book. There is a lot a thinking about suicide, so be cautious if you don't feel comfortable with that (the author gave a TW at the beginning, but it's really a lot).

Personally, I liked the book, mostly because it's a bit different, but it might not be everybody's cup of tea