Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for offering me an Advance Readers Copy.

Genres : Historical Fiction | Sci-Fi & Fantasy
** The magic is only real if you believe **

This story takes place in 1885 at a gothic house in rural England. It has the perfect mix of romance, mystery, and magic. The setting is perfect for spooky season and it pulls you right in to make you feel as if you are standing within the scratched up walls of their home.

There were several plot twists in this story, one being about ⅓ of the way through, and completely unexpected. It only gets more intriguing after the fact and truly pulls you into this magical, spooky time.

With several POV, you are never left bored, wondering when it might get interesting.

The final plot twist earned this book a 5 star rating and I definitely recommend to anyone wanting a spooky read.

The Ravenswood Witch is a modern gothic novel set in a time when people still partly believed in witchcraft.
We follow a heroine whose name we do not know for most of the book as she impersonates Luna, the mysteriously absent wife of the lord who accidentally broke her ankle as she was running away from justice, and took her in.
There is everything here to make a very memorable gothic, sooo many possibilities, so many mysteries as we wonder if witchcraft is truly taking place and who can be trusted.

But the writing is so non-personal, all the characters are bland and everything is extremely emotionally stunted. There could be some brilliantly creepy moments, but there isn't. There could be some truly romantic interaction, but there isn't. There could be some deep emotional turmoil, but nothing. And the main characters could have some personality... but they don't.

There is a good plot, but the whole book is missing drive, heart, characterisation, I don't know, a voice maybe.
It felt repetitive and emotionless and I was disappointed.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Beware of possible spoilers.

This book really is beautiful. It truly feels a late 1900s gothic tale. Something about the way it's written has you embracing that vibe down to your core.

I think my main issue with it was that I'm not the kind of reader that enjoys a slow flow. The majority of the book doesn't have much happening. You spend a lot of time going back and forth between timelines, but not a lot happens. The clues of the mystery are dropped so softly to the point where you sort of feel like it isn't much to think about. It isn't as if it's building and building into something grand. It stays rather static for about 60% of the novel until things really start to pick up. I even struggled to get behind the romance because the male lead wasn't there an awful lot until further into the story.

I tend to like a more gradual climb in my reading experience. That being said, I know exactly who would love this book and I've told them all about it. This is for people who enjoy the slower pace of something like The Priory of the Orange Tree or When the Moon Hatched. If you like that style, you'll probably adore this!

I read this book in a few sittings and I was always sad to put it down and ripped out of the story just because there were things that needed to be done (just life).
The whole book is very atmospheric and captivating from the first page and it sucks you right in. I was interested in the characters and their individual journeys and how the plot was going to progress which is always a good thing but not always given nowadays.
With this book I found that it does not only rely on tropes and keywords to tell the story and keep you engaged. I also love the length of the chapters as chapters. Overall I just enjoyed my time reading this and I’ve also grown fond of our main characters very quickly.
I’m glad to be adding this to my list this year and I wanna thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC! <3

✨ARC Review ✨

I was really looking forward to diving into The Ravenswood Witch since I have a soft spot for period pieces with a supernatural twist. That said, my feelings about this book are a bit mixed.

Did I enjoy the premise and the setting? Absolutely! The world-building, clever misdirection, and twists were fun. However, I found the pacing a bit off for my taste. The first half of the book felt slow, and despite the rich world-building, I struggled to stay engaged with the story, even resorting to skimming to make it through.

Because of that pacing, I didn’t really connect with the characters, which was disappointing. I did find myself more drawn to Bran, the raven, and found myself theorizing about his role and significance as I read.

Normally, a slow read with flat characters might have driven me to put the book down, but those little breadcrumbs kept me curious enough to push through to about the 60% mark, where the twists and big reveal finally came into play. Unfortunately, it all felt a bit rushed and underwhelming since it was crammed into the latter part of the book.

So, would I recommend it? Maybe! But I’d probably only suggest it to those specific readers who I think would really appreciate this kind of story.

I would rate this: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spice rating of - 🌶️0.25/5

Thanks to @NetGalley and @theboldbookclub for the chance to read this advanced copy of this book. The Ravenswood Witch by Jenni Keer releases on 09/30/2024.

#TheRavenswoodWitch #NetGalley

I loved The Ravenswood Witch, with its gothic feel and sense of dark, impending dangers as witchcraft and love weave their threads through this mysterious tale.
Our heroine is a young woman on the run from authorities when she encounters Marcus Greybourne, who helps her to escape - but then extracts an unusual promise. What follows is a historical fantasy, that is full of twists and turns, and every time that I thought I had guessed the truth, then there was an expected surprise.
The Ravenswood Witch is a true page turner and I loved it.

Not a bad story but not one of the best ‘witch’ books I’ve read recently.

The year is 1885 and a young woman is on the run, knowing if she’s caught, she’ll be hanged for murder. Moments from a safe haven, she collides with a gruff stranger, falling and breaking her ankle.

Thanks to Netgalley and the author for the opportunity to read this book.

A historical fantasy about the power of our beliefs, The Ravenswood Witch follows a woman passing herself off as another to avoid consequences of her crime and that of the titular witch’s husband. Off to the beautiful but creepy manor they go and “Luna” has to figure out who to trust, is she being haunted by the woman she is impersonating, and what happened to her anyway. Were some practicalities glossed over? Yeah probably, but I loved these characters and some fun twists so I was more than happy to overlook them.
A perfect spooky season read!

3.5✨ it started out really good and through out the story there were things continue to happen which made me stick to the story but it felt like repetitive + they were some loopholes that didn’t get addressed. Last 30% was full of plot and I loved how things unfolded but to me that was not really outstanding/surprising (expect one thing that was really good!) to give this book 4 or above stars. As it ended up well so it was okay read for me and I gave it 3.5 stars.

This was such a great book and the twist that was 1/3 of the way through it was surprising and amazingly unusual. Normally when that occurs, the reveal early in the book, the story tends to drag the rest of the way but that didn’t happen here. This story takes place in the late 19th century (1885) at a gothic house in rural England. My gosh, the setting was so perfect for the spooky writing and the perception of time and place was outstanding. I felt that I was in the house and the woods at times.

I liked how these two lost souls were there for each other I found each other during the darkest days and kept each other safe from further repercussions. I love gothic mysteries and although this was more on the paranormal side with a bit of romance thrown in, I really dug it. This is a thoroughly riveting gothic story and in it, we get three points of view, they were clearly defined and one point of view took the name of someone else and I didn’t find it confusing at all…that takes talent. I have this author’s 2023 release No. 23 Burlington Square and At the Stroke of Midnight on my TBR pile and I can’t wait to get to them.

Really enjoyed this one. Lots of suspense in this historical novel set in the 19th century. A dark novel with some romance and a few unexpected twists

Just didnt gel with this read 25% and dnf and then went back few days ago and reread to 50% but was not for me really wanted to like it just didnt.

This book had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. The amount of theories I had and what it would turn out to be! And yet it got me, and even more than once. It’s spooky, gothic, mysterious. It is a thriller, there’s witchcraft, a sentient house and ghosts. It gave a bit of Gone Girl but make 1800s, We have always lived in the castle and Woman in White.
I don’t know what more can one want for an autumn read. This book did it for me all the way. Highly recommend.
Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC.

Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC of The Ravenswood Witch.

This book is very well written! I will definitely be looking into other books by this author. The concept of the story was super interesting and right up my alley. The world building and character discovery in the beginning was well laid out and got me excited for what I was about to read.
However, the story started to nose dive for a long time. Some of the scenes were good but there was a lot of "fluff" and stuff that could have been left out. The book was 293 pages and it wasn't until page 261 that the "who done it" part came to light. That left the most exciting part of the story super rushed along with the wrap up. And at that point I had trudged thru so much that the ending kinda fell flat and I was left saying "oh, ok".
Overall, it was a quick read with compelling characters and a great atmosphere. This is more of a palate cleanser of a book if you need one but not one to rush to the top of your TBR.

If you like Jane Eyre or the Woman in White, or really any gothic Victorian thriller/horror novel, you're going to love The Ravenswood Witch. Atmospheric, engrossing and thrilling, it grabs you and won't let you go until the end. There were even some twists and turns that I didn't expect, which is unusual in this type of work. Recommended, especially for a cold autumn evening when you can snuggle inside with a cup of tea.

A woman accused of a crime she didn’t commit is on the run along a slippery riverbank when she quite literally crashes into her knight in shining armor, Marcus Greybourne, who takes her in as his reclusive wife. The woman assumes the identity of Luna Greybourne, all while trying to figure out where the real Luna went and wondering if her new “husband” might be behind it all. Even worse, the real Luna Greybourne is known to the village as the Ravenswood Witch, wreaking havoc on the lives around her. And she’s not happy to be replaced. As the false Luna tries to unearth the truth, strange happenings threaten to drive her away. But magic is only real if you believe in it, right?

The Ravenswood Witch is an intriguing dark fantasy set in 1885. The elements of mystery and dark magic kept me intrigued throughout and I enjoyed the occasional change of POV. The writing style flowed nicely and I thought the plot was pretty unique. I did find the pacing to be a bit inconsistent; the first half of the book was extremely slow, while the second half piqued my attention. And while I was surprised by the twist, the ending unfortunately fell somewhat flat for me. I think I was hoping for a little more thrill and tension with the ending—it seemed to resolve quite quickly.

Overall it was still an interesting plot and may be of interest to readers looking for a nice spooky read in time for fall.

Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books, & Jenni Keer for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. Stay turned for the release of The Ravenswood Witch on September 29, 2024.

Okay, I cannot even form necessary words to convey to you how incredible this book is. Right about this time of year, I start to crave cozy, spooky, gothic-type stories. As much as I hate to admit this, I literally snatched this book up because I loved the cover; it seemed to be just what my mood-reading heart was craving. Let me tell you...I am now forever a Jenni Keer fan.

Set in the late 1800's, the book opens with the main character presumably running for her life. When she crashes into a handsome stranger, she is certain that she is doomed. However, the stranger tells the constable chasing her that she is his wife. He then promises to keep her secret, if she pretends to actually BE his wife...his missing wife. What follows is a fast-paced storyline with raw characters, the spookies, and some mysterious twists-and-turns. A definite recommend!

In a world full of books it's hard to find something that ticks all the boxes.. When I got my eyes on "The Ravenswood Witch" by Jenni Keer I was immediately drawn to it. Title, cover design and raven ticked my aesthetic requirements even though we are all raised to never judge a book by its cover 😉

Book description
The year is 1885 and a young woman is on the run, knowing if she’s caught, she’ll be hanged for murder. Moments from a safe haven, she collides with a gruff stranger, falling and breaking her ankle.

To her surprise, the man – Marcus Greybourne – convinces the local constable that she is his reclusive wife of ten years, Luna. He carries her back to the neglected and crumbling Ravenswood Hall, promising if she agrees to maintain this charade, he will keep her safe until her injuries have healed.

But the house is haunted by shadows and secrets. What’s more, the real Luna Greybourne is missing, without trace. Scratches and marks made by her around the house suggest witchcraft; and indeed Luna is known locally as the Ravenswood Witch; her reputation in tatters, like the wallpapers of the padlocked rooms she’d destroyed.

As strange happenings in the house continue, outside the screech of a raven echoes across oppressive woods that seem alive with dark magic. And the woman who is now pretending to be Luna can’t help but fear she’s escaped the noose for a far more terrible fate…

My review
I've never heard of the author before but I can assure you that I'm now stalking her on all of the social media to be first to know about her new books 😂. Jenni's writing style is flowing seamlessly between the characters and gives you the feel for the era without making it too heavy. The story delivers not only a good dose of the mystery but also bit of a romance as well as some good life lessons to all of us. One of my favourite quotes from it is "We are none of us truly one thing or the other, but shades of everything in between".
I personally loved it. It felt bit like a fairytale but with so much more in between including jealousy, intrigue, gaslighting even. It's going to be a perfect read not only for the dark and chilly autumn evenings but for everyone looking for a feel good story that will help you to appreciate what you have
Massive thanks to #NetGalley #boldwoodbooks and #jennikeer for the opportunity to read an early copy

The Ravenswood Witch starts off strong and really pulls you in with its intriguing premise and beautiful writing. The author does a good job of setting the atmosphere and building a world that feels mysterious and full of potential. The characters are interesting, and the story has moments that are genuinely exciting and kept me turning the pages.

That said, the book loses a bit of steam in the middle. While there are some exciting scenes, they don’t always lead to the payoff I was hoping for. This left me feeling a bit underwhelmed at times, especially since the buildup was so good. The ending, in particular, didn’t quite hit the mark for me—I was hoping for a bigger, more thrilling conclusion.

The two main characters had a lot of potential, and there were moments where they really shined (despite a few questionable decisions that raised my eyebrows). I just wish their development had gone a bit further so that I’d be more motivated to root for them.

Despite these issues, there’s a lot to love about The Ravenswood Witch. The writing is gorgeous, and the author’s talent is clear. Even though some scenes felt a bit long or unnecessary, the overall experience was still enjoyable. It’s a book that does many things right, even if it doesn’t fully deliver on everything it sets up.

Overall, The Ravenswood Witch is a good read with strong writing and interesting characters. It has its ups and downs, but if you enjoy atmospheric, character-driven stories, it’s worth checking out.

Jenni Keer's The Ravenswood Witch is a suspenseful, gothic tale that kept me on my toes. The mysteries build and unravel throughout the novel: who really is the woman running away from a murder charge? what secrets does Marcus keep? who is actually the witch of the woods? and how are Eloise, Rose, and Luna connected? Just when you think you have the answer to one question, a new piece of the puzzle emerges. This book would be great for anyone looking for a witchy, suspenseful read this autumn!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC; all opinions are my own.