I'm not really sure how I feel about this book. While the magic system of consuming 'Aji' or life force from others was fascinating, it often felt like plot armor, making high-stakes situations feel less intense.

The pacing was another issue for me—the beginning was captivating, but the rest of the story didn't hold my attention as much. The action scenes felt repetitive and dragged on longer than necessary.

The characters were well-written, but I struggled to connect with our MC, Khana. Whether it was intentional to represent her trauma or not, there was a certain distance to her character. I found myself connecting more with the side characters—Haz and Sava, I’m looking at you! And Sava’s parents? Total badasses. The romance was sweet and wholesome, though a little unexpected. (Yes, I was under the impression that Death was the love interest, but I actually appreciated the direction it took!)

One of the strongest aspects of this book was the found family dynamic—chaotic misfits and underdogs healing each other always gets me.

So, if you're looking for a standalone fantasy without heavy world-building, this might be worth checking out.

*Thank you, Netgalley, Angry Robot, and the author, for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.*

A gripping, emotionally raw novel that weaves together magic, trauma, and resilience in a world where death is a currency to be bargained with.

Khana escapes cruel Emperor Yamueto, who has kept her as a concubine for years. After discovering his secret - he's been making deals with Death to maintain his immortality - Khana uses her own magic to escape and flee the empire. She finds refuge in a mountain town, but her powers make her a target. As she fights to survive and stop the emperor, Khana must confront the consequences of each deal she makes with Death, knowing that each one takes a piece of her soul.

At the heart of the novel is a unique and fascinating take on magic. Magic isn’t just a mystical force confined to witches, it's woven into the very fabric of all living things. This interconnectedness of magic and life is beautifully explored, especially in the ways it can be manipulated, abused, and traded with Death itself. The story delves into how corruption seeps in when people exploit others for power, and it skillfully shows the duality of magic: it can both destroy and bring peace.

The portrayal of Khana’s struggle to adjust to a new life as a refugee feels incredibly authentic. The clear depiction of racism - how refugees, who heal the wounded and aid in wars, are still ostracized and abused for their appearance, language, and heritage - rings all too true and prevalent today.

The book doesn’t shy away from depicting trauma, abuse, and PTSD. The inclusion of these difficult topics - rape, manipulation, and domestic violence - could be overwhelming for some, but the way they’re handled is both respectful and empowering. (Especially since, this has one of the most considerate and informative trigger warnings I’ve ever come across). Khana and other characters, despite their horrific pasts, are given the agency to fight back, reclaim their power, and heal. This is a story of survival and strength, and it’s deeply inspiring to see the characters’ journeys toward overcoming their scars.

Amidst the darkness, the relationship between Khana and Sava offers a glimmer of hope and tenderness. Their slow-burn romance is one of the most rewarding aspects of the book, built on mutual healing as Sava works through his grief and Khana confronts her trauma. Their connection is not only romantic but also deeply emotional, as they find solace in each other’s company. Equally important is Khana’s relationship with Haz, a character who brings humor and lightness to the otherwise grim world. Haz’ sass and warmth offer the emotional balance Khana so desperately needs, and their found family dynamic is heartwarming and vital to the overall message of the story.

Overall, is an extraordinary tale of magic, survival, and human connection. It challenges readers to confront hard truths about trauma, racism, and the consequences of abusing power, while also celebrating the transformative power of love, healing, and community.

"The Witch who Trades with Death" is a refreshing standalone fantasy that manages to tackle heavy themes while still delivering a heartwarming found family narrative. Alongi crafts a unique magic system around Death that had me absolutely hooked - what witch doesn't love making questionable deals with supernatural entities? Khana's journey from abused concubine to powerful witch defending her chosen home hits all the right emotional notes, and the supporting cast of misfits made me want to curl up in their mountain town and never leave.

While the pacing occasionally stumbles in the latter half and some of the representation feels a bit forced, these minor issues don't detract from what is ultimately a compelling story about healing, belonging, and fighting back against those who would take your power. If you're looking for a fantasy that balances darkness with hope and features a dash of sweet romance (though sadly not with Death itself - I was a bit disappointed there), this one's definitely worth picking up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am so glad I didn't give up on this book. Given the trigger warnings, I almost set it down right then and there, and again when I almost threw up reading some of said triggers after deciding they weren't that bad. But once I got past the initial first few chapters, I found myself enjoying the book more and more. The cast of diverse characters all held importance to the book and were loveable underdogs, each and every one of them. And despite the heavy triggers and topics, Alongi handled them incredibly respectfully, and I appreciated mention of charities involving victims of assault. It really made it feel like the author cared about the readers and victims alike, and I think made it a bit easier to stomach the heavy contents of the book. I cried multiple times for this sweet little found family, and I'm so happy to have gotten an ARC of this book. It may take some time for me to get around to rereading it, but I can safely say I'll be back for more with this one, and I'd be more than happy to read any other books Alongi puts out in the future. She's got a fan for life for sure.

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT2y98S3M/

I really loved this book! The characters were so lovely and the found family aspect was fluffy and warm. This book can really help some people overcome trauma and heal (provided they abide by the trigger warnings in the beginning). I'd highly recommend this book to people for that alone but with a unique magic system, that's the cherry on top. Lgbtqia+ characters and a swooney romance is just an added bonus <3

The Witch Who Trades with Death is a well written, well paced, standalone fantasy that has definitely become a new fave to rave about. There was strong character development and a good chunk of world building.
Khana is an exceptionally strong character, she worries about those around her, even though she has been shown very little care.
Despite all the trauma she's faced she manages to cultivate a family all of her own which she draws to her with her kind actions. Khanas trauma is dealt with in a very realistic way and the supporting characters, a bunch of unruly misfits with huge hearts, are as supportive as they can be.

This discovery brings clarity to this devilishly creative magic system – death magic that Khana can perform enables her to draw life force (aji,) from animals and humans to transfer it to those in need of healing or dying, however, as she has discovered there is more to this power. Witches can trade memories, emotions and parts of their soul with death for greater reward but, ultimately this will result in the total loss of their soul.

There is so much more to this story than fighting a terrible enemy, and I accept that it may be polarising for some as there are some seriously strong triggers including trauma, rape, control and abuse referred to on and off page but, it’s also a story about misfits, the underdog, recovery, found family and there is no lack of minority representation.

This a book full of love, hope, action, heart, and ultimately family – most definitely found family, and I was really impressed with the author’s approach to healing and recovery. There was no instant bounce back from the trauma that Khana was carrying and there was recognition that everyone recovers in their own way and on their own timeline. I have to admit that I also adored the found family theme, particularly the relationship that developed between Khana and Haz, their relationship was almost sibling like with the bickering, humour and honestly, total love that encompassed them as family, plus Haz is just adorable, you can’t help but love him.

If you’re looking for a story that stands out amongst all the cosy fantasy and romantasy books this spring, then you won’t go wrong with The Witch Who Trades with Death. Alongi has delivered a standalone book that truly takes you on a journey with Khana and isn’t just about fighting an evil foe but, about discovering yourself and finding hope and happiness.
4.5 stars

Book Review
The Witch who trades with Death
By: @c.m.alongi

Khanna was born a witch that meant she was to be sent off to the Emperor, where she became one of his hundreds of concubines. The Emperor is a cruel man using the witches to create creatures to help him conquer other kingdoms. Khanna manages to escape him and finds herself in small village buried in the mountains where she finds work at a local inn to save more coin to hire a guide to get her across the tundra further from the man (if that's what you can call him) that haunts her dreams.

This book is a standalone fantasy. In the beginning, I did have a hard time with peoples names and places ( I hope the book will come with a pronunciation guide 🙏). The world building was insanely well done. While it has elements of magic, i got more historical war vibes with witches 🧙‍♀️. I still loved it, and about 60% through it couldn't put this book down to save my life. I was on the edge of my seat. So much action and drama and heart felt moments I was feeling all of the emotions. The ending was very satisfying for me.

I gave this book 4 stars 🌟

Really enjoyed reading this. The way the witches are was unexpected and not normally how you would think of them. Loved every minute.

I enjoyed this one! The storyline was easy to follow and the dialogue flowed well. The plot was interesting but kind of dragged along for me in some parts. I feel like the story was more about character development than anything.

I did receive an ARC of this book and I am not sure if the final copy will have a map, but I think adding one would be beneficial for the amount of territories that are described in this book. It took me a second to grasp all the different names and places, but it was not too hard to follow.

There is some spice in this book, and it was was minimal, but was not awkward or cringe at all. I also did like the multi-POV and that it helped us get to know some of the side characters better.

This did have a HEA ending which I appreciated it as well and I would recommend this to others to read.

4.5 ⭐

What a solid stand-alone fantasy book!

I really enjoyed this. It was well written and had a good pace to it. It def kept me interested throughout the whole book. As a stand alone, it wrapped up very nicely in the end which I appreciated.

The characters, 😚👌🏼. I loved every single one of them. And who doesn't love a found family?! I liked that we got multiple POVs throughout. It added to the story perfectly.

This book will give you all the feels. It deals with healing through different traumas and learning how to live after them. It was well done and felt realistic.

🙌🏼

The world-building was also pulled off well for a standalone and I was left feeling satisfied with a well-rounded story. There is a clear message against imperialism present throughout, but never does Alongi's tone become moralizing.

Really good read, interesting topic, however I felt the ending was rushed and I really wanted to know more, I hope there is a 2nd book but not sure what they could do with it as it feels like the main storyline is over

shockingly cozy for a fantasy with essentially part-human-part-animal zombies controlled by an undying god-king. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

This was a fun romantasy read, that is light-hearted while still touching on darker themes!

🗡️ Found Family
🗡️ Trauma Healing
🗡️ Romantic Subplot
🗡️ Grief
🗡️ Unique Creatures & Magic System
🗡️ Truly Evil Villain
🗡️ Side Characters You Love AND Side Characters You Love to Hate

I did feel a bit like this book started off really strong, but I thought the intensity of the plot weakened a bit by the end. Still an enjoyable read though!

3.75 ⭐
This was so different to what I've read before a kind of historical fantasy and a very character driven based story, I really enjoyed the magic system it felt so unique and refreshing and the writing was so easy to get lost in as you slowly follow along with Khana's journey. The world building was also done so well especially as it was a standalone and it gave me a satisfied feeling with how well the story concluded.

I did find it a little slow in places and I felt it took me a while to really get into at certain points but I really enjoyed the story with the friendships and slow build romance added in with a tiny but of spice.

DNF at 30%. This was a tough one for me. I jumped all over it at first because of the gorgeous cover and then the premise of the book from the synopsis but unfortunately it just didn’t live up to my expectations.

The first couple of chapters in the Empire intrigued me but unfortunately it just didn’t last. The pacing was quite slow for me and paired with what I felt to be a lack of world building, large time jumps, and no character development in the first half of the book made it tough for me to pick up the book.

The book switches from the FMCs POV to a bunch of other side characters POVs and their chapters lacked relevance and didn’t really add to the story.

By 30% into the book I should have a connection to something or someone and I just didn’t.

The magic system is quite unique, I haven’t read another fantasy like it and I really wish I loved this, it just wasn’t for me.

I do think this book had a good foundation for found family and I found the book to have vast representation, and despite not finishing it, I did read other reviews that applaud the ending and praising how the author tied everything up!

Thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review!

This book follows Khana, a witch who has been enslaved by the immortal emperor Yamueto. Khana manages to escape and Yamueto's wrath follows, putting Khana's new village squarely in his sights.

I really enjoyed the found family aspect, with most of the other characters having their wants and backgrounds explored, you got a good sense of their character.

While dealing with a subject such as domestic violence is not something to be taken lightly, it was refreshing to see a book acknowledge that DV is not just perpetrated by men (although both genders perpetration is demonstrated throughout). It also gave the characters time to unpack their trauma, with support from others, and process it.

While the spicy scene was a little cringe for me (words like "mound" and "nub"), I enjoyed Khana's and Sava's relationship. There was also LGBTQ+ rep in there too

A little dark at times (check the TW at the beginning), this book gives victims the chance to not only escape their abusers, but vanquish them too

This one just wasn't for me. It might be for you if you like a really, really slow-moving plot with multiple POVs. I wasn't quite sure where this book was going. Was Khana a witch in hiding? Was she a rebel? The additional POVs really didn't add depth to the story.

4.5 Stars ⭐️

The Witch Who Trades with Death was such a pleasant surprise! I picked it up purely because of the intriguing title, not knowing what to expect, and I was completely captivated. The writing style was unlike anything I’ve read before—lyrical, descriptive, and deeply immersive. It beautifully captured both the setting and the raw emotions of the characters.

The author did an incredible job of bringing this magical world to life. The culture felt so vivid, and I could truly picture every detail. Khana’s character development was another standout for me—I loved following her journey.

As a standalone, this book delivered everything I could want: rich world-building, stunning prose, and an emotional depth that lingered long after I turned the last page. I highly recommend it!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with this e-ARC!