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!

I was not expecting this to read as a historical fantasy but it ended up being a happy mistake. I really enjoyed the story and almost wished that it wasn’t a standalone.

I really ended up loving the magic system as it felt incredibly unique compared to others I have read about. Anything with Death being portrayed as a type of being always intrigues me and I was not let down! There is a ton of history and world building packed into this story, none of which felt overwhelming but instead added layers on layers to the plot and allowed for a fantastically well-rounded standalone novel. This is where the historical fiction tag truly comes into play. This spans over a decent chunk of time and I liked the timeframe as it felt entirely natural. I ended up being incredibly surprised that this was a debut novel as well, I didn’t notice the hiccups I normally see with first time authors.

There is romance but it is pretty clean, just as a heads up for smut lovers like me!

Wow! This is a powerful, stand alone, fantasy novel! It took me a couple of chapters to really find my footing in the story, but once I did, I was hooked! This is all about second chances, healing, love, and witchcraft, all wrapped up in a great fantasy novel! I can't wait to read more by Alongi! Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for my digital ARC!!!

A brilliantly crafted story of magic, friendships, romance, danger and fantasy.

This book hit hard from the start as we meet Khana, a young witch forced to be the evil immortal Emperors concubine. What follows is her escape fr from his clutches and her subsequent meeting of a totally random mix of characters.

Bring on the friendship and found family vibes that have these guys fighting alongside each other as they try to protect their kingdom.

This story was so well written that this unlikely collection of friends just worked perfectly. So many unexpected twists in this. Deals with Death, an array of perfectly matched romances and friendships and epic battle scenes and finale.

This was an engaging and page turning read, created around a fantastic fantasy realm and magic system. I couldn't put this down had several heart stopping moments.

One I'll definitely be recommending you immerse yourself in.

*thank you to net-galley for an e-arc in return of an honest review*

Loved the concept of this book, although I was CRAVING more of deaths personality. It’s a tale of found family which is always a winner, when done well, which this is. It was a lovely fantasy world which was different to the copy and paste you get a lot at the minute which was refreshing. My only gripe would be it could have been made a little shorter to keep the pace as quick as it was in some parts!

There were so many wonderful things to enjoy about Khana's story! As I was reading, I kept thinking to myself that despite the high stakes, battle training, and action, this book FEELS like a cozy fantasy story. Although our main conflict involves a war against an evil, immortal emperor, the emphasis on found family, protecting your community, trauma healing, learning to ask for help, music, and sweet, wholesome romance, made me feel warm and fuzzy inside. Readers of cozy fantasy like The Spellshop or Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries who love small town, slice of life stories but wish there was more action and slightly higher stakes will absolutely love The Witch who Trades with Death!

A quick rundown of what you'll find:
-Unique magic system with complex, artful worldbuilding (night creatures?! Trading pieces of your soul in exchange for power from Death?! Yes, please!)
-A rag-tag group of misfits who learn to trust and fight together, giving total Mulan vibes (they call themselves the "poison dart frogs"-adorable, underestimated, and deadly!)
-Evil, immortal emperor who is delightfully horrible
-An "other" trying to find a home, and safety
-Found family (found town?!)
-Innocent romance (1 chili pepper for spice found in one chapter easily skipped if that's your preference)
-Cold wintertime vibes

I walk away from Khana, Sava, and the rest of my new friends with a glow in my heart. I positively loved the themes of learning how to ask for help, knowing when (and what) to sacrifice for others, giving of yourself to your friends and community, but not more than you can afford to lose. I thought Death would be a more central figure, but felt they stole the show every scene they were in! The imagery of a fair, just, and ultimately kind Death is one of my favorites to read. The cast of characters including Haz, Lueti, Amati, Neta, and so many others, added such depth and heart to the story. I anticipated a darker and heavier read, and was so delighted with what I found instead!

TW: SA of main characters (off page, with focus on healing from those events)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this wholesome, heartfelt, exciting, and moving story!

Favorite Quote:
"Small, inconspicuous, and deadly to the touch. That was what she was going to be."

Big thanks to Netgalley and CM Alongi for the eARC in exchange for a review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and think it could very well become the next big fantasy romance.
It's got some well deserved trigger warnings but they are written well.

The fight scenes were written well, the magic and political builds were done well, covering a lot of potential plot holes that I was anticipating.

I loved this 100% and will be a CM Alongi fan going forward!

The Witch who Trades with Death, an epic Fantasy read that still felt wholesome and had me hooked from page one.

Khana is taken from her home at a young age and forced into service of the immortal Emperor as one his many concubines. When she accidentally learns his immortality secret and he learns of her own deception and the murder of his favourite concubine there's only one thing she can do: run!

She finds an unlikely new home in a cold mountain village, she doesn't expect to stay long for fear of the Emperor who's still searching for her, but finding a bunch of misfits she finally finds some true friends and a place just maybe she can call home, but the Emperor wont let her live knowing his secrets and he is set on conquering all places.

Khana is living with trauma, she's been through some very dark moments I feel were handled well throughout the story. It's had a huge impact on her life and her healing journey was raw and honest.

This was a great fantasy standalone read, it had everything I needed. A found family that was so well executed and a slow burn romance that was perfectly felt through the pages. The side characters each held there own and it really felt like a close knit unit. The pacing of the story was just right and left me not wanting to put down.

Overall I have really enjoyed this one, 4.5 stars and my favourite read of January 2025.
Thank you so much to Angry Robot Books for sending me an arc copy of this one.