The Wolf and the Witch

Another absolute win from Charissa Weaks! I absolutely devoured this book from start to finish, and loved everything about it! This is a Witch Walker novella, and it picks up where we left off in City of Ruin. However, it follows Neri and Nephele instead of our usual POVs. Neri is a wolf god who's made a bargain with Nephele, Raina's sister, to bring him back to his full being, and Nephele is desperate for answers about Raina after the events of City of Ruin. There is a ton of delicious tension with some incredible payoff toward the end. The author continues to deliver such good romance and spice, and the banter between Neri and Nephele is so so fun. We continue to see our amazing cast of characters including Alexus and Colden, and I really love how their friendship with Nephele was written. Their love for her was truly palpable. The imagery and descriptive writing style continue to be some of my favorite in romantasy right now, and I really can't wait for Kingdom of the Forgotten this fall! Even though this novella is packed with tension and spice and romantic bits, we still get so much information and details on the plot of the series. This is an adult fantasy novella, 18+ for sexual content

I would like to thanks Charissa Weeks for the opportunity to read an ARC of The Wolf and the witch in exchange for an honest review.

This book picks up immediately after the City of Ruin ending, which was quite unforgettable. Although we do learn a few things that will calm our aching hearts, this book is a novella that focus mainly on Nephele and Neri and thus, does not advance much in terms of plot for the remaining of the series.

What I liked about the book:
- Both Nephele and Neri are strong and likable characters. I enjoyed their banter and how much Neri advocated Nephele independence and capabilities to Alexus and Colden.
- I was already curious about the Bloodgood family and this book left me even more curious about them.
- although I would have preferred this book to advance more in terms of plot, I think the pieces it added are quite helpful to make the next book more focused on the main issues/ story.

What I think it could have been done better:
- this book is mainly focused on the romance and, although I don't dislike smut, I would have liked to see a bit more action.
- One of the things I love the most in this series is that it always felt original, in a land where magic is wielded by singing it, having a mute main character is absolutely refreshing. Nephele character, although strong and interesting, is more similar to some strong female characters from other fantasy/ romance series, including some bits that for me, resembled too much the Blood and Ash series.

I am a fan of the Witch Walker series since I accidentally discovered it on 2021 and it pains me to say I didn't enjoy this book as much as I wanted. However, it was still a thoroughly entertaining read and I will keep anxiously awaiting for the next installment to be released this year.

If you are a fan of Fantasy romance, I can't recommend this series enough!