Sue Reviews: Witch Born by Amber Argyle

Title: Witch Born Series: Witch Song #2 Author: Amber Argyle Publisher: Starling Publishing Format: eBook, 330 pages Published: September 5, 2012 ASIN #: B008VWYYN8 Genre: Young Adult My Copy: received for review Rating: Buy: Brusenna thought it was finished. She defeated the Dark Witch, saving the Haven Witches from imprisonment and death. She found love and a place to belong. She was wrong. Haven is not the sanctuary it appears to be. Even love is in danger of slipping away like water through cupped hands. Some things can’t be saved. A new threat merges with the old as the Witches’ dark history begins to catch up with them. Only Brusenna knows the extent of the danger and how to stop it, though doing so might cost her everything. Including her life. Will Brusenna be required to make the ultimate sacrifice?

I’m going to start by saying, thank goodness I read the books in this series back to back. It’s so hard to wait on new books in a promising series. Once you reach the half way point of this book, you’re going to want to clear your schedule, in order to read the last half uninterrupted! Amber Argyle, does not disappoint her readers! Witch Born is a wonderful follow-up to Witch Song.

Now let’s take a moment and admire that cover! It deserves some over the top, girly-gushing. I love how Brusenna is looking more mature on the cover. The earthy feel, of the sepia coloured cover, with the wind blowing through her hair and the beauty of the moths, truly invokes the feelings I had reading this book .

I don’t want to spoil anything for the readers of this series, but I do want to give you a sense of what this book is about and why it works so well as a YA book for both young adults and adults. It explores themes of loyalty, family and love. If you enjoy a mature, teen protagonist, then this is the series for you.

We find Brusenna the main character continuing on from the first book, at Haven, with the rest of the witches. Brusenna is a strong witch and she does a good job at hiding this important fact. While she possesses this magical strength, her emotions are very human. She has the self doubt of a teenager with the (literal) weight of the world on her shoulders. Her relationship with her mother is a complex one. Sacra loves her daughter, and wants to protect her. Brusenna implores her mother for answers to secrets of long past, but Sacra holds firm in wanting to keep her daughter innocent. Brusenna asks an important question, “would you have me innocent or ignorant?”

 I thought the dynamic between mother/daughter was explored very well, and as a reader and mother, I could completely identify with Sacra. What’s great about Argyle’s story, is that I could also tap into my teenaged self, and identify with Brusenna.

The history of the witches is finally revealed in Witch Born. The lore is interesting, completely original and logical to the story. After reading the first book, we are kind of left hanging in regards to what has happened to have left the witches so desolate and isolated. The whole cast of characters from the previous book, including a slew of new one’s, are all multi-layered and great additions to the story. Pogg is a favorite of mine, and slightly reminiscent, of a kind and more gentle, Gollum (from Lord of The Rings, by Tolkien).

Argyle’s writing is beautiful and descriptive. Completely captivated and transported me into the middle of this story.

Joshen continues on in this second book, as a constant and reliable boyfriend to Brusenna and guardian to the witches. Their relationship is healthy and they mutually respect each other, but still squabble as any couple would. While they are regular teenagers in some scenes, they rise to the occasion during other scenes that make for some great action packed reading. This is the appeal of YA Fantasy – teenagers in unconventional circumstances, kicking butt, and becoming better people along the way. Joshen is brave and will throw himself into harms way to protect Brusenna and to do what’s right.  Argyle propels these characters forward in development, by showing their courageous and sometimes failed responses to situations.

It’s one of those worlds I was sad to leave. I just read on goodreads, that these will be the only two books in the series, with perhaps some secondary novella’s on other characters from these books.
I look forward to the novellas, and pretty please, a book three?

Books in this series:

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