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Witch Song #3
Witch Fall
A witch. Her guardian. Centuries of secrets . . .
Brusenna defeated the dark witch, saving her fellow witches from imprisonment and death. She found love and a place to belong. But the longer she stays with the witches, the more disturbing secrets she dredges up from their sordid past.
Secrets that threaten to destroy them all.
A new threat merges with the old as the witches' dark history begins to catch up to them. Only Brusenna realizes the extent of the danger and how to stop it, though doing so might cost her everything.
Including her life.
Dying for a witchy read that will keep you up all night? If you enjoyed the sweet romance, daring adventure, and unique magic in books like SHADOW AND BONE and THE BLACK WITCH, the Witch Song Series will leave you breathless for more. Read now and let yourself be bewitched!
OTHER TITLES BY AMBER ARGYLE
Witch Song Series
Witch Song
Witch Born
Witch Rising
Witch Fall
Forbidden Forest Series
Lady of Shadows
Stolen Enchantress
Piper Prince
Wraith King
Curse Queen
Fairy Queens Saga
Of Ice and Snow
Winter Queen
Of Fire and Ash
Summer Queen
Of Sand and Storm
Daughter of Winter
Winter’s Heir
Brusenna defeated the dark witch, saving her fellow witches from imprisonment and death. She found love and a place to belong. But the longer she stays with the witches, the more disturbing secrets she dredges up from their sordid past.
Secrets that threaten to destroy them all.
A new threat merges with the old as the witches' dark history begins to catch up to them. Only Brusenna realizes the extent of the danger and how to stop it, though doing so might cost her everything.
Including her life.
Dying for a witchy read that will keep you up all night? If you enjoyed the sweet romance, daring adventure, and unique magic in books like SHADOW AND BONE and THE BLACK WITCH, the Witch Song Series will leave you breathless for more. Read now and let yourself be bewitched!
OTHER TITLES BY AMBER ARGYLE
Witch Song Series
Witch Song
Witch Born
Witch Rising
Witch Fall
Forbidden Forest Series
Lady of Shadows
Stolen Enchantress
Piper Prince
Wraith King
Curse Queen
Fairy Queens Saga
Of Ice and Snow
Winter Queen
Of Fire and Ash
Summer Queen
Of Sand and Storm
Daughter of Winter
Winter’s Heir
340 pages, Paperback
First published December 28, 2013
About the author
Amber Argyle
29 books1,096 followersAmber Argyle is the bestselling fantasy & romance author of the Forbidden Forest, Fairy Queens, Witch Song, & Wild Heart Ranch Romance series. Her award-winning books have been translated into several languages and praised by such authors as NYT bestsellers David Farland and Jennifer A. Nielsen.
Amber grew up on a cattle ranch and spent her formative years in the rodeo circuit and on the basketball court. She graduated cum laude from Utah State University. She’s delightfully sarcastic, loves all things outdoors, and believes spiders should be relegated to horror novels where they belong.
She has completed three series and is working on a fourth.
To receive her starter library of four free books, simply tell her where to send it: http://amberargyle.com/freebooks/
Amber grew up on a cattle ranch and spent her formative years in the rodeo circuit and on the basketball court. She graduated cum laude from Utah State University. She’s delightfully sarcastic, loves all things outdoors, and believes spiders should be relegated to horror novels where they belong.
She has completed three series and is working on a fourth.
To receive her starter library of four free books, simply tell her where to send it: http://amberargyle.com/freebooks/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 106 reviews
February 21, 2017
First page (unedited):
Lilette readjusted her grip on the sliver of bamboo, her shoulders aching from sawing back and forth across the fibers that held the door to the frame.
The binding gave with a satisfying snap. She went still, listening to see if anyone had heard. But there was only the sound of chickens roosting under the floor.
One more binding and she’d be able to crawl through. The village elders would have no one to blame for her escape but themselves—thinking a chained door would keep her in a house made of bamboo and fibers. Fools, the lot of them.
She started on the second binding. Sweat trickled down the cleft in her breasts and her clothes clung to her damp skin, but she ignored it. Ignored everything on this miserable breezeless night.
Finally, the second binding gave. With only one left, the door sagged crookedly against the top of the frame.
Kneeling, she eased the corner of the door aside, pleased to find room for her to crawl through. She’d made it halfway out when a sound made her freeze. The soft sush of feet through sand. Backing back into the hut, she bit back a curse as a jagged piece of bamboo ripped out a chunk of her hair.
She readjusted the door and frantically brushed broken bits of thread and bamboo between the gaps in the flooring. She quickly lay down and feigned sleep.
Lilette readjusted her grip on the sliver of bamboo, her shoulders aching from sawing back and forth across the fibers that held the door to the frame.
The binding gave with a satisfying snap. She went still, listening to see if anyone had heard. But there was only the sound of chickens roosting under the floor.
One more binding and she’d be able to crawl through. The village elders would have no one to blame for her escape but themselves—thinking a chained door would keep her in a house made of bamboo and fibers. Fools, the lot of them.
She started on the second binding. Sweat trickled down the cleft in her breasts and her clothes clung to her damp skin, but she ignored it. Ignored everything on this miserable breezeless night.
Finally, the second binding gave. With only one left, the door sagged crookedly against the top of the frame.
Kneeling, she eased the corner of the door aside, pleased to find room for her to crawl through. She’d made it halfway out when a sound made her freeze. The soft sush of feet through sand. Backing back into the hut, she bit back a curse as a jagged piece of bamboo ripped out a chunk of her hair.
She readjusted the door and frantically brushed broken bits of thread and bamboo between the gaps in the flooring. She quickly lay down and feigned sleep.
Shelved as 'unlikely'
May 31, 2013How -- if I may ask -- do you get such gorgeous covers, Mrs. Argyle? SERIOUSLY.
January 15, 2014
Author provided ARC for an honest and sincere review.
I am a huge fan of Amber Argyle. She is one of the very few authors who delivers great stories with memorable and absolutely amazing characters back to back. When I heard that she was writing prequels, I had doubts and for the longest time, even thought of skipping them. I would have been an idiot for doing that because, like her previous books, Witch Fall was brilliant.
Witch Fall is the story of Lilette, a Keeper who came long before Brusenna (the protagonist of Witch Song and Witch Born.) Her story continues from the novella where we first met her and can be summed up as, “out from the frying pan, into the fire”. Lilette’s refuge is shattered when she is captured by the prince, Chen and forced to go the ruling city of Harshen, Rinnish. She goes from being Chen’s concubine to his betrothed and finally his wife in a span of just a few days. She has no allies and no one to turn to. She bides her time and resolves to escape to her own people, the Keepers, witches with the power of Song.
At 303 pages, it is a short novel without a single dull moment. There are no long lapses of time with nothing happening. The pace is fast and yet never at the expense of the story, you never feel as if you’re rushing through it. The narrative is also very visual without long paragraphs spent in descriptions. Another thing I like about Amber Argyle is her writing. Her books are genuinely well written and suck you in completely. I hated putting it down for even a minute and at the same time tried, hopelessly, to make the book last as long as possible. It was riveting and engrossing. I also liked the way every new chapter started, like a very brief introduction. It was a smart thing to do, almost like introducing two characters at once. The only thing that I had a problem with, was that in some places there was no reference as to how much time had passed. I had the same problem with Witch Rising and even the end of Winter Queen, where it was unclear whether a day, a week or a month had passed or if any time had passed at all. This confused me somewhat.
Like her other books, Witch Fall also features romance and while it is integral to the story and the protagonist, it never overshadowed or distracted from the central plot, that of the witches, their society and its impact on the rest of the world. The romance was natural and believable and more intense because it was subtle and underplayed. It took its time to grow and cement the bond between these two people who had both lost so much. I prefer such love stories as opposed to the ones where the two leads fall in love immediately.
Argyle’s books also feature truly interesting characters who have depth and dimensions, with plenty of grey characters. You will not find one-dimensional cut-outs here. The worst kind of evil is that which thinks it is noble and these are precisely the kind of villains I find most despicable. They are blinded by their own ‘righteousness’ and honestly believe they are doing the right thing (whatever that might be.) There were characters that I hated who I came to like and love as the story progressed and others, I liked in the beginning that turned out to be revolting.
Lilette is the protagonist of this story. She is someone who has had a very tough life: she saw her parents die pretty much in front of her and that has a very lasting effect on her. In books, we often meet heroines who are only too happy to go into battle almost as if they have to prove to the male characters that they are not inferior to them, these decisions are also wrought with much drama as everyone involved knows how futile it is, and these heroines decide to proceed regardless of the consequences. What was different about Lilette was that she had to learn how to retreat. She often had to go against people far stronger than her, with more resources at their disposal, people she had no chance of winning against. And she wanted to live; she did not spend the book constantly putting her life in danger. This is also rare, most heroines love playing the martyr. She was also decisive, and once she did decide something, she did not waste her time second-guessing herself (also, she usually just did not have time to second-guess herself). Yes, she had the other traits that a typical heroine is supposed to have, for instance, she was kind, brave and generous but there are plenty of things that differentiate her from the usual mold and I found myself genuinely rooting for her.
Amber Argyle also writes great male characters who are not saddled with insecurities and ego hassles. They complement the female protagonists perfectly and treat them with respect and trust them to make sound choices. Han is the love-interest in the story and one of the characters I hated initially. What made him even more annoying is that he struck me as someone who knew that what was being done was wrong but he went ahead anyway. But, just like Lilette, he too grows through the course of the book. And no, he did not suddenly go from being a brute to a lovelorn hero who was misunderstood this whole time. His transformation was gradual and he became a source of strength and support for Lilette in a way nobody else could. He was someone Lilette could trust implicitly because there were no hidden agendas where he was concerned. He was honest and blunt and did not waste time in doublespeak. I liked that he let her make her own decisions and respected her enough to let her choose for herself. He was a very solid character, steadfast. This line from the book describes him perfectly:
“Lilette was like a star—full of light and distant beauty. Han was like the shadows around the stars—he let her shine”.
Jolin was also one of the important characters. She becomes Lilette’s friend and their friendship is also an important aspect of the story. You get to see their relationship evolve and change as they grow into their own selves. She was ambitious but not heartless and ruthless. Like most of us, she wanted to create a name for herself and be free of the burden that comes with having very accomplished parents. It was also nice to see how another character perceived Lilette. It was a pleasant contrast to what Lilette thought of those around her.
There were a bunch of other characters, some friends (Pan, Salfe, Jolin) and some enemies (Chen, Bian) but pretty much every character, however peripheral, made an impact and was memorable. This was one of those rare books where almost every character did something less than decent but this only made them more relatable and realistic. People are rarely all good or all bad and Argyle’s characters reflect that.
Reading Witch Rising and Witch Fall make me want to re-read Witch Song and Witch Born because now I am curious about how Lilette and the islands of Harshen was portrayed. Sadly, I seem to have forgotten quite a bit.
Witch Song was already a great series and Witch Fall is a fitting addition to it. I am glad that we got this insight into the Keepers’ history and the events led to what we saw in the other two books. At its core, it is a wonderful story with excellent world building and incredible characters you want to root for. What more could you ask for!
I am a huge fan of Amber Argyle. She is one of the very few authors who delivers great stories with memorable and absolutely amazing characters back to back. When I heard that she was writing prequels, I had doubts and for the longest time, even thought of skipping them. I would have been an idiot for doing that because, like her previous books, Witch Fall was brilliant.
Witch Fall is the story of Lilette, a Keeper who came long before Brusenna (the protagonist of Witch Song and Witch Born.) Her story continues from the novella where we first met her and can be summed up as, “out from the frying pan, into the fire”. Lilette’s refuge is shattered when she is captured by the prince, Chen and forced to go the ruling city of Harshen, Rinnish. She goes from being Chen’s concubine to his betrothed and finally his wife in a span of just a few days. She has no allies and no one to turn to. She bides her time and resolves to escape to her own people, the Keepers, witches with the power of Song.
At 303 pages, it is a short novel without a single dull moment. There are no long lapses of time with nothing happening. The pace is fast and yet never at the expense of the story, you never feel as if you’re rushing through it. The narrative is also very visual without long paragraphs spent in descriptions. Another thing I like about Amber Argyle is her writing. Her books are genuinely well written and suck you in completely. I hated putting it down for even a minute and at the same time tried, hopelessly, to make the book last as long as possible. It was riveting and engrossing. I also liked the way every new chapter started, like a very brief introduction. It was a smart thing to do, almost like introducing two characters at once. The only thing that I had a problem with, was that in some places there was no reference as to how much time had passed. I had the same problem with Witch Rising and even the end of Winter Queen, where it was unclear whether a day, a week or a month had passed or if any time had passed at all. This confused me somewhat.
Like her other books, Witch Fall also features romance and while it is integral to the story and the protagonist, it never overshadowed or distracted from the central plot, that of the witches, their society and its impact on the rest of the world. The romance was natural and believable and more intense because it was subtle and underplayed. It took its time to grow and cement the bond between these two people who had both lost so much. I prefer such love stories as opposed to the ones where the two leads fall in love immediately.
Argyle’s books also feature truly interesting characters who have depth and dimensions, with plenty of grey characters. You will not find one-dimensional cut-outs here. The worst kind of evil is that which thinks it is noble and these are precisely the kind of villains I find most despicable. They are blinded by their own ‘righteousness’ and honestly believe they are doing the right thing (whatever that might be.) There were characters that I hated who I came to like and love as the story progressed and others, I liked in the beginning that turned out to be revolting.
Lilette is the protagonist of this story. She is someone who has had a very tough life: she saw her parents die pretty much in front of her and that has a very lasting effect on her. In books, we often meet heroines who are only too happy to go into battle almost as if they have to prove to the male characters that they are not inferior to them, these decisions are also wrought with much drama as everyone involved knows how futile it is, and these heroines decide to proceed regardless of the consequences. What was different about Lilette was that she had to learn how to retreat. She often had to go against people far stronger than her, with more resources at their disposal, people she had no chance of winning against. And she wanted to live; she did not spend the book constantly putting her life in danger. This is also rare, most heroines love playing the martyr. She was also decisive, and once she did decide something, she did not waste her time second-guessing herself (also, she usually just did not have time to second-guess herself). Yes, she had the other traits that a typical heroine is supposed to have, for instance, she was kind, brave and generous but there are plenty of things that differentiate her from the usual mold and I found myself genuinely rooting for her.
Amber Argyle also writes great male characters who are not saddled with insecurities and ego hassles. They complement the female protagonists perfectly and treat them with respect and trust them to make sound choices. Han is the love-interest in the story and one of the characters I hated initially. What made him even more annoying is that he struck me as someone who knew that what was being done was wrong but he went ahead anyway. But, just like Lilette, he too grows through the course of the book. And no, he did not suddenly go from being a brute to a lovelorn hero who was misunderstood this whole time. His transformation was gradual and he became a source of strength and support for Lilette in a way nobody else could. He was someone Lilette could trust implicitly because there were no hidden agendas where he was concerned. He was honest and blunt and did not waste time in doublespeak. I liked that he let her make her own decisions and respected her enough to let her choose for herself. He was a very solid character, steadfast. This line from the book describes him perfectly:
“Lilette was like a star—full of light and distant beauty. Han was like the shadows around the stars—he let her shine”.
Jolin was also one of the important characters. She becomes Lilette’s friend and their friendship is also an important aspect of the story. You get to see their relationship evolve and change as they grow into their own selves. She was ambitious but not heartless and ruthless. Like most of us, she wanted to create a name for herself and be free of the burden that comes with having very accomplished parents. It was also nice to see how another character perceived Lilette. It was a pleasant contrast to what Lilette thought of those around her.
There were a bunch of other characters, some friends (Pan, Salfe, Jolin) and some enemies (Chen, Bian) but pretty much every character, however peripheral, made an impact and was memorable. This was one of those rare books where almost every character did something less than decent but this only made them more relatable and realistic. People are rarely all good or all bad and Argyle’s characters reflect that.
Reading Witch Rising and Witch Fall make me want to re-read Witch Song and Witch Born because now I am curious about how Lilette and the islands of Harshen was portrayed. Sadly, I seem to have forgotten quite a bit.
Witch Song was already a great series and Witch Fall is a fitting addition to it. I am glad that we got this insight into the Keepers’ history and the events led to what we saw in the other two books. At its core, it is a wonderful story with excellent world building and incredible characters you want to root for. What more could you ask for!
June 30, 2015
One of the things that I regret about deleting all of my reviews on Amazon is that I could not get them to import to Goodreads. Booklikes makes it a bit difficult to import from Amazon too so I just gave up since the thought of copying and posting around 500 reviews did not appeal to me at all. I initially read Witch Song #1 a couple of years ago. I had some problems with the world building and the never ending quest of this book but ultimately did like it. I read Witch Song #2 and once again had the same issues with that book that I did with book #1 with the added problem that there is a lot of description of things that I wish had been cut out to make the book flow together better. I finally got around to reading Witch Song #3 this past weekend. You really do have to read through books #1 and #2 if you want to have an inkling of who this main character is and why she is so important to events that transpire in those books. Witch Fall is a prequel to books #1 and #2.
Book #3 focuses on Lilette. In the world that Ms. Argyle has created, witches are worth a lot and due to their ability to sing, can rule the air, fire, water, and earth.
Lilette we find is an orphaned witch who after being found on an island is told by the man who finds and raises her to never sing, since witches are able to sense each other through their song. Lilette is about to be married to the island chief and is plotting to run away when she is kidnapped and listens to those she grew up with being slaughtered. I did like the characrter of Lilette and others we are introduced to like Han and Jolin. However, there were too many problems for me to overlook to give this a four star rating so I gave it a 3.5 star rating.
Once again I have to find fault with the writing and pacing in this book. Ms. Argyle started off this book as if people would know who the main character Lilette was and the island and people she lived with. We honestly get plopped right down in the middle of a kidnapping and I felt like I missed something since we are introduced to characters that the main character practically just says "oh this is so and so and I knew him as a child." Okay good for you, can we please have some backstory here.
This book just like it's predecessors also needs to be cut down a lot. There are just passages and passages of Lilette planning her escape and being thwarted at every turn. I really wanted to say to her, "please be smarter."
I think the world building could have been improved as well since it seems like all of the main players are pretty much a boat ride of two to three days away from each other. I wish that there had been a map so I could more easily picture where lands and kingdoms were placed in this world.
The romance such as it was did touch me and I thought the ending was actually very well done. I honestly did not see it going that way since the way things were depicted in books #2 I thought that it implied a different ending than the one I read here.
Book #3 focuses on Lilette. In the world that Ms. Argyle has created, witches are worth a lot and due to their ability to sing, can rule the air, fire, water, and earth.
Lilette we find is an orphaned witch who after being found on an island is told by the man who finds and raises her to never sing, since witches are able to sense each other through their song. Lilette is about to be married to the island chief and is plotting to run away when she is kidnapped and listens to those she grew up with being slaughtered. I did like the characrter of Lilette and others we are introduced to like Han and Jolin. However, there were too many problems for me to overlook to give this a four star rating so I gave it a 3.5 star rating.
Once again I have to find fault with the writing and pacing in this book. Ms. Argyle started off this book as if people would know who the main character Lilette was and the island and people she lived with. We honestly get plopped right down in the middle of a kidnapping and I felt like I missed something since we are introduced to characters that the main character practically just says "oh this is so and so and I knew him as a child." Okay good for you, can we please have some backstory here.
This book just like it's predecessors also needs to be cut down a lot. There are just passages and passages of Lilette planning her escape and being thwarted at every turn. I really wanted to say to her, "please be smarter."
I think the world building could have been improved as well since it seems like all of the main players are pretty much a boat ride of two to three days away from each other. I wish that there had been a map so I could more easily picture where lands and kingdoms were placed in this world.
The romance such as it was did touch me and I thought the ending was actually very well done. I honestly did not see it going that way since the way things were depicted in books #2 I thought that it implied a different ending than the one I read here.
January 13, 2014
It is interesting reading a story when you know how it ends. I am the type of reader who doesn’t mind spoilers overall because I like the journey and the individual ways an author expresses their perspective. Amber has a wonderful style full of creativity and backed by knowledge. Because of the placement of the story line this installment further fills out a story you are already somewhat familiar with but mostly in its ending. I always love a new perspective being added into the mix and feel that this really added to the series and the emotions behind the overall story arc.
Anyone who reads my recommendations regularly knows there is nothing I love more than a good flawed character. Lilette is no exception. Witch Fall is aptly named and a much more emotional read that the first two books in the series. I found myself more ensnared as what we thought we knew was shown to only be one layer of the story. Not only is it quiet revealing but it manages to be a quality above the others in the series showing that Amber just continued to deliver and exceed expectations.
Overall 5 stars and beautifully written!
Anyone who reads my recommendations regularly knows there is nothing I love more than a good flawed character. Lilette is no exception. Witch Fall is aptly named and a much more emotional read that the first two books in the series. I found myself more ensnared as what we thought we knew was shown to only be one layer of the story. Not only is it quiet revealing but it manages to be a quality above the others in the series showing that Amber just continued to deliver and exceed expectations.
Overall 5 stars and beautifully written!
August 23, 2015
I loved that world that is so different from the typical fantasy worlds. In this last book of the witch song series, one learned the background history of the first two books and it was really exciting and emotional. I also liked the characters, they often get experienced and developped through the story line but unfortunately some of them remained grey.
Nevertheless a wonderful world and very gripping story!
Nevertheless a wonderful world and very gripping story!
Shelved as 'to-read-young-adult'
June 6, 2013I'm so in awe by this cover that I think I might have to hunt down this entire series to read. Holy crud, it's beautiful. o_O
October 3, 2018
I am deeply conflicted by this book. I found it incredibly similar to the first book of the series, making me think I had read it before, but then something unexpected would happen which would make question even that. The climax came up very quickly, and then seemed to be over just as quickly, but then resurfaced, leading to a something drawn out. I would have preferred a longer resolution, but the very last sentence made everything clear, so I can't find it in my heart to give this two stars.
January 13, 2014
Witch Fall is the third book in the Witch Song Series but it actually a prequel to the entire series. I have not read the first two books in the series, but they have been on my TBR list for a while, so I jumped at the chance to read Witch Fall and get a feel for the series. I have to say I really love seeing the backstory, and I love the pace and flow of Amber Argyle’s writing. Lilette’s Story is a powerful, emotional story about love, loss, and witchcraft. If Brusenna’s story is as powerful and action packed as Lilette’s, I am going to need to start Witch Song very soon.
Lilette growing up without her family and betrothed to the village leader against her will, because the society where she lives is very negative towards females. They have no real voice, opinion, they are in a Patriarchal society that does not value women, but she is also a witch. Witches are women with extreme powers to control the four elements through song, making them “dangerous” and desired weapons. With Lilette experiences, her natural defense is to be compliant to male wishes in the hope that she tricks them to trust so she can escape back to her people. When Lilette finally realizes her power, she grows and changes from someone will to just go along in the hopes for escape into someone who fights back to protect those who cannot protect themselves.
This is the kind of story that is going to be an emotional roller coaster, but it is a beautiful although it a tragic story. My favorite parts were seeing Lilette really come into her own power, and stand on her own two feet. She really grows into her role as the heroine of the novel, and it was exciting to read and watch the changes take place. Another character I loved was Jolin, even at times when she drove me crazy; I knew her intentions were true. I really got a feel for her and her love of Lilette through the quotes from “Lilette’s Biography” at the beginning of each chapter.
I would recommend this for previous readers of the Witch Song series, or any witch story lover looking for a new series to try out. Amber Argyle has a talent for telling a story piece by piece and keeping the reader in the dark from the big reveals until the time is right for the story. This defiantly made me enjoy the experience of reading the story more.
**Unabridged Bookshelf received this book, in exchange for an honest review**
Lilette growing up without her family and betrothed to the village leader against her will, because the society where she lives is very negative towards females. They have no real voice, opinion, they are in a Patriarchal society that does not value women, but she is also a witch. Witches are women with extreme powers to control the four elements through song, making them “dangerous” and desired weapons. With Lilette experiences, her natural defense is to be compliant to male wishes in the hope that she tricks them to trust so she can escape back to her people. When Lilette finally realizes her power, she grows and changes from someone will to just go along in the hopes for escape into someone who fights back to protect those who cannot protect themselves.
This is the kind of story that is going to be an emotional roller coaster, but it is a beautiful although it a tragic story. My favorite parts were seeing Lilette really come into her own power, and stand on her own two feet. She really grows into her role as the heroine of the novel, and it was exciting to read and watch the changes take place. Another character I loved was Jolin, even at times when she drove me crazy; I knew her intentions were true. I really got a feel for her and her love of Lilette through the quotes from “Lilette’s Biography” at the beginning of each chapter.
I would recommend this for previous readers of the Witch Song series, or any witch story lover looking for a new series to try out. Amber Argyle has a talent for telling a story piece by piece and keeping the reader in the dark from the big reveals until the time is right for the story. This defiantly made me enjoy the experience of reading the story more.
**Unabridged Bookshelf received this book, in exchange for an honest review**
January 16, 2014
I'm not usually a big fan of witches books, they usually end up full of a few too many cliches. But after loving Amber Argyle's Winter Queen, I knew I needed to give a chance to her Witch Song series.
Witch Fall is the third book but it's actually a prequel, so reading it before Witch Song and Witch Born makes sense chronologically, though it might have spoiled me a bit for Brusenna's journey, since I already know a history she might have to learn from scratch through the books.
Lilette's story is not an easy one to read, not because it is not beautifully told or because it's boring. It is cause it's full of too many losses and a neverending fight to do what's right. She might just be the most powerful witch that ever was and the quest for that power is what starts a chain of events that lead to a lot of destruction and death. Witches have the power of creation and life, and they can control the elements with their signing, and despite their best intentions such a power can be corrupted.
This book has a bit of everything, from the intimate of the wonderful relationships between the different characters, to the grand scheme of things full of power plays, politics and a fantastic world building. There's friendship, romance, betrayal, epic battles and emotional scences.
Lilette was a wonderful main character, a survivor despite all odds, always trying to find a way out of bad situations, never surrendering herself to fate, and always fighting to do what's write. Even when I didn't fully agree with her choices I still liked her strenght and her determination. A strong female character that I loved rooting for!
If you love stories about witches, you really need to read this series, and if you aren't so sure about them, give this one a try, it might make a convert out of you!
Very well deserved 4 stars!
Witch Fall is the third book but it's actually a prequel, so reading it before Witch Song and Witch Born makes sense chronologically, though it might have spoiled me a bit for Brusenna's journey, since I already know a history she might have to learn from scratch through the books.
Lilette's story is not an easy one to read, not because it is not beautifully told or because it's boring. It is cause it's full of too many losses and a neverending fight to do what's right. She might just be the most powerful witch that ever was and the quest for that power is what starts a chain of events that lead to a lot of destruction and death. Witches have the power of creation and life, and they can control the elements with their signing, and despite their best intentions such a power can be corrupted.
This book has a bit of everything, from the intimate of the wonderful relationships between the different characters, to the grand scheme of things full of power plays, politics and a fantastic world building. There's friendship, romance, betrayal, epic battles and emotional scences.
Lilette was a wonderful main character, a survivor despite all odds, always trying to find a way out of bad situations, never surrendering herself to fate, and always fighting to do what's write. Even when I didn't fully agree with her choices I still liked her strenght and her determination. A strong female character that I loved rooting for!
If you love stories about witches, you really need to read this series, and if you aren't so sure about them, give this one a try, it might make a convert out of you!
Very well deserved 4 stars!
December 22, 2013
Lilette must fight the battles she can win and retreat from those she cannot in Amber Argyle's Witch Fall. A heart-breaking story, this prequel to Witch Song shows the path the Witches took toward their downfall. Argyle knows how to torture her poor characters, and Lilette receives the brunt of the heartache. I loved Jolin's quotes at each chapter. Argyle's prose and world-building skills are exquisite. Argyle is quickly becoming one of my favorite fantasy authors, and I highly recommend Witch Fall.
January 8, 2014
Witch Fall is the prequel to Witch Song, showing the witches path toward their downfall. Tortured characters, heart breaking choices and facing insurmountable odds we are pulled into this magical story. Lilette struggles to find a way to heal the breach between humans and witches, we get a front row seat to her plight. Argyle gives us an original story and the back ground for her past works in the Witch Song series.
Want to read
October 3, 2013the cover of this is gorgeous!
Want to read
October 5, 2013That cover makes me want to read it!!!! O:
May 19, 2016
A great end to the trilogy! I wish there was more to these stories, I want to know more about this world.
September 12, 2019
Read Witch Rising before Witch Fall! Loved the series, but needs some attention to detail.
First, I was not expecting this book to be about Lilette. I thought it would continue Brusenna's story in their new witch home so we could see how things worked out, how the world reacted and eventually changed, and see Brusenna and Joshen finally get married! So I was a bit disappointed when I started this book to know that the end of book 2 was actually the end of the series chronologically, and that book 3 was a prequel.
Having said that, this story needed to be told, and I'm glad to finally know the real story, not the vague one told by the Haven Heads hundreds of years later. (A good reminder that history is often told incorrectly or skewed by whoever is telling it, and we'll likely never know exactly how things happened without hearing both sides and being subjective. Thanks for the lesson!)
At the beginning of Witch Fall, I realized quickly that if someone started this without first reading book 2.5, Witch Rising, they would be completely lost! Novellas are usually meant to add to a story but not be vital to it. If it is, then it should just be in the book! So if anyone reads reviews in advance, a warning to you: DON'T READ WITCH FALL UNTIL YOU READ WITCH RISING, or you'll be lost and miss some really important background, character development, and story setup.
Witch Fall alludes to things that happened in the novella and you could eventually piece it all together, but it would be a lot easier and a more complete picture of how Lilette grows up apart from witches, and at the beginning of Witch Fall how she came to be engaged to an island leader and missing her adopted father and only friend who tried to help her escape. These characters play a huge part in affecting her life in book 3. You really need to know why. So I think Witch Rising is required, not optional. It should've just been a prologue or something...
I liked the relationship between Lilette and Han. They were obviously in love but never wanted or never could say it to each other, so they kept dancing around it. Even after their first kiss and comments after, they acted like they still didn't know for sure! Ah, so frustrating and cute!
I also liked the chapter headings and note at the end from Jolin, Lilette's friend who recorded her story, which was kept by the witches in Caldash hundreds of years later. A clever way to insert some external commentary on the main characters and show how sometimes people see events differently, even if they were actually there when it happened.
I think my main issue with Witch Fall, and kind of with the entire series because it isn't unique to this one book, is that there is often missing information or assumptions that you have to glean from the story when it should just be stated. It happens enough that it pulls me out of the story because I have to figure out if I missed something or if the author really didn't say the information I was expecting.
For example, without spoiling the scene (but don't read if you don't want to know): Lilette falls asleep after the chesli harvest feast, and she suddenly wakes up and goes to leave the house because she feels like something is wrong. It's not until she finally gets outside that she comments, as if it isn't important information to establish at the beginning of the chapter, that it is still night and no one is around. Without knowing that detail from the beginning, I assumed she slept through the night and that she was waking up in the morning. Doranna even checks on Lilette when she wakes up and looks out the window, which would have been a good time to simply state, "It was still dark outside." So when it finally said it was still night as they were leaving the house, I had to stop and say, "Wait, did it say it was dark when she woke up? Is that why Han was laying on the couch? It didn't mention he was asleep, so I could only assume he was awake..." etc. So I have to go back to the beginning and reread up to the point of confusion to see if any of this was mentioned, and it wasn't. Other examples would be simple things like Han's eyes were closed, then it specifically mentions he opened his eyes to look directly at Lilette and say something, then in the next paragraph, it says he opened his eyes, but never said he closed them again.
I'm not trying to make a big deal of this scene in particular because it was really that bad, but it stuck out in my mind as one of the many times an important setup detail was given too late or just skipped over completely and it took me out of the experience to figure out if I missed something or if the author did. If I can remember specific examples like that without going back to the book, it's a good indicator that it happened too many times throughout the entire series, and probably could have been fixed with a bit more time and proofing, especially by external readers, to make sure everything made sense and flowed smoothly for the reader. I still loved the series! But the writing could be improved for the details.
First, I was not expecting this book to be about Lilette. I thought it would continue Brusenna's story in their new witch home so we could see how things worked out, how the world reacted and eventually changed, and see Brusenna and Joshen finally get married! So I was a bit disappointed when I started this book to know that the end of book 2 was actually the end of the series chronologically, and that book 3 was a prequel.
Having said that, this story needed to be told, and I'm glad to finally know the real story, not the vague one told by the Haven Heads hundreds of years later. (A good reminder that history is often told incorrectly or skewed by whoever is telling it, and we'll likely never know exactly how things happened without hearing both sides and being subjective. Thanks for the lesson!)
At the beginning of Witch Fall, I realized quickly that if someone started this without first reading book 2.5, Witch Rising, they would be completely lost! Novellas are usually meant to add to a story but not be vital to it. If it is, then it should just be in the book! So if anyone reads reviews in advance, a warning to you: DON'T READ WITCH FALL UNTIL YOU READ WITCH RISING, or you'll be lost and miss some really important background, character development, and story setup.
Witch Fall alludes to things that happened in the novella and you could eventually piece it all together, but it would be a lot easier and a more complete picture of how Lilette grows up apart from witches, and at the beginning of Witch Fall how she came to be engaged to an island leader and missing her adopted father and only friend who tried to help her escape. These characters play a huge part in affecting her life in book 3. You really need to know why. So I think Witch Rising is required, not optional. It should've just been a prologue or something...
I liked the relationship between Lilette and Han. They were obviously in love but never wanted or never could say it to each other, so they kept dancing around it. Even after their first kiss and comments after, they acted like they still didn't know for sure! Ah, so frustrating and cute!
I also liked the chapter headings and note at the end from Jolin, Lilette's friend who recorded her story, which was kept by the witches in Caldash hundreds of years later. A clever way to insert some external commentary on the main characters and show how sometimes people see events differently, even if they were actually there when it happened.
I think my main issue with Witch Fall, and kind of with the entire series because it isn't unique to this one book, is that there is often missing information or assumptions that you have to glean from the story when it should just be stated. It happens enough that it pulls me out of the story because I have to figure out if I missed something or if the author really didn't say the information I was expecting.
For example, without spoiling the scene (but don't read if you don't want to know): Lilette falls asleep after the chesli harvest feast, and she suddenly wakes up and goes to leave the house because she feels like something is wrong. It's not until she finally gets outside that she comments, as if it isn't important information to establish at the beginning of the chapter, that it is still night and no one is around. Without knowing that detail from the beginning, I assumed she slept through the night and that she was waking up in the morning. Doranna even checks on Lilette when she wakes up and looks out the window, which would have been a good time to simply state, "It was still dark outside." So when it finally said it was still night as they were leaving the house, I had to stop and say, "Wait, did it say it was dark when she woke up? Is that why Han was laying on the couch? It didn't mention he was asleep, so I could only assume he was awake..." etc. So I have to go back to the beginning and reread up to the point of confusion to see if any of this was mentioned, and it wasn't. Other examples would be simple things like Han's eyes were closed, then it specifically mentions he opened his eyes to look directly at Lilette and say something, then in the next paragraph, it says he opened his eyes, but never said he closed them again.
I'm not trying to make a big deal of this scene in particular because it was really that bad, but it stuck out in my mind as one of the many times an important setup detail was given too late or just skipped over completely and it took me out of the experience to figure out if I missed something or if the author did. If I can remember specific examples like that without going back to the book, it's a good indicator that it happened too many times throughout the entire series, and probably could have been fixed with a bit more time and proofing, especially by external readers, to make sure everything made sense and flowed smoothly for the reader. I still loved the series! But the writing could be improved for the details.
January 15, 2014
Witch Fall
“With complete power comes pride. Pride breeds corruption. Corruption begets vulnerability, which pride refuses to see. And so begins the vicious cycle of destruction.” –Jolin
Witch Fall by Amber Argyle is the prequel to Witch Song and the story of how the witches sealed their fate long ago by abusing the powers given
to them by the creators. I’ve read this entire series of books over the past two weeks and I have to say this is absolutely by far the best book yet.
Lilette is my favorite character in this book, for she is brave, strong of heart and character, wise beyond her years, quick-witted, and yet still manages to keep an air of innocence within that does not break despite everything she has gone through. Argyle did an amazing job with this book. All the questions I had after Witch Song and Witch Born were answer in Witch Rising and Witch Fall. The story she wove came full circle and I guess that’s fitting since she wrote about witches.
I loved how every chapter held a quote from Jolin, like the one above my review. Seeing Lilette’s life through Jolin’s eyes made the story even better and it added an extra layer of emotion to the story because under the cockiness, anger, and even a bit of resentment, we can feel Jolin’s pain through her words. We can see how highly she thought of Lilette and how she bared the weight of the decisions she’d made.
One thing I didn’t love was how poor Lilette kept getting married off to different men. That was sort of annoying, but it is my only complaint and it’s a small one. The only person she was every truly married to with heart, mind, body, and soul was Han.
Let’s talk about Han for a minute and how my love of him only served to increase each time his presence graced the page. Han was a true warrior for his people and for Lilette. His pain was my pain, his hurt my hurt, his love my love. I felt him and Lilette so deeply in this book, their anguish and then their happiness.
I cried for them. I cried for Lilette and the loss of her family, friends, home. I cried for the sacrifices they made and the people they tried to help. I freaking cried a lot in this damn book and I’m not sorry. Argyle wrote the two of them so well entwining their fates and having their personalities complement each other, one dark and one light. They were two sides of the same coin and they will forever be my favorite both together and apart.
The battles fought were written well and the words brought the chaos to life on the page. This really was the best book, while the other books in the series were good, this was great. Lilette is a stronger character than Brusenna and I could relate to her more, plus she took what came to her without being childish about it. Lilette stood up for herself and for others. While Brusenna had some of the same qualities as Lilette she was also very different.
But one thing I liked is how they showed Lilette hearing Brusenna’s call how she had been the one to decide the other girls worth. It was a fitting end to the beginning of the story. There were so many characters I want to mention and plot points I want to go through, but this book is a gem and should be read without the spoilers that those things would give away. But I will say this:
-Jolin is brilliant and learns too late that sometimes that isn’t always a gift.
-Chen can be a monster, but at the heart of it all I do believe he really did think he was doing what was right for his people.
-Bian was a self-important bully, but he too was attempting to protect Lilette is his own power hungry way.
-Doranna, wastrel or not, is amazing and should be respected.
-Ko is kind, but warry and not one to cause change.
-Han is love personified. He’s loyalty and honor. He’s the man you search for always and forever.
-Always be careful the food and drink you take from strangers, you never know what it is them especially in a magical community.
That being said one of my favorite lines in the book comes from Han and of course he’s speaking to Lilette, which only makes the words better. “Remember Little Dragon, fight the battles you can win and retreat from those you cannot.” She remembered these words, knew them, lived them. Lilette’s last act was to save every witch and Harshen she could and she did it with sadness and love. God this book hurt my heart. It was amazing and I swear I felt it in my soul. I highly recommend this series if only to get to this book alone.
“Regrets are like a parasite living inside of you. You have to find a way to stop feeding them or they eat you alive.” –Jolin
“With complete power comes pride. Pride breeds corruption. Corruption begets vulnerability, which pride refuses to see. And so begins the vicious cycle of destruction.” –Jolin
Witch Fall by Amber Argyle is the prequel to Witch Song and the story of how the witches sealed their fate long ago by abusing the powers given
to them by the creators. I’ve read this entire series of books over the past two weeks and I have to say this is absolutely by far the best book yet.
Lilette is my favorite character in this book, for she is brave, strong of heart and character, wise beyond her years, quick-witted, and yet still manages to keep an air of innocence within that does not break despite everything she has gone through. Argyle did an amazing job with this book. All the questions I had after Witch Song and Witch Born were answer in Witch Rising and Witch Fall. The story she wove came full circle and I guess that’s fitting since she wrote about witches.
I loved how every chapter held a quote from Jolin, like the one above my review. Seeing Lilette’s life through Jolin’s eyes made the story even better and it added an extra layer of emotion to the story because under the cockiness, anger, and even a bit of resentment, we can feel Jolin’s pain through her words. We can see how highly she thought of Lilette and how she bared the weight of the decisions she’d made.
One thing I didn’t love was how poor Lilette kept getting married off to different men. That was sort of annoying, but it is my only complaint and it’s a small one. The only person she was every truly married to with heart, mind, body, and soul was Han.
Let’s talk about Han for a minute and how my love of him only served to increase each time his presence graced the page. Han was a true warrior for his people and for Lilette. His pain was my pain, his hurt my hurt, his love my love. I felt him and Lilette so deeply in this book, their anguish and then their happiness.
I cried for them. I cried for Lilette and the loss of her family, friends, home. I cried for the sacrifices they made and the people they tried to help. I freaking cried a lot in this damn book and I’m not sorry. Argyle wrote the two of them so well entwining their fates and having their personalities complement each other, one dark and one light. They were two sides of the same coin and they will forever be my favorite both together and apart.
The battles fought were written well and the words brought the chaos to life on the page. This really was the best book, while the other books in the series were good, this was great. Lilette is a stronger character than Brusenna and I could relate to her more, plus she took what came to her without being childish about it. Lilette stood up for herself and for others. While Brusenna had some of the same qualities as Lilette she was also very different.
But one thing I liked is how they showed Lilette hearing Brusenna’s call how she had been the one to decide the other girls worth. It was a fitting end to the beginning of the story. There were so many characters I want to mention and plot points I want to go through, but this book is a gem and should be read without the spoilers that those things would give away. But I will say this:
-Jolin is brilliant and learns too late that sometimes that isn’t always a gift.
-Chen can be a monster, but at the heart of it all I do believe he really did think he was doing what was right for his people.
-Bian was a self-important bully, but he too was attempting to protect Lilette is his own power hungry way.
-Doranna, wastrel or not, is amazing and should be respected.
-Ko is kind, but warry and not one to cause change.
-Han is love personified. He’s loyalty and honor. He’s the man you search for always and forever.
-Always be careful the food and drink you take from strangers, you never know what it is them especially in a magical community.
That being said one of my favorite lines in the book comes from Han and of course he’s speaking to Lilette, which only makes the words better. “Remember Little Dragon, fight the battles you can win and retreat from those you cannot.” She remembered these words, knew them, lived them. Lilette’s last act was to save every witch and Harshen she could and she did it with sadness and love. God this book hurt my heart. It was amazing and I swear I felt it in my soul. I highly recommend this series if only to get to this book alone.
“Regrets are like a parasite living inside of you. You have to find a way to stop feeding them or they eat you alive.” –Jolin
June 30, 2018
Out of all of the Witch Song books, this one had to be my favorite. The main character of this one felt much more fleshed out in terms of personality, and we are clear on her thoughts on the actions of all of the witches around her. From the very beginning, it is clear that Lilette is not a girl to be possessed or bought. Her love interest is uninteresting compared to her with not nearly as much conflict as a man in his position should be feeling, but compared to Joshen in the other books he is practically a Heathcliff.
My one major gripe about this one is the focus on Lilette as a wife for every powerful man that crosses her path. Also, the whole thing at the end where supposedly a witch set Chen's wife to kill her. Umm no. Sorry, but that could've been left to the jealousy of a woman who was losing her husband and I would have been just fine with that. This book could have more deeply explored the corruption within the witches society and I was really disappointed that it didn't.
My one major gripe about this one is the focus on Lilette as a wife for every powerful man that crosses her path. Also, the whole thing at the end where supposedly a witch set Chen's wife to kill her. Umm no. Sorry, but that could've been left to the jealousy of a woman who was losing her husband and I would have been just fine with that. This book could have more deeply explored the corruption within the witches society and I was really disappointed that it didn't.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 8, 2020
This was very good but it was out of order. This and the book preceding it should have been first followed by books 1 and 2 of this series.
I liked the characters Lilette and Han as well as Jolin and the rest. Based on what I read in books 1 and 2 I expected something a bit more dramatic from Lilette but this was still well done. I love the way the author exploited the theme of absolute power corrupting absolutely, although it didn't apply to everyone with power, but to those with power who were in the highest positions.
I liked the characters Lilette and Han as well as Jolin and the rest. Based on what I read in books 1 and 2 I expected something a bit more dramatic from Lilette but this was still well done. I love the way the author exploited the theme of absolute power corrupting absolutely, although it didn't apply to everyone with power, but to those with power who were in the highest positions.
July 20, 2017
gross sobbing
What a powerful story. I only wish it wasn't so rushed at every moment - there is so much material packed in here, with hardly any space to breathe and flesh out the characters and settings. I feel like this is one of the rare books that could actually benefit from being twice as long as it is.
Still, this is a nonstop exciting, rollicking fantasy tale that I actually liked better than Witch Song and I didn't expect to. Recommended if you liked the rest of this series.
What a powerful story. I only wish it wasn't so rushed at every moment - there is so much material packed in here, with hardly any space to breathe and flesh out the characters and settings. I feel like this is one of the rare books that could actually benefit from being twice as long as it is.
Still, this is a nonstop exciting, rollicking fantasy tale that I actually liked better than Witch Song and I didn't expect to. Recommended if you liked the rest of this series.
September 6, 2019
Witch song series by Amber Argyle
I was captivated from the start. It was a story about a witch quite different from other books I've read. I hated for the story to come to an end. When i started book 2.5, i was a little disappointed that the characters were not the same but it didn't take long for me to become immersed in their story. What an amazing author Amber Argyle is to make it all come together in the end and to even throw in a love story.
I was captivated from the start. It was a story about a witch quite different from other books I've read. I hated for the story to come to an end. When i started book 2.5, i was a little disappointed that the characters were not the same but it didn't take long for me to become immersed in their story. What an amazing author Amber Argyle is to make it all come together in the end and to even throw in a love story.
June 15, 2021
Weak
This was the worst book I have read in a while. The MC is one of the worst representations of a women I have ever come across. She is extremely weak, even more so for the fact the she is suppose to be powerful and still decides to be a damsel in distress. Do not read this if you want a strong MC. I spent the entirety of the book waiting for her to grow a backbone once and it never happened.
This was the worst book I have read in a while. The MC is one of the worst representations of a women I have ever come across. She is extremely weak, even more so for the fact the she is suppose to be powerful and still decides to be a damsel in distress. Do not read this if you want a strong MC. I spent the entirety of the book waiting for her to grow a backbone once and it never happened.
May 21, 2017
Sweet
I had read this book awhile back and did not get a chance to review it. It was refreshing to go back and read it a second time, although there were things I remembered a lot felt like reading it for the first time. It is a very nice story and one I'm sure I bought the sequels to. I totally recommend this book to young readers as well as adults.
I had read this book awhile back and did not get a chance to review it. It was refreshing to go back and read it a second time, although there were things I remembered a lot felt like reading it for the first time. It is a very nice story and one I'm sure I bought the sequels to. I totally recommend this book to young readers as well as adults.
November 9, 2021
Ça a beau être un prequel c’est mon tome préféré de la saga
Pas les mêmes personnages ni la même intrigue, beaucoup plus intéressant et dynamique
C’est pas ouf non plus mais je l’ai largement préférée
Je me demande même si j’aurais pas dû lire que celui ci parce que j’avoue que c’est cette couverture qui m’a attiré
Pas les mêmes personnages ni la même intrigue, beaucoup plus intéressant et dynamique
C’est pas ouf non plus mais je l’ai largement préférée
Je me demande même si j’aurais pas dû lire que celui ci parce que j’avoue que c’est cette couverture qui m’a attiré
June 12, 2017
Kindle Unlimited e-book
November 23, 2017
Absolutely love this series.
July 23, 2018
History r we written
Interesting take on the witches' history as the History is written by the victors. I was happy to see that everything was explained.
Interesting take on the witches' history as the History is written by the victors. I was happy to see that everything was explained.
February 8, 2019
I love this & I can't wait for more.
I will be also leaving a review on Goodreads @ Amazon.
And letting everyone know about it.
So i gave it a 5 Stars.
I will be also leaving a review on Goodreads @ Amazon.
And letting everyone know about it.
So i gave it a 5 Stars.
July 24, 2019
Amazing!
January 27, 2020
As always, a gripping read.
A thoroughly entrancing story with insightful writing and believable characters. Satisfying answers to questions raised in Witch Song and Witch Born.
A thoroughly entrancing story with insightful writing and believable characters. Satisfying answers to questions raised in Witch Song and Witch Born.
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