Review - Witchstorm by Tim Tilley

Review - Witchstorm by Tim Tilley

Will believes in witches and the stories he's grown up with - of mythical storm-lions, disappearing villages and secret songs. Most of all, he believes the tales of magical treasure hidden in the Fens centuries ago. Treasure that he has to find, to solve the mystery of his Ma's disappearance.

Then, in the eye of a storm, a witch arrives. She holds the key to finding the lost treasure - a powerful magical stone that can summon storms. But someone else is searching for it too. If it falls into the wrong hands, Will's beloved home could be destroyed, and with it, his chances of ever finding his ma.

Join Will on an epic quest filled with riddles, ruined towers and broomstick chases.

Witchstorm is a really fun magical fantasy novel.

Will is a really sweet main character. He's caring, thoughtful, and he still believes in things like witches and magic, keeping alive old family traditions that say they helped protect one of the last witches in the broads. After his mum goes missing he's fired into action, going to his archaeologist aunt for help and meeting a spirited young lady who might, despite her denials, be a witch.

We're then treated to a fantastic treasure hunt, and I love these kinds of stories so much! There's (possibly) an ancient magical artefact hidden somewhere in the broads, and they have to find it before the evil witches do. There are clues hidden in old songs, in old stones, puzzles and riddles and mysteries aplenty, and a fair few prophecies thrown in for good measure. It's exciting and magical and there's a real sense of pace to the book with the need to get there before the other side do. The whole thing builds to an exciting climax, a confrontation in a magical city that's literally falling apart around them, with the future of witches and people alike hanging in the balance.

It's thrilling stuff!

There's also a really interesting environmental aspect to the whole thing. There are themes around humanity's destruction of our environment and the impact this has on different species. There's particular reference to the fact that we often don't even know what we're losing or what it could have done, as the witches lose plants crucial to their spell crafting. There's a clear and definite love of the rich ecosystem of the broads evident throughout too, really making it clear what it is we stand to lose. One of the most interesting elements of this is that at times it definitely felt like the evil witch had a good point. Mankind has largely failed to protect the environment, and his "rewilding scheme" had a lot to recommend about it. This grey moral area made this a particularly interesting read and I enjoyed Witchstorm a lot.

🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑

Witchstorm by Tim Tilley is published on 29th September 2022 by Usborne Publishing.

I was given a review copy via Netgalley in return for an honest review.