Witch Unexpected by Debbie Cassidy – A Book Review

Posted January 9, 2021 by Booksandblurbs in Fantasy, Reverse Harem, Reviews / 0 Comments

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Witch Unexpected

(The Thirteenth Sign – Book 1)

by Debbie Cassidy
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Slow Burn Fantasy RH
Available on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited

Down & Dirty

The Badass Witch Tulpa from The Deadside Reaper Series is back, with her OWN tale – and it kicks off with a doozy of a tale! Fantastic, and free on Kindle Unlimited.

What is it about?

(Blurb from GoodReads)

An ancient war, a tenuous truce, a delicate balance.

Sounds ominous right?

It is.

The tri-pack collective has existed for centuries—three dire wolf packs bound to the most powerful coven in the world through a single witch born under the thirteenth sign of the zodiac.

Through this covenant they keep an ancient threat unlike any other at bay.

At the next blood moon, I’ll be that witch—bound to the three leaders of the dire wolf packs. Responsible for keeping the peace.

That is If I make it to the blood moon alive, because someone is trying to kill me.

Now the hot-headed wolves are going to have to work together to make sure our inventive little murderer doesn’t succeed.

And me?

Well, I don’t take kindly to being targeted, so whoever’s gunning for me better watch out, because they just became the hunted.

My Thoughts on Witch Unexpected

Can I squee? Would you mind? Forgive the fan-girling going on over here, but OH MY GOD! I loved EVERYTHING about this! Cora, who we first saw and fell in love with in the Deadside Reapers Series, is taking a turn as the FMC, and she is just as snarky and not quite perfect as she was in that complex and moving saga.

Here, the plot is a bit more condensed (so far?) centering around the Grimswood Coven and an ancient pact they set to save the world. Ok, record screech – let me back up a moment. This book is the first in a new series, and while you do NOT HAVE to read the first series in this universe, The Deadside Reapers, it DOES help. Without that background, you’ll miss the subtleties of Cora’s relationship with Fee, Jasper, the Reapers, not to mention the importance of the Amulet! Debbie does a fair job of inserting the info as this plot progresses, but she doesn’t bog down the narrative with flashbacks or info dumps – thank goodness.

Ok, that said, back to the review. Cora, Jasper, Elijiah – familiar faces with intricate and woven roles, ones that set them on a collision course with yet another ‘end of the world’ climax… one that was hinted at and implicated in previous books. Cora, for her part, is fantastic. Breaking away from what she has always known, what she has always been, is difficult, especially for someone with her unique beginnings. This is her chance, and despite her reservations, Cora embraces the 180 degrees of separation in order to find herself, stumbling across new friends, potential lovers and a century long job offering along the way.

It’s intense, fun and surprisingly slow burn, considering what we’ve seen from Jasper in the past. Speaking of characters, WREN! Just Wren. I love Wren. You’ll love Wren. I want a Wren.

Perspective:

First Person, Multiple POV

Ending Type:

Cliffhanger

Rating:

Adult

Romantic Dynamic:

…… it’s Debbie Cassidy, there really is no way to tell. Right NOW I’d say FMMMM…. but, I see potential on the horizon for a couple more faces, including F/F.

Character Age Range:

Adult

My Final Verdict on Witch Unexpected

A thoroughly enjoyable ride that will leave you eager for more, especially with that ending. Fun, woven and suitably complex, this is a great start to yet another winner for this prolific writer. Free on Kindle Unlimited.