Five out of five stars
I picked up The Hawk Witch at the Rose City Comic Convention. Ashely McLeo was in Writer’s Alley for self-published authors. I asked her which book of hers she recommended I read and she pointed me toward the first in her Bonegate Series, The Hawk Witch.
At first, I had a little trouble placing The Hawk Witch in either Urban or Portal fantasy because of its unique world-building. Like an urban fantasy, magic exists in our world but with fae and demons being common knowledge. I didn’t have the hidden world feel of a traditional Urban fantasy. When Lana travels to the Faerie world by bonegate, it felt a little more like a portal fantasy. But it still wasn’t quite portal fantasy because magic and technology exist together on Earth.
The story begins at Trinnity College in Dublin, centering on Lana, a witch and falconer. First off, I have to say the inclusion of falconry in any book automatically gets me off on the right foot. Lana’s bond with her falcon is so complex that a mysterious visitor calls Lana’s falcon a familiar. That same mysterious visitor gives Lana a riddle from her father that will eventually lead her to find that absentee father.
The story starts off a little slow with Layla trying to unravel the riddle left by her father. She has the help of her best friend who knows the answer to each riddle almost immediately. The riddles didn’t really feel like something the reader was meant to solve since they were referencing specific places at Trinnity college and Lana’s friend figuring out the answer immediately gave the reader no time to help Lana figure out the answer. The riddles felt like bread crumbs left to get us to where the story would really start.
I can best describe the book from this point as if Harry Potter and Court of Thorn and Roses raised Hunger Games in a loving and nurturing environment. This isn’t the first book that I’ve read that involved a character learning how to use their magic and competing in a gladiator esque event in a foreign world. My readings from Self-published authors have been limited to beta reading up until this point. Ashely McCleo writes like I want to write.
I find it difficult to get the time to read physical books and most of my literature is consumed via audiobook while working, exercising, or driving. When I found time to read this novel, I had trouble putting it down. Reading this book made me want to devote more time to my own writing. In the future, I forsee myself seeking out more of Ashley McCleo’s books. I easily give this book five out of five stars.
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