Brad About Books: Weather Witch by Shannon Delany

Read on June 19, 2013

WEATHER WITCH
Expected Publication Date: June 25, 2013
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Format: Paperback
Page Count: 336 pages
Source: Publisher in exchange for an honest review
Series: Weather Witch, #1

(p.s., that's an amazing cover. Blue is my favorite color {which is why my blog is blue!}, but oh man, that cover is fantastic.)

In a vastly different and darker Philadelphia of 1844, steam power has been repressed, war threatens from deep, dark waters, and one young lady of high social standing is expecting a surprise at her seventeenth birthday party–but certainly not the one she gets!

Jordan Astraea, who has lived out all of her life in Philadelphia’s most exclusive neighborhood, is preparing to celebrate her birthday with friends, family and all the extravagance they might muster. The young man who is most often her dashing companion, Rowen Burchette, has told her a surprise awaits her and her best friend, Catrina Hollindale, wouldn’t miss this night for all the world!

But storm clouds are gathering and threatening to do far more than dampen her party plans because someone in the Astraea household has committed the greatest of social sins by Harboring a Weather Witch.

Weather Witch is a richly fascinating and intriguing tale, masterfully woven together like none other. One of the best historical books I've ever read!

My favorite part about Weather Witch? The world-building. Delany has created such a dark, sinister, yet frighteningly wonderful world that I never wanted to leave. This book grabbed me from the first page, shook me around, and never let me go. Absolutely epic! World-building is one of (if not, my most) favorite part about a novel - Weather Witch has such an absolutely phenomenal world-building. Some historical books, I love, while others fall flat for me. I'm so thrilled to say that Weather Witch is a climatic and amazing historical! Love!

And the plot is just so... interesting! Very hard to describe. I mean, we have these witches in 1844 (and we KNOW that there is some freaky junk going on in this historical setting; we KNOW it.) who can bring on these storms, and one is whisked away and there's this party and WOAH. I will admit that Weather Witch does have slow moments. The plot feels draggy at times, and not a lot pushes it forward, especially in the beginning. But when there is some movement within the plot, it shoots like a bullet and never lets up. So many things are fired at the reader, and it's so cool! Delany did a wonderful job with this paranormal take!

And YES! I'm so thrilled there is a sequel, Stormbringer! That ending was totally epic and mind-bending - I'm so excited to see where Delany takes us next!

Overall, Weather Witch is an original and unique novel that will have readers on the edge of their seat, tearing through the pages to find out what happens next. A storm that I loved enduring and never wanted to end!

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