Witch’s Pyre by Josephine Angelini

Pages: 384
Publish date: August 25th 2016
Publisher: Macmillan Children’s
ISBN: 1447260880
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – Dymocks 

Lily Proctor has come a long way from the weak, sickly girl she used to be. She has gained power as a witch and a leader, found her way home, chosen to face battle again, and (after losing her first love and being betrayed by her new love) she has learned more about loss and grief than she ever wanted to know.

Thrust once again into a society different from anything they have ever seen, Lily and her coven are determined to find answers―to find a new path to victory, a way to defeat the monstrous Woven without resorting to nuclear weapons or becoming a tyrannical mass murderer like her alternate self, Lillian. But sometimes winning requires sacrifices . . . and when the only clear path to victory lies at Lillian’s side, what price will Lily be willing to pay?

Witch’s Pyre:

This will have spoilers from the two previous books.

I received a copy of Witch’s Pyre by Josephine Angelini for review from Pan Macmillan in exchange for honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

So far I have really enjoyed this series, Trial by Fire was immersing, Firewalker was intriguing and then Witch’s Pyre took me on a whole new journey. It was intense, jam-packed and kept me on the edge of my toes.

Witch’s Pyre throws us straight back into the world of the book. We are right back into the action and I enjoyed this idea. The reader doesn’t miss anything and that we don’t need to be brought up with what happen.

For most of the book, we are in what feels like a whole new world. And for the most of Witch’s Pyre, our little group is somewhat captured and cannot leave.

The protagonist Lily has come a long way from the begging of the first book, and she grows even more in Witch’s Pyre. I felt that at times she did regress, but by the end, I really enjoy who she became.

The connection between Lily and Lillian is again strained in Witch’s Pyre. However, Lily has gained a greater understand of who Lillian is. They share more than just a name, they share a passion – to do what they think, is right. And although I am not a massive fan of Lillian, she has been written beautifully and like Lily I really enjoyed her character arc. Lillian is strong, ambitious and does not let her illness pull her down.

After the heartbreak between Lily and Rowan in the second book, you probably guess that their relationship is very tense when he comes back. Lily is closed off about what happens and does not want to let him in. Even when she finds out the truth.  At times I felt that Lily could be too stubborn and that would take away from the book and the romance.  I also was not satisfied at how the relationship was at the ending, it was a little unclear.

The friendship was quite strained through Witch’s Pyre. There is a lot of tension between the group and how things panned out in the previous book. This is one of the things that I enjoyed about this series. Josephine Angelini is able to show that no relationship is smooth sailing and there are ups and downs.

Witch’s Pyre also deals a lot with grief, with Tristan in the previous book and others in this one. It was heartbreaking at times seeing Lily, the group struggle with what has happened. Nevertheless, it felt real.

One of my favourite things about this series is the world that Angelini created. It’s one of those books where we see the world slowly exposed to us, piece by piece. Lily’s world which is most likes ours, and then Lillian’s where magic is the norm. Both are well developed, yet there was room for more.  

At times there was a lot going on. There was one thing after another, it was like we were running a marathon. I would have liked at times to have a break and slow down, especially with the introduction of the ‘new world’ and characters. It was a lot to take in times.

The Worldwalker trilogy by Josephine Angelini was an enthralling and intriguing journey for both the reader and the characters. With wonderful character development and a riveting world of fantasy and science. This series to easy to fly through and you will be satisfied when you finish.  

Have you read the Worldwalker Trilogy? Did you like it? Have you read some of the books in the series? Are you planning reading on starting these books? Let’s Chat.