Today, I am reviewing the fantasy novel Witchy Eye by D.J. Butler. In this story, our protagonist, a teen girl named Sarah Calhoun, lives in a fictionalized version of the early American time period where the Appalachians are ruled by emperor Thomas Penn. She discovers that her heritage is not what she grew up believing it to be when two holy men accost her in town, looking to draw her into their sides of a conflict she didn't even know existed.
I give this novel a 5/5. Here is my breakdown.
Characters: 5/5. Sarah is a wonderfully crafted character, with real, emotional depth. Butler originally planned this novel as a YA story but was told to dive in and make it for adults. He did this, even with younger characters, and the story is certainly better for it. I felt for her as she went through her journey. Her wonder and pain were mine, and her triumphs tasted sweet in my mouth. And she isn't the only one! Butler developed each character with their own perspective and narrative, and did it expertly. It felt like a historical fantasy version of The Stand, except none of the characters made me want to skip over them to get to the ones I liked more.
Plot/Storyline: 5/5. Love this. I'm a huge fan of revealed heritage stories (check out both my Sam Buckland Chronicles and my Dragon Monarch Tetralogy to see what I mean) and this one is a masterwork. The plot beats felt authentic and well-thought out. Character motivations played out in a realistic way. The story grabbed hold of me and didn't let me go, which is exactly what I want in a novel. Thank you.
Flow: 5/5. A textbook example of good fantasy pacing. The setup went slow, laying the foundations, then things picked up and ran like the Mississippi itself. I tore through pages like a maniac, especially in the last half of the book - I went from just under halfway to finishing in a couple of hours. No speedbumps or unnecessary slowdowns here.
Spelling/Grammar: 4.5/5. I counted two typos. There was a misspelling around the middle of the book, I think, and an extra word that should have been deleted near the 75% mark. Nothing else that I saw.
Overall: 5/5. Witchy Eye is the first book I've read in years that gave me a "charge." I went to bed reluctantly after finishing it and had dreams involving it all night. I woke up and bought the next in the series, Witchy Winter, and am looking forward to reading that one as well. This book is an incredible example of exactly what fantasy writing should be and I'm so glad I found it.
Thanks as always, and keep reading!
Find Witchy Eye on Amazon.
Characters: 5/5. Sarah is a wonderfully crafted character, with real, emotional depth. Butler originally planned this novel as a YA story but was told to dive in and make it for adults. He did this, even with younger characters, and the story is certainly better for it. I felt for her as she went through her journey. Her wonder and pain were mine, and her triumphs tasted sweet in my mouth. And she isn't the only one! Butler developed each character with their own perspective and narrative, and did it expertly. It felt like a historical fantasy version of The Stand, except none of the characters made me want to skip over them to get to the ones I liked more.
Plot/Storyline: 5/5. Love this. I'm a huge fan of revealed heritage stories (check out both my Sam Buckland Chronicles and my Dragon Monarch Tetralogy to see what I mean) and this one is a masterwork. The plot beats felt authentic and well-thought out. Character motivations played out in a realistic way. The story grabbed hold of me and didn't let me go, which is exactly what I want in a novel. Thank you.
Flow: 5/5. A textbook example of good fantasy pacing. The setup went slow, laying the foundations, then things picked up and ran like the Mississippi itself. I tore through pages like a maniac, especially in the last half of the book - I went from just under halfway to finishing in a couple of hours. No speedbumps or unnecessary slowdowns here.
Spelling/Grammar: 4.5/5. I counted two typos. There was a misspelling around the middle of the book, I think, and an extra word that should have been deleted near the 75% mark. Nothing else that I saw.
Overall: 5/5. Witchy Eye is the first book I've read in years that gave me a "charge." I went to bed reluctantly after finishing it and had dreams involving it all night. I woke up and bought the next in the series, Witchy Winter, and am looking forward to reading that one as well. This book is an incredible example of exactly what fantasy writing should be and I'm so glad I found it.
Thanks as always, and keep reading!
Find Witchy Eye on Amazon.
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