“The Moorwitch” by Jessica Khoury

Title: The Moorwitch
Author: Jessica Khoury
Publisher: 47North
Year: 2025    
Genre(s): romantasy
Part of a Series: No

Why I read it: Amazon First Read pick

Summary: As a child, Rose Pryor makes a deal with a fae named Lachlan to escape a terrible home situation. She grows up practicing magic in a version of Georgian England where it is prevalent. Her talent lies in Weaving – using needle and thread to craft her spells. But as she approaches her eighteenth birthday, her magic grows weaker. Lachlan returns to get Rose to uphold her end of the deal, sending her to Scotland to find a way back into the world of the fae before he and his followers die in a world that is becoming more steel than wood. Rose befriends Conrad North and his sister and realizes how dangerous Lachlan really is. Will she give him what he wants or will she sacrifice her magic to protect her new friends?

Rating: 

Review: Despite liking both romance and fantasy, I haven’t really delved much into romantasy. When this book was offered as an Amazon First Read pick in October, I decided to give it a chance.

I’m glad I did.

I liked the world of magic Khoury created and how the witches used thread to create their magic. That was very clever and a novel idea for me. Kudos to Khoury for that alone.

But everything else about the book was great as well.

Rose was a compelling character and I felt invested in her story. I wanted her to succeed – to find a way to free herself from Lachlan, keep her magic and get the guy. She was endearing, passionate, and determined. Rose was just a great main character.

Lachlan was a good antagonist. I’m not sure if he was supposed to be a possible love interest for Rose. There were passages where I thought so but for the most part, I don’t think either really was interested in each other that way. I think the bigger debate Khoury wanted readers to have was whether Lachlan was friend or foe, a victim or a villain.

Khoury created great tension between Rose and Conrad from the moment they met. She builds their relationship well and when it takes a turn toward the romantic, it makes sense and feels nature. Conrad’s backstory and the twist about him were also great. I really enjoyed it and it upped the stakes, just as it should.

Her description of the fairy world was beautiful and strange. It really created this alternate world that exists separate from our world. I wish we could get more stories set there.

Bottom line: A great romantasy.

Sex: Not that I remember.

Moonlight Musing

What would you do if you discovered a secret world?