A Witch in Winter (The Winter Trilogy) [Paperback]

Exciting. Romantic. Gripping. Fantastic.

Synopsis: Anna Winterson doesn't know she's a witch and would probably mock you for believing in magic, but after moving to the small town of Winter with her father, she learns more than she ever wanted to about power.

When Anna meets Seth, she is smitten, but when she enchants him to love her, she unwittingly amplifies a deadly conflict between two witch clans and splits her own heart in two. She wants to love Seth, to let him love her - but if it is her magic that's controlling his passion, then she is as monstrous as the witch clan who are trying to use her amazing powers for their own gain.
When love is tangled up in magic, how do you know what's real?

What a great start to my February! A Witch in Winter is a delicious new debut by a UK debut author, Ruth Warburton. This book is packed full of action! Spells! Steamy scenes with a gorgeous boy! What could you want more in a YA book?

I found myself falling into the story of Anna and her newly discovered powers. She is a very emotional girl, she makes mistakes, she's not afraid to cry, she's brave, she loves her family, she's just like any other girl in this world. Apart from the fact that she is a Witch. A Witch who's just casted a spell that may ruin the whole community. You can't make someone love you, but when your a powerful Witch like Anna, anything can happen.

Once you start reading the first few chapters you just can't put it down! Ruth does a brilliant job to hook you into this addictive story. She builds up her characters slowly, adding interesting personalities and twists that you wouldn't expect.

I must talk about Seth. I must. Seth.....Ahhhhhh....Lovely, lovely Seth. He sounds so perfect. At first I didn't really like him, I felt that he was slightly arrogant and not an overly fun person to read about and then he becomes obssessed....because of a spell. But when he starts telling Anna that the spell has worn off and that he loves her, my heart was pounding against my ribs, I wanted Anna to be less difficult! But in the end, I was satisfied with both characters.

I feel for Anna's dad, when your reading, you can tell that he is lonely and that he longs for company. He won't tell Anna how her mother died or what she was like. Anna is full of curiousity when it comes down to her mum and I hope that her dad will, one day, explain to her what happened.

I CAN'T WAIT to read A Witch in Love! Another book, another exciting story! Hopefully some new characters? Complicate the story a bit? Hmmmm, I'm sure Ruth will deliver!

I am so glad that Ruth is from the UK! Finally! A UK author! A YA UK author! FINALLY I AM PROUD TO BE BRITISH! I don't normally come across YA books written by a UK author, so I am very happy! I can't wait until June when the sequel comes!

A Witch in Winter tells the story of Anna, a girl who moves away from her beloved London to a town on the South coast, and into a creeptastic old house. I absolutely adored the setting for this book, I love YA books set in the UK (especially ones written by UK authors), and the small town location really added to the atmosphere of the story. I love how relevant the sea became to the plot, and just how scary it could be, how such a beautiful and natural element could be utilised in such a way.

Anna was a great character, she was a real teenage girl. Her reactions to the events were pretty much how I imagine I'd react, which made it easy to love and relate to her. I adored how the whole witchcraft thing came about, her and her friends trying out a spell for the fun of it (and because they were slightly inebriated, what doesn't seem like a good idea when you're in that state?). I was obsessed with magic when I was younger and I can see it being something I would've done, albeit not with the same results. I loved how Ruth didn't shy away from teenage drinking, or things that young people genuinely do, which again added a much more realistic element to her characters. None of the secondary characters fell flat for me, not even the ones introduced at the late stages. They all had their parts to play, and their roles were clearly defined within the plot.

The love story was so fantastically different, I loved the idea of it and it was so well executed. I loved the ambiguity of not knowing exactly what was going on. Despite that, I wasn't a massive fan of Seth, but then he wasn't the sort of love interest I take to, seeing as he was a decent guy, but I can see many other readers adoring him.

The ultimate battle was amazing, the enemy was one that I actually found quite scary, and the solution was neither easy nor lazy. The actions of the characters did have consequences, for everyone involved and for the people caught in the crossfire.I liked being able to see these consequences, rather than the story glossing over them which happens so often. The witchcraft was very clever and well rooted in genuine old English. It's clear a lot of research went into creating this aspect of the plot which is something I always appreciate.

The writing was fantastic, pacy and full of humour and suspense, it wasn't superior to the plot and complemented the tone of the book perfectly. This is an excellent example of paranormal YA. It has everything you'd expect from this type of novel, but it avoids the cliches and predictability that so often mar such a story for me. I think the cover is absolutely spectacular and I cannot wait to see the finished article!

This book is part of a trilogy, and it's a series, and an author, to watch.

I really feel like I have been spoilt lately. I don't seem to have anything negative to say about any of the books I have read in the last month and this one is no exception. I always know I am on the right track with a book, when my best friend phones me up to tell me she has bought this fabulous book and can't put it down. As soon as she mentioned the title 'A Witch In Winter' I had to grin, because she was spot on. I almost wish I hadn't read it, so that I could enjoy it afresh all over again.

Many of you know I have a thing for witches, so this book was always going to find a way into my hands. As soon as I started to read it I loved it. The first few scenes are set in Wicker House - all I can say is my ideal home makeover! An old creepy house, infested with every small living creature, with a dodgy history - I want to live there! Wicker House would have been sold on sight to me.

As the story progressed, events happen which bring a desperate Seth to Anna's door. His declaration of instant love, scared the hell out of me and I was concerned that she might have a stalker on her hands, but once she sorted out the problem, he turned into a really lovely guy.

Anna was AMAZING! Her powers were AMAZING! She seriously was electrifying in her abilities and took on her new found abilities with ease. I really want a power like hers.

I found the book to be really well paced, as each chapter swiftly moved you on in the story. I found I couldn't put it down for long, as I needed to know what was happening next.

The ending was seriously explosive. If you had added fireworks they would have gone unnoticed, with such lightening powers occurring from the witches. Some serious magic going down! Not sure I want to remain living by the sea though...

This is a book about a new girl in a new town with some seriously new talents. A magical start to a new series that leaves me waiting impatiently for the next book. At least it didn't end with a cliff hanger, all the loose threads were sewn up by the end of the book.

A promising new start to a series I am already growing to love.