Review: The Vine Witch

The Vine Witch by Luanne G. Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Bonus star for the audio!

This was a really fun story to listen to! The audio really made it for me; it was done brilliantly.

The story follows Elena, a Vine Witch who returns home after being cursed for seven years. The home she returns to used to be famous for it's amazing wine but without its trusty Vine Witch keeping things in tip top shape, the place has fallen on hard times and the new owner, Jean-Paul - a man of science - is struggling to make any kind of decent wine. Probably something to do with all the hexes he knows nothing about. Hmm.

So straight away we have quite a few interesting things - the mystery of Elena's curse (who? why?), the magic (what is a Vine Witch? What can they do? Are there other kinds of witches?), and the fun magic vs science argument (surely the answer is always BOTH).

I was really intrigued and appreciated Elena's spirit from the get-go. She's smart enough to break her own curse (no Prince Charming here) and then she has a fiery spirit that immediately lusts for revenge (it's always fun when they aren't perfectly wholesome). But she also loves what she does and has a true dedication to the art of magic and the wine-making process. She was really fun to follow because she makes some interesting choices and isn't afraid to get her hands dirty here and there.

Jean-Paul was an eh character but I really loved the science angle he brought with him. I liked that, in this world of magic and superstition, he just absolutely refuses to get caught up in it. He's a bit of an idiot about it, of course, and listens a lot more eagerly when a pretty girl is involved, but I liked the contrast of his science-loving nature against all the magic.

There's also so much French which a) warmed my Francophile heart and b) made me extra thankful for the audio. Hearing the terms out loud really enhanced the experience and the whole thing felt a lot more authentic for it. I also loved all the different accents and each character was so easy to distinguish. Honestly, the audio made this story come alive.

The magic was a lot of fun with traditional witchy things like potions, hexes and spells, but there's also a bit of randomness thrown in and there really is no limit. I would have loved to learn more about the secret society governing all these witches and the laws etc, but there are two more books in the series I believe so maybe it'll be expanded upon later.

This was just such an enjoyable read, and I'm really glad I went the audio route because I feel like maybe the story was a little thin and confusing in places but I didn't really care because I was enjoying the audio performance so much. The story itself is still quite fascinating, with lots of different elements to keep it interesting, but the romance feels a bit out of place though not unexpected.

I do recommend it to people who love to dabble in fantasy with a side of realism, and highly recommend the audio. It's a fun way to pass the time, and I'll definitely be looking into the next book in the series.

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