Review: The Witch’s Curse

About the Book

Author: J. F. Rogers

Genre: Christian Fantasy

Blurb:

Colleen must face her fears to free those under the witch’s curse... or remain trapped in her nightmare forever.

Colleen helped free the people from the King’s Curse. Now they blame her. Few want to see her on the throne. Most want her dead. She must flee to Seelie Clos to seek Queen Rhiannon’s help.

But that means crossing the Divide…

Without wards…

Once inside, all fall prey to the witch’s curse. The only way out is to kill her. Many have tried. None have succeeded.

But if they fail, they’ll remain trapped in the Divide forever.

My Review

Cleanness: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

As usual, the book is squeaky clean. There are mentions of death and violence, but nothing graphic. 

Positive Messages: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The story deals with faith and trusting God. Many times, Colleen can’t see the truth because of her lack of trust in God. She literally cannot see the way because of not trusting the Lord, as the path is only seen through faith. A good metaphor for life. 

There is also the need to move past the past. In The King’s Curse, the first book in the series, Colleen had anxiety attacks and moments similar to PTSD. In The Witch’s Curse, she still struggles with her past in Bandia (which is seen in the Ariboslia trilogy). Colleen has frequent flashbacks that pull her out of reality and throw her into the past as if the events are happening all over again. At one point, Colleen faces an anger toward God she didn’t know she held and questions where he was in her suffering. In a scene similar to Falon’s in the Ariboslia trilogy, Colleen has a vision and meets the Lord face to face, and he assures her he’s always been there. 

The theme will resonate with anyone who has ever struggled with their past or faith. 

Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Witch’s Curse is a great second book in The Cursed Lands trilogy. It picks up immediately where The King’s Curse ends and doesn’t slow down until the last page. 

The king’s curse has been lifted, but the story is far from over. Colleen and her friends must now travel to Seelie Clos to enlist fae Queen Rhiannon’s help, but to get there they must pass through the Divide, a land cursed by the evil witch Noita. They face dangers even before reaching the Divide and meet an interesting cast of characters both before and after entering the cursed land. 

But how is the Divide cursed? Once a place of beauty, Noita has put a curse on the land that makes it appear the way she wishes, which is terrifying. Dark forests with hands reaching up from the mud, a swamp with winged crocodiles, and a barren desert with giant worms are only a few of the disturbing examples of Noita’s influence. Even the people appear different, looking like monsters instead of their true selves. Needless to say, the Divide is not a fun place! And the only way out is to kill the witch… without her killing them first. 

Yet not everything in the Divide is bad. I can’t tell everything because I don’t want to spoil the book, but there are some places Noita’s magic can’t touch. And it’s in one of these places that we meet a few new characters. One of these characters is Samu, who also appears in The Darkening Divide, a short story set before the events of The King’s Curse. Maybe I’m weird, but I enjoy seeing books entwine like that. Another new character is Hadwin. He first appears as a wolf, because of the curse, but even when his true form is revealed… he still looks like a wolf, or bear, in my opinion. A big, hairy human, but a good person. 

One character I can’t neglect to mention is Hiisi. I love this little weirdo! He definitely ranks as a favorite character, along with Saaki and Rhys. Why? He’s adorable, that’s why. Hiisi is tiny, and odd looking in a strange way that is both a little monstrous and cute. Yes, monsters can be cute. But his personality is anything but beastly. Hiisi is a God-given guide who helps Colleen through her struggles. 

And there are plenty of struggles for everyone. Again, I can’t tell everything because I don’t want to spoil the ending, but suffice it to say the battle is not won without cost. Not everyone makes it out of the Divide alive. 

Yes, a character dies. Yes, I’ve been emotionally devastated by a book (what book lover hasn’t?). 

I’ll admit, I was disappointed when this character died. Death was inevitable and hinted at throughout the book, but I was hoping the entire time that there would be some way to save this character. Alas, it was not so. There is some closure in knowing the character went to heaven, gaining what they always wanted—to be accepted by Christ. That puts a bit of a sweet edge to a painful blow. 

Speaking of sweet, watching Colleen and Liam’s relationship grow was exactly that. It’s slow burn, so they aren’t a couple yet. It’s more of a “I’m not sure what this is” sort of love story, which is perfect for the characters. 

Overall, I would definitely recommend The Witch’s Curse. It’s a great second book in the series, packed with adventure and strong Christian themes, and will tug on your emotions.

I look forward to The Queen’s Curse, the third and final book in the series… which isn’t out until February 2024. This is why someone needs to invent a time machine, so we can steal books from the future and not have to wait. Since that isn’t an option… commence impatient waiting.