Hi everyone! Today is my stop for the blog tour of The Vine Witch! You are not gonna want to miss this one! Keep reading for my thoughts on the book, some of my favorite quotes, and a GIVEAWAY!
Title: The Vine Witch
Author: Luanne G. Smith
Publisher: 47North
Release Date: October 1st 2019
Genre: Fantasy
Synopsis: A young witch emerges from a curse to find her world upended in this gripping fantasy of betrayal, vengeance, and self-discovery set in turn-of-the-century France.
For centuries, the vineyards at Château Renard have depended on the talent of their vine witches, whose spells help create the world-renowned wine of the Chanceaux Valley. Then the skill of divining harvests fell into ruin when sorcière Elena Boureanu was blindsided by a curse. Now, after breaking the spell that confined her to the shallows of a marshland and weakened her magic, Elena is struggling to return to her former life. And the vineyard she was destined to inherit is now in the possession of a handsome stranger.
Vigneron Jean-Paul Martel naively favors science over superstition, and he certainly doesn’t endorse the locals’ belief in witches. But Elena knows a hex when she sees one, and the vineyard is covered in them. To stay on and help the vines recover, she’ll have to hide her true identity, along with her plans for revenge against whoever stole seven winters of her life. And she won’t rest until she can defy the evil powers that are still a threat to herself, Jean-Paul, and the ancient vine-witch legacy in the rolling hills of the Chanceaux Valley.
The Vine Witch was an enchanting read! I was instantly pulled into it from the first page. We are first introduced to our main character, Elena, as she is trying to break free from a curse that has left her as a toad for seven years. Once she breaks the curse, Elena makes her way back to her home, Château Renard, a vineyard that she has lived at since 5 years old. But her home is not how she left it. Covered in various hexes, the poor vineyard is struggling. When she learns that the previous owner has sold it to someone else, a city man nonetheless, it is just salt in the wound.
The new owner of Château Renard is Jean-Paul Martel, a former attorney from the city, and a man of science. He doesn’t believe in any of that Vine Witch nonsense the townspeople speak of. He knows that if he can just get the correct minerals in the soil and the pH balance of the grapes just right etc that his vineyard will soon be restored back to its former glory. Then Elena arrives back at the vineyard and he finds his perspective changing.
The writing in this was great! The world building really makes you feel like you are there in the Vineyards with Vine Witches and hexes and gargoyles and the first automobiles. And I really liked the main characters. Elena starts out on a mission for revenge, and when I say revenge I mean REVENGE LIKE POISON THAT GOES LIKE A SNAKE IN A PERSONS BLOOD. But! We get to see some growth in her as she decides to instead focus her attention on the vineyard and the evil surrounding the town that reeks of forbidden blood magic. We also get some great growth from Jean-Paul as he goes from nonbeliever to “say what I’ve been wrong this whole time and witches are real better go read some books about them so I know all there is to know” Great character growth, amirite?
Favorite Quotes
“She was Elena, disciple of the All Knowing and daughter of the Chanceaux Valley. And she was free.”
“Mortal men. What flaw was in it in their ape brain that convinced them their schemes were paramount to everyone else’s?”
“Revenge allowed to ferment would carry the most power”
“He wasn’t truly bewitched but he wasn’t capable of seeing her for what she was, either- a witch who experimented with poison in her spare time so she could kill the former lover who’d betrayed her.”
I really enjoyed this one! I’m giving it a 4 out of 5 stars. I read it quite quickly and was fully invested in the story by chapter 1. Recommended for fans of witchy women, revenge, wine, murder mystery, and slow-burnin love.
*ARC provided by publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thanks to The Fantastic Flying Book Club and the publisher for including me on this book tour!
TOUR GIVEAWAY
Prize: Win a copy of The Vine Witch by Luanne G. Smith (US Only)
Starts: 1st October 2019
Ends: 15th October 2019
Click here to enter!
BOOK LINKS
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43236285-the-vine-witch
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2ZKNjvH
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-vine-witch-luanne-g-smith/1130030332
Bookdepository: https://www.bookdepository.com/es/Vine-Witch-Luanne-G-Smith/9781542008389?ref=grid-view&qid=1567272333336&sr=1-1
Google Books: https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/The_Vine_Witch.html?id=VBS9vwEACAAJ&redir_esc=y
Luanne G. Smith is the author of THE VINE WITCH, a fantasy novel about witches, wine, and revenge set in early 20th century France, and the forthcoming second book in the series, THE GLAMOURIST. She’s lucky enough to live in Colorado at the base of the beautiful Rocky Mountains, where she enjoys reading, gardening, hiking, a glass of wine at the end of the day, and finding the magic in everyday life.
AUTHOR LINKS
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18699641.Luanne_G_Smith
Website: https://www.luannegsmith.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/writersmith1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luannegsmith/
Shelf-Rated 
I enjoyed this story also!
LikeLike
It sounds good, and I found it on Audible! It’s on my wish list now…
LikeLike