Review: Red Witch by Anna McKerrow

Publisher:  Quercus Books
Publication Date:  10th March 2016
Source: Received from publisher

Series: Second in the series, click here to read my review of the first novel Crow Moon. 
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Blurb: 
Seventeen, heartbroken, powerful; Melz has run away from home, run away from the safety of the Greenworld. In the cities of the Redworld, Melz discovers she's special, desired. And not just for her magical talents. When Melz meets the young but influential Bran, their attraction is instant and electric. In the Redworld, with Bran by her side, unrestrained by the customs of her former life, Melz knows she can reach her true potential. But the world Bran wants to give Melz is ravaged by war and violence. Oil is running out, and people will do anything to gain control of the remaining resources. Melz may be more powerful than ever, but even great power can be a curse when used against you. 

Check out my interview with the author, Anna McKerrow, Click here ! 

 A huge thank you to Quercus books for providing me a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review! 
This novel was on my most anticipated reads of 2016 list , so I was extremely excited to get back into the world of the novel. 

Red Witch picks off where Crow Moon left off. We get the novel from the perspective of Melz, who has run away from home, angry, upset and alone after the gang attack at the end of Crow Moon. Melz runs away to the "Redworld" which is extremely alien and foreign to her, but is not too different to the world we currently live in. 

I really enjoyed seeing this story through the eyes of Melz. Seeing how she interacts and learns about shopping and technology all for the first time was really interesting. One of my favourite things about this novel was Melz and her journey as a character. When  reading the novel, I felt as if I was there with her in the "Redworld" as she experienced everything for the first time and began to grow as a character, as a woman, and become so much more confident and comfortable in her own skin. 


By the end of the novel, she so much stronger, more compassionate and clear minded than she was in Crow Moon, that even she notes how different her time in "Redworld" made her. I also loved reading about her growth as a witch and her interactions with her goddess the Morrigan. 

Melz's interactions with some of the new characters introduced in this novel were really fun to read about. She makes some new friends in the shape of wanna-be witches Catie, Demi and Ceri who take her under their wing. Melz also meets Bran, a rich, young and powerful man who promises her the world. Their whole relationship was really interesting to read about. 

Anna McKerrows world building is fantastic. I felt that I was there with Melz as she navigated the streets of Redworld, dined in Bran's home and traveled through Glastonbury. The descriptions of these places are so full of natural beauty that it really makes me appreciate even more so the gorgeous green fields of Ireland, where I live. 

Anna's writing style is also full of the same lyrical, gripping and enthralling writing style she possessed in Crow Moon. She also has such a talent for writing such strong feminist female characters that I highly enjoy reading about. I highly recommend this novel if you're looking for a feminist yet magical piece of YA fiction. 

I did find myself enjoying Red Witch more than Crow Moon, but these books are both so very good. Although I found the novel a little slow at the beginning, and the ending didn't fully satisfy me, I still would definitely recommend these novels. 

Feminism, magic, environmentalists and gang drama.....what more could you want in a novel! 

I am so intensely excited for the next, and sadly the last, book in the series which is set to release next year!