The Vine Witch by Luanne G. Smith

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and have not been influenced in any way.

Synopsis:

Breakdown Review:

The Vine Witch by Luanne G. Smith is an interesting and unique fantasy novel with good pieces of historical reference and magical phenomena. The story starts out immediately creepy, with Elena breaking out of a curse that has left her to live in the body of a toad. This totally amused me and I was intrigued from very early on. The descriptions of the surroundings and the transformation of Elena were thorough and vivid. A perfect book for the fall season, this atmospheric feel carried well from beginning to end.

The setting of the vineyard was interesting as well. For the duration of the story there was a strong attention to detail, with pieces of the wine making and grape tending processes sprinkled through the narrative. This made the story feel highly authentic and kept me wrapped up in the novel and its world. However, the overuse of French words and phrases sometimes proved problematic. Though they certainly added to the atmosphere, the way they were used sometimes pulled me out of the story as I had to try and decipher their specific meanings. This didn't occur with all uses, but I felt that there could have been either lesser use of the French words or a better way to wrap them in the narrative that would provide explanation around their use. Despite this, Smith is clearly very good at setting a scene. Her words were magnificent and brought out all five senses through the pages. The scent of the air, the taste of the wine, the sight of the fog rolling over the vines--it was all beautifully constructed.

Similarly, the magical element in this book was fantastic. I loved, again, Smith's attention to detail. I loved her descriptions of ingredients and instruments, her talk of the occult, and the way the magic weaved through the story. I just love me some spooky, creepy vibes and this one had it dripping from the pages.

When it comes to characters, I felt like this could have given me a little more. Beyond the protagonist, the characters weren't really overly dynamic and the world-building in this department felt like it needed a boost. Elena was a strong and vivid character who was developed carefully as the plot progressed. She is very resolute and bright, she carries with her a lot of knowledge that makes her a powerful protagonist. Despite the morally gray character that develops from the darkness of her obsession with revenge, she is a likable character as well. I found myself connected to her story and wanting to know what would become of her. 

Supporting characters didn't feel quite as fleshed out. I liked Jean-Paul as well, but I needed more from him. I wanted a more cohesive background and internal monologue. This did start to develop in the last third of the book, so I'm hoping that it will continue to grow in the planned sequel. He is an interesting individual and I found myself curious about his motivations. He unfortunately fell a little flat for me, as did the development of the romance between the two. 

The romantic plot of the narrative felt a little awkward and convenient and didn't really progress in a way that felt natural. I think I could have preferred for that to hold off until the sequel or at least to have things be moving at a slower pace. It seemed to go from the feeling of strangers to soulmates in a matter of pages, and not really in a good way.

Regardless of my disappointments in the world and character building departments, The Vine Witch was still an entertaining and quick read. I became involved enough in the plot to want to get back to the book when I had to put it down and I sailed through the narrative fairly quickly, wanting to know what would be on the next page. Smith's masterful weaving of setting made me crave more and I look forward to seeing what happens in the sequel. Though it has its faults, this book was very much worth the read.