The Last Witch by M.J. Lawrie- My Review
The Last Witch by M.J. Lawrie- My Review
Introduction:
When scrolling through books in Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited programme for something new, the cover for The Last Witch caught my eye. With a black background and fiery red seven pointed star, how could my witchy heart not be intrigued? I’ll admit, this wasn’t the best written, or the best edited book I’ve ever read, but the story…
Ah, the story…
Well, that’s something we desperately need to talk about.
About The Book
The Last Witch by M.J. Lawrie
Synopsis
Obsession. Magic. Revenge.
FREEDOM AND LOVE HAVE NEVER BEEN SO DEADLY.
My ex-lover is a psychopath, hunting me down for revenge.
I am falling in love with his enemy.
And I am the last Arcane Witch left alive, destined to return magic to the modern world.
My whole life, I have been a prisoner.
Starved. Beaten. Hated.
By my own family!
But most of all, I am feared.
I am feared because I am the most powerful woman in the world.
Most want me dead.
Some want to control my magic for their own, dark desires.
To others, I am salvation. A key to winning a war that has raged for five-hundred years between those who can use magic, and hunters, who dedicate their entire existence to killing anyone with magic in their blood.
I am released from my chains, and thrown into a world I am supposed to save.
A world that has made me suffer beyond words.
Magic must return. But should it?
*Please Note: This is a dark, paranormal fantasy romance series and contains explicit content and darker elements, including mature language, violence, torture and non-consensual sex. It is not intended for anyone under 18 years of age.
My review:
My rating:
★★★★★+++
As I said in my introduction, I was actually startled how obsessed I became with this series, mainly because it really needs a good spit and polish. It’s indie published and would really benefit from another go over from an editor or some beta readers. I’m saying this not because I’m a grammar snob, though I am, and not because I believe that indies should strive to compete with traditional publishing standards when it comes to editing etc, though I do. No. I’m saying this because I honestly believe if this went through another round of editing, it could be at the top of every bestseller list going. It could be picked up by a traditional publishing house. It could be the next damn Harry Potter for adults, for women who need some empowerment, for women who love witchcraft. This book, particularly the first instalment, had me absolutely freaking enthralled.
Despite the typos, I could NOT put this damn book down. To the point where I read book one to completion through the night. I found myself awake with a pounding heart at seven in the morning, totally confused as to how this story managed to sink it’s claws into me so deeply that I simply couldn’t stop reading. Not for sleep. Not for food. Not for the love of good sense. Nothing could have stopped me, because honestly this story is damn incredible. It’s addictive in the best way, and even though in the two final instalments I felt the narrative fell into a repetitive Catch-Torture-Escape pattern, I still couldn’t put the freaking book down.
This series follows Lilly Hooper, the last Arcane Witch, this being a witch who can access all seven realms of magical power. Lilly meets the reader after being held against her will in her uncle’s basement for two years. She’s damaged, she’s been raped, assaulted, tortured, beaten, starved, and bound so she can’t use her magic. Yet, she’s still on her feet, and she’s still feisty as all hell.
The story begins when Lilly is rescued by Grayson Kendryk, a male witch with serious energy magic, and an equally serious cross to bear. He intends to bring back magic to the descendants of the witches of the past, but he can only do this with Lilly’s help. Only the Arcane witch can bring down the veil between worlds, only the Arcane witch can read the spell to bring back magic. As the story moves on and Lilly is moved to The Orchard and given the coven’s protection, she meets Gabriel Kendryk (Grayson’s little brother), Hendrix― a castrated vampire who can’t make anymore of his own kind― Collins, and Amara who quickly becomes Lilly’s best friend.
The plot for this novel is quite literally insane. It twists and turns like a serpent masquerading as a pretzel, and there wasn’t a moment where I wasn’t on the edge of my seat, breath baited, waiting to discover what the author would throw at me next.
This novel isn’t for the squeamish, it’s not for those who can’t cope with torture and misery. I saw some of the reviews for these books describing the author’s plot as ‘torture porn’ and I’m not entirely sure they’re completely off the mark. People lose limbs. They miscarry pregnancies. People die in the most gruesome way possible. The main character is almost raped several times, as well as being beaten, branded, starved, and made to relive her hellish childhood trauma in multiple ways and on multiple occasions. It’s not always a comfortable read, in fact, I’d say it’s a distinctly uncomfortable read 95% of the time. Check your trigger warnings people! Yet, still, addictive as all hell. Unputdownable. My brain cannot wrap around how that works, and yet it does.
I’ve been enthralled, and I’ve fallen in love with characters like Gabriel, like Amara amid all the horrendous things which happen over the course of 1500 pages. I’ve felt exasperated by Lilly’s stubbornness, but I’ve also found myself thinking Don’t you dare give up now! I’ve felt furiously angry at Grayson, at Theo, at Toby and various other morally grey or just plain villainous entities within the novel. I felt so much reading this book, that it was almost as though I’d forgotten books could evoke such strong emotions in the first place.
I’ll never forget this book, and without giving away spoilers, without diving into the complex Rubik’s cube of the plot in depth, I can’t say too much more. The only thing I can say is ― GO READ THIS IMMEDIATELY.
It’s intense. It’s emotional. It’s a rollercoaster. It’s imperfectly perfect. It’s everything you’re looking for.
Five million stars.
M.J Lawrie― if you ever read this, please get an editor to go over this manuscript one last time. The story deserves it, and you are too talented a storyteller to let something silly like typos stop readers from losing themselves in this incredible world. It’s absolutely unforgettable.
The Last Witch Aesthetic Gallery
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