Witchy Eye Review

Witchy Eye, by D.J. Butler which is published by Baen Books, is set in an alternate history version of early America but with the fantastic addition of magic! Our heroine Sarah Calhoun finds out there is more to her life than she thought when she evades a kidnapping attempt at the Nashville Tobacco Fair. Throughout the novel she works with recently made friends as well as old ones to stay ahead of those who want to see her dead.

Butler is a master at creating in-depth stories filled with so much detail that you honestly feel like you are living the adventure as it unfolds within the book. The pacing of the novel is keeps you flipping page after page as you desperately want to find out what is going to happen next. However, I found it interesting that I never felt rushed as I furiously flipped through the pages.

Sarah is a very engaging protagonist. Like most first time heroes she has her doubts about herself and her abilities, but wonderfully so she is not your stereotypical damsel in distress. Her flaws only serve to make her more appealing and life like to throughout the story to me. Plus they give some great ways for the story to progress. I loved the various supporting characters throughout the book that just seemed to add more colors and flavor to Butler’s masterpiece. Just like our main character these characters also come with their own set of flaws that Butler craftily shows working to overcome.  

There are a number of antagonists, and surprisingly not all of them are bad guys. Having so many of them kept me constantly second guessing myself and trying to figure out what they were up to and how they would affect the hero’s journey. A clear bad guy is presented by the end of Witchy Eye, but Butler does a good job of throwing out red herrings left and right to keep the reader guessing at motivations for everyone.

I loved this book and I highly recommend Witchy Eye. I had a great time reading it. If you like unique fantasy alternate history, you will love this book. I  can’t wait for the rest of the series!

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