Welcome to the blog tour for The Vine Witch by Luanne G. Smith, hosted by the Fantastic Flying Book Club!
About the Book
Title: The Vine Witch
Author: Luanne G. Smith
Publisher: 47North
Release: Date: October 1st, 2019
Genre: Fantasy
Find It: GoodReads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Google Books
Blurb: 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.
Review: This book was an absolutely lovely read! It was nothing like I was expecting, which I always enjoy. It had such an Old World feel to it, almost like a fairy tale from long ago, but with a modern twist. I loved the concept of the different types of witches. The vine witches are tied to their land and dedicate their lives to making the grapes grow perfectly. There are hints that there are many other types of witches, although the story doesn’t go into detail on them.
Also wonderful was the way that this author describes the countryside. I want to take a vacation in the Chanceaux Valley! It sounds so beautiful! The way that Smith writes is very atmospheric. It appeals to all the senses in a very vivid way.
Now let’s talk about our main character, Elena. She is a fiesty one! She was cursed and lived as a frog for SEVEN YEARS! And she was clever enough to figure out how to break the spell by using her own venom! She returns to her home to find everything changed and doesn’t really blink an eye. Even though the new owner of her vineyard doesn’t believe in magic, she is ready to do what she needs to do to get rid of the dark magic that has taken hold of the vines. There is also a much darker element to their world. Someone is making animal sacrifices and Elena suspects some sort of blood magic. This is where I felt like the story was right out of Grimms’ Fairy Tales. Charming, but also dark and gruesome underneath.
If you like fantasy that feels fresh and new while still feeling very rooted in tradition, then do give this a read. I was enthralled with it the entire time.
GoodReads rating: 5 stars
About the Author
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.
GoodReads | Website | Twitter | Instagram
Giveaway Time!
This tour has a giveaway! Enter to win a copy of The Vine Witch via this Rafflecopter link. This giveaway is only open to the U.S. and you can enter up until October 15th.
Follow the Tour!
Be sure to check out the other stops on the tour for more reviews, guest posts, interviews, and more! You can find them updated here as the tour goes on. Thank you so much to the Fantastic Flying Book Club for organizing this tour and for letting me tag along!
Categories: Blog Tours, Books I've Read
Life With No Plot 
I can’t help but love a good gruesome story! LOL! Great review and happy reading!
Not all of it is gruesome by any means, but it has that old fairy tale story feel to it. Charming and light, with a gruesome undercurrent. I loved it!