The Bane Witch by 
The synopsis for The Bane Witch by Ava Morgyn does not do it justice by a long shot. This was a lot darker than I thought it would be, but I absolutely loved it – mostly. While the story is solid, and the characters feel real, like someone we can connect to, there are definitely parts where it stumbles. Readers absolutely need to be cognizant of content warnings for this book for intimate partner violence and sexual assault.
There are a few overt and underlying plots we follow. For the overt, Piers escaping her husband, and a serial killer targeting women in her aunt’s hometown. The serial killer plot line was, for me, the biggest letdown. I almost could’ve done without it. Yes, it gave a reason for Piers to be around Regis, but there was no payoff at the end. It didn’t feel like anything was really accomplished. The end of that plot felt inconsequential to everything else that happened in the story. I didn’t feel like it enhanced anything, it’s just something that happened in parallel to everything else. Piers escaping her husband, however, should have been the major plot our story followed. We’ve spent the entire story building up a connection to Piers, to understanding the horrors she lived through, but her story and connection to Henry falls to the wayside in favor of the serial killer plot.
There was solid world-building, though I thought it was interesting that they completely missed out on including Giulia Tofana into the lore considering how prevalent her aqua tofana was (or rumored to be.) Considering this is a standalone, as far as I know, spending so much time building this world, the lore behind it, the rules, felt a little like filler. The idea behind how their abilities work, and the impact it has on all relationships with men (fathers, sons, lovers, brothers) was really well explained. It showcased just how isolated the bane witches are, how much they sacrifice. On the flip side, I don’t think knowing about class types added anything. It could easily have been explained as each woman has a preference. The class types seemed to be a way to explain Piers having to go after the serial killer, but again, if that plot was nixed in favor of Henry, it wouldn’t have mattered. But, since we do have all of this background information, I would love to see follow-ups in this world, possibly following Piers and her marks or other members’ hunts.
The writing was beautiful, for the most part, but then included some weird similes/visuals that really did not fit with the vibe. It seemed to correspond almost with the pacing issues. The beginning had some really great quotes and writing. This is where the pacing was perfect. It didn’t rush through explanations, nor did it linger in situations. It simply flowed. Then, for the last quarter of the book, the writing and pacing seemed to slip. So much happened all at once that it passed in a blur. This where the multiple storylines really hindered the narrative. There was no time to breath and process one thing when two or three things came right behind.
The Bane Witch by Ava Morgyn, despite it’s hectic fumble at the end, was a really great read. I think if you are a fan of domestic thrillers and enjoy just a little fit of paranormal, you’ll enjoy this. I think I’d also recommend it for folks that enjoy women’s literature.