Witch Queen Rising

Craig A. Munns

A great first novel and new world to immerse yourself in

"I thoroughly enjoyed Witch Queen Rising and eagerly await what follows. Stephens has developed a robust mythology with believable and engrossing characters. My personal standard for evaluating the fiction books I read is how much I want to know more about the people of the story, or conversely, I suppose, how much I would want to avoid them were they real. It's the realness of the "people" that draws me in. In this case, the Witch Queen, Phine, has depth which is revealed throughout the book, and although we have little in common, I was able to connect with her as well as be intrigued by her differences. For example, I found her experience of people's emotions as various flavors was an intriguing idea. This ability could have been presented in a heavy-handed way as many authors do, but instead, it was integrated into her character as just something that was part of her. It made her more interesting and not just "different." Other characters, like Phine's sister, were annoying, but again not just as characters in the story, rather as real people are. I understood her as a person and her motivations, but (despite some redemption toward the end) she is not a someone I would choose to interact with. Having a reaction like that, rather than just a recognition that she's someone who drives the story through conflict, speaks to the author's craft. The story itself was enjoyable, and it wasn't predictable. As someone who regularly annoys my wife by predicting antagonists, their motivations, and outcomes early in movies and TV shows, I pleased to be kept guessing throughout this story. I never found myself knowing what was going to happen next. At the same time, everything that happened made sense within the context of the story. Surprises need to be contextual. The basic information was there to suggest who Phine's enemy was and what their motivations were, but it was presented in a way that left open the possibility of other actors. Still, everything came together in the end in a way that made sense, and there was no sense of the author simply needing to "wrap things up." As a resident of the French Quarter, I had hoped for a bit more in one area. New Orleans not only has its own character, it has the potential to be a character within a story like this. Elements of the city and it's history we're incorporated into the story such as the cemetery, the bayous, some architectural details, but they didn't quite feel essential to the story. Without changing the story much, it could have been moved to Charleston, Savanah, Atlanta, even, perhaps, New York City. That, however, does not detract from the story at all and is likely only noticeable to someone whose daily life is immersed in in the atmosphere of the Quarter specifically and "Nawlins" generally. Again, this is a worthwhile and enjoyable story that sets up a world with characters that I'm eager to explore. I hope the next installment is available soon. ["

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May 15, 2026 Verified Purchase

kludwig

Amazing details and great plot!

"I got an early copy of this book and I could not put it down! I was hooked from the first few pages. It is beautifully written. The imagery and detail make you feel like you are there down to Phin's fabulous outfits. It was an emotional roller coaster. I am so invested in Phin's journey and the characters in her world. I cannot wait for book 2! ["

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April 22, 2026 Verified Purchase

Bearden Books

Absolutely amazing

"I bought this book for the beautiful cover but the story had me turning the pages as the movie played in my head. I can't say enough about how magnificent the writing, the character development, the dialogue was. Absolutely incredible. ["

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April 30, 2026 Verified Purchase

Dotti

Solid Urban Fantasy Novel

"Witch Queen Rising is an urban fantasy novel following Phine (Seraphine), a young witch who passes into extraordinary power at the death of her mother and becomes the next Prime, the witch queen for New Orleans. The story follows her complicated web of alliances and conflicts as she navigates how best to protect her new community. Our main character, Phine, was discriminated against from a young age because her magic could be easily weaponized. She is a siphon, capable of both taking and giving magic, which is exactly what her community needs when their magical wellspring is corrupted by Blight. Phine and the two clan leaders, her sister Josephine and a non-binary witch named Alex, must work together to manage the growing threat of the blight, conflicts within the witches, and relationships with the other species. The story is primarily an urban fantasy book, but does have a romance subplot that is very minor in the context of our story. Our main character has two different individuals who are interested in her, to varying degrees of seriousness. I could see the romance plot becoming a larger story if this was a three or four book series, but because this is set to be a duology, I assume the romance will remain a small subplot rather than a dominant part of the story. The story uses a number of supernatural tropes, from vampires to shifters to Sidhe (faeries), in addition to the witches and humans present in the story. The book creates a world of magic present in New Orleans without really explaining how they keep themselves separate from humankind, though there is explicitly a separation between the two. I’m not sure if humans are aware of the underbelly of the city or not, which felt like a flaw in the worldbuilding of the story. There’s mention of a human involved in a car accident with them at a point in the story, as well as humans walking nearby, but no explicit explanation about whether the supernatural society exists in secrecy or in tandem with human societies. Even a short chapter where Phine went to meet with the human leadership, as she did with the non-human leaders, would have gone a long way in explaining how the world works. The stakes in this book feel very high; our character confronts mortality on more than one occasion, and as Prime, she is quickly forced to take decisive actions early into her rule. The story feels very heavy, especially from about the halfway point on. There’s a lot of suffering both within our character and within her community, and the stakes in the story feel appropriately high given the conflict they face. The author creates levity in the story by having our character bake, providing both the character and the audience with some sensory regulation between chaotic moments. The story ends with one of the imminent issues in the story solved but two lingering, one hopefully leading into the other. There’s something that feels very unjust when reading through Phine’s life experience, and it makes the book hard to read at times. She was treated terribly by her family members, had traumatic experiences happen to her, ran away in hiding for years, had to abandon any hope of friendships or relationships as she was in danger, and then had magic forced upon her and needed to return to the place of her abuse on pain of death, and that’s just at the beginning of the book. She’s understandably been a victim in a lot of our backstory for things completely out of her control, and her ability to have even a modicum of self esteem is impressive. But it’s hard to read a story in which a character is treated so poorly for so long, and so often, without many wins or kindnesses. I do appreciate that our protagonist is a woman of color, as are many of the people around her, and we have a non-binary side character. Anytime fantasy books can bring diversity into the story is a win for me. The prejudice that our main character feels doesn’t seem to be rooted in racism or sexism, but I do wonder if her abilities are supposed to be a metaphor for the fear that many black people experience in our world for things also outside of their control. I also feel like the story spent a lot of time referencing a friendship that we saw very little time with on the page; I would have liked the author to develop that relationship more, and hope she will in the next book. Altogether, this was an interesting read with high stakes and serious decisions. Phine is an interesting character with lots of trauma layers, but the baking and the romance provide a small glimpse of levity that the book needed. I enjoy urban fantasy, so this book was definitely up my alley, and I thought the author generally did a good job, especially for her debut. I think this book is definitely worth a read if you like urban fantasy and don’t mind some high-stakes violence and death, and want to prioritize reading diverse voices. This book does not have a large romance plot for those people who love Romantasy, so I wouldn’t go into the book expecting a significant romance plotline. Thank you to Berkley for this advanced reader copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own. ["

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April 30, 2026

BookmarkedByChalon

Coming Into Your Power

"An advance copy of this book was provided to me for free by the publisher. Suspenseful and crackling with tension, Witch Queen Rising will keep you engaged from beginning to end. After being forced to return home to New Orleans and rule over people who don't trust her, Phine grapples with rebuilding connections and her enhanced powers. As she digs into the cause for increasing instability within her magical community, Phine has to figure out a way to keep everyone safe from an unexpected threat and manage precarious relations with other supernatural beings. Stephens crafts a distinctly different approach to the "chosen one" trope that propels Phine from self-exile to an essential member of her community in a way that resonated with me. I really enjoyed joining Phine's journey as she is attempting to come into her own as a person and as a powerful leader who needs to make unpopular decisions. You can't help but feel for her as a misunderstood outsider who has a deep desire to help, even when faced with resistance from the people who should support her. Stephens crafts a vivid magical world and I really enjoyed the inclusion of other fantastical creatures, like shifters, and incubuses, and vampires, as they all try to maintain the balance needed to ensure their community thrives the balance they are all responsible for maintaining that they all have within their community in New Orleans to try to maintain. This book is the beginning of a duology, and I would love the next book to dive deeper into the history behind how each of these communities intersect and what was the cause of their tension. Phine is left grappling with a dangerous shift in the status quo, and I can't wait to see how she rises to meet new challenges. ✨ If you're looking for a dark fantasy about a woman coming into her power, Witch Queen Rising should be on your reading list. ["

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May 10, 2026