Weather Witch

Weather Witch #1

by Shannon Delany

The first in an exciting new young adult series from 13 to Life writer Shannon Delany, Weather Witch is about a young woman enslaved for being a weather witch, and who must fight for her freedom to be with the boy she loves. 

Some fled the Old World to avoid war, and some fled to leave behind magick. Yet even the fiercely regulated New World--with its ranks and emphasis on decorum--cannot staunch the power that wells up in certain people, influencing the weather and calling down storms. Hunted, the Weather Witches are forced to power the rest of the population's ships, as well as their every necessity, and luxury, in a time when steam power is repressed.

 

Jordan Astraea hails from a flawless background with no taint of magick, but on her seventeenth birthday she is accused of summoning an unscheduled storm. Taken from her family, Jordan is destined to be enslaved on an airship. But breaking Jordan may prove to be the very thing her carefully constructed society cannot weather.

 

 And losing Jordan forever may force her beau, Rowen, to be the hero he would have never otherwise dared become.

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Steampunk, Witches, Paranormal, Historical Fiction, Magic

336 pages, ebook

First published June 25, 2013

About the author

Shannon has written stories since she was a child. She began writing in earnest when her grandmother fell unexpectedly ill during a family vacation. In 2008 her greatly abbreviated version of 13 to Life (written in just five weeks) won the grand prize in the first-ever cell phone novel contest in the western world through Textnovel.com .

Shannon was thrilled when St. Martin’s Press offered her a contract for a series about her 13 to Life characters. She expanded on the cell phone novel version, adding the subplots and characters she didn’t have time to during the contest. As paranormal as werewolves seem, the grief Shannon used to build Jess’s character is something she personally experienced with the loss of her own mother. Focusing on Jess and Pietr’s story of loss, love and dramatic and dangerous changes, Shannon came to better grips with her own struggle. The resulting novel has earned her blurbs from authors she respects most.

The first novel in Shannon’s YA paranormal series, 13 to Life, debuted June 22, 2010, and was followed by Secrets and Shadows (February 2011), Bargains and Betrayals (August 2011), Destiny and Deception (February 2012), and the Rivals and Retribution (August 2012).

Shannon has also debuted with interactive science fiction in her short story ("To Hel and Back") for Spirited: 13 to Haunting Tales (Leap Books) and will make her high fantasy debut with Month 9 Books' charity anthology titled Two and Twenty Dark Tales (October 2012, "Pieces of Eight").

Shannon's second series (a steampunk trilogy titled WEATHER WITCH, also with St. Martin's Press) launched June 25, 2013 with Weather Witch, followed by Stormbringer (January 2014), and Thunderstruck (May 2014).

Previously a teacher, Shannon lives and writes in Upstate New York and enjoys traveling to talk to people about most anything.

Reviews

[Khanh, first of her name, mother of bunnies · Rating 1 out of 5]

"If you weren't known for your rank, you had to be known for something.
Jordan, knowing her limitations, chose to be known for her beauty."

You can probably guess where this review is going.

The characters are mostly non-contributors to the storyline, and the setting, though initially intriguing, doesn't make any damn sense without context. This book offers an interesting and novel promise of a Steampunk United States, specifically Philadelphia, ended up being an enormous letdown. The summary of the book will tell you that this is a story about Jordan Astraea, the summary would be misleading. If this book were to be compressed to its actual relevant parts, it could easily be reduced to a third of its original length without the reader missing out on anything. There is a long cast of characters, all with their separate storylines, with largely no convergence and no purpose.

Weather Witch offers us a scenario I have never read before. Steampunk US is quite uncommon, as is the novel premise of a Weather Witch. The concept is made vague in the summary, and to be honest, it is pretty vague in the book itself. The book is bogged down by the completely unnecessary multiple narrative points-of-view and side stories of numerous other characters that do not do anything to further the plot. It also suffers from a lack of compelling world-building, as interesting as the concept and new terminology and vocabulary is. Things are never explained, we're supposed to accept certain facts, and there is absolutely no sense of history, even if this is intended to be set in an alternate-universe version of the historical United States.

Here are my problems with the book:

1. The setting: The book has an interesting setup, but ultimately failing to present us with a clear picture of the setting. Let's be clear, when you write fantasy, science-fiction, particularly Steampunk, the setting has to well-done. There is no half-assing it, a well-described sense of time, place, people, technology, as well as a plausible history is a requirement for me to begin to get a clear image of a book's setting. I need to believe, I need a good setting to be fully immersed in the book. This book did not do it.

Merrows, Frost-Giants, Makers, The Testers, Wardens, Death EatersWraiths, Wildkin Wars, soulstones, gytrash, Stormlight, Stormcells, the Nines. There's a lot of pretty terminology, a lot of fascinating concepts, it's just not completely carried out, the background is never fully built and it is an incomplete world. They're simple concepts, and easy enough to understand on their own, but the history behind the book's Steampunk setting is never explained. Some people might be fine with it, but I am damned nitpicky.

Why are there Lords and Ladies? Why is there a ranked class system (The Nines, for example, a Fourth of the Nine is ranked higher than a Fifth of the Nine. Which is never explained either.)

Um, this is 'Murica, y'all. Even back in the days (and by that, I mean the Pilgrims), this nation was pretty solidly against the idea of nobility, so why insert it into this book without explaining the concept behind it? And in Philadelphia of all places, where "Magick was even worse than being a Catholic in Philadelphia." So...Catholicism in the US was not accepted, which is true in both history and in the book, but the concept of a ranked peerage system is acceptable, which is not true in history but in the b ook. And so on, and so forth. You can't just make up inconsistent shit like that based on history without giving a reason for it. /rant

It's made abundantly clear in the book that Magick is dangerous, that Weather Witches are undesirable, they're hunted, they're used for power. To have Magick in your bloodline is to be ruined, to risk ostracization. What is never made clear is why? I feel like the reasoning behind the ideas in this book are never clearly explained, and it really disrupted my enjoyment of the setting of the book because I had so many questions and grievances throughout my reading.

For a paranormal book based on witches, there is also a complete lack of magic. Weather Witches are a taint in the blood, they're used for batteries, to be blunt, but nowhere is it demonstrated that they are as dangerous as they are made out to be, and there is ab absolute lack of any sort of witchery or magic, which was my reason for reading this book in the first place. It was truly a letdown.

2. Jordan: She is supposed to be the main character. She is not. There is probably one third of the book devoted to her and her appearance in it, and what we see and know of her is completely, utterly unimpressive. She prepares for a ball, she sighs over her love life, she gets accused of being a Weather Witch, she gets taken away. That's supposed to be the backbone of the book, and it might have been fine if the book stuck to Jordan's story and build upon her character, but it does not. The book does not focus on her at all.

Instead of character growth to make the immature, utterly frivolous Jordan into a more complex, likeable character, the book deviates into a big mess and ultimately the "Main Character" (in quotations, because I don't really feel that she is) becomes one of the downfalls of what was initially a promising book. She has no aspirations. Jordan is more Sleeping Beauty than Mulan. She has no complexity or development of character, she's more worried about "her looks and her rank" after the scandal, she never adapts to the situation, and she admits to herself that she would rather play the damsel in distress than actually fucking do something to save her own ass. She is not a character I would want a young, impressionable woman to emulate.

"She swallowed hard and forced down the fact she really would prefer someone else doing the rescuing.
She was, after all, a lady held prisoner in a tower..."

What are you? Rapunzel? Jordan's thoughts make no sense; she's being dragged away to imprisonment---or worse, and this is what she worries about:

"She stumbled on the wet herringbone walkway...until she remembered the quality of her shoes and forced her feet to catch up with the rest of her so as to not scuff their brocade satin."

Fucking priorities, man. Jordan makes me so angry.

3. The writing and the narrative style: The prose is awkward, stilted, with an attempt at archaic patterns of speaking that never feels natural, even given the historical context of 1844 America. And the narrative. Oh boy, the fucking narrative.

This book is told from a third-person narrative, from the perspective of *takes deep breath* Jordan, Brandon Marshall, John, Chloe, Rowen, and Marion Kruse. I hope I didn't miss anyone. So here's a short summary of their separate narratives, with the exception of Jordan.

Bran: The Maker. Evil, cold-hearted (but very young) man who meeeeeeeeelts into a fucking puddle of blond goo when he's suddenly presented with a curly-headed flaxen-haired little girl claiming to be his daughter.
John: The Astraea's simple-minded, kind-hearted, Uncle-Tom-like African servant, who does whatever he's told and speaks...in an uneducated manner. I don't want to get into the race thing here.
Chloe: the Astraea's...I want to say Caribbean, female servant, with "hands the color and scent of exotic spices and more tropical climes," who goes to raise the dead and try to save her household, among other things. Talk about deviation from the plot.
Rowen: Jordan's kind-of-boyfriend who runs hot and cold with her before, and she doesn't really love him or anything, nor does he love her, but the instant she gets taken, his hackles rise up. He goes off belching into girl's faces (really), drinking, he defends Jordan's reputation, gets into bad and shameful situations...and oh, yeah, he wanted to rescue Jordan? Kind of? Maybe?
Marion Kruse: random-ass character who appears in the beginning of the book and doesn't reappear til the end. Won't mention his storyline because of spoilers.

4. Inconsistent characters: The characters do not act or behave like they should, and they do not act or behave like they are portrayed. For example, Bran's sudden change in character, that of a cold, calculating Maker, into that of a loving father, is unbelievable. Even more so is that it happens so suddenly; I know parenthood can change a person, but to have no skepticism of the fact (no paternity test needed!), to change that drastically within pages of a book, is just far-fetched.

Even by the end, the story does not manage to tie up the numerous storylines in a plausible, satisfactory manner. Not until well over 90% into the book did things finally start to make some sort of relevant plot movement and sense. It wound up being ultimately a setup for the next book; considering how much of a mess this one was, skip that, too.

[Jessie Leigh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Le sigh. This had such a great premise, but was full of very shoddy execution. The author has great ideas, but fails to fully explore or detail them to the satisfaction of her readers. Weather Witch is a confusing, jumbled mess - one that could stand to lose chunks of the narrative for a more streamlined and interesting read.

The way the book was written was.. odd. Too much infodumping WHILE still not providing enough basic information? I don't know how that happened, but it did. I was wary after the first chapter, and my impression only grew worse as the narrative went on. I made it to 57% and then decided to move on. I honestly don't think I am missing out on anything - I don't care about the characters, or the plot. Delany isn't a bad writer; it's just that her style is not one I care to read.

[Miranda · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank you netgalley.com for the chance to read this.

I just couldn't do this one. The first chapter seemed to come out of nowhere and lacked the world-building that I need to really get into a book. By the second chapter I was really struggling with the writing and had a hard time with who was doing what. I gave it just over 50 pages, but I couldn't force myself to keep going. It just didn't work for me at all.

[Mary BookHounds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full review to come on the release date...


The story is full of intrigue, evil versus good, and the wonderful possibility of romance all built around magical elements with a bit of steampunk delicately woven in.


MY THOUGHTS

ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT

Jordan is almost seventeen and at her birthday, her biggest worry is how she will look at her party. Her best friend, Catrina has been helping her prepare and as they gossip about the boys who will be there, Jordan only has eyes for her childhood sweetheart, Rowen. Even though Rowen is a few steps under her social status, he would still make an acceptable marriage for her. In this alternative world of Philadelphia, the only thing in life that matter is where you are on the social ladder. The higher up the hill, the safer you are from the Merrow creatures in the water that cause havoc and death to any unfortunate to come close. This world is powered by witches who can harness the weather and energy around them. To be a witch is to be of the lowest class. So when the Council shows up at Jordan's birthday party, they are certain to find a witch among the attendees. When it turns out Jordan is the one they seek, her whole world falls apart.

Jordan is immediately carted off to Holgate, a place where people are pretty much tortured to transform them into witches that control the weather and conduct their magical power into electricity. When she meets the Maker, Bran, she declares over and over that she is not a witch. Finding inner strength that she didn't know she had, she makes friends with her prisoner roommates while she waits for Rowen to save her. As time goes on, she realizes that she is the only who can save her. Bran has his own dark, secret past that I can wait to get more detail about his background. The story switches back from these characters points of view and really adds to the story.

The story is full of intrigue, evil versus good, and the wonderful possibility of romance all built around magical elements with a bit of steampunk delicately woven in. I finished this rather quickly and there was no way I could put it down until I was finished. It left me breathless and wanting more. I haven't read anything this compelling in a long time! Now, the long wait for the next installment. If you enjoy Cassandra Clare, Jana Oliver, JK Rowling, you are going to adore this new series. Parents: This is pretty safe for even the youngest of teens and I bet even mature middle grade students would enjoy it.

[colleen the convivial curmudgeon · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5

So, this book...

First let me say I was pretty keen for this book. Alt-history, witches controlling the weather, and set in my hometown? Add in a gorgeous cover, and I was there.

And then, well...

Then lines like this happened:

"Wearing relentless black, from their strange soft boots and long frock coats to their tall crowned top hats shrouded with mourner's black, the Wraiths cut imposing figures against the backdrop of the crimson-and-bone hall. Still as stone they stood, faceless beneath the dark veils hanging along their hats' brims; even their hands were robed in gloved the color of a moonless sky." p. 55

Holy crispy crap on a cracker, talk about redundant. A lot of the descriptive passages are like this - seemingly attempting to be literary, and failing oh so miserably.

For the first several chapters of this book, actually, I felt like the words were rolling off my brain because while the words, themselves, were not remotely difficult, the way they were put together... well, I think my brain was like "WTF is this shit?"

But it did get better. Or I got used to it. Or something.


But the writing aside, the world just isn't very coherent. In this rambling narrative - which is, at times, too descriptive and yet not descriptive enough - we never find out why there are lords and ladies in America. Why there is such a weirdly stratified society which kept making me think of the Borg. (There were Nine levels, and all the bigwig families were ranked like Fourth of Nine or Sixth of Nine or whatever. I mean, sure, there's always social stratification, but holy crap.)

There's talk of Merrows, which are like a sort of fae creature that lives in the water, but I'm not sure what their purpose in the world is other than to give a reason why the richies live on Society Hill, called just the Hill in this story.

Oh, and speaking of world building fail, in this story the Hill is desirable because it's away from the water and, like, up high and shit. (You repeatedly get told about looking down on the Belows from the Hill.)

Thing is, actual Society Hill? One of its borders is the effing Delaware River.

The only resemblence this place has to Philadelphia is the ubiquitousness of brick buildings!

*ahem*

Where was I?

Right, the Witches. The part of the world building that bugged me most.

See, there's this magical war in the Old World so magic is anathema in the new, and insta-death of social status.

Except their society is also powered via a sort of electricity which is created/controlled by the Witches - who are sort of used as slave labor and who are often forced to be Made into Witches.

And there's the Maker, who Makes the Witches - apparently via torture, which doesn't make much sense, either, because to be suspected of being a Witch you have to have already shown an affinity, so what's the purpose of Making and why can only one person seem to do it?

There is a lot about the world which is sloppy and slipshod, and I guess we can hope more is explained in future books - but I wouldn't hold my breath (and I probably won't be reading to find out).


To the characters -

From the blurb you get the impression that Jordan, accused Witch, is the main character, but the book follows several perspectives, and she's kind of the least interesting of them. She's a young girl who seems rather shallow who goes from planning a party, to being accused of being a Witch, her family being ruined in the process, and gets taken away to be Made (i.e. tortured). She seems remarkably passive through the whole thing, waiting for people to realize they're mistaken, or to be rescued, and while her story should be sympathetic, the author never manages to convey the horror of her situation, and so, instead, she just seems kind of vapid and spoiled the whole time.

Then there's Rowen, her faithful lover, who believes she must be innocent and sets out to help right some wrongs, but gets sidetracked in the process. He's an okay character, and at least has something in the way of development, but I found myself wondering if he would be faithful if he didn't believe her innocence - since, afterall, Witches are an abomination and blight on Society (even while the self same Society would come to a grind without them). Perhaps I would've liked him more if it didn't matter either way...

Then there's Bran, the Maker, who is simultaneously my favorite character - or, at least, the most complex - and also the most eye-rollingly developed one. See, he does have some character growth, but it's done so ham-handedly it's almost worst for existing. Partially it's the sheer level of the cliche - he gets saddled with a young child, but she actually is a joy to him and makes him see life anew - and partially because it literally happens overnight.

Lastly, there's Marion Kruse, the one Witch to escape who has a grudge. We don't see much of him, but he's obviously meant to be important later on.

There are some other perspectives, too, but they're mostly plot points and dropped or forgotten as soon as they're no longer relevant to the immediate story - which is kind of a pity, 'cause I thought some of their stories could've gone in interesting directions. But, no.


Lastly, there's the fact that not much seems to actually happen in this book. It's pretty much all set-up, but without interesting characters, or at least not particularly deep ones, and what development there is is slipshod at best.

I had originally bumped it up to 2-stars, more for the idea of the thing than the thing itself, but I realized that not only would I not recommend this book, I would actively suggest people not read it - so I can't, really, in good conscious say that it's even "ok".

Under a better pen it could've been a cool story. Alas, twas not to be.

[Kate Atonic · Rating 1 out of 5]

Many have expressed annoyance with plot weaknesses, e.g., why are there lords and ladies in America, how does the rank system work, why are witches bad (m'kay?), and how do all of the other-folk fit into the story? What this book really needs, though, are commas. Before you laugh, here is an example from the very first page:

The straps cinched tight across his chest and threatening to squeeze the breath out of him declared his place plainly.

What?

Time and time again there were sentences and phrases that were unnecessarily abstruse.

The door groaned open, hinges protesting as a man not even half a decade Marion's senior - perhaps all of twenty-two - stepped onto the flat rooftop.

Okay, a decade is ten, "not even half" a decade is a bit less than five, "perhaps all of twenty-two" minus "a bit less than five" is seventeen, give or take. OH! Marion is around seventeen. Why the hell didn't Delany just say so?

I picked it up because I was curious about the Steampunk genre. I sincerely hope that this is not considered a good example, as I was hoping for ass-kicking and corsets.

She swallowed hard and forced down the fact she really would prefer someone else doing the rescuing. She was, after all, a lady held prisoner in a tower.

I really must be sure to find a receptacle for my vomit, as I wouldn't want to mar my expensive brocade shoes.

[Christina (Ensconced in Lit) · Rating 1 out of 5]

OK ok ok. I'm done. I made it through 80% and I just couldn't bear any more. This review will have spoilers... I think (I'm not even sure anymore).

Weather Witch by Shannon Delany is about... a collection of people, some of which are Weather Witches (I think), a girl who is accused of being a witch (but denies this over and over again), someone who is in love with that girl (but denies this over and over again), and a little girl (not sure what her point is).

As you can tell from my description, I can't tell what this story is about, WHO it is about, and why nothing happens in this book. There are too many characters, too many story lines and too little that connects all the disparate elements.

Overall, a disappointing read-- look elsewhere.

[Kirsty (Amethyst Bookwyrm) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This and my other reviews can be found at http://amethystbookwyrm.blogspot.co.uk/

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for giving me this book to review.

In an alternative 1844 Philadelphia, noble born Jordan Astraea is celebrating her 17th birthday with her beau Rowen and best friend Catrina. However, her party was brought to a halt when she is accused of being a weather witch, a person who can control the weather. Jordan is sure that she is not a weather witch, but that does not stop her whole world turning upside down, never to be the same again.

I could not get into Weather Witch as the writing was not easy to read and I could not connect to the characters, which was annoying as the plot sounded interesting. I wouldn’t recommend this book as it was not my cup of tea.

[Laura Kreitzer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shannon Delany weaves a cunning tale of magick so electric and magnetic that you'll practically feel the dynamic forces of the weather. Prepare to be shocked.

[Melissapalmer404 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book #11 Read in 2013
Weather Witch by Shannon Delany (YA)

This is the first book in a new series by Shannon Delaney. Weather Witch is set in Philadelphia in 1844. The culture is one of fear of the paranormal. . . those thought to be weather witches are imprisoned and tortured.

Jordan is taken into custody for being a weather witch, though she swears she is not one. She is taken to the Maker, a man named Bran, who tortures the witches until they show their power. But Bran cannot get Jordan to unleash her power, and he begins to doubt whether or not she really is a Weather Witch. Meanwhile, Jordan's possible match, Rowan, is trying to get to the prison to rescue her. The cliffhanger ending of this book will leave readers begging for book two.

Jordan is a great heroine--though a lady, she finds a strength that she did not know she had when faced with the horrid prison conditions and the horrific torture. She is caring, bonding with her fellow prisoners. She is compassionate, especially when it comes to Meggie, the Maker's daughter. Rowan is a compelling flawed hero. He seems to be after fun at the beginning of the book, then comes into his own and when suffering a loss, he realizes that even if he dies, it will be worth it if he saves Jordan's life.

Readers will root for the couple to be safely reunited. Book two will have many ends to tie up and I cannot wait to read it.

I received a copy of this book from netgalley in exchange for a review.

[Micheline · Rating 1 out of 5]

**An ARC was provided by St Martin's Griffin in exchange for an honest review**

Beyond the initial draw of Weather Witch's stunning cover, I was naturally attracted to the fact that this story revolves around Witches (big surprise, yeah? >.<)...but not just any kind of witches, ones that can control the weather! I though that this sounded beyond cool, especially set in the mid-1800's. The concept was brimming with possibilities and the added mention of steam power right at the beginning of the blurb there meant that there would also be Steampunk elements mixed in here so needless to say, I wasn't going to miss any of that! Sadly, my excitement was short-lived only to be replaced by confusion, frustration and even a bit of apathy.

I'll be honest, I almost gave up on this one more than once. Weather Witch is told in alternating points-of-view but in this case it was more confusing than helpful because it wasn't always obvious where the switches in perspective were taking place. New characters seemed to be added to the story and given their own POV at the same time so you'd be in the head of a character you knew nothing about, trying to understand why their perspective was important. I just couldn't figure out how all the other narrators tied into the journey of the MC Jordan. The full extent of the connections between all of these characters is, in fact only revealed waaayyyy at the end. The result made every scene or plot twist seem random to me, even jumbled so that by then end I just wasn't invested in any of it to really care.

As a main character, Jordan was very difficult for me to relate to. She came off as detached from much of the world around her, like she couldn't really be bothered to care about anything. Her sort of indifference only persisted after her world is completely turned upside down and she seemed to flat-out refuse to process or deal with the reality of her situation. This led me to feel slightly amused *grins evilly* at times when Jordan got a few intense reality checks, instead of sympathizing with her character like I obviously should have done.

Other narrators in Weather Witch include Rowen, as the potential love-interest which I didn't really like because I was never quite sure what to make of him to be honest. He seemed uncaring at times but then he'd go all reckless and intense the next. 'The Maker' was another frequent POV but I won't spoil anything by revealing his role in all of this. He was easily the darkest and the most complex character out of the bunch; his scenes were often twisted and macabre but also shockingly human. He was a more compelling voice to read but I definitely wouldn't say it was enjoyable. Finally there is another sort of mystery POV thrown in for good measure which at first just baffled me. By the time his identity became more clear, I understood the need to add his perspective to the story but I felt like it could have been accomplished in a different and less disorienting way.

The plot of Weather Witch moved at a snail's pace. At about the 60% mark, it was as if nothing that important had happened yet, other than the big twist at the beginning. There were a lot of oddly placed info-dumps or flashbacks that felt random and sometimes disjointed from the story altogether. This ended up making the ending feel frantic and overwhelming as the characters all seemed to collide together finally, revealing how all these characters were connected. Beyond all of that, the ending didn't really offer up any resolution to speak of! There was no closure and almost every single important plot-point was left up in the air for the sequel. So yeah, after all that, I'll admit I felt a little cheated - only a little though because at this point, the apathy I mentioned earlier had pretty much settled in.

I'm going to stop here and avoid getting any more ranty than I have done so far. Weather Witch did bring the feels a couple of times given how the witches were persecuted in this world and imprisoned - it was eerily reminiscent of the Salem Witch trials and the persucation of 'witches' in our own history. I also feel the need to mention that Steampunk lovers wanting to read this for the Steampunk elements might end up being let down. Steam powered is only mentioned a few times in passing throughout the book. It does seem like that whole aspect would play a bigger role in the upcoming book(s) but for me that isn't enough to make me want to keep reading. I had very high hopes for this one given the combination of elements that were in play but unfortunately they just didn't mesh like I'd be anticipating. The premise and ideas brought to the table were full of potential but unfortunately their execution fell flat.

For this and other reviews like it- visit my blog:

[Dark Faerie Tales · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales.

Quick & Dirty: This story had a lot of potential with an intriguing idea, but unfortunately the writing style left me very confused and lost for most of the book.

Opening Sentence: A banner snapped out on the pole high above the restrained seventeen- year- old boy, straightening to its full length

The Review:

This book is set in Philadelphia in the year 1844. The weather is controlled by the mysterious Weather Witches. A Weather Witch has the power to control the weather in any way and is considered very dangerous. Having magic in your blood is an abomination, and if you are caught you are sent to the Maker. The Maker is a man who knows how to get witches to show their true powers by torching them and breaking their will. Being a witch would mean the ruin of not only you but all the members in your household, so for the nobility there is nothing worse than harboring a witch.

Jordan Astraea is a beautiful young noble girl about to turn 17. She is going to have a very fashionable party and be introduced to society. She is part of a very well off family that has a good rank. Jordan will be surrounded by all her close friends and she hopes to figure out some of her feelings toward her long time friend and beau Rowen. But Jordan’s night doesn’t go at all like she planned. The Warden shows up and she is accused of being a witch a test is performed and she fails. Jordan is taken away to Holgate to meet the Marker. Jordan knows that she is innocent, but she doesn’t know if she will survive the making process that will prove she is no witch.

Jordan was my favorite character in the book. She is sweet, beautiful and full of attitude. Even though she is put through many trials, Jordan doesn’t give up. She holds onto the feelings she has for a boy that holds a special place in her heart. Being put through so much makes her realize how much she truly cared for him.

Rowen can’t believe that Jordan could be a witch. He has known her his whole life and considers her one of his best friends. Of course he’s not in love with her, but he is fiercely loyal to her and will go to great lengths to prove her innocence. He’s also a great looking guy, funny, charming, and a great character.

This book had so much potential, but honestly it fell really short for me. The story was told from so many different points of view that I found myself having to backtrack all the time to figure out whose head I was in. For most of the book I had no idea what was going on. It was defiantly the writing style that was really confusing, which was too bad because I felt the story had good potential. I enjoyed some of the characters, but others I felt were totally unnecessary. The book had a very abrupt ending so I’m guessing there has to be another book coming out, but honestly, I don’t know how interested I am in reading it. Overall, I really wanted to like this book, but I just couldn’t with all of the flaws in it.

Notable Scene:

“Test. Her.”

Catrina and Rowen both stepped forward.

“Be brave, Jordan,” Catrina said. “Yes. If you are so certain— test her. Before us all. Prove you are correct or leave this house.”

Rowen’s head lowered, but he caught Jordan’s eyes.

It was the surest way to prove her innocence.

The Warden released her but when the Tester drew his blade, Jordan pulled back, “No” tumbling from her lips as well.

Catrina stomped forward and looked Jordan in the eyes.

So many eyes were on her, so many intense stares seeking her out she had no idea who to turn to. So she chose the one closest. Catrina. Her best friend. The same one who had introduced her to Rowen. The girl who was so much like her sister . . . Jordan swallowed again and nodded.

“I will hold your hand,” Catrina offered. “It will only be a little cut— nothing that will mar your perfect skin for long,” she assured. “Surely it will not leave her scarred, will it?”

The Tester said, “One can never tell.”

Jordan trembled. All she had were her looks . . . And her rank.

The sky rumbled overhead and everyone jumped.

“But what harm is a small scar when it proves you’re innocent?” Catrina said, so close to Jordan’s face their noses nearly touched.

“Yes,” Jordan agreed. “Yes. Hold my hand,” she asked so gently the crowd stepped forward to hear. “Test me so my mother’s good name might be restored.”

Catrina clutched her hand and the Tester changed his position ever so slightly, the knife glimmering. Jordan closed her eyes and bit down on her lower lip, her fingers going white around Catrina’s as the blade nipped her right forearm.

Sparks flew up from Jordan, Catrina fell back, her face contorted in horror, and above them all the heavens opened and dumped rain until there was no noise save the rush of water.

Catrina trembled, clutching at Rowen, and Jordan fell to her knees, sobbing the one word on everyone’s lips—No.

FTC Advisory: St. Martin’s Griffin/Macmillan provided me with a copy of Weather Witch. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.

[Maeve · Rating 1 out of 5]

This review contains some spoilers. Read at your own risk.

This book was a ridiculously easy read, but it took me FOREVER to get through. I had to make myself sit down and finish it.

There were a few things in particular that really bothered me about this book.

1. The characters
2. The setting

Starting off with the characters.

The 'main' character Jordan was the most obnoxious girl I've ever had the displeasure of reading about. All she cared about was her physical appearance and the quality of her clothing. Even when she was being arrested, she could only think about not scuffing her wonderful satin shoes.
Really?
It is also hard for me to believe that a girl in the particular time period this book is supposed to be in would be named Jordan.
Special Snowflake Girl is Special Because She Has a 'Boy' Name. ISN'T SHE JUST SO QUIRKY AND UNIQUE?!

Rowen, Jordan's boyfriend/best friend/thing was tolerable at first, but by the end he just annoyed me. Especially after this:
"..and he might just have to do the one thing he'd never dreamed of doing--ask for directions."
Way to make him sound like a typical douche-guy.
I also didn't understand his relationship with one of his family's servants. Was Johnathan his friend? A special servant?
And if Johnathan was such a good friend, then why did Rowen have little to no reaction about Jonathan's sudden death-by-creature-attack?

The Maker, Bran, confused me. This guy started out as a cold, heartless, happy-to-serve-the-government kind of person. He was ruthless with his torture of the new Witches and felt no regret or responsibility for his actions.
This behavior changes DRASTICALLY almost the moment after he finds out he has a daughter.
I have a five year old kid I never knew about? BAM. Personality change. Time to be a huge, lovable softy who suddenly hates everything about his job and his life. He changes so much that he goes as far as to attempt running away from his job as the Maker with his daughter and lover/maid(?).

Moving on to the setting of this book.

Most of this book takes place in Philadelphia. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania you ask? No idea.
It is never specified if this book takes place in the United States, in another country that also contains a town called Philadelphia, or even on this planet.
I could not for the life of me figure out where this was supposed to be, or WHEN it was supposed to be.

Reading through this book with the assumption that it takes place in the U.S., or even an alternate U.S. almost makes it more confusing. The hierarchy of the society, the dialect, the way the characters dress, do not make sense for people living in Philadelphia.

There was no description whatsoever about other towns in relation to this place called 'Philadelphia'. Besides the town of Holgate, which was the only other place mentioned. But I couldn't even figure out where Holgate was in relation to it.

Also, what was with the apparent war going on with the other species of monsters and creatures? The author did not provide much insight as to why it was happening. Was it simple interspecies rivalry, or was a true battle declared, and if so, what the heck did the humans and witches do?

I think the only reason the author mentioned this cleverly named "Wildkin War" was to find a reason and a way for servant/best friend Jonathan to be killed off. A spontaneous attack by an angry Merrow creature only makes total sense if you set up an ongoing rivalry between the humans and Merrows first I suppose.
Not to mention all the other angry creatures (Pooka, Kelpies, Gytrash, Oisin, Wolfkin, and Kumiho) that were mentioned in the beginning and then never heard of again.

Overall, this was a very dissatisfying read. I won't be pursing the second and third books.

[Shelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Genre* Young Adult, Steampunk, Historical Fantasy
*Rating* 3.0

*Thoughts*

The Weather Witch is a story that had lots of potential, but seemed to, instead, wonder aimlessly through the wilderness until it finally finds a compass to lead it out of the confusion and into the light. The Weather Witch suffers from first novel syndrome in that there is a TON of information dumping and a plot that meanders through a myriad of situations and possibilities and leaves readers scratching their heads with a typically stunning cliffhanger. Since this is an ARC, there are also a ton of editing and proofreading mistakes that I'm hoping will be caught by the publisher before the actual book is released on June 25, 2013.

The Weather Witch is set in 19th century Philadelphia which apparently makes this a historical fantasy novel with steampunk aspects like Airships, Automations, and Carriages. The story is told by four uniquely different voices in Bran Marshall, Rowen Burchette, Jordan Astraea, and Marion Kruse. But, they are not the only characters we get to hear from. There are other secondary and tertiary characters as well that we don't get a good read on until certain aspects make themselves visible to the reader and one or two of the characters finds themselves in hot water with no lifelines.

For Jordan Astraea, things completely implode around her on her Seventeenth birthday and there is absolutely nothing she can say or do to stop the villainous machinations that were put in place by someone that truly wants to see her family destroyed. Imagine the Salem Witch trials if you will, and suddenly being accused of being a Witch and taken away from your family who is left is ruins. Now, let's reveal the fact that Weather Witches are ostracized by society but they continue to control the weather, conduct weather to control airships, and they also power the lights.

Jordan is an interesting character who is put through absolute hell without a get out of jail card. She is pushed beyond what a normal person is expected to deal with unless that person loves to be tortured and treated like donkey poo. One can only put themselves in her situation and walk with her into the darkness that is now her existence and hope that someone shines a spotlight on her situation and that she will eventually walk away with her sanity in place.

Rowen Burchette is probably the second most interesting character in the Weather Witch outside of Jordan. He and Jordan have always been close even though they are separated in the hierarchy of the society they live in. Rowen considers himself to be her protector and would be suitor and tries to rescue her from her situation by any means necessary. He also comes from an awful family who would do anything to gain favor and rise in society no matter who they have to use. Rowen's journey is a bit like Jordan's in that he is tried, tested, and pushed to the brink of insanity.

In the end, Weather Witch is one of those story's that you need a lot of patience and some handy dandy paper and pen in order to take notes on what character are doing what, and who is the actual villains and who are the good guys. There is a lot of tension, innocent characters find themselves in deep water with no way out, villains are all right in front of you laughing all the way to the bank, and there are plenty of questions remaining especially in regards to Jordan's family.

Recvd 01/25/2013 via Netgalley. Expected publication: June 25th 2013 by St. Martin's Griffin

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, let me just get this out first: I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH OMFG ASDFJKLDS.

Ahem. I’m done. (Not really.)

I don’t really read much steampunk, mostly just because the stars align that way when I’m book-shopping. But I saw this one in my local bookstore and had a love-at-first-sight moment because a) the cover is really freaking cool, b) witches are awesome, and c) weather witches? Hell yes. So I took this baby home and then read it on a flight to Philadelphia, which is funny since the book is set in Philadelphia, and fell in love. The flight back was spent crying and spending every last minute of my layover researching the sequel, Stormbringer, which comes out on January 14. (Eep!)

But on to the actual story. Weather Witch was intriguing from the first sentence, and although I could tell certain people were bad news from the start and I had a general notion of where things were headed, the author’s writing and her ability to make me feel the emotions of her characters really drew me in and held my interest throughout the book. Shannon Delany is a strong storyteller, and the way she crafted this strange version of 1840s Philadelphia was fascinating. Jordan, with her strong will and determination to survive, was easy to love and sympathize with, and by the second chapter I was rooting for her all the way. Rowen, who’s perhaps my favorite character, was wonderfully refreshing as a male lead. He’s not the strongest, or the bravest, or the most attractive, but he knows who he is and who he wants to be. He obviously cares for Jordan, and despite his own fears will do whatever he must to protect those he loves, which I adored.

Even when there wasn’t a huge amount of action going on, it still felt exciting and suspenseful, and I was on the edge of my seat until the very end (the same end which tore me apart, no joke, that was not okay, Shannon). Every character tugged at my heart at some point, and I cried a bit at some point, which I don’t do often despite what you may think from previous reviews. I felt so close to the story and the characters, to the point that when I finally finished it, it took me a minute to sort out my surroundings, which is a true sign of a good book.

[Stefanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won my copy of Weather Witch by Shannon Delany through GoodReads FirstReads and I LOVED it! It's about an alternate 1800's Philadelphia where people called Weather Witches are rooted out by a person called the Tester who finds them by following unscheduled storms,the weather is strictly controlled, then the Tester touches the suspected Witch and if sparks fly they apprehend the Witch and subsequently ruin the societal rank of their family and take the witch to the Maker who essentially tortures the magic out of them, and then the Witch is sent to be a power source for the city's source of magical electricity called stormlight, and to power the airships. The story was well written save for a few punctuation and grammatical errors. I liked the main character, a 17 year old girl named Jordan Astraea, who is apprehended as a Weather Witch at her birthday party because an unscheduled storm is raging over her home and the Testers test makes her spark. The book was very interesting and hard to put down, and I liked the alternate take on history tweaked with magic and suspense. I can't wait for any and all sequels Ms.Delany may write in the future!

[Wayne McCoy · Rating 2 out of 5]

'Weather Witch' by Shannon Delany takes place in an alternate Philadelphia where electrical power is generated by people with a strange gift.

Jordan Astraea has lived a life of privilege among the wealthy. During her birthday party, it is discovered that she might be a weather witch. This devastates her family as their home is forced to remove all electricity for harboring a weather witch and Jordan is taken into custody to be shaped with her newfound power. Her imprisonment is cruel as it is thought that torture brings forth the power. Meanwhile, a young suitor rides to her rescue, only stopping to participate in a duel first.

I read it and I finished it, but it didn't hold my attention. I found myself thinking about my next book, and that's never a good sign. It's certainly got a good premise, and the world seems interesting, but the characters that populate the setting are either dull or melodramatic tropes.

I received a review copy of this ebook from St. Martin's Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was pretty something.

It was a different take about witches with a historical mix, both I didn't know I would like. I thought this was highly original; from the characters, settings, and sorcery. Though this was a more juvenile read for me, the events kept you up on your toes.

Jordan was a great heroine and the ending was kind of a bummer so I was happy to know there will be a sequel because I was really hoping she and Rowen will see again. Okay, the ending was exhilarating and fun that I thought she was about to be saved since it was this (pinch forefinger and thumb closely together) close to be caught but it just had to fly. Bummer, I tell you.

So many characters, so many things happening all at ones but somehow everything and everybody correlates.


ARC for review from Netgally.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received my copy of this book free as a first reads give away.

I waited a few days to review this book. Overall, I liked it quite a lot. It was a new world and a nice mix of history, magic, and a little bit of technology/invention.

Things I liked: Not afraid to kill people off, but not done strictly for shock value.

Things I didn't like: The ending. I would have liked a smidge more closure between the lead and her love interest. It still works, given that this is the first in the series, but I would have liked a little more happiness.

What really impressed me was that this was not written like it was for teenagers who can barely think. It was a good, solid story with some really interesting sorts of ideas about alternative near realities.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome Book Shannon is an extremely cerebral author, if you want "fluff" go look elsewhere. She creates a world that could have been, characters with depth and sustenance and I for one can not wait to see what happens with Rowen and Jordan in the rest of the series! Kudos Shannon! Great job!

[Lucia The Loyal Book · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. full review closer to release date

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! (review to come)

[Alyssa · Rating 1 out of 5]

***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***

Weather Witch by Shannon Delany
Book One of the Weather Witch trilogy
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Publication Date: June 25, 2013
Rating: 1 star
Source: ARC from publisher

Summary (from Goodreads):

In a vastly different and darker Philadelphia of 1844, steam power has been repressed, war threatens from deep, dark waters, and one young lady of high social standing is expecting a surprise at her seventeenth birthday party–but certainly not the one she gets!

Jordan Astraea, who has lived out all of her life in Philadelphia’s most exclusive neighborhood, is preparing to celebrate her birthday with friends, family and all the extravagance they might muster. The young man who is most often her dashing companion, Rowen Burchette, has told her a surprise awaits her and her best friend, Catrina Hollindale, wouldn’t miss this night for all the world!

But storm clouds are gathering and threatening to do far more than dampen her party plans because someone in the Astraea household has committed the greatest of social sins by Harboring a Weather Witch.

What I Liked:

I liked the IDEA of this book. You all know I'm a sucker for anything historical fiction - which is one of the biggest reasons why I requested this book. But I was sorely disappointed by this novel. It didn't even feel historic. Read on.


What I Did Not Like:


I don't even know where to start with this novel. I barely finished this novel - it took all of my willpower to convince myself that I was not (and am not) in the habit of not finishing books. I like to finish what I start, and leave nothing behind, so to speak.

There were some key elements of the book that I could not stand. The FIVE different plots, which, by the way, NEVER crossed all at one time in the book. The lack of characterization in any or all of the characters was annoying, as well as the fact that I disliked basically all of the characters. Delany never fully explained the terms "Conductor", a "Maker", or even a "Weather Witch" - all huge parts of the book. And I'm not one hundred percent sure why this book is classified as steampunk, because it did NOT feel like a steampunk book, or have most of the steampunk elements.

I'll start with the five plots. One plot surrounds our protagonist, Jordan, and what happens to here when she is taken away. Another plot surrounds Rowen, her best friend (and the boy she likes), and what he does to find her. Another plot surrounds Bran, the Maker of the Weather Witches. Another surrounds Chloe, a maid in Jordan's household. The final plot (I hope I'm not missing any) surrounds Marion, a man who used to be under the care of Chloe, before she allegedly killed him and as family (not true).

I thought this book was going to follow Jordan and ONLY Jordan. This book is third person, but I didn't expect there to be five plots in this book. Jordan's plot was the primary plot, up until her birthday party. After that, the book splits into five different perspectives (still third person). It's confusing!

Jordan is going to Holgate, where the Maker (Bran) is. Bran is Making Weather Witches, and dealing with the appearance of a daughter he never knew he had. Rowen is trying to fend Catrina (Jordan's scheming friend), and find Jordan. Chloe is falsely charged for murdering the family she used to work for (before she started working for Jordan's family). Marion finds out about Chloe's pending death, and wants to help her, because he knows she is innocent.

I'm sorry, but that's too much. None of it makes sense, and none of it has anything to do with the other plots. One plot might tie into another plot, but all five plots make no sense in this book. And here's the thing: THEY NEVER MEET. All five plots never come together at the end of the book. Usually when an author has so much going on, all of it meets at the end of the book or something.

So here I am, wondering what Marion's plot and Chloe's plot have anything to do with Jordan or Bran or Rowen. And why do I care about Bran and his daughter? It's great to see another side of Bran, but the whole time I was reading Bran's point-of-view, I was wondering, is this still the same story? Is anything going to happen yet?

Basically, the sheer number of plots and how they never intersect just made me mad. I got confused more than once with this book, and for me, that's not easy, for me to get confused. You KNOW the author has made a tangled web of crazy confusion when I can't follow the direction of the book.

Bran is the only character that I believe experiences any growth of character whatsoever. We see a lot of his point-of-view, and his slow change brought on by the appearance of his precious little daughter. I felt bad for Bran, because he has an awful job as the Maker, and now he has a daughter. But then I didn't feel bad for him, because he continued to Make Weather Witches.

I think that the number of plots made the the development of characterization in this book poor. Had there been less plots, each character that got a plot could have grown and developed more. But Jordan, Rowen, Marion, and Chloe did NOT experience any progression in their character development, in my opinion, Bran is the only one that changes, and in the very end, he doesn't change at all.

And someone please please PLEASE explain to me what a Conductor, Maker, and Weather Witch is. And why Delany felt the need to capitalize like, every single word. Well, not every word. But she capitalized words a lot. Delany never gives an actual explanation as to what a Conductor, Maker, and Weather Witch really are. Of course, I can infer, but as I tried to explain what they were to a friend, I found that I could not explain the terms well. That is BAD. If the author cannot explain what key terms in the world of the book are, then how are readers supposed to understand the book? Especially when you add on FIVE confusing plots and zero character development.

I don't see how this book is steampunk. It felt like a paranormal read to me. The steampunk part, with machines and whatnot, does not come into play until the very end, when Bran and other characters are on an airship. That's really the only element of steampunk that I saw.

And also, I found the "historical" part of this book not believable. This book could have been set in any time period, modern or historical, for all I know. The speech was not that authentic. In the beginning, I got more of a feel for the historic elements of the book, because of the description of Jordan and Catrina's gowns. But as the book progressed, I had no idea what historical period this book was in - because the world-building kind of dropped off.

Can I mention that there is like, NO romance in this book? During the entire book, Rowen rejects the idea of being in love with Jordan. Jordan realizes that she likes him. Before she is taken away, at her party, Rowen is going all out to impress her. But nothing romantic happens, and this book is a flop when it comes to the romance. If you were going to read this book for the romance alone, don't. There basically is no romance.

Also, this book was SO BORING. Did I already mention that I barely finished this book? Talk about forcing oneself. On the day I was reading it, I told myself I wasn't allowed to eat lunch until I finished this book. I could have cared less about any of the characters. This book was so dry and so boring that I hoped all of the characters would die or get wounded or do SOMETHING interesting, or anything at all.

This is my first Delany novel. So, I'm not familiar with her writing style. But oh my gosh, the writing style just lent itself to my boredom and confusion. Talk about vague and evasive? Delany explained NOTHING, wrote nothing specific, classified nothing.

The ending... honestly, I don't know what to say about the ending. I don't really get it. The ending is no different from the rest of the book. Nothing really changes! And Rowen and Jordan... what!? Ugh. I don't understand the ending (surprise!), and I don't really care for the ending.

I'm finished. I can't think about this book anymore. A total disappoint, especially for a historical fiction lover. I mean no disrespect towards the author of the publisher or the team that made this novel what it is today.


Would I Recommend It:


No, oh my gosh, no. I totally regret reading this book. It was a waste of my time, and honestly, a waste of am advanced reader copy sent to me by the publisher. I feel so bad that I didn't like this book, and even worse, because I requested it.


Rating:


1 star. I would rate it lower, but I can't. Hopefully my experiences with St. Martin's Griffin will get better! Because this book was so not my cup of tea.

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to thank St. Martin's Griffin for providing me with an ARC ecopy of this book to read and review. The first time I saw this cover, I just knew I needed this book, and I hadn't even read the blurb yet! And I knew that Shannon Delany would write something terrific! I was very excited when I was contacted to have been pre-approved on Net Galley! And now I own a paperback copy! Receiving this book for free has in no way changed or influenced my opinion or review.

Blurb from Goodreads:
In a vastly different and darker Philadelphia of 1844, steam power has been repressed, war threatens from deep, dark waters, and one young lady of high social standing is expecting a surprise at her seventeenth birthday party–but certainly not the one she gets!
Jordan Astraea, who has lived out all of her life in Philadelphia’s most exclusive neighborhood, is preparing to celebrate her birthday with friends, family and all the extravagance they might muster. The young man who is most often her dashing companion, Rowen Burchette, has told her a surprise awaits her and her best friend, Catrina Hollindale, wouldn’t miss this night for all the world!
But storm clouds are gathering and threatening to do far more than dampen her party plans because someone in the Astraea household has committed the greatest of social sins by Harboring a Weather Witch.

First, I must give this book some huge cover love. I mean look at that think, simple yet gorgeous. I am in love with the blue color, the swirling, the girl on the front. It's unique and gives just a hint of what this book contains. And, since I'm a huge fan of Steampunk, it has that hint that I love so much. The cover drew me right in, even before I had an inkling of what the book was about.

As for Shannon's writing, well, wow is really all I can say. It's so easy to read. The flow is great. Her descriptions make me feel like I can see her world, touch her objects and feel the emotions of her characters. One thing I really loved is that, even though she had so many characters to develop, she really did it quite flawlessly. I never once questioned who I was reading about. And I love that she chose to do this book in third person. To have the outside eye looking into the lives of her characters and seeing how her world was put together. It's a masterfully woven tale

As for the characters, I wanted to be standing right next to each and every one of them. I loved their personalities and development throughout the book. I fully connected with each and every one of them. They are realistic and believable.
Jordan is really strong, yet feminine. She can totally take care of herself. She's crafty and she knows who she is and what she wants. At the same time, she has many of the typical teen doubts that come along with that age. Yet, she is confident and certainly mature beyond her years in many instances.
Rowen, well, I absolutely loved him. HIs dedication really intrigued me. When I first saw him and Jordan together, I didn't really feel the connection that they had. Yet as the book moved along, I was really able to see the spark, especially when reading about his character. He is determined, not to mention caring. And he exudes a confidence that helps you realize he will do anything to go after and get what he wants. He is Jordan's protector and will die trying to ensure she remains safe.
Bran,The Maker, well, he's evil, but you can tell he has a soft spot. And you know that he is waivers in what he does and what he wants to do. He finds his job to do becoming harder and harder each day.
As for the other characters, well, they lend a great deal to the story, but this review would go on forever if I went into each and every one of them. Just know that they all play an essential role in the tale that is told.

While I really loved this book, I did have a hard time getting into it at first. All the world building was a lot to take in and I had to give myself pause a few times to absorb it all. I had moments where I was confused and found I had to back track a bit to catch back up. But once I got into the story, I could not put the book down. The story is full of intrigues, evil, goodness and a budding romance which I know will prove to be of great interest in the future. I'm a huge lover of steampunk, as well, and this book has all the right elements: automatons, a paranormal element, airships. And you get the dark sinister elements of the world right from the get go. In a way, that part reminded me a bit of a dystopian read, the government in charge of those they consider to be weather witches, and using them for the powers they have while banning them from society at the same time. They essentially are slaves.

All in all I really enjoyed this book and I'm looking forward to the sequel. I was left with a cliffhanger ending and I need to know how it works out! Well done Shannon!

[usagi ☆ミ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh, "Weather Witch". What to do with you? While absolutely awesome in basic concept, plot, and worldbuilding, I couldn't entirely get on board with it. This isn't to say that I didn't enjoy it - I did, and quite a bit. But I guess it's another case of blurb seduction, but I just expected a whole lot more than I got. But it is a solid first book in a new series, and while I haven't made up my mind as to whether I'm going to read book 2 yet or not, it's still a great summer read, and a whole lot of fun. If you're looking for something a little more original in your steampunk/alternate history PNR YA genre stories, definitely check out "Weather Witch".

This book's greatest strength: worldbuilding. I LOVED the concept of this alternate history 1844, where steam-powered things were just starting to come into wider use, and where Weather Witches (real people) were used to power everyday objects like lamps and so forth. While the backstory could have had a little better continuity (example: if a Weather Witch saved the Mayflower settlers, why are they so hated now?) and explanation of certain things, I'm hoping that will come with book two. But for book one, it should have been there. The societal ranking system, while very original, was a bit confusing, and I feel overall the entire book (and I read a finished copy, thoughtfully provided by the publisher) could have used one or two good, clean edits to make everything connect where it needed to.

The biggest weakness in this book: character building - particularly in the case of the protagonists. However, on the up side, the more minor players of the main cast help build the world up more than either the antagnonists or protagonists, which is odd, because I've never really read anything like that before. Usually it's a united effort with the entire main cast, or just the protagonists, but I don't think I've come across a novel where the minor characters help fill in a lot of the blanks that the protagonists/antagonists just don't. And that actually counted for a lot - the idea that minor characters actually made the protagonists/antagonists stand out where they couldn't have done so on their own is a fascinating dilemma. I found the antagonists well-built, but the protagonists rather weak and at times, completely confusing. Example - when Jordan is found guilty of being a Weather Witch, her fiancee (protagonist B) goes from using her as his meal ticket to suddenly falling madly in love with/worrying about her so much that he follows her to the slaver's ship. It made no sense. There was no real explained reasoning as to why the about face with him, and since that's such an integral part of the story with this first volume, it's kind of an important omission. I'm not sure if Delany did this intentionally or not. I found Jordan as a heroine to be generally not very interesting, even as the mystery as to whether she's been framed as a Weather Witch. I didn't seem much growth or development in her own personal journey arc throughout the story (in fact, I felt like there wasn't even really a personal journey arc even there, which is another important omission). For me, that's a very important thing I look for in my protagonists, so I can only hope that Delany builds Jordan up more in book two.

The sensory language/imagery: while it was pretty good in terms of describing the actual scenery, I feel like generally over all there was more telling over showing - another reason why I feel this one needed another good edit before publication. What I got was satisfactory to keep the story going, and I found that the sensory language when it came to scenes with the Weather Witches was the most powerful. I wanted more of that, and for it not to just be confined to those scenes alone.

Final verdict? Despite my nitpicks on the technical areas, this book was a lot of fun to read, and a great summer read to blow of some stress. I think others who are seeking a little more originality in their steampunk/alternate history/PNR stories will really enjoy this one - I know I did. "Weather Witch" is out now from St. Martin's Griffin/Macmillan in North America, so definitely check it out when you get the chance!

(posted to goodreads, shelfari, and birthofanewwitch.wordpress.com)

[Rachel Sharpe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jordan is celebrating her 17th birthday, which is a momentous occasion in someone’s life. It means she’s not a weather witch, the worst kind. Only things don’t go as planned. A tester suddenly interrupts her party, declaring that someone is a weather witch, and that someone is Jordan. Torn from her family, Jordan is carted away to meet the Maker, who tortures her daily in an attempt to force her to show her magic.

Meanwhile, Jordan’s friend and beau Rowan is determined to clear her name, even going so far as to duel over her good name. The results of the duel cause him to flee and he continues his search for her.

Oh, and let’s not forget the Maker in all of this. Bran hates his job, but know it’s necessary. Then, suddenly, a daughter he never knew about appears on his door, and because of her and his maid, Bran suddenly realizes he has to escape if he wants to raise his daughter properly. But then the unthinkable happens. Except it’s not that unthinkable. As soon as the daughter was introduced, it was obvious.

And let’s not forget Marion. He shows midway through the book. He’s a weather witch, but he escaped. And now he wants revenge. Mwhahaha. Or something like that.

Okay, so I’m done with the plot. Now onto the review.

The book has an interesting concept: Magic is banned, and families are shunned if they’re found harboring anyone with magic. Someone is falsely (or not) accused of having magic on the very eve of the birthday that signifies they are safe. And weather magic? Like Storm from X-Men? Sign me up!

But unfortunately, the concept is not handled well. In order for the book to be successful, Delany has to build an alternate reality, where magic is responsible for running the world. But her world is so nuanced that she doesn’t have time to explain the details as she switches from character to character.

First, there’s the idea of the weather witch. In fact, that’s the central idea. The book is named after this concept for goodness sake. Unfortunately, I’m still not sure what a weather witch is or does. I assume they have some control over the weather, but why does society shun them? Why are they bad? What power do they have? What do they actually do? These questions aren’t answered, and I know this is only book one of the series, but I need some background to understand the book. Not to mention, there’s so much unfamiliar terminology, and the concepts are not fully explained. Jordan talks about being Grounded, capital G, while Bran talks about being Made, capital M. Delany never explained what these terms meant, but judging by the capital letters, they’re important!

Delany also briefly introduces merrows, which I guess are evil mermaid things. And then there’s entire society that’s not really explained either. Jordan was a Fifth of Nine. I think that means she was important, but I don’t really know. Again, there are so many concepts that are introduced and then dropped or ignored. It’s frustrating.

The first book of a series needs to set the stage for the entire series. Unfortunately, this book focused on too many characters and never clearly explains... well.. anything really. It’s a disappointing first book, when the concept held so much promise.


Thanks to Netgalley for a copy.

[Amanda Northrup · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's 19th century America and the world of magic occupies a precarious position. Electricity is created through magicians held in slavery. This makes witches essential, but the presence of a witch in one's family devastates a family's honor. Now Jordan, a wealthy teen, has been accused of witchery.

3 adjectives that describe this book: difficult, confusing, dark

I'm sure you can see from my adjectives that this book has some serious problems. I think the cover is fabulous, though, and should attract lots of interested readers. I fear they'll be quite disappointed, though. Don't get me wrong, Weather Witch has some great elements. I loved Rowen, a teenage boy who knows how to break the rules just enough that he doesn't actually get in trouble. Meggie, the creepy little girl character, was wonderfully creepy and made my insides squirm. And the subplot focused on bringing people back to life - Whoa!

Unfortunately, these terrific elements don't do enough to redeem Weather Witch of its problems. The biggest problem in Weather Witch is that Delany's magic-based early America is grossly underdeveloped. Here are a few examples:

* Apparently there are weather witches. But after reading 336 pages, I'm still not quite sure what a weather witch is. I gather that it has something to do with the weather. I'm not sure what, though, or how exactly that works. Or why they are bad. Or if there are different types of weather witches. I know nothing!

* Society is organized into a strict hierarchy. Jordan is a "Fifth of Nine." Apparently that's pretty high in the hierarchy. How high is it? I don't know. What difference does that make for her? I don't know.

* There are scary magical creatures. They are called merrows. They live in the ocean. They eat horses. The existence of these creatures seems totally random to me. How do you explain that everything else about the natural world is the same?

* Witches have to be Made. What does that mean? I don't know. How is a witch made? I don't know, but I think it's painful. Apparently there are tools used for "being Made" and they are sharp. I was never clear if the witches were tortured, raped, or injured. Something was happening, I just don't know what it was.

Overall, the plot of Weather Witch had the potential to be interesting, but the world of Weather Witch made the entire text super confusing. The frequent switching among the HUGE cast of characters didn't help either.

[Frk. Hyms · Rating 2 out of 5]

This had so much potential to be an amazing story but it fails miserably. The world building is lacking non-existing. I was so confused at first and it just got worse through the book. More and more stuff is revealed but it didn’t help the world building and it seemed like a lot of great ideas that were only partly explored. It was such a shame and I wanted to know more without having my wish fulfilled. So many new words were introduced and used as if the reader knew all about it and since they are never fully explained, they didn't really matter – they are just fancy words.

The blurp makes it seem like the book is about Jordan. That is not correct. She is part of the story and actually rather important, but she is in no way the main character. No one is. There are several storylines and they are very different and could be interesting if it had felt like the story was going somewhere, but it felt like a long short story. An introduction before the real story could begin.

Jorden is a pain in the ass, quite frankly. She is stupid, arrogant and naïve and all she worries about is her reputation, her clothes and shoes and who is going to rescue her. I disliked her so much that I considered skipping her chapters. Rowen is a weird character. I didn’t understand him one bit and it seemed to me that he changes his way the second Jordan gets taken away. Then there are some other random storylines that are mildly interesting, but so weird that I stopped caring. Lastly there is Bran. He is kind of cool at first, but by the end I just thought he was stupid as well. And the ending – OMG. So weird, confusing and fast. Everything has to happen within the last 5 pages so it seems rushed and not at all well done. Such a shame! I liked the writing, though, and the story had its funny moments. Mostly weird-funny or ‘stupid-funny’, but funny nonetheless.

The thing about this book is that the premise is brilliant. The idea that witches are being exploited and used as slaves is fascinating. Especially because we get to see it from different points of view. But the lack of world building, the annoying characters and the confusing story almost completely destroys it. I do, however, still have a fragment of hope that the story will pick up and become amazing which is why I’m going to give the second installment, Stormbringer, a chance to blow me away.

[Ines · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t have to wait long for a new YA adult series to come along after I'm done with the previous ones and get me hooked.
I do wish though that the story progressed a bit further, as it is, it feels more like a novella than a novel.

But as it’s my new favourite genre, steampunk, also featuring witches, I’ll let it go.

I also decided it might be more informative if I were to post the descriptions with the books I read:

Hhat is missing from the description of the book is the terrible injustice slowly unfolding as you learn more about the society’s ranks and the way the witches are “made” and “employed”.

Living where I do, the fact that the politicians are just plain evil frustrates me to no end. You might call it self-centred, ruthless, egotistical, hypocritical, power-hungry, etc. but basically, they are evil. And most of the characters in the story go with the society that seems not to have any moral and ethical standards. Pretending slavery doesn’t exist? Although this time it’s the witches.

The thing I liked a lot is the fact that Rowen seems to go after Jordan as a friend. If there is a love story happening here, it’s going slowly and the basis for it is their friendship. But, being brave for the sake of friendship is in my mind the strongest kind of bravery.

Speaking of frustration, there are some very Kafkaesque elements to the story. As Kafka is forever labeled as the “frustrating” writer in my mind. His stories are the Twilight zone of literature for me.

There are many parts of the story that remind me of the world we live in. Not wanting to change the energy sources to the new, cheaper and less sordid kind? Familiar?

Basically, I enjoyed the story a lot and I’m looking forward to the next book, I only wish the story was a bit longer and not that we just got the glimpse of what to expect in the books to come.

[Dianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Looking for a different take on the paranormal, or specifically on witches in a steampunk setting? Weather Witch by Shannon Delaney, the first in a new series might be the change you need! In an alternate history, mid-nineteenth century Philadelphia, a young woman celebrates her seventeenth birthday, a rite of safe passage, if you will, because it means she is not a dreaded and feared Weather Witch. When something goes terribly wrong and she tests positive, Jordan is carted away to meet the Maker, Bran, a person whose job it is to force her “magic” using any means possible. Jordan’s boyfriend, Rowan, once known only for being a party boy, is determined to clear her name, but doing so is not going to be easy. Throughout it all, Jordan has risen to become a strong and caring person, bonding with her fellow prisoners, holding up under excruciating torture. Will her life be saved in time?

Shannon Delaney has, what I think is a great idea and a wonderful tale with touches of the paranormal, steampunk and a budding romance! I wanted to connect with these characters, I wanted to feel their feelings, think alongside them, see what they see, but I needed more information to do that. I needed more depth to truly get that satisfied feeling for such an incredible idea! The ending, I must say was a great hook for book two, where hopefully many loose ends will be tied up into a pretty package!

An ARC edition was provided by NetGalley and St. Martin's Press in exchange for my honest review. Publication Date: June 25, 2013