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The Witch Ways #2
Slow Poison
“You’re the Ways. The Gamekeepers. You must know.” But the problem is they don’t. After being thrust into a life of magic, Anna, Charlie, and Emz have lost their way. They don’t know where they’re supposed to be, what they’re supposed to be doing, or who they’re supposed to trust. Right now, they’re just trying to get by. Struggling to accept their powers, the sisters are doing all they can to lead a normal life, but with the anniversary of Halloween looming everyone is on edge. When a stranger arrives on their doorstep, they know a different magic is in the air. The Ways realise they must embrace their Strengths if they have any hope of doing the job Hettie left behind. With dark magic crackling through the town and leaking into the lives of people they love, the Ways must find themselves before they lose everything.
324 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 6, 2018
About the author
Helen Slavin
25 books21 followersHelen Slavin was born in Heywood in Lancashire in 1966. She was raised by eccentric parents on a diet of Laurel and Hardy, William Shakespeare and the Blackpool Illuminations. Educated at her local comp her favourite subjects at school were English and Going Home.
After The University of Warwick she worked in many jobs including, plant and access hire, a local government Education department typing pool, and a vasectomy clinic. A job as a television scriptwriter gave her the opportunity to spend all day drinking tea, living in a made-up fantasy world and getting paid for it (sometimes).
Helen has been a professional writer for fifteen years. Her first novel The Extra Large Medium was chosen as the winner in the Long Barn Books competition run by Susan Hill.
A paragliding Welsh husband and two children distract her and give her ample opportunity to spend all day drinking tea, nagging about homework and washing pants for England. In the wee small hours she still keeps a bijou flat in that fantasy world of writing.When not working with animals and striving for world peace, Helen enjoys the music of Elbow and baking bread. Her favourite colour is purple and if she had to be stranded on a desert island with someone it would be Ray Mears ( alright, George Clooney is very good looking but can he make fire with a stick? No. See?)
She now lives, with her family, in Trowbridge, Wiltshire where, when she’s not writing, she’s asleep. Or in Tescos.
After The University of Warwick she worked in many jobs including, plant and access hire, a local government Education department typing pool, and a vasectomy clinic. A job as a television scriptwriter gave her the opportunity to spend all day drinking tea, living in a made-up fantasy world and getting paid for it (sometimes).
Helen has been a professional writer for fifteen years. Her first novel The Extra Large Medium was chosen as the winner in the Long Barn Books competition run by Susan Hill.
A paragliding Welsh husband and two children distract her and give her ample opportunity to spend all day drinking tea, nagging about homework and washing pants for England. In the wee small hours she still keeps a bijou flat in that fantasy world of writing.When not working with animals and striving for world peace, Helen enjoys the music of Elbow and baking bread. Her favourite colour is purple and if she had to be stranded on a desert island with someone it would be Ray Mears ( alright, George Clooney is very good looking but can he make fire with a stick? No. See?)
She now lives, with her family, in Trowbridge, Wiltshire where, when she’s not writing, she’s asleep. Or in Tescos.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 7, 2018
'Slow Poison' is the second book in the popular 'Witch Ways Series' by Helen Slavin, and the sequel to 'Crooked Daylight'. Having read her crime novel 'The Stopping Place' and enjoying the writing style, I thought this sounded rather intriguing and nabbed a copy after reading the first book. It's nigh on impossible to find original stories/writers these days, but this is one of those rare occasions. I have to mention the cover art too - I love it, it's very purdy!
We were introduced to the Way sisters in book one, and here they continue to captivate their audience. There is a certain something about them that is vivid and wonderfully portrayed. Anna, Charlie and Emz are finding it difficult to adapt to their newfound magical powers. They are lost, with no idea of what they are supposed to do with said powers. They have inherited their grandmother Hettie Way's responsibility as Gatekeepers of Havoc Wood, but are struggling to come to terms with it. They know how important they are in the grand scheme of things but really want to live simple, normal lives. Unfortunately, this is not likely to happen, and the quicker they understand the magic the better. Halloween is just around the corner, as is a mysterious stranger named Alith who will change everything.
There are so many books and series out there cashing in on the publics newfound affection for witches, but Slavin's series is one that is engaging and interesting in equal measure. This was the perfect time to release such a book, as in the UK it has just turned to Autumn. I think it would have had a lesser affect on me had it been released in the summer months. I always associate witches with Autumn or Winter, so this works very well here. It reminded me a lot of a fairytale, and certainly Mrs Fyfe was pulled straight out of stories of old. Unfortunately, there were some issues with the prose. At the beginning the story is painfully slow and repetitive, but it does pick up as we progress. I also felt some of the dialogue was stilted. That being said, I was intrigued enough to keep going, and the parts about magic and ritual stoked my interest even more. There is something special about this series, I just hope in the next book the issues with the writing are smoothed over.
Many thanks to Agora Books for an ARC. I was not required to post a review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. My apologies for mistakenly thinking i'd downloaded it and only realising I hadn't when I saw it had been archived. As I feel I had committed to providing a review when I requested the book, I bought a copy in order to provide a review.
We were introduced to the Way sisters in book one, and here they continue to captivate their audience. There is a certain something about them that is vivid and wonderfully portrayed. Anna, Charlie and Emz are finding it difficult to adapt to their newfound magical powers. They are lost, with no idea of what they are supposed to do with said powers. They have inherited their grandmother Hettie Way's responsibility as Gatekeepers of Havoc Wood, but are struggling to come to terms with it. They know how important they are in the grand scheme of things but really want to live simple, normal lives. Unfortunately, this is not likely to happen, and the quicker they understand the magic the better. Halloween is just around the corner, as is a mysterious stranger named Alith who will change everything.
There are so many books and series out there cashing in on the publics newfound affection for witches, but Slavin's series is one that is engaging and interesting in equal measure. This was the perfect time to release such a book, as in the UK it has just turned to Autumn. I think it would have had a lesser affect on me had it been released in the summer months. I always associate witches with Autumn or Winter, so this works very well here. It reminded me a lot of a fairytale, and certainly Mrs Fyfe was pulled straight out of stories of old. Unfortunately, there were some issues with the prose. At the beginning the story is painfully slow and repetitive, but it does pick up as we progress. I also felt some of the dialogue was stilted. That being said, I was intrigued enough to keep going, and the parts about magic and ritual stoked my interest even more. There is something special about this series, I just hope in the next book the issues with the writing are smoothed over.
Many thanks to Agora Books for an ARC. I was not required to post a review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. My apologies for mistakenly thinking i'd downloaded it and only realising I hadn't when I saw it had been archived. As I feel I had committed to providing a review when I requested the book, I bought a copy in order to provide a review.
September 26, 2018
I would like to thank Agora Books and the Netgalley website for this partnership.
I was immediately attracted to the cover. We see the pretty Anna slightly in profile.
We find Anna, Charlie and Emz living in magic, they are a little lost and don't know who to trust and what to do. They struggle to get used to their power and to have a normal life. But with the famous Halloween day approaching, that doesn't help. Especially when a stranger comes to their house.
A second captivating volume full of suspense and twists and turns. Can't wait for this series to be released in complete box set.
I was immediately attracted to the cover. We see the pretty Anna slightly in profile.
We find Anna, Charlie and Emz living in magic, they are a little lost and don't know who to trust and what to do. They struggle to get used to their power and to have a normal life. But with the famous Halloween day approaching, that doesn't help. Especially when a stranger comes to their house.
A second captivating volume full of suspense and twists and turns. Can't wait for this series to be released in complete box set.
October 11, 2018
Slow Poison is the second book in The Witch Ways series by Helen Slavin. The three Way sisters; Anna, Charlie and Emz have inherited their grandmother's role as Game keepers of Havoc Wood but they know nothing of what this role means or their duties. They are still coming to terms with their grandmother's death and the tragic events of the previous year which saw the deaths of Anna's husband and baby son. However the arrival of mysterious stranger Ailith with a man's severed head wrapped up in rags means they have to figure out their responsibilities and get a handle on their strengths sooner then they might have expected. They girls are still tentative about any magical power they have, so much so that they don't even like using the word magic. Their magic however is very much needed because another stranger; the dark and sinister Mrs Fyfe has cast a strange spell over the town of Havoc causing disorder and nastiness with everything she touches and the girls will have to find a way to defeat her. This book full of sisterly love and witchy magic was a pure joy to read. The atmosphere is wonderfully evoked and the various different characters of the small town they call home are all brilliantly drawn. This is a perfect book for fans of Paula Brackston, Anna McKerrow, Alice Hoffman's Practical Magic and Sarah Painter's Pendleford Witch books. The publishers were kind enough to send me the first in the series Crooked Daylight and I can't wait to dive in and learn more about the Way family.
October 29, 2018
Slow Poison, the second book in The Witch Ways series, picks up shortly after the conclusion of Crooked Daylight, with the sisters still trying to get to grips with their “Strengths,” when the second of their Gamekeeper guests arrives on the doorstep of Cob Cottage. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know each of the sisters a little better in this book, and discovering more about each of their individual gifts.
This book has a darker feel than Crooked Daylight with the arrival of the mysterious Ailith and her severed head, and the sinister Mrs Fyfe to the town of Woodcastle. That said, even as unease and tension drips through the townsfolk, it maintains a distinctly British feel that reminded me of Midsomer Murders (this is a good thing, I LOVE Midsomer!), conjuring up images of picturesque towns with their unique local customs.
Despite the toxic, dark magic taking a hold over the town, there is a wonderful cosiness to Slavin’s writing that draws you in and refuses to let go until you have read the entire book! I think this is largely due to the wonderful Cob Cottage, which has a character all of its own and which, once you are safely tucked away inside will protect you from the evils outside.
I don’t know if Helen Slavin has plans to write more books featuring the Witch Ways, but I for one really hope that she does.
This book has a darker feel than Crooked Daylight with the arrival of the mysterious Ailith and her severed head, and the sinister Mrs Fyfe to the town of Woodcastle. That said, even as unease and tension drips through the townsfolk, it maintains a distinctly British feel that reminded me of Midsomer Murders (this is a good thing, I LOVE Midsomer!), conjuring up images of picturesque towns with their unique local customs.
Despite the toxic, dark magic taking a hold over the town, there is a wonderful cosiness to Slavin’s writing that draws you in and refuses to let go until you have read the entire book! I think this is largely due to the wonderful Cob Cottage, which has a character all of its own and which, once you are safely tucked away inside will protect you from the evils outside.
I don’t know if Helen Slavin has plans to write more books featuring the Witch Ways, but I for one really hope that she does.
September 4, 2018
This book is very slow and repetitive at the beginning but when it starts going it's very good.
I loved the characters and the setting. The plot was engaging and entertaining.
A very engaging paranormal series that makes me feel curious about the next instalments.
Recommended!
Many thanks to Agora Books and Netgalley for this ARC
I loved the characters and the setting. The plot was engaging and entertaining.
A very engaging paranormal series that makes me feel curious about the next instalments.
Recommended!
Many thanks to Agora Books and Netgalley for this ARC
October 10, 2018
Could not put this down, it was enthralling. Please tell me there wii be more. I highly recommend this book.
September 3, 2018
I really enjoyed the second instalment of The Witch Ways Series!
Where the first took a while to get going, I loved how this flowed. The story was go go go from the beginning, with many surprises along the way. I loved how the story built as it went, and after that ending, I can’t wait to see what we read next from Helen!
I really enjoyed reading about each of the sisters and seeing how they coped with their new life, both individually and as a team. They are each very unique and have very singular personalities, but together they’re amazing. I love how the Author has managed to create a dynamic that is far from perfect, because, well... sisters? They don’t always agree, but yet somehow they just work well as a trio.
I loved learning more about The Ways and their Grandmas role as well as their own, and the continuation of that brilliant Cliff Hanger from book one did NOT go where I expected it to! I really enjoyed the path the story took, it was fun and exciting, and at several points had me so determined to find out what would happen that I must admit, I was entirely antisocial so that I could have my head in the book.
This is a truly fun story, and I can’t wait to see where it goes next! A brilliant, easy read that will have you believing in Magic, and ready to run away to The Witch Ways.
Where the first took a while to get going, I loved how this flowed. The story was go go go from the beginning, with many surprises along the way. I loved how the story built as it went, and after that ending, I can’t wait to see what we read next from Helen!
I really enjoyed reading about each of the sisters and seeing how they coped with their new life, both individually and as a team. They are each very unique and have very singular personalities, but together they’re amazing. I love how the Author has managed to create a dynamic that is far from perfect, because, well... sisters? They don’t always agree, but yet somehow they just work well as a trio.
I loved learning more about The Ways and their Grandmas role as well as their own, and the continuation of that brilliant Cliff Hanger from book one did NOT go where I expected it to! I really enjoyed the path the story took, it was fun and exciting, and at several points had me so determined to find out what would happen that I must admit, I was entirely antisocial so that I could have my head in the book.
This is a truly fun story, and I can’t wait to see where it goes next! A brilliant, easy read that will have you believing in Magic, and ready to run away to The Witch Ways.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews