| Genre | Gay / Bisexual / Urban Fantasy / Elves/Fairies/Sidhe / Gods/Goddesses / Magic / Shifters / Vampires / Romance / Action/Adventure / Mystery/Suspense/Thriller |
| Reviewed by | Serena Yates on 09-August-2021 |
A power awakening within is tearing him apart.
All Sebastian ever wanted was a place to call home. Bound to Liam, his fated mate, and nestled in the center of a werewolf pack, he’s found one. However, opening portals filled with monsters in his sleep, Sebastian’s power is a wild thing he’s unable to control. And it’s slowly destroying him.
He never asked to be part fae, or for any of their magic. Now something dark is creeping through the pack bonds, bringing unrest and chaos. Desperate to find a safe way to release the churning well of power inside Seb, the pair venture into Underhill, the abandoned land of the fae.
Only Underhill is on the verge of collapsing. It’s a race against time to harness the power of the kitsune and find a way home, or risk being devoured by a dying world.
‘Witchbane’ is the third book in the ‘Kitsune Chronicles’ series and offers a lot of revelations, deepening character development, and exceptional worldbuilding. There is a combination of witches and magic with kitsune lore and shifter myths, while adding fae with dark designs and some very creative surprises. This is the kind of urban fantasy that makes me sit up and pay attention – from page one all the way through to the end. The story arc of this series has been building for two books before this (and they absolutely need to be read before this one), and this third volume only adds to the mystery of what is happening with Sebastian, a fox shifter, who is mated to Liam, a powerful alpha werewolf.
The prologue sets the tone for the rest of the story: it turned out to be somewhere between scary and utterly terrifying. The mood and tone are darker than before, to the point that I was holding my breath due to the suspense. Not just because Seb’s dream in the prologue turns out to be reality, but because the discovery of a new portal leads to all kinds of horrible consequences that unfold as the story progresses. The final twist was as surprising as it was delightful, and shows the kind of creativity that makes me love Lissa Kasey’s books. I can’t wait to see where the author takes this series and these characters next. Everything is far from certain and more questions seem to pop up after every installment.
Seb is still angsting – understandable after what he has been through - but the increasingly powerful kitsune inside him makes things even worse. Yes, he has Liam to help and support him, but there are things that Seb needs to do on his own – or so he believes. Where book one and two were about Seb finding home, this third book is about Seb learning to accept it as such deep down, and then defending it against all kinds of internal and external threats. What a ride!
Liam has the patience of several saints, which makes an interesting contrast to his being a strong alpha werewolf. His support of Seb is unwavering, and he deals with many of the surprises as if they were nothing special. The one thing that does seem to get him is his ex-wife, and that made me laugh.
Both she and Seb’s absentee mom, who suddenly makes an appearance, are some interesting secondary characters, but they are not the only ones. Vampires, fae, several pack members, and various monsters make for a colorful background to Seb and Liam’s continuing battle that is their relationship.
If you like supernatural worlds filled with mystery, intrigue, and secrets, if you think that even mated couples have their challenges, and if you’re looking for suspense combined with scary situations and more than one twist and turn, then you will probably like this novel as much as I do. As ever, I can’t wait for the next book in this series.
DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by the author for the purpose of a review.
| Format | ebook |
| Length | Novel, 359 pages |
| Heat Level | |
| Publication Date | 11-March-2021 |
| Price | $4.99 ebook |
| Buy Link | https://www.amazon.com/Witchbane-Urban-Fantasy-Action-Adventure-ebook/dp/B08XP3Z8BN |
