Natural Witch

“We don’t get to choose what we’re given, but we do get to choose what we make of it,”

"Although running over a few dead guys wasn’t nearly as bad as turning women into zombies. It was all about perspective."

(Magical Mayhem 1) Natural Witch by K. F. Breene

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My Rating:

Recommended 4-star fantasy novel taking place in the Demon Days, Vampire Nights World . Book 1 of the Magical Mayhem Trilogy. "Natural Witch" primarily features Penelope Bristol as our "coming of age" natural witch and Emery Westbrook, a natural mage.

Remember Penny? Well, let me recommend the Fire and Ice Trilogy if that name isn't sounding familiar. I would recommend you read that trilogy first. It isn't entirely necessary. If you do read that trilogy first, when folks like Reagan, Callie, Dizzie, and Darius pop up you'll be feeling the thrill of old friends making cameo appearances. I've reviewed all three on Goodreads, Sagely Fox on Blogspot.com or my Sagely Fox 2021 Reviews Page.

“Celebrate your differences. It is remarkable to be unique in a world of the mundane. You are one in a million.”

Generally: --- spoiler's allowed line -- continue at your own risk ---
Penny, having always sensed the supernatural, always being able to trust her intuition, on a whim, books a seminar on magic in Louisiana. She shows up, and you're treated to a scene out straight out of "Raised in Fire" (if memory serves). Except in this case you'll be witnessing it from Penny's point of view instead of Reagan's point of view.

This is also what hooked me into this trilogy. I was very familiar with the scene, and while Penny, a minor character then, had little clue what was going on, having read the scene from Reagan's point of view, I knew exactly what was going on. It was kind of a thrill.

It's also the first action scene in the start of "Penny's" story in "Natural Witch". In the Fire and Ice Trilogy she was a minor character making cameo appearances, but always interesting. If you wanted to know more about any minor character from that trilogy, Penny would likely be the character you'd want to know more about. The Magical Mayhem trilogy is clearly about Penny.

My Notable Notes:
I have a lot of notes, but they're terrible spoilers to this or the earlier books in the Demon Days, Vampire Nights World. There was one disconnect I did think about quite a bit.

In the Fire and Ice Trilogy I always thought of Penny as younger. Maybe 15±3 years old. She's actually older. I sincerely did think about this quite a bit, wondering why I thought she was so much younger than "in reality". Truth is, the clues she's older than I assumed were there, but so were a lot of detail suggesting she's younger.

Tragically, other folks just hate it that Penny's so... 13ish?

Likes and Dislikes:
I'm always amazed that Ms. Breene gets me to suspend disbelief as if I'm a child who knows Santa is real because mom said so.

I laughed almost as hard as I did reading Don Quixote. Largely when Reagan shows up for some training at the behest of her bo... Oops, spoiler. Not sorry... you didn't read my warning? (I blanked this out on Goodreads...)

The Technical: About the writing critique?
I could be critical about how Penny was written as a character. Others were brutal. I know why I thought she was younger in the earlier novels. Since our author had such a clear image of her and wrote her so consistently, as she did, it made her charming, IMO. I think a less talented author would NOT have pulled it off.

Yes, I know some folks hated it. Come on: It was fun.

Conclusion
Investing in Katie Breene is worth the entertainment value. I've read the The Warrior Chronicles all six, twice. I think Finding Paradise books are her best work and am disappointed she's lost interest in it. I've read the Fire and Ice Trilogy which is part of the 9 books (8 to date) that will be the Demon Days, Vampire Nights World books. I have all 8 e-books and audiobooks. Likewise, I have the first book of a couple other series which I'm reluctant to start. They are advertised as romances. I fear Romances are like Lifetime movies. They are more addictive than heroin. I've been addicted to everything, I fear one's too many, and Ms. Breene could never write enough if I started.

Her books are funny, her characters grow to meet ever-increasing challenges and readers grow into rooting for even the most ditsy protagonist. Her characters are "human"... well not entirely. I mean flawed, so humans can relate to them.

Finally, regarding Nichole Poole. Thank you for your performance, dear. (I can say that, I'm ancient.) Her voice is precisely in my military service hearing loss frequency. I have to listen at least 1.15 speed to make my hearing work with her. I nearly trashed the whole series twice because I couldn't understand in her voice frequency. No trouble with Caitlin Davies 🤷🏻‍♂️. Thank my daughter, Kristina. She likes to listen at chipmunk speed... gave me the idea to change the speed, changing the frequency, so I could enjoy Ms. Poole's wonderful performances. I also read along during much of the book.

Read on: Read on Mar 1, 4, 8, 2021, 2021
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Links:
Author: K. F. Breene Website
Narrator: Nicole Poole, Narrator Website
Purchase Links: Natural Witch Retailer Links
Basic Info: Epub via PocketBook Android App: 43 Chapters, 305 Pages - Audiobook on $ Smart Audiobook Player Pro: 10:34:05