Matt

This review comes to you from a face full of tears and a nose full of snot.

I should caveat this by saying that having lost our Mum unexpectedly, nearly a year ago, any topic of grief is still very raw.

Hannah and Huia is a deft exploration of mental health, and the way in which people are so often left to wend their own way through its nightmarish mazes, or to simply get lost.

The author has incredibly deftly woven together two deeply heartbreaking stories of loss - the two women of the title.

Their two stories intertwine with such pain and poignancy, and incredibly heartbreaking loss that it's almost impossible to put the book down.

There's a beautiful emotional shift during the book, where Hannah starts off almost disconnected from events, and we almost read as an observer. She notes that at times she's watching her body perform functions without any real sensation. Later she feels, and we feel intensely with her.

During her time in a psychiatric ward, in an attempt to help her confront the nightmares from losing her husband and baby, she meets a variety of other people.

It's here that we see them the way she does, each as individuals with their own personalities and quirks. Yes, they all have mental health problems that need support — and the author does note that the staff are so often undersupported themselves — but she takes the time to flesh out the characters as people who deserve to be heard.

We meet Huia, an old Māori women, who's been in care for most of her life. Hannah stumbles across what seems to be a pattern in her behaviour and takes the time to listen to her.

Along the way, we see a portion of Huia's history that ties so many threads together. We see her come to life as more than just some random old woman in the corner, but as a vibrant young woman who has deep and intense hopes and dreams.

About 2/3 of the way through I found myself hoping for Hannah to find the success that she herself was hoping for, and hoping that the end of the book wasn't going to be some cruel crushing defeat.

A little after this, I began to cry with almost every page, and by the end I was a sobbing mess.

The whole story is wound together so beautifully, so deftly, and so sensitively. It's a story that I wholeheartedly recommend and only wish that my mother had been here to read, as she adored supporting local authors.

Get it. Read it. Be prepared for a whole lot of tears.

The Coven's Executioner - S.W. Millar
(I received an advance copy from the author. This is my honest review).

When a criminal witch needs to be brought to justice, Henry Stone is COVEN's best executioner.

Driven by a promise he made, that none would ever have to suffer or die at the hands of a rogue witch, like his parents did, Henry is uncompromising. After 3 years and numerous kills, he's also doing his damnedest to push his closest friends away.

In this second book in the series, we return to the secret world of COVEN, hidden from ordinary humans' knowledge. It's a secret world of witches, their police force and criminals.

The stakes are much higher now. Henry has graduated and while he is a supremely effective agent, his personal demons always seem to strike at the worst possible time.

We get to feel his anguish at his parents' death, and how he beats himself up over their loss every day. This provides much of his motivation as well as the friction between himself and his friends.

Any good book must have a ‘Big Bad' and this has a fantastic one. The twists and turns until the antagonist is revealed are superbly handled.

The introduction of a new set of characters is excellent, not only rounding out the ensemble, but giving us new perspectives with which to engage in this fascinating world.

The action, the dialogue and the characters all shine. The occasional shift of point of view helps to move the story along, while allowing us to empathise with others.

The author has again crafted a wholly believable world, and puts Henry through the wringer up to the revelation of who has been behind the scenes, and well beyond. The psychological tension is superb and doesn't let up. Even if you haven't read ‘The Witch's Revenge' you won't be lost picking this sequel up.

An excellent story, it's bristling with enough action, secrets, revelations, magic and tension to keep you turning the pages right till the end - and then demanding to know what happens next.

For a thrilling urban fantasy you won't be disappointed with “The Coven's Executioner.”

Merged review:

The Coven's Executioner - S.W. Millar
(I received an advance copy from the author. This is my honest review).

When a criminal witch needs to be brought to justice, Henry Stone is COVEN's best executioner.

Driven by a promise he made, that none would ever have to suffer or die at the hands of a rogue witch, like his parents did, Henry is uncompromising. After 3 years and numerous kills, he's also doing his damnedest to push his closest friends away.

In this second book in the series, we return to the secret world of COVEN, hidden from ordinary humans' knowledge. It's a secret world of witches, their police force and criminals.

The stakes are much higher now. Henry has graduated and while he is a supremely effective agent, his personal demons always seem to strike at the worst possible time.

We get to feel his anguish at his parents' death, and how he beats himself up over their loss every day. This provides much of his motivation as well as the friction between himself and his friends.

Any good book must have a ‘Big Bad' and this has a fantastic one. The twists and turns until the antagonist is revealed are superbly handled.

The introduction of a new set of characters is excellent, not only rounding out the ensemble, but giving us new perspectives with which to engage in this fascinating world.

The action, the dialogue and the characters all shine. The occasional shift of point of view helps to move the story along, while allowing us to empathise with others.

The author has again crafted a wholly believable world, and puts Henry through the wringer up to the revelation of who has been behind the scenes, and well beyond. The psychological tension is superb and doesn't let up. Even if you haven't read ‘The Witch's Revenge' you won't be lost picking this sequel up.

An excellent story, it's bristling with enough action, secrets, revelations, magic and tension to keep you turning the pages right till the end - and then demanding to know what happens next.

For a thrilling urban fantasy you won't be disappointed with “The Coven's Executioner.”

The Witch's Revenge - S.W. Millar
(I received an advance copy from the author in exchange for an honest review).


Magic exists, and it's walking around us, hidden from us on pain of death, or at least memory wipe.

Henry just wants to live a normal life, go to the University of his choice, and have a drink with his best friend.

Of course, life doesn't always go the way we plan. Drinks go sideways, Henry doesn't get accepted to University, and he witnesses a murder on his birthday. A murder he shouldn't have even been able to see - thanks to magic.

Now he's got a massive target on his back, and he ends up being dropped straight into a magical training school for witches who police their own.


The fact that this world exists in tandem with our own makes everything exceptionally believable. The locations, the people, the dialogue all ring true, and the action scenes are exceptionally well presented.

The characters, their interactions, emotions and motivations are all perfectly individual and handled in such a way that the cast all shine in their own moments.

There is action, and realistic violence, and while this is depicted realistically, it's not dwelt on in an unnecessary or gratuitous way.

Descriptions are particularly rich and vivid without being over the top. Each setting is unique, and the blend and shift between real world and magical is expertly handled, quite literally ‘lifting the veil' between the two.

The author has created an exciting world with people that I'm eager to learn more about, and follow their adventures as they grow in and with their new abilities.

If you're looking for an exciting, well-paced story, packed with great characters, action and dialogue, then you won't go wrong with “The Witch's Revenge.”

Merged review:

The Witch's Revenge - S.W. Millar
(I received an advance copy from the author in exchange for an honest review).


Magic exists, and it's walking around us, hidden from us on pain of death, or at least memory wipe.

Henry just wants to live a normal life, go to the University of his choice, and have a drink with his best friend.

Of course, life doesn't always go the way we plan. Drinks go sideways, Henry doesn't get accepted to University, and he witnesses a murder on his birthday. A murder he shouldn't have even been able to see - thanks to magic.

Now he's got a massive target on his back, and he ends up being dropped straight into a magical training school for witches who police their own.


The fact that this world exists in tandem with our own makes everything exceptionally believable. The locations, the people, the dialogue all ring true, and the action scenes are exceptionally well presented.

The characters, their interactions, emotions and motivations are all perfectly individual and handled in such a way that the cast all shine in their own moments.

There is action, and realistic violence, and while this is depicted realistically, it's not dwelt on in an unnecessary or gratuitous way.

Descriptions are particularly rich and vivid without being over the top. Each setting is unique, and the blend and shift between real world and magical is expertly handled, quite literally ‘lifting the veil' between the two.

The author has created an exciting world with people that I'm eager to learn more about, and follow their adventures as they grow in and with their new abilities.

If you're looking for an exciting, well-paced story, packed with great characters, action and dialogue, then you won't go wrong with “The Witch's Revenge.”

Garth and Eloise are just trying to enjoy a simple life running a bookshop in the quiet village of Havelock North, and doing so quite well until they are thrust into a decades old murder mystery.

This cozy mystery is full of charm, even more so because I grew up in the area they've chosen to centre it in, and I can see places and people so clearly.

They have populated the cast with a beautifully rich cross-section of characters — diverse, helpful, quirky and downright murderous — quietly layering in elements and reveals as the story progresses.

I'll confess to having worked out the ‘scene of the crime' but definitely not the final details - they were an absolute treat, and very rewarding to read.

As a small-town slice-of-‘life' murder mystery, this is a hugely entertaining and enjoyable story.

It's a disarmingly simple premise: take 6 friends, trap them in an RV in the middle of nowhere, with no cell reception at all, and a sniper outside ready to kill anyone who runs, and who is waiting to kill the one person who is holding a deadly secret.

Every one of the friends has a secret, and as the night progresses, they all unravel as time, tiredness and death creep up on them.

It's tense and claustrophobic. I found myself rooting for all of them, to start off with, until true natures began to be revealed, then I was very firmly not liking one specifically.

One of the characters says at one point, that they shouldn't go all Lord of the Flies, which is a really great description of how the friendships start to deteriorate and suspicions grow.

I took so many notes while reading this, about layering secrets, and hinting at deeper motives.

It was such an enjoyable read. If you like something to keep you guessing, and on the edge of your seat, this is a good bet!