A Witch's Brew: Conquest of the Veil Book III

I jumped into this series with this, the third book. I read a synopsis to get caught up on the main points, but I didn't have the advantage of ALL of the backstory. And you know what? It didn't matter. A Witch's Brew is a ripping good fantasy read, and I gather from the ending that there is more yet to come in the series.

Bring it on.

Clifton has absolutely roped me into the world he's created here. He does an outstanding job of creating the world and the history, the people and the places.

My heart ached for Alex in the early part of the book. Here she is, in a world full of magic, and the man she loves is one of the strongest magic wielders around, and what magical talent does she have? None. (Or so she thinks.) Plus, she's got Maggie, the exceedingly bold leader of just about the only real warriors around Markingham, making a move for Tal. That's a lot for a girl to handle. But she isn't one to just shrink away quietly. No magic? She finds other ways to make a difference for the people of Markingham, and I loved that about her. Even when things are hard, even when she has a wallow in the pity pit for a moment, Alex doesn't let difficult circumstances get her down.

And while Maggie is cast as the bad girl, I felt some sympathy for her, too. By the end of the book, she finds herself in a royal mess of her own making. Let's just say messing around with witches and potions isn't the best idea, and with magic, you've got to be very, very careful what you request and how. I'm interested to see what her role in future books will be. Can she be redeemed, or will she go over to the dark side?

Love and jealousy. Magic and monsters. An epic quest to defeat the Big Bad and some booty-kickin' battle scenes. This story has it all. Definitely a five-star read for me! The ending of the book is wide open for things yet to come. When it's out, I will snatch up book four in a hot second and see what happens next. If you're a high fantasy, sword and sorcery fan, you should give this series a read, too.