Review: The Hedgewitch of Foxhall by Anna Bright

They say you should never judge a book by its cover, but there are some covers that just makes you all the more interested in reading the book. The Hedgewitch of Foxhall by Anna Bright is definitely one of them. Just look how stunning that is! Not that I wasn't already interested in the book - from the moment I first read the synopsis I was intrigued enough to add the title to my ever-growing TBR list. There's few things I love more than a cozy fantasy, and this book promised just that.

The book follows three different characters - Ffion, Taliesin and Dafydd - as they race to restore magic and save the Welsh kingdoms from a devastating attack.

Ffion is the last hedgewitch in the village of Foxhall. Once an prospective initiate of a the powerful Foxhall coven her mother and sister belongs to, she chose to break with both the coven and her family two years earlier due to their differing views of magic use. She refuses to sacrifice any living things to fuel her magic, instead living off what the land can freely offer her. When the Foxhall coven's destructive magic has devastating consequences for Ffion, she teams up with the shrewd (but distractingly handsome) prince Taliesin to stop the attack that is prophesied to kill his father and plunge the kingdoms into war. By helping Tal, Ffion hopes to restore the fading magic of Wales and bring back what was lost to her.

Prince Taliesin does not trust magic, and he couldn't care less if it disappeared forever. But his father has pitted him against his older half-brother, Dafydd, in a quest to find a way to stop the prophesy from coming to fruition. The winner gets the throne. The loser gets nothing. Tal has his own reasons for wanting to rule, and so he reluctantly accepts Ffion's offer to help. But the more time they spend together, the more he finds himself drawn to the half-wild witch girl. Meanwhile, prince Dafydd is struggling with his role as his father's favorite and preferred heir. He has never wanted the throne in the first place, but he finds himself unable to refuse his father's request. But when he sees Tal with Ffion, he wonders if he shouldn't just fight for the thone - and the girl - himself.

Okay, let's get this out of the way first: There is a love triangle in this book. I usually hate love triangles, but I didn't really mind this one as much as I thought I would. Partially because the love triangle itself is introduced pretty late in the story, and by then you can pretty much guess how it will end up, and partially because both Tal and Dafydd are decent guys. I do think one of the guys should have given up a little earlier than he actually did, as it was clear from the get-go who Ffion had her heart set on, but I suppose you can't really begrudge a guy for giving it his all even if it was doomed from the beginning. But it makes me wonder if that third POV was really necessary, as I wasn't as interested in this character as I was in the other two.

I discovered after reading it that the story is actually based around real events from Welsh history, and there is a lot of Welsh mythology sprinkled throughout the story. This is of course a fictional (and magical) retelling of actual events, but it is just a fun little detail to consider. The story itself was whimsical and magic. I loved how Ffion's magic was so clearly connected to the land itself, and how gently she coaxed it out with her singing. She really had that good Earth witch energy, as opposed to some of the other witches/magicians who used more extreme methods to connect with their magic. Her little fox familiar was also really adorable. I also enjoyed how Ffion and Tal bickered like they'd already been married for fifty years from the moment they first met - her constantly making fun of him for his fancy, expensive, over-the-top coat was really funny.

Familial relationships are also an important part of the story, and I enjoyed seeing how the different character's stories played out. Even though they are currently at odds with eachother, it is made very clear that Ffion has voluntarily distanced herself from a family that still loves her a lot. Tal would do anything to protect his mother, even if it means constantly trying to impress his indifferent father. And although the relationship between Tal and Dafydd is fragile, the latter clearly cares about his brother's well-being more than he cares for himself. These interpersonal relationships and how they changed throughout the story was one of my absolute favorite aspects.

The events of the final chapters were quite fast-paced compared to the earlier chapters, but I suppose that is to be expected from what in many ways is an epic 8th century road trip story. I was very satisfied with where our characters ended up, and with how the story ended. In the end, it was the only ending that would have made sense in this cute, cozy fantasy book.