Matt and Jenny are joined by debut author Julia Bianco to discuss her premier novel Witch Season.
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By Jenny Robinson
Set in contemporary Los Angeles, Witch Season jumps right into introducing the Aestas coven. We meet Katherine Barnes, the story’s protagonist right off the bat. As the coven’s enforcer, she uses not only her magic but her detective skills to keep the community in line.
This book opens up a lot of new rules in the genre. There are witches that inherited their magic and witches that were unsettled (basically a teen with untrained powers). This creates a sort of class war between the two. Aestas’ goal is to unite both sides and Katherine is their perfect example. She is an unsettled witch herself. After help from the fellowship’s leader, Sylvia, she has grown into and has gained control of those powers. But the price is heavy, and she carries the guilt of the damage she caused prior to her time in Aestas.
This isn’t a witch tale where women hunch over cauldron mixing herbs, chanting and offering sacrifices. Well, not entirely. This world thrives in spell books that transfers powers via runes. Each spell demands pain and each rune requiring the caster’s stength. Some come easily, while others do not.
Outside of Aestas is Noctis, the corporate entity of witches. They micromanage witches far and wide. The ultra rich, incredibly powerful Khatri family is in charge of Noctis. Not all witches support their style, despite their exclusive access to the spell books.
This is where the story comes to a head. A shocking turn of events sets Katherine on an investigative mission alongside the family’s heir, Silas Khatri. Emotions run wild between these two throughout the investigation – for better or worse.
This book delivers some legit surprises that reshape the plot and cast of witches. Bianco does a splendid job unmasking characters, developing others and keeping the magic at the forefront. While the overall conflict is resolved, the ending leaves a lot of questions unanswered for those left standing.
Thankfully, this is only book one of two.
Looking forward in seeing if love overcomes distrust, whether altruism can triumph over duty, and if we learn more about those characters we’ve seen conspiring for what’s to come next.