Title: A Witch and Her Orc (Coven Crest Academy #3)
Author: Emberly Wyndham
Genre: Romantasy
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Source: BookFunnel
Blurb: Poppy Waverly is used to being the quiet one. The good student. The helpful witch who never raises her hand unless she’s absolutely sure she’s right. With dream magic she’s still learning to trust and the pressure of helping plan the academy’s first Blue Moon Ball, she’s already out of her depth. Agreeing to tutor Aric Vandermere—the distractingly charming orc barely scraping by in class—only makes things more complicated.
Aric Vandermere knows he’s on thin ice. If he doesn’t pass this semester, he risks losing his spot as the captain on the runeball team—and he might get stuck having to repeat his senior year. Poppy is his last shot at turning things around, but the more time he spends with her, the more he wants something he’s not sure he deserves.
What begins as reluctant tutoring soon deepens into stolen glances, shared laughter, and one magical night that changes everything. But as the Blue Moon Ball draws near and Poppy’s dreams begin to show signs of heartbreak, they’ll have to decide whether what they’ve found is real or just another fleeting spell.
Review: A Witch and Her Orc is a cute story about a shy bookish girl and the jock orc she tutors. Aric, the orc, is a real sweetheart under the sports jersey and I was quickly rooting for him to pass his exams and get his girl. Poppy is a never-been-kissed virgin who is a touch too naïve for my liking, though I didn’t hate her – I just wanted her to stop blushing all the time!
That said, their romance is a delicious slow-burn which feels very real. Though their ages are not stated on page, the Academy strikes me more of a college than a school, so Poppy is probably around 18 and Aric 19/20. Yet the story doesn’t read like a New Adult novel, thankfully, but is mature and measured.
Another thing I loved about this book was the friendships. Poppy shares a dorm with three other girls, one of whom is Aric’s half sister. They’ve become a little family and their support for Poppy is ever so sweet. Meanwhile, Aric shares a room with Felex, a vampire, who isn’t quite as supportive but ready to knock sense into Aric when necessary. Even the adults such as Poppy’s mother and metalsmith Alden come across as lovely.
However, the world building left a little to be desired. It’s clearly pre-technological as there are carriages and quills, but there’s nothing to anchor it to a human timeframe. There’s mention of a printing press but pictures are drawn/painted so it’s not as “late” as an equivalent Victorian era. I’d not be as fussed about the when if some of the language used hadn’t been rather modern. Cum, for instance, which I hate anyway but in this context was a little jarring. Pedantic? Perhaps, but this is my review.
Which is to say that, while occasionally jolted out of the prose, A Witch and Her Orc was a delightful, cosy romp and I’ll be reading the rest of the series.
Leave a Reply