Review: Weather Witch (Weather Witch #1) by Shannon Delany

Weather Witch (Weather Witch #1) by Shannon Delany

Publication Date: June 25, 2013
Page Count: 336
Published by: St. Martin's Griffin
Source: eARC courtesy of publisher in exchange for an honest review

Synopsis From Goodreads:

In a vastly different and darker Philadelphia of 1844, steam power has been repressed, war threatens from deep, dark waters, and one young lady of high social standing is expecting a surprise at her seventeenth birthday party–but certainly not the one she gets!

Jordan Astraea, who has lived out all of her life in Philadelphia’s most exclusive neighborhood, is preparing to celebrate her birthday with friends, family and all the extravagance they might muster. The young man who is most often her dashing companion, Rowen Burchette, has told her a surprise awaits her and her best friend, Catrina Hollindale, wouldn’t miss this night for all the world!

But storm clouds are gathering and threatening to do far more than dampen her party plans because someone in the Astraea household has committed the greatest of social sins by Harboring a Weather Witch.

Weather Witch was a fun and quick read, but I was slightly confused several times while reading. There was a lot of potential to be a really amazing story, but it turned out to be just okay for me.

I loved the action and intrigue, the conflict, and all of the good versus evil throughout the story. And there was the slightest hint of a romance that I hope will bloom in the coming books. But the world building was noticeably absent, so the whole concept of Weather Witches was pretty confusing. I had a hard time knowing what some things meant - if it was something good or bad. Same for the characters - it was hard knowing who was good and who was bad. There are so many different storylines going on at the same time, and multiple POVs, but they all converge in the end to make one giant mess interesting ending.

Character introduction was minimal, so I had a difficult time remembering all of the players - and there were a lot of them! I literally couldn't remember who was who, and I had a really hard time keeping everyone straight.

Out of all the characters, I was most interested in Jordan and Rowen. Jordan turned out to be a very strong person, much to my surprise. Having come from society, I expected her to wither under the harsh circumstances she was subjected to after she was accused of being a witch and forcefully ripped away from her family and friends. She could only hold on the best way she knew how, and hope she would somehow find enough strength to survive.

I thought Rowen was an interesting character. Despite coming from a power hungry family who only want Rowen to marry "up" in society, Rowen is eager to do things his own way. I did like that he felt compelled to help his friend, Jordan, after she was taken away. He set out to find her and free her from what he perceived an injustice, and he suffered a terrible journey attempting to reach her. I was impressed by Rowen's loyalty to Jordan, and I was glad that Jordan had someone on her side who was willing to go through hell for her.

With only a 3 star rating, you may think that I didn't enjoy reading Weather Witch, but that's not the case. I actually really liked reading Weather Witch and I found it highly entertaining, yet slightly confusing. I really had to pay attention to what was going on, and there were times when I had to re-read parts to figure out what was going on. It would have been at least a 4 star book if the world building had been better, and if I hadn't been confounded by the multitude of characters and POVs. I will continue with this series in the hope that it becomes less confusing, the multiple POVs are trimmed, and the characters are developed more.

The premise of an alternate reality set in 1844 Philadelphia is freaking fantastic. And the use of Weather Witches instead of steam power is certainly creative. But in the end I was left with more questions than answers. However, I am already looking forward to reading the second book in this series, Stormbringer. (See cover below.)

My rating: 3 of 5 stars