It’s another BBNYA 2024 finalist blog tour and another one I thoroughly enjoyed.
Glunda The Veg Witch
Keith W. Dickinson
“A witch’s boots told the story of her life. They showed you where she’d been, where she was going, and what kind of a witch she would be when she got there. And, most importantly, they were proof that said witch was not someone to be trifled with. She was to be listened to, and obeyed, and yes sometimes even feared, because her wisdom was hard earned and her wrath swift and mighty. They would have to be, for her to have lived in such boots for so many a year. No one trusted a witch in brand new boots, and rightly so as far as Glunda was concerned.”
Glunda Ashwillow is on top of the world. About to become head witch, and the youngest ever Guardian of the Golden Key, the only thing standing in her way is her old enemy, the Drupe Mages. They have the key, and they’re not willing to give it up without a fight.
With a coven of quarrelsome witches to contend with, and a fief full of farmers on the verge of revolt, can Glunda beat the mages and get the key before she runs out of veg? Or is there a cold, hard, carrot-less winter ahead for all concerned?
A tale of heroism and hotpots, Glunda The Veg Witch is a fun fantasy adventure everyone can enjoy.
Goodreads | The StoryGraph | Amazon
This was such a fun read; it’s definitely what I would call a cosy fantasy, with a simple yet effective story. The witches and the mages are in power in different seasons and when the time comes for the mages to hand that power over to Glunda and the witches they decide not to. What follows is an amusing story of the fallout of that choice on the community which I managed to lose myself in very easily.
There was something a little underdog about Glunda which I liked immensely, the witches seemed to be a bit more chaotic and expressive and weren’t afraid of giving their opinions to each other. By comparison, the mages seemed to favour clear power structures and had a superior vibe to them.
The farmers and townsfolk were all quite varied and the small-town attitudes made for some interesting scheming; I liked the addition of the local accent too because it gave the story a good sense of place.
I feel like there could have been a little more depth to some of the characters and I would like to have maybe known a little more about the motivations of some of them too. I think because this is a short story it feels like you only really scratch the surface but it does also feel as if there is more to these characters than what we get in this book.
The message in this story was fantastic, that some changes can be good and not everything has to stay the same, it feels like a message that can apply to any part of life. I liked how it all came together in the end, with Glunda and Alar putting aside their differences to work together for the betterment of everyone, even though it wasn’t the popular choice among their own.
Glunda The Veg Witch is an enjoyable, light and entertaining read, it did all go by without too much conflict and the critical side in me wonders if maybe it wrapped up a little too easily. However, on the whole, I had a good time reading this book and that’s all I can ask for.
Born a stone’s throw from the Lake District, Keith studied film making at university before moving to London to work in film and TV. After twenty years of doing other people’s bidding he went around the world, trained as a yoga teacher, rode a camel, got a tattoo he doesn’t regret, and was finally able to publish his first novel, DEXTER & SINISTER: DETECTING AGENTS, something he has dreamed of since he was eight years old and asked for a typewriter for Christmas.
Currently residing in Leeds, when he’s not up a mountain Keith can be found trying to get his foot behind his head. He hasn’t managed it yet, but he’ll get there one day.
Keith has four books out, THE HAMMERSMYTH TALES, a steampunk series that includes two novels and a collection of short stories, and GLUNDA THE VEG WITCH, his first foray into cosy fantasy.
Keith can be found idling on social media at https://x.com/keithwdickinson, https://bsky.app/profile/keithwdickinson.bsky.social, and https://www.instagram.com/keithwdickinson/, and you can find out more about him and his work at https://keithwdickinson.com/
BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 finalists (16 in 2024) and one overall winner.
If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.
everywhere-and-nowhere.com 