I received a copy of ” To Catch a Witch: A Story of the Temere” as part of the Speculative Fiction Indie Novella Competition (SFINCS).

This is a dual-POV novella that follows Shenagh (the witch) and Macon (the witch hunter) as she seeks to escape from him through a forest filled with mythical creatures and dangers.

The story is fast paced enough to finish in one sitting, but it left me with the feeling that the scenes and dialogues could have been a bit more developed. The characters are well-thought with very believable layers of complexity which made them quite intriguing. Shenagh has the potential to become a great character, and Macon clearly has some shadows in his past or unresolved issues which can be explored. I think the story would have benefited from deepening into the characters’ head a bit more to bring out the intricacies of the world that surrounded them. The plot gained momentum in the second half and left me intrigued about the fate of the characters if this is part of a larger book series.