Book Review: Song of the Hell Witch by Taylor Hartley
Song of the Hell Witch by Taylor Hartley
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Published: September 9, 2025
Genres: Adult // Fantasy, Romance
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ (Open Door)
Quick Thoughts: I went into Song of the Hell Witch knowing it was a feminist witchy second chance romance. It definitely delivered on all those fronts and more. Heavily woven into this story are a number of social themes like misogyny, female rage, and religious zealotry and fanaticism. I’d recommend this only if you are in a headspace to read a story that doesn’t shy away from direct social commentary. Those looking for a light read or escapism should skip this.
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Misogyny
Violence/Blood
Death
Death of a Parent/Sibling
Suicide (Minor, Off Page)
Kidnapping
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Second Chance Romance
Themes of Sisterhood & Community
Feminism & Social Critque
Witches
Single Dad MMCs
One Bed Trope
Forced Proximity
What is Song of the Hell Witch About? (Non-Spoiler Summary)
Rekindled romance spreads new wings in this atmospheric romantasy, where magic empowers women trapped inside an oppressive patriarchy.
This striking novel is perfect for fans of the feminist ideals in When Women Were Dragons and the unique magic system in One Dark Window.
Once a vicious street rat, Prudence Merriweather has clawed her way to the top of society and now enjoys newfound power as the Duchess of Talonsbury. All she has to do to protect her fragile position is maintain the act of gentility, make her husband happy—and keep her monstrous magic a secret.
Puck Reed, the Thief Lord of Talonsbury, once delighted in taking risks and humiliating the social elite at any cost, but now lives a quieter criminal lifestyle. With a daughter of his own to protect, Puck tries to lay low and stay safe for her benefit. His daughter, Bea, suffers from a mysterious illness bent on killing her, and Puck will stop at nothing to find a cure.
When Prudence’s magic betrays her, she has no choice but to flee—and who better to smuggle her out of the city than her childhood best friend and former sweetheart, Puck Reed? With the help of old friends and new allies, they learn about Stormlash, a safe haven miles beyond the city walls where women and their magic can flourish beyond the oppressive eye of Leora’s religious fanatics. Stormlash may also hold the key to curing Bea’s illness. The challenge? Keep her alive long enough to get there.
With Bea’s illness claiming more of her strength, Puck and Pru must work together to reach Stormlash and, in the process, confront a growing evil threatening to devour the country they call home.
Perfect for fans of Carissa Broadbent and Hannah Whitten, this second-chance romantic fantasy features monstrous women stepping into their full power, a father who will do anything to save his daughter, and the rekindled flame of an old, enduring love.
Pre-Read Thoughts
I discovered Song of the Hell Witch because it was one of the Allurial picks for September and it’s description of a feminist witch story with slow-burn second chance romance with forced proximity sounded like a combination of all my favorite romantasy themes.
Song of the Hell Witch Review
I went into Song of the Hell Witch knowing nothing except that it was a feminist second chance romance. This time of year, I’m always on the hunt for a new witchy romantasy and this one ticked all the boxes and more.
I read purely to escape the real world, so I generally shy away from books that offer social critique, but I’m glad I read it anyway. Though I started reading this on my Kindle, I found that switching to the audiobook helped me sink into the story, the characters, and the setting without feeling like I was reading something too heavy.
Setting and World
If there's one thing you should know about this book, it's that it delves into social themes like misogyny, female rage and trauma, and religious zealotry pretty directly. Just as importantly, this book highlights the need for community and hope for survival. Personally, I think these themes were woven into the story, setting, and characters so well that they helped balance critique without becoming too emotionally exhausting to read.
For example, the magic system is the vehicle for exploring trauma and rage. A woman's first transformation into a Hell Witch is essentially a trauma response, and anger is the fuel for her magic. I thought this was a fresh and unique way to discuss these themes.
One of the takeaways from this story is how important community is for survival and healing, which was a heartwarming addition to an otherwise tense read. There are also smaller but equally important themes like respectability politics and toxic masculinity, but this review is already long enough. Like I said, this book covers a lot, and it just goes to show how layered this world is.
The most prominent theme that threads through everything is the weaponization of religion by power-hungry people. Personally, I took this book as a critique of how religion and its texts can get twisted to maintain control through fear and manipulation. How religion is used in this book to justify oppression and the erosion of basic human rights is a direct parallel to our own world. This point is layered on thick throughout the book, so if this kind of social commentary makes you uncomfortable, this probably isn't the book for you.
Pacing
The main issue I had was with pacing -- either nothing was happening or everything was happening all at the same time. I think this comes down to how every scene was peppered with descriptions, details, and thoughts from the characters. During intense battle sequences, all those intricate details made the action incredibly difficult to follow, but in the quieter traveling scenes, the same level of detail made everything feel like it was dragging.
Around the 30% mark, I switched to the audiobook and enjoyed the book so much more. The plot itself is pretty straightforward, so having a narrator helped me focus on the story. If you're finding the pacing frustrating, I absolutely recommend giving the audiobook a try.
Characters and Romance
My favorite character was Mari, a trans woman who brings both humor and heart to the story. Beyond the levity she provides, her character serves as a powerful reminder that simply existing as who you are in a society that rejects anything "other" is itself an act of resistance.
Prudence and Puck are our main characters and love interests. Puck is a single father who is desperate for a cure to his daughter Bea's illness. It's pretty clear that his character is designed to show what male allyship could look like. He's different from the typical fantasy book boyfriend, but I enjoyed how realistic he was. Prudence's arc centers on letting go of her safe life as the Duchess of Talonsbury to embrace her identity as a Hell Witch, even in a world that wants to violently extinguish her for just existing. It's a satisfying character journey, though I wished we'd gotten more background on the trauma that triggered her transformation into a Hell Witch and just generally who she was beyond her history with Puck.
The romance itself was fine but wasn't my favorite. The near-constant miscommunication and snapping got a bit grating, and their serious conversations seemed to happen at weird moments, so they'd quickly get abruptly cut off. I get that the author was probably trying not to immediately resolve their issues, but the tension felt more forced than natural. However, it came together in the end and there were some really beautiful, emotional moments.
So, Should You Read Song of the Hell Witch?
I'd definitely recommend the audiobook over the printed version, but that's just because I felt the plot was easier to follow without getting caught up in all the details and descriptions.
If you're craving a romantasy that discusses meaningful social themes, then definitely pick this up. Just know this book doesn't pull punches -- the misogyny (and hate in general) in this book is direct and felt too relatable at times, so if you don't want to read about that, this might not be the book for you.
Also, be warned that this book ends on a cliffhanger!
Check out this review on Goodreads or Storygraph.
Happy reading!
Kim
Song of the Hell Witch FAQs
Some of the answers may be spoilers if you haven’t read it already. Proceed with caution!
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Song of the Hell Witch ends on a cliffhanger, so it’s likely not a standalone. As of the writing of this post, the second book has not been announced yet.
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Song of the Hell Witch is 3 🌶️, which means there is at least one spice scene with the reader present.
There is one mild intimate scene. Details are sparse. It felt like one step above a fade-to-black scene.
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The one spice scene in Song of the Hell Witch is in Chapter 29.
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Here are the sparknotes for the ending of Song of the Hell Witch:
Puck turns into a Zeraphel and loses consciousness.
Pru realizes that Bea has been taken by Paris.
Puck and Pru hide out in a cavern with Arcadie as Mari is at the Temple trying to convince the rest of the Ladies of Leora that Bea is worth saving.
Pru promises Puck that they’ll get Bea back.
Meanwhile, Bea comes to but doesn’t know where she is. Paris and Hale come in.
Hale is upset that Paris went against his orders to not attack Stormlash and kills him.
Hale’s intentions with Bea are mysterious, but the book ends he hints that he will use her to bring down Leora as they know it.