Catherine Egan (1)

I went into Julia Vanishes not quite knowing what to expect, but I ended up enjoying it more than I thought I would. Catherine Egan crafts a world that feels fresh and intriguing, with a unique blend of magic, mystery, and espionage.

One of the standout elements of the book is its take on witches. Rather than the usual tropes, Egan presents a world where magic is feared and hunted, making the stakes feel high and the tension real. The way magic works in this world, especially Julia’s own show more abilities, is mysterious and compelling. I found myself constantly wondering—what exactly is Julia? Her talent for slipping unnoticed between worlds gives her an edge, but it also raises so many questions that I hope the rest of the series will answer.

The characters are another highlight, and I especially enjoyed the dynamic between Julia and Frederick. Their relationship is subtle yet intriguing, and I’m really hoping to see more of them together in future books. Julia herself is a fascinating protagonist—cunning, resourceful, and morally complex in a way that makes her stand out from the typical YA heroine.

Overall, Julia Vanishes is a captivating start to a series that promises even more twists and revelations. I’m excited to see where Julia’s journey takes her next! show less

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program in exchange for an honest review.

Julia Unbound is the third book in The Witch's Child series and I have not yet read the previous two. I've never jumped to a final book in a trilogy before so it was a little bit of an experiment - would I be able to connect to the characters without that backstory? Would I even understand what was going on?

To start off with, the book has a nice map of Spira City, show more where most of the action takes place, and a cast of characters and places. I love a book with a map. (I probably could even have gone for another map of the greater world, because characters' adventures in far off places are mentioned quite often). I relied on both of those quite often at the beginning to help me understand.

A very simple explanation of the plot is that there are parasites like from Stargate and The Faculty that are controlled by a queen and the main character, Julia, makes a deal to save the life of her brother: she will accept one of these parasites and spy for a world-destroying villain. In addition to this, there's a dying king, a contested crown, burgeoning revolution from multiple sides, persecuted and very angry witches, immortal beings, ancient body swappers, a shadow world, political intrigue, spies, and a dragon. There's honestly so much packed in here I read the entire thing in less than two days because I couldn't stop, I had to find out more.

Julia is a real stand out protagonist. She's strong and vulnerable, brave, upstanding, terrified, everything a teenage girl with an exploitable power to vanish and an immortal bad guy's will-bending parasite making its way slowly to her brain. She tries to do the right thing, while trying to save her free will and her brother's life, but every character has their own machinations and motivations. I even found the min-romance with the cute, pure contender for the crown Luca to be sweet. He's way out of his depth and I was oddly charmed by him, but appreciative that sex and romance were only a very small portion of the story.

I particularly liked Pia, a broken and mechanical assassin controlled by the villain, Casimir; her interactions and growing relationship with Julia were developed really well, each coming to respect and care for each other despite the roles they play at Casimir's will.

So, overall, despite a little confusion at the beginning, Julia Unbound was a fun, compulsive read full of adventure. show less

Julia is a thief with a special skill: she can blend into the background, basically becoming invisible if she is standing very still or moving through a crowd. It's a useful skill for a thief, and one that has done well for her so far. But in her current job, she may be in over her head...

I really enjoyed this book, as I generally enjoy fantasy with heists and found family. I do think that the pacing is a little slow up until the end, at which point things move very fast. Julia is a deeply show more flawed heroine who makes a cowardly choice under duress, but I was rooting for her at least most of the time. I'm glad to see that there are more books in this series, and I'll be seeking them out soon. show less

I absolutely adore this series!

I don’t want to say that Catherine Egan’s writing has improved because I didn’t have a problem with it to begin with, but everything about this novel felt so much better written. Her descriptions were lyrical and captivating, (I love, love the imagery of the wish trees!) and the plot, I thought, was well-paced--much more so than Julia Vanishes.

But what I really love about this story is the extent to which it feels unique. Okay, yes, teen girl with show more special power, grappling with the possibility of a dark secret in her past and struggling to understand her true nature. Buuuuttt all of that, for Julia at least, is more of a subplot. Her focus is on Theo -- on atonement and forgiveness, on the value of the life of an innocent child. Yes, she wants to know what’s up with her power, but she wants to save Theo first. She is really a well done heroine, complete with fears and flaws and admirable strengths. I continue to be completely engrossed by her voice.

And then, of course, there’s the cosmology and magical system. I don’t think I’ve really read anything quite like either, and I just love Egan’s version of witchcraft.

If there was a misstep anywhere, I’d say it’s in the romance department, as that was a subplot that could have been completely removed without any great impact to the story and felt a tad out of place. Though I suppose it amounts to character development, and I might be biased anyway.

I will confess to totally low-key shipping Julia and Fredrick. I’m not really expecting it to happen because I don’t see the point of those throw-away lines re: Bianka and Frederick if not to shatter any Julia/Frederick delusions. And, having read an interview where Egan blurbs the next book it sounds like Julia will be getting yet another love interest in book three. (I mean, seriously? In another life-time Julia would totally be that boy crazy friend. The fact the she was totally checking out the emperor while captured and immobilized only supports this theory.) But count me as someone who finds complete trust, muddy hugs, coat-shielding, and near constant concern more romantic than acrobatic tree sex.

(Really, I also just enjoy the novelty of a character like Frederick as a love interest -- what with the beard and the bookishness and Julia’s not so flattering initial descriptions. I’m also always down for a more subtle and sub-texty romance. I mean, all the plot points/hints are perfectly in place for Frederick to have always been carrying a torch for Julia supposing Julia were to eventually come around to her own feelings. She certainly finds herself in his arms often enough. (This is ignoring Bianka/Frederick; seriously, what was the point if you were going to reference it twice, have her later call him a coward, and then kill her off at the end? Gah, her death broke my heart!) But, whatevs, I am a shameless shipper, who just can’t help it, and I can appreciate their friendship regardless. He just always says the right thing, though, doesn’t he?

Overall a solid and immersive series middle. Some questions were answered; some more were raised. The ending will have you screaming for next book. I, for one, cannot wait. show less