Weather Witch: A Novel

By Shannon Delany

The first in an exciting new young adult series from 13 to Life writer Shannon Delany, Weather Witch is about a young woman enslaved for being a weather witch, and who must fight for her freedom to be with the boy she loves.

Some fled the Old World to avoid war, and some fled to leave behind magick. Yet even the fiercely regulated New World--with its ranks and emphasis on decorum--cannot staunch the power that wells up in certain people, influencing the weather and calling down storms. Hunted, the Weather Witches are forced to power the rest of the population's ships, as well as their every necessity, and luxury, in a time when steam power is repressed.

Jordan Astraea hails from a flawless background with no taint of magick, but on her seventeenth birthday she is accused of summoning an unscheduled storm. Taken from her family, Jordan is destined to be enslaved on an airship. But breaking Jordan may prove to be the very thing her carefully constructed society cannot weather.


And losing Jordan forever may force her beau, Rowen, to be the hero he would have never otherwise dared become.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Publishers
• Release date: Jun 25, 2013
• ISBN: 9781250018540

Shannon Delany

Auteure américaine et ancienne enseignante, Shannon Delany est passionnée par l’histoire et les légendes. Elle a déjà fait des recherches sur des phénomènes paranormaux.

Reviews for Weather Witch

[kyr-31 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Disclosure: I received a free copy from the Miss Literati site.There was nothing that was terribly original, but I liked the set up. Although this seemed aimed at teen/college age, I still quite enjoyed it. It sucked me in (so much so I missed my subway stop one day). I liked that the author was willing to kill off characters and disillusion others (two of the main protagonists are rather naive and privelleged, so they kind of deserve it).My biggest problem was that this was not a stand-alone novel, it merely felt like the opening to a longer book. This is a personal pet peeve of mine. Don't release it on its own, or clearly mark it as "book 1 of a trilogy". Even Harry Potter novels managed to resolve each book before starting the next one. The "ending" was rushed, unsatisfying, and not really an ending but was clearly a set up for the next novel. I felt cheated at the end.That said, I was entertained enough that I will be looking forward to the next one. Since I received an ARC, I'm presuming the homonym error of using "shown" instead of "shone" for lighting has been fixed. Also, hopefully the editor has inserted some much neeeded commas to clairfy some of the longer run-on sentences.Also, I'd like to say that I liked the cover. Gothy enough to fit the theme, no stereotypical steam-punky corset clad girl w/ googles" or pink fairy crap

[mirandalg14 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Thank you netgalley.com for the chance to read this.

I just couldn't do this one. The first chapter seemed to come out of nowhere and lacked the world-building that I need to really get into a book. By the second chapter I was really struggling with the writing and had a hard time with who was doing what. I gave it just over 50 pages, but I couldn't force myself to keep going. It just didn't work for me at all.

[maryinhb · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

MY THOUGHTSABSOLUTELY LOVED ITJordan is almost seventeen and at her birthday, her biggest worry is how she will look at her party. Her best friend, Catrina has been helping her prepare and as they gossip about the boys who will be there, Jordan only has eyes for her childhood sweetheart, Rowen. Even though Rowen is a few steps under her social status, he would still make an acceptable marriage for her. In this alternative world of Philadelphia, the only thing in life that matter is where you are on the social ladder. The higher up the hill, the safer you are from the Merrow creatures in the water that cause havoc and death to any unfortunate to come close. This world is powered by witches who can harness the weather and energy around them. To be a witch is to be of the lowest class. So when the Council shows up at Jordan's birthday party, they are certain to find a witch among the attendees. When it turns out Jordan is the one they seek, her whole world falls apart.Jordan is immediately carted off to Holgate, a place where people are pretty much tortured to transform them into witches that control the weather and conduct their magical power into electricity. When she meets the Maker, Bran, she declares over and over that she is not a witch. Finding inner strength that she didn't know she had, she makes friends with her prisoner roommates while she waits for Rowen to save her. As time goes on, she realizes that she is the only who can save her. Bran has his own dark, secret past that I can wait to get more detail about his background. The story switches back from these characters points of view and really adds to the story.The story is full of intrigue, evil versus good, and the wonderful possibility of romance all built around magical elements with a bit of steampunk delicately woven in. I finished this rather quickly and there was no way I could put it down until I was finished. It left me breathless and wanting more. I haven't read anything this compelling in a long time! Now, the long wait for the next installment. If you enjoy Cassandra Clare, Jana Oliver, JK Rowling, you are going to adore this new series. Parents: This is pretty safe for even the youngest of teens and I bet even mature middle grade students would enjoy it.

[jeneaw-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This is the first book in the Weather Witch series. Magic is forbidden, and those who posses the power are enslaved to provide electricity, and other things that magic can produce. Jordan coming from a prominent family is taken when she test positive for being a witch. Jordan had her moments where she was strong, she tries to help her follower prisoner and seems to be a sweet girl. Rowen is the boy that Jordan has feelings for, and he might not feel the same way exact way but he does do as much as he can to help her prove that she isn’t a witch.

It is told from multiple POV’s and with the different POV’s comes several different sub-plots and most of the time I was a little on the confused side, however they do all come together later on. Even at the end, I am still not sure what exactly what the weather witches do. And even more so, why were they shunned and magic forbidden. Hopefully in the next book there will be the answers that we didn’t get this time around. There were few secondary characters that will be great to learn about, I would like to have been able to connect with the Jordan, Rowen more, but there wasn’t enough about them to be able to get to know them. This had a unique and interesting plot, unfortunately, it took till almost the end of the book for me to grasp it all. The ending was abrupt, leaving me with so many questions. With such a promising premise I really want to enjoy this, and it isn’t a bad book, it just wasn’t really for me. But it has some steampunk, and magic yielding and Jordan was a pretty good character, so I say give it a try.

[caj828 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I felt mostly lost while reading this book. I couldn't quite grasp the story and I really wanted too. I even reread part of the book hoping I would get it. It wasn't until I was over halfway that I finally started and I mean started to understand what was going on. And I never did get the whole grasp of what was really going on. When I finished the book I didn’t realize it was the end of the book I was still trying to turn the page on my nook before I noticed that there were no more pages. Very abrupt ending, well for me it could be because I didn’t understand anything. I don't know how I will not read the next book. Even though I will probably not remember who was who and how everything works. Ms. Delany did a very poor job of creating a world and the people in it to give you a clear picture of who’s, what’s, where’s and why’s that were happening. I am just lost. Lost is a very good word on how I felt after reading this.

[darkfaerietales_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales.Quick & Dirty: This story had a lot of potential with an intriguing idea, but unfortunately the writing style left me very confused and lost for most of the book.Opening Sentence: A banner snapped out on the pole high above the restrained seventeen- year- old boy, straightening to its full lengthThe Review: This book is set in Philadelphia in the year 1844. The weather is controlled by the mysterious Weather Witches. A Weather Witch has the power to control the weather in any way and is considered very dangerous. Having magic in your blood is an abomination, and if you are caught you are sent to the Maker. The Maker is a man who knows how to get witches to show their true powers by torching them and breaking their will. Being a witch would mean the ruin of not only you but all the members in your household, so for the nobility there is nothing worse than harboring a witch.Jordan Astraea is a beautiful young noble girl about to turn 17. She is going to have a very fashionable party and be introduced to society. She is part of a very well off family that has a good rank. Jordan will be surrounded by all her close friends and she hopes to figure out some of her feelings toward her long time friend and beau Rowen. But Jordan’s night doesn’t go at all like she planned. The Warden shows up and she is accused of being a witch a test is performed and she fails. Jordan is taken away to Holgate to meet the Marker. Jordan knows that she is innocent, but she doesn’t know if she will survive the making process that will prove she is no witch.Jordan was my favorite character in the book. She is sweet, beautiful and full of attitude. Even though she is put through many trials, Jordan doesn’t give up. She holds onto the feelings she has for a boy that holds a special place in her heart. Being put through so much makes her realize how much she truly cared for him.Rowen can’t believe that Jordan could be a witch. He has known her his whole life and considers her one of his best friends. Of course he’s not in love with her, but he is fiercely loyal to her and will go to great lengths to prove her innocence. He’s also a great looking guy, funny, charming, and a great character.This book had so much potential, but honestly it fell really short for me. The story was told from so many different points of view that I found myself having to backtrack all the time to figure out whose head I was in. For most of the book I had no idea what was going on. It was defiantly the writing style that was really confusing, which was too bad because I felt the story had good potential. I enjoyed some of the characters, but others I felt were totally unnecessary. The book had a very abrupt ending so I’m guessing there has to be another book coming out, but honestly, I don’t know how interested I am in reading it. Overall, I really wanted to like this book, but I just couldn’t with all of the flaws in it.Notable Scene:“Test. Her.”Catrina and Rowen both stepped forward.“Be brave, Jordan,” Catrina said. “Yes. If you are so certain— test her. Before us all. Prove you are correct or leave this house.”Rowen’s head lowered, but he caught Jordan’s eyes.It was the surest way to prove her innocence.The Warden released her but when the Tester drew his blade, Jordan pulled back, “No” tumbling from her lips as well.Catrina stomped forward and looked Jordan in the eyes.So many eyes were on her, so many intense stares seeking her out she had no idea who to turn to. So she chose the one closest. Catrina. Her best friend. The same one who had introduced her to Rowen. The girl who was so much like her sister . . . Jordan swallowed again and nodded.“I will hold your hand,” Catrina offered. “It will only be a little cut— nothing that will mar your perfect skin for long,” she assured. “Surely it will not leave her scarred, will it?”The Tester said, “One can never tell.”Jordan trembled. All she had were her looks . . . And her rank.The sky rumbled overhead and everyone jumped.“But what harm is a small scar when it proves you’re innocent?” Catrina said, so close to Jordan’s face their noses nearly touched.“Yes,” Jordan agreed. “Yes. Hold my hand,” she asked so gently the crowd stepped forward to hear. “Test me so my mother’s good name might be restored.”Catrina clutched her hand and the Tester changed his position ever so slightly, the knife glimmering. Jordan closed her eyes and bit down on her lower lip, her fingers going white around Catrina’s as the blade nipped her right forearm.Sparks flew up from Jordan, Catrina fell back, her face contorted in horror, and above them all the heavens opened and dumped rain until there was no noise save the rush of water.Catrina trembled, clutching at Rowen, and Jordan fell to her knees, sobbing the one word on everyone’s lips—No.FTC Advisory: St. Martin’s Griffin/Macmillan provided me with a copy of Weather Witch. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.