We Call Them Witches - India-Rose Bower // Book Review

   

We Call Them Witches
India-Rose Bower || Publication Date - 07.04.2026

When they came, almost everyone died. Now they torment those that survived...

Horror | LGBTQIA+

Two years ago, eldritch abominations came from what seemed like nowhere and plunged the modern world into an apocalypse. Now they're looming, salivating and hunting for any surviving people that managed to escape their grasp. Sara and her family can hear their screams in the night, not knowing whether her Ma's pagan inspired wards really are working to keep these 'Witches' at bay. And most importantly, keeping their family safe.

During a routine ward check they find a young girl, about the same age as Sara, soaked and unconscious on the outskirts of their protected borders. Her name is Parsley, she doesn't remember how she got there, and no one in her family trusts her but Sara. That is until one of Sara's younger siblings is taken by one of the 'Witches'. She and Parsley immediately grab their things and attempt to battle the wilds in hopes of retrieving him alive.

The Review (may contain spoilers)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me early access to this eARC for an honest review!

What can I say about a novel that opens with some horror bleeding through the walls and attacking the family innocently cooking their lunch. Immediately captivated my attention and sucked me into the story. It was graphic, gross and descriptive to the point where I kept thinking those things would morph above my own fridge. India-Rose's descriptive prose kept strong through the entire book and it brings me to my next point.

The thing that really hooked me about this book was the atmosphere and writing of the areas the characters found themselves in. I could feel the damp and cold weather of the moors, and when mist was brought in to make everything even creepier I could feel the chill settling in. Whenever a new location is entered, India-Rose never wastes any time reminding the reader how desolate and abandoned the world is. It's a very similar feeling to 'Wild Dark Shore' or 'The Wolf Tree'.

It was a depressing and almost hopeless reading experience. Glimmers of positivity were written within the story, however it was always short lived. Always reminding the characters and the readers that this world was never going to be the same again.

We go a couple of rounds, bouncing ideas back and forth that include sentient trees, cephalopods, and alternate dimensions. By the time we're considering the likelihood of and ancient Orcadian tomb being opened to release vengeful spirits, we're very nearly smiling properly again.

In regards to the characters, I enjoyed their ways of coping with the post apocalyptic setting they were now navigating. One of my favourite things they did together was proposing theories to how the 'Witches' came into being. It must be hard to rationalise something like this happening and the characters inventing stories and theories was really fun to read and explore.

Overall Thoughts

From the very first chapters I found the novel quite interesting. The ending however threw me for a loop! I don't consider myself a particularly smart cookie when it comes to pre-emptively solving the endings of mysteries and thrillers. I tend to shut my brain off and let the story take me where it wants me to go. So when the ending hit, I had no clue that was where this was going. In hindsight I do believe it is quite predictable, and if you're someone who doesn't like predictable endings then this may not be a book for you. However, I had a really good time throughout and I feel it's worth a read regardless of predictability.

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