The Bane Witch by Ava Morgyn
A haunting, venom-laced tale of rebirth and revenge
When night falls and a single poisonous breath is enough to shatter bones — that is the kind of darkness Ava Morgyn conjures in The Bane Witch. This isn’t a cozy spellbook of sisterhood; it’s a gothic reckoning, where vengeance seeps through the soil and power tastes like bitter medicine.
Piers Corbin enters the shadows carrying wounds deep in her marrow. Trapped in an abusive marriage and desperate for escape, she fakes her own death to start over. But the past is a venom that doesn’t die easily. As Piers unravels the mystery of her bloodline, she learns she is a Bane Witch — born to consume toxins and deliver justice to those who harm others. Her gift is both a curse and a calling, and the story that follows drips with dread, redemption, and dangerous grace.
Morgyn’s world is vivid and unsettling. The dark woods hum with secrets, the air itself feels thick with spells and sorrow. Every page carries a pulse of unease — that sense that something ancient and angry is just beneath the surface, waiting. The writing is lush, lyrical, and heavy with emotion. Yet, beneath the magic lies a raw, human ache: survival, trauma, rage, and the blurry edge between retribution and redemption.
Still, the story isn’t without its rough edges. The pacing occasionally wavers, and some plotlines feel like ghosts that never fully materialize. But in a strange way, that fits — this is a book about what lingers unfinished, the curses we can’t quite cleanse, and the justice that doesn’t come clean.
The Bane Witch isn’t an easy read. It’s dark, confronting, and soaked in shadow. But if you like your witchcraft fierce and your heroines forged from pain and poison, this book will leave a mark. It’s a reminder that sometimes the most dangerous kind of magic is the kind that comes from healing — and from finally striking back.
Rating: ★★★★☆
Vibe: Modern Gothic vibe, vengeful, intoxicating
Perfect for: Fans of Practical Magic who wished it was written by the Devil herself
Description
Practical Magic meets Gone Girl in Ava Morgyn's instant USA Today bestseller, a dark, spellbinding novel about a woman who is more than a witch—she's a hunter.
Piers Corbin has always had an affinity for poisonous things—plants and men. From the pokeweed berries she consumed at age five that led to the accidental death of a stranger, to the husband whose dark proclivities have become… concerning, poison has been at the heart of her story.
But when she fakes her own death in an attempt to escape her volatile marriage and goes to stay with her estranged great aunt in the mountains, she realizes her predilection is more than a hunger—it’s a birthright. Piers comes from a long line of poison eaters—Bane Witches—women who ingest deadly plants and use their magic to rid the world of evil men.
Piers sets out to earn her place in her family’s gritty but distinguished legacy, all while working at her Aunt Myrtle’s cafe and perpetuating a flirtation with the local, well-meaning sheriff to allay his suspicions on the body count she’s been leaving in her wake. But soon she catches the attention of someone else, a serial killer operating in the area. And that only means one thing—it’s time to feed.
In Ava Morgyn’s dark, thrilling novel, The Bane Witch, a very little poison can do a world of good.