A fresh take on old mythology - Hexen's Cross ARC Review

*I received an Advance Reader's Copy from the author in exchange for review consideration. This does in no way affect my opinion, and all thoughts expressed in this review are unbiased and my own.*

Title: Hexen's Cross

Author: J. Kowallis

My rating: 5 hearts

Genre: New Adult, Fantasy, Romance

Pub. date: May 1st 2018

Synopsis: The magic calls her. 

A prophecy binds her. 
The ancestors guide her. 

Dr. Taran Grim, a young professor of occult studies, knows the written history of witches better than anyone in her field. And she should. She’s one of them. 

After a mysterious stranger arrives at her office inquiring about the mythical staff of Woden, Taran’s curiosity reveals a millennia-old prophesy directly tied to her. The answers wait in Bryden, England and the only person who can help her gain access to the hidden valley is the descendant of Ruhmactir, and a member of the shape-shifting Geri clan: Collens “Coll” Donovan. 

But the Donovans have secrets of their own, and Taran’s underdeveloped magic is wreaking strange havoc on her life. If she can’t manage her magic and strike a truce with Coll, they’ll fail to prevent the prophesied event known as Deireanhexe: the end of the hexen race. (synopsis from Goodreads)

This book was seriously incredible. I loved it so much! When I read it had Germanic folklore in it, I was sold. Since I grew up with those stories, they have a special place in my heart, and I absolutely loved seeing Kowallis’s take on them. It was unique, and surprising, and utterly impressive. I am 100% obsessed.

I loved the characters. Taran is really cool and fun to read about. She’s a professor of Occult Studies, so she knows everything worth knowing about Germanic folklore. She’s a hexen, and descendant of Woden, also known as Odin, a god from Norse mythology. But, while Taran knows most of everything about her heritage, she hasn’t kept up with practising her magic. She’s totally awesome, and I loved reading about her.

And, okay, I loved Coll, too. He’s not all that nice at first, but he has an accent, and I can’t resist a guy with an accent, so I loved him. He’s also a hexen. But what I liked the most about Coll was that he was so layered. At first sight, he’s horrible. But he can also be really nice, and sweet, and he’s so protective of his sisters, and honestly, he’s just awesome. I may have done did a little a whole lot of swooning over him. Honestly, all the characters in this book were really layered, and I loved finding out new things about them as I got further into the book.

There were so many things I loved about this book, but the mythology was the best of all. Kowallis’s take on the stories was entirely original and you could tell that she’s really done her research. Everything was so well thought-out, and every part of it made complete sense. The plot was amazing, and it was impossible to put down.

I have to say something about the ending. It… shocked me, to put it lightly. Honestly, it’s taken me two weeks since I finished the book, until now, that I’m able to write a somewhat coherent review. The ending caught me by surprise, and by the end of it all, I was yelling and crying and just freaking out. Waiting for the next book will be torture. Absolute torture.

There aren’t enough words in the dictionary to tell you how much I loved this book, so I guess you’ll just have to read it *wink wink*. With layered characters, interesting mythology, and a good plot, Hexen’s Cross is a unique take on the old tales that will leave you gripping the pages until the very last sentence… This is a new must-read!