Reviewed by Pikasho Deka for Readers' Favorite

Witch of the Black Circle is the first book in The Dawn of the Blood Witch Saga by Maria DeVivo. It's the early 1980s, and Joephie Turner and her mother have just moved to her grandmother's home in Northport, Long Island, New York. Having heard that she was cursed by a witch from her mother since childhood, Joephie meets a group of similar-aged teenagers at a Christian youth group that leads her down a path of sex, drugs, and cult rituals. After an unforeseen psychotic break leads to the death of one of their friends, Joephie leaves town and spends five years at a psychiatric facility. However, ten years later, her mother's death takes her back to Northport, only this time, Joephie is determined to complete her unfinished business and become who she was always meant to be.

Maria DeVivo draws upon the perfect blend of cosmic horror and psychological thriller elements to deliver a potent and intoxicating brew that hits all the right notes of your senses. Witch of the Black Circle is a gripping pageturner of a novel full of mystery, suspense, horror, and mind-numbing thrills that keep you constantly on the edge of your seat until the end. DeVivo is a master at creating tension and intrigue with a plot that is as unpredictable as it is captivating. You feel a palpable sense of doom while going through the narrative, and at times, it seems as if it seeps through the pages and captures your mind. Joephie isn't always the most reliable narrator, and since the story is told from her perspective, you always feel as if a bigger mystery is there to unfold. Overall, I was hooked from start to finish and can't recommend this book highly enough.