Title: Wielder’s Bond (Lady Witch Series #2)
Author: Melissa Mitchell
Genre: Fantasy romance
Publisher: N/A- Independent
Publication Date: August 23, 2022
Format: EBook/Kindle Unlimited
Length: 258 pages

Read if you like: witches, bonded pairs, very spicy romantasy, magical quests and creatures, broody MMCs, overcoming trauma

Rating: 

I read the first book in this series, Wielder’s Prize, as an ARC from Net Galley and enjoyed it, so when I felt like I needed something short and spicy to break up the larger books I’ve been reading lately, Wielder’s Bond seemed like the perfect choice.

This is a truly bingeable series in multiple ways. It’s got an interesting kind of magic on the go with a society that has women as the only capable magic wielders, and the demons that the witches and their wielders fight for the greater good of their realm lead to some great action scenes. This particular installment was incredibly spicy, but because Mitchell is so concise and moves along the plot at a decent clip, I found I didn’t mind that at times, it was far more spice than plot on the go. Between the quick cadence, the short nature of the book, and a decent amount of action, it’s enough to hook you in and keep you reading right through until you’ve finished the whole book.

If you’re someone who likes fantasy romance primarily for the romance aspects, this might be a series that resonates with you. For me, the short nature of the books and unique forms of magic make it the perfect series to break up my reading with.

The Book: Wielder’s Bond by Melissa Mitchell

Wielder’s Bond jumps straight back to where the previous book left off, with Aramina and Rixon navigating the new, more intimate relationship that they’ve formed, while also attempting to cross the realm to get to their posting on the outermost reaches of their society. Their relationship is new and somewhat tentative as they both continue to get to know each other while falling, but the openness is somewhat one-sided, with Aramina trusting in what they have more than Rixon. 

For the most part, this mistrust isn’t at all obvious until Aramina accidentally uses the bond between her and Rixon to control him. She doesn’t realize what she’s doing, but Rixon, who has been traumatized through the use of the bond with his previously bonded witch, immediately goes into panic mode and can’t cope with Aramina’s slip. As he freaks out at her, she promptly releases the bond and apologizes, but the damage is done and Rixon has to physically separate himself from her to keep from losing it. This reaction creates a rift between the two that becomes difficult to bridge as Rixon doesn’t know how to overcome his mistrust of all witches, Mina included.

As they continue battling demons and attempting to make their way to their assigned post, Mina accepts that Rixon may not be able to trust her and comes to find peace in the acceptance, but Rixon continues to struggle. He knows that to progress, to move forward with Mina, he needs to find a way to address his fears and concerns, but is unsure how to do so. As they both continue to work towards their mission, Rixon will have to do a great deal of inner work if there’s any hope that he can carve out the future that he envisions for him and Mina. 

The Review

Let me start by saying I’m loving the format of these books. I loved the rotating perspectives between both characters and time, and I love the way that Mitchell slowly unfolds the plot through these perspectives in a very linear fashion. It feels like everything is building towards a significant peak, and I felt like she delivered on that anticipation in both character growth and plot twists.

I also love that these books are concise. They’re, at times, overwhelmingly spicy, so the fact that they’re under 300 pages makes them perfect for me. We get a decent amount of action, plot, character development, and spice, all in a quick novella that I can consume in a day.

I thoroughly enjoyed getting to see more of Rixon’s perspective in this book as well. He was broody and quiet in the last book, so while I came to like him, it felt like he had a lot of untapped potential. I think a lot of that was realized in this book and it added depth to the overall story.

In my opinion, this is a great romantasy series for those who like the romance as much (or more) than the fantasy elements of this genre. I loved that I got to see action and magic, while also getting to watch a spicy relationship grow and unfold. The length makes it perfectly bingeable, and I found it to be a great book to take a breather with between the other heavy, dense fantasy that I’ve been reading. I’ll be finishing this series and can’t wait to read the third instalment on Kindle Unlimited.