Witch Queen Rising is the first novel in the Bood and Magic Duology, a Southern Gothic fantasy proposal written by Savannah Stephens, published by Gollancz. A dark and intense story about a reclusive witch dragged back to her New Orleans home to become the leader of witches, having to deal the difficult equilibrium among the supernatural groups across the city while also having to confront and face all those aspects that once hurt her and made her abandon her previous life.

Phine Barreau is dragged back to New Orleans as the Heart chooses her as the Prime, the leader of the witches by their source of power; the return to a city she fled from ten years ago after much suffering. This not only brings political unrest among the witchkin, but also a new situation where she must navigate relationships with other supernatural groups and deal with the family she once fled from; a challenging journey where she must not only find her place and make the rest understand her new role.

Phine is a fabulous female main character to make all the story pivot around; while she's powerful with her powers as a Syphon, she's not naturally liked by her community, which dubbed her as the Tick Witch. Did she want to become the Prime? Not really, but also accepted her responsibility towards her people, putting herself at risk to protect them. The more we learn about what she experienced when younger, the better we understand how she acts. It's a deep and complex character, one that we can cheer for, strong but also with visible wounds that needs to heal.
And even if Phine is a character that naturally steals the spotlight, Stephens has managed to make the rest of the cast equally interesting to follow: from the difficult relationship that Phine and her sister Jo have (and which grows much across the novel), her long time story with Remy, how the vampires crave for more power personified by Julian. I feel each reader will have their own favourite among those, and we only have scratched the surface.

The worldbuilding is also quite enjoyable: we still have many of the classic elements from paranormal fantasy, but Stephens transmits those aspects that make New Orleans unique, putting much attention to the small details that make the novel scream authenticity. Check the content warnings before starting, as the author is not afraid of touching some dark  themes, delicately portraying them through her words. Her writing is lush, a descriptive prose that makes the reader picture everything in detail (and trust me, remember to bring some snacks while reading this book).
The pacing is quite agile, making this a book that invites you to devour it, but also maintaining a good equilibrium between more tense scenes and moments that allow you to catch a breath.

Witch Queen Rising is an excellent debut novel, a Southern Gothic fantasy novel perfect if you are looking for a dark but poignant story that at its core talks about finding your place in the community and healing the wounds from your past without renouncing to yourself, all through a memorable female main character such as Phine is. Can't wait to read the next Savannah Stephens' book!