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The Witch's Lens: A Novel (The Order of the Seven Stars Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Luanne G. Smith (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 5,994 ratings
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As World War I rages, there are evils—both living and dead—that only a witch can see in a spellbinding novel by the Amazon Charts and Washington Post bestselling author of The Raven Spell.

With her husband off fighting at World War I’s eastern front, Petra Kurková embraces her fleeting freedom, roaming the city at night with her camera. A born witch, she’s discovered that she can capture the souls of the dead on film. Her supernatural skills don’t go unnoticed by the enigmatic Josef Svoboda. He’s recruiting a team of sorcerers to infiltrate the front lines, where the bloodshed of combat has resurrected foul creatures. Petra’s unique abilities will be needed against the most dangerous enemies of all—those ever present, undead, and unseen.

Deep in the cursed Carpathian Mountains, the ragtag team meets with an emissary of an ancient organization founded to maintain balance between worlds. Photographing the escalating horrors is beyond anything Petra imagined. So are the secrets among her fellow witches. But Petra can’t turn back. Not before she discovers her husband’s fate and the myriad ways her magic is manifesting. To defeat an occult foe, Petra must release the power she’s been concealing for so long, or risk damning a war-torn world to ashes.

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  1. Book 1 of 2
    The Order of the Seven Stars
  2. Print length
    255 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publisher
    47North
  6. Publication date
    October 1, 2023
  7. File size
    4273 KB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
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  11. See all details
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From the Publisher

Through her lens, the dead are alive.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A delicious foray into a new series that melds history with the supernatural…Smith’s fans, as well as new readers, will delight in the heady mixture of historical fiction, fantasy, and horror.” —Library Journal

“Smith’s thorough descriptions make this first novel in the Order of the Seven Stars series an immersive experience for readers.” —Booklist

“Smith puts the historical horrors of the ‘war to end all wars’ through a prism that both amplifies and elucidates the degree of evil that war unleashes on the world, all while telling a spellbinding, captivating story. As antidote to this dark theme, Smith portrays the redeeming idea of loyalty and sacrifice that transcends evil.” —Historical Novels Review

From the Publisher

The Carpathian Mountains, home to Dracula and a host of other chilling figures, are probably haunted on a normal day. Amidst the bloodshed of World War I’s eastern front, though, you’d probably expect your chances of encounters with the undead to spike. And if you’re the witch at the center of Washington Post bestselling author Luanne G. Smith’s newest historical fantasy, you’d be right.

Petra has a unique magical ability: she can capture images of the dead with her camera. With her husband away at war, she roams the streets of Prague at night, seeking out ghosts. But something unexpected finds her instead—a mysterious man who is hoping that Petra’s skills can be useful in figuring out why supernatural creatures are attacking the front lines and who is controlling them.

One of the things I enjoy most about Smith’s work is the unique spin on distinctive folklores she always achieves, but as with her previous bestselling novels, what also continues to capture me is her compelling female protagonists. And this book is no different. Petra is a woman coming into her own, and if things are going to bump in the night, you’re going to want her on your team.

—Adrienne Procaccini, Editor

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BT5XBY5C
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ 47North (October 1, 2023)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 1, 2023
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 4273 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 255 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 5,994 ratings

About the author

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Luanne G. Smith

Luanne G. Smith

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Luanne G. Smith is the bestselling author of The Vine Witch trilogy, The Raven Spell books, and The Witch's Lens, the first book in The Order of the Seven Stars series. She's lucky enough to live in Colorado at the base of the beautiful Rocky Mountains, where she enjoys reading, gardening, hiking, a glass of wine at the end of the day, and finding the magic in everyday life.

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
5,994 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

rann
5.0 out of 5 stars Combination of History and Paranormal
Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2023
Verified Purchase
Petra Kurková has an unusual ability. Through her camera’s lens, she can capture images of souls on film, identifying presences that would not otherwise be seen. That was all I needed to know about The Witch’s Lens to convince me to read this book.

Petra was born a witch and her unique talent attracts the attention of a man recruiting for the battle at the front. Josef Svoboda forms a team of sorcerers to be combatants in a secret society that is fighting a paranormal war that rages alongside the mundane conflict.

Petra’s husband left for the war long ago and she does not even know if he is alive or dead. So, with nothing to keep her at home, Petra joins the team. At first the team doesn’t really know what they can do. But the dangers of the human war combined with the supernatural attacks inspire the team to action. As the story unfolds, the reader learns more about the talents of the team and of Petra, who is more than a mere photographer. I appreciated that there was no information dump of the team and the secret society. The readers will learn what is important – when it is important.

Petra and Josef are drawn to each other, and while there may be a hint of romance, the focus is pretty much on Petra. Several paranormal players will be added to the story, adding complexity, intrigue, and danger for Petra and her team. This convergence of paranormal players leads to many heroic actions for the team and also provides fodder for future plots in this new series.

The more I got into the story, the more imperative it became for me to finish the book. The story never dulls, and even though it takes place during war, it is not without some happier moments and hope. One of the nice things about this book is the price – $4.99. If you think the combination of history and the paranormal sounds intriguing, I recommend The Witch’s Lens.
5 people found this helpful
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eleanorreadseverything
4.0 out of 5 stars Another excellent novel from Luanne G. Smith!
Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2023
Verified Purchase
Luanne G. Smith has done it again, and created another excellent and spellbinding series. 

Set during World War 1, the Eastern front, and the events that ultimately lead to the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, a band of misfit witches are trying to rid the war front in the Carpathian Mountains of evil hexes and curses, all of which are obliterating the troops. 

Petra Kurková, a witch with a talent for capturing ghosts on film, is recruited by the enigmatic, intense Josef Svoboda to join the group fighting magical evil on the front. As danger looms, and destruction is imminent, will Petra choose to fight, or will she continue to hide her power? 

I really liked that the novel jumped right into action with characters moving forward, and allowing the world-building and character development to unfold organically with the story. I also really liked that there are still lots of secrets, and characters to explore for the rest of the series. 

Petra is a great character, and I'm sure more will be revealed about her in subsequent books. She is strong, but also not overtly so. Her life experience and reluctance to use her power make her very human. And yet she doesn't flinch when duty calls. 

Josef is also a fascinating character, and I'm curious to see what will eventually happen with him as well. He makes for a very charismatic leader, and I also appreciated the whole band of misfits portrayal, and how they work together. 

The villain was particularly villainous. It's hard to say more without spoiling things, but with all the characters, including the heroes, there is plenty of interesting grey morality, and complexity to make things interesting. 

I'm really excited for the rest of the series. And I also love the cover so much!
17 people found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars Not What I Expected
Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2023
Verified Purchase
Having read and enjoyed The Vine Witch, this book was an easy pick, though I suppose I should have read the blurb closer.

Petra, the main character, is well-written and relatable, in so much as a WWI heroine with a secret magical past can be. The view of the war from the Russian pov was novel, and the folklore elements were quite interesting. Overall, it was a good book.

It was the nature of the creatures they were fighting against that was not my cup of tea and slogged down the read for me. And that's okay, not every story is for every reader. While that particular foe appears to be dealt with (maybe?), it doesn't make me eager to read the next book in the series.
One person found this helpful
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Andrea R.
5.0 out of 5 stars Impressed!
Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2024
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To be honest, I have wanted to read this book since publication, but was unable to read it until now. I'm so happy I did! This book kept my interest and fascination that I read this book in 4 hours, which was done in an entire sitting! Don't let this book pass you by!

I would classify this book as historical fantasy and would be great for anyone who loves fantasy, historical fiction, and to some extent, people who are World War I buffs.

Again, absolutely read this book!
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Beth S.
4.0 out of 5 stars Good Read
Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2024
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Good Read.
There was creative ways magic was being used, along with how its users were perceived in the world. The undead weren’t the typical kind which was refreshing. The book also had an overall eastern European style to it make it feel unique and different from other stories. This was the first book I have read in a while that left me wanting more.

Review
The book does a great job of creating a world where its known people are able to use magic. Also, certain magic abilities have a lore among the average person and magic users. The book explores what life would be like for a magic user during a world war.
All of the characters work well in the book allowing for conflict, love, and laughter to be easier brought out during their interaction with each other. The fact that people who can through fireballs can still get scared or struggle with spells during stressful time made it easy to worry for them during challenging times. However, the are many characters but yet they were all easily remember because they were all unique enough to stand out.
The story is well paced and provided plenty of high and low moments. There are a few twists that keeps the reader on their toes while adding just a hint of romance that makes the reader wonder. The plot had many layers that did a good job building off each other.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Leslie Bethmann
4.0 out of 5 stars A good read
Reviewed in Canada on April 1, 2024
Verified Purchase
A little slow to start but once I got into it I really enjoyed this story. The writing drew a picture in my mind. Well done!
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jean knight
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent mystery witchy story
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 10, 2024
Verified Purchase
War is a awful thing but when you being magic into play it just turn into another adventure.
Five witches get involved in a war have tired to avoid, the fates come into play.
There is plenty of mayhem and twists and turns and plots a plenty
Great read.
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Evelyn
5.0 out of 5 stars A good read
Reviewed in Australia on September 28, 2023
Verified Purchase
Kept me enthralled and wanting more, I was sad to finish but am waiting somewhat impatiently for the next in the series…
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Shelagh Howell
4.0 out of 5 stars loved the rich story and characters
Reviewed in Canada on January 2, 2024
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Wish it kept going❤️ I thoroughly enjoyed the story and characters. I look forward to reading the next book. So exciting.
One person found this helpful
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Sharon
4.0 out of 5 stars Good read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 12, 2023
Verified Purchase
A different sort of book that I usually read. Enjoyed it.
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