Rise of the Witch

The Yaga's Riders, Book 1

By: C. Rochelle

Narrated by: Maxine Mitchell, John Lane

As with most beginnings, it started with death.

When I had nothing left to lose, I traveled to the hut in the woods, where no one dared approach. The witch who lived there recognized the darkness in my soul and took me under her wing to witness her reign of terror firsthand, and eventually, to inherit her legacy as my own.

Now, I’m the monster they fear, the one humans avoid at all costs. In this welcome isolation, I've attempted to forget my past and the future that was taken from me.

Until three men appear, somehow able to break through my protective wards and see me in my true form. While resistant to their intrusion, I recognize they may be the ones I’ve been waiting for—the ones I need to ascend to my full power. Too bad I would rather grind their bones than invite them in.

But something is mysteriously devouring the forest, and I suspect the threat may be the same one I barely escaped many moons ago. If it is, he will find me a more worthy opponent than the last time we met. I am the Yaga and I may be broken, but my edges are sharp.

The Yaga’s Riders series is based on the folklore of Baba Yaga, with creative liberties taken. It features mysterious forces, a legendary witch, multiple POV (including MM) and a cliff-hanger. It is intended for mature listeners.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2021 C. Rochelle (P)2021 Podium Audio

Just wow!!

I was a bit skeptical about grabbing this book but omg i am so happy I did! I absolutely loved this book and running to grab book 2!!!!

Well read & well written!

This was a fantastic introduction to the series and it’s characters (although that cliffhanger was brutal lol). I cannot wait to continue listening!

C. Rochelle’s signature brand of emotional and spicy goodness really shines in this story, leaning a little darker than her other works but still full of the good stuff her fans all love.

The narrators did a really good job bringing the characters to life and I love both narrator’s range with the accents. I don’t have any trouble deciphering which character is which.

Amazing performance

The narrators did a TERRIFIC job bringing these characters to life...and I wasn't a big fan of Maxine Mitchell's previous work but she redeemed herself with this book. John Lane was fantastic, great range!
I love the story, sense of humor, the romance and the spicines! Can't wait for the next book and audiobook! 🤌🤌🤌

interesting take on Baba Yaga

I'm not up on all the mythology behind Baba Yaga, but in this modern retelling, we have an ancient witch, modern mercenaries, shifters, and Amazon! Baba is both strong and vicious when crossed, yet mourning a fairy tale of a royal wedding and children. The witch and her riders are protectors and have plenty of villains around to keep things interesting. Yes Nox is an absolute a$$ hole, but he comes around. the narrators are great with accents but clear English.there is a cliffhanger so be warned you need the next book.

The cliffhanger!!!

This book is shockingly funny. Like, I genuinely was not expecting it to be as funny as it was. It was a very pleasant surprise. And the overall content is dark...and capital "S" Spicy. But the characters and their chemistry do lighten the mood in perfect moments.

Vasi is the Yaga. She lives her life in the woods, protecting the forest, and mess with humans who wander too far into her space. Asa, Nox, and Tan are a unit from The Facility. They're on a mission, and they get lost in Vasi's woods. They come upon her bathing in a hot spring. The chemistry is palpable from then on. They all think Vasi is very hot, and she thinks the same of them. She may want to rip Nox's face off, but she still thinks he's hot.

All while these 4 are getting to know one another, we are learning about a horrible sickness that's taking over the forest. Death and accelerated decay are running rampant through Vasi's home. This sickness seems to originate from The Facility. And Vasi is determined to figure it out.

There is a lot going on in this book. I really enjoyed the magic system, and world-building that went into it. And did I mention the spice? Because it is Good! I love a why choose / reverse harem, and this is a perfect specimen of a reverse harem. What I didn't love? The dang cliffhanger!!! This is a trilogy all surrounding this one harem. And the end of this book was a HUGE cliffhanger, so beware! But I do recommend. I immediately started book 2 when I was thrown from this cliff.

Excellent Why Choose Mythic Mystery

It's funny, it's sexy, and the characters are compelling. It feels well researched and the gods and magic are so fun. All the men feel like different characters, and I enjoyed all of them. PoV alternates chapter to chapter. I loved the side characters too.

I wasn't expecting it to be funny, but the baba yaga discovering leggings was hilarious.

The FMC was abused as a child, but instead of falling into the classic tropes, she doesn't forgive her abusers and is never punished for her anger. She is unapologetically herself, a monstrous witch, and is celebrated for her wild nature (even down to the men loving her unshaved and making a meal of her after being in the forest all day). She's a self assured, powerful witch, and is allowed to be that all the way through. That, along with the importance of strong female friendship, makes it is one of the most feminist RH romances I've read.

The smut is FANTASTIC. She's a switch, and as someone who doesn't enjoy reading much femme dom, I LOVED the sexy blood thirsty witch. It's hard to make me blush, this series did it.

What a story

Beautifully written! Perfectly delivered! I’ll be reading and listening to anything from this author. The story was so original, nothing compares. I’ve heard Maxine Mitchell many times before but this was the first I’ve heard with accents and OMG she’s AMAZING. And John Lane…… Astounding. This will be my go-to for this genre. LOVE IT!!

Yes

Five stars allllll dayyyyy.... When are the rest coming on audible ,😭 I neeeeeeeeeeeeed it

I’m gonna give it another listen

I feel like this book has so much going on that you need to listen a second time to catch everything. In my opinion that’s not a bad thing, it can get confusing but it just shows how much detail is involved.

great story line, fantastic narration .

this was a fresh story line with fantastic narration. totally engaging from the introduction, this is my new favorite series of urban fantasy books!