Bitter Night: A Horngate Witches Book by Diana Pharaoh Francis. Pocket Books, 2009. Paperback, 387 pages. ISBN: 978-1-4165-9814-5. Three stars.

This book is contemporary fantasy, with an urban fantasy flavor although much of the action happens in rural territory. More precisely, it belongs to the surge of novels about badass women who use weapons and magic to make their way through the world; I haven’t seen the subgenre given a name of its own, but it sure is distinctive. In this version of the world, there are powerful witches who protect their covens by creating magical warriors, the Shadowblades (drawing power from darkness) and the Sunspears (drawing power from light).

Max is a Shadowblade, bound to the Horngate coven run by a witch named Giselle. Despite the justified hostility between them, Max does her best to protect the people of Horngate. But now the world is changing – the old powers, the Guardians, are rousing to protest humanity’s mistreatment of the Earth. Their attention is frequently fatal. Horngate is being swept into a magical and spiritual conflict between terrible forces. Can Max still protect her people?

Bitter Night holds the most appeal for fans of urban fantasy. There is enough violence that fans of horror, thriller, or other edgy supernatural stuff may also want to take a look. Recommended.

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