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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
This is hands down the best book I've read so far this year 💜 I love it so so much! The writing style is exquisite and I loved the wordplay and references and foreshadowing woven throughout. I curled up on a rainy Sunday with a cup of tea and didn't stop reading until it was finished 🥰 It left me feeling empowered to become a better version of myself, in an unhinged, joyful, powerful, inherently femme way.
adventurous
medium-paced
Had a lot of potential but the execution felt half - baked. My key issues:
1. The world-building was lackluster. We never really get to see more of the VenCo mission, purportedly a witchy organisation putting women in positions of power and influence. Fascinating idea right? Tell me more about how it works and what these women do as part of a global shadowy witchy/feminist network!
This does not happen. Never showcased or explained except as a hint of an idea that serves as the vehicle for the micro story we are about to read.
speaking of micro: in the story itself we also never hear more about the why of it all: why the rush to complete this particular coven? What will happen if they don't? Is there precedent even? Where does this fit into VenCo's presumed larger plan?
As another reviewer comments, for a book about witches it has very little magic or explanation on the mechanics of it, which for me is essential to suspending disbelief. In fact it felt less like fantasy and more like an educational tale, where women and LGBTQ+ folks are good, and men are bad. As a lifelong committed feminist and ally I would never had said that this itself bothers me, but as a fantasy reader it turns out it did in this case as I felt the world I was asked to believe in was shallow and not well thought.
2. The villain: a single guy? Super powerful or not, it seems all he does is use his supernatural powers to be super masculine and also brainwash people into having sex with him. Which is obviously hideous but we want more! What else can he do? How come he's the last of his kind? What are the overall stakes for him?
3. The writing: Aside from a strong start I found the prose not really well-written, but to be honest I would have been able to ignore that if the plot and world had gripped me more.
1. The world-building was lackluster. We never really get to see more of the VenCo mission, purportedly a witchy organisation putting women in positions of power and influence. Fascinating idea right? Tell me more about how it works and what these women do as part of a global shadowy witchy/feminist network!
This does not happen. Never showcased or explained except as a hint of an idea that serves as the vehicle for the micro story we are about to read.
speaking of micro: in the story itself we also never hear more about the why of it all: why the rush to complete this particular coven? What will happen if they don't? Is there precedent even? Where does this fit into VenCo's presumed larger plan?
As another reviewer comments, for a book about witches it has very little magic or explanation on the mechanics of it, which for me is essential to suspending disbelief. In fact it felt less like fantasy and more like an educational tale, where women and LGBTQ+ folks are good, and men are bad. As a lifelong committed feminist and ally I would never had said that this itself bothers me, but as a fantasy reader it turns out it did in this case as I felt the world I was asked to believe in was shallow and not well thought.
2. The villain: a single guy? Super powerful or not, it seems all he does is use his supernatural powers to be super masculine and also brainwash people into having sex with him. Which is obviously hideous but we want more! What else can he do? How come he's the last of his kind? What are the overall stakes for him?
3. The writing: Aside from a strong start I found the prose not really well-written, but to be honest I would have been able to ignore that if the plot and world had gripped me more.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It took about half of the book to ramp up, but I did enjoy the latter half. Almost didn't make it through because of the sheen of mid 2010s feminism that came through rather strong, "we are the children of the witches you didn't burn" was a big theme for the first half in particular that felt rather cringe. Once we got through the character introductions it had a fun plot, it just took a bit too long to get there after introducing so many characters (most of whom I forgot about or never really became relevant).
The villain was almost too comedically evil as a representation of the patriarchy... A sex crazed rapist bigot who was spurned once isn't a super interesting idea when there's a lot more interesting or nuanced takes about what makes the patriarchy evil.
Also weirdly Christian? No idea what that was about tbh.
If you turn your brain off it's a fun romp roadtrip book with a girl and her grandma and a cast of ~20 other people who make up their found witch family/corporation.
The villain was almost too comedically evil as a representation of the patriarchy... A sex crazed rapist bigot who was spurned once isn't a super interesting idea when there's a lot more interesting or nuanced takes about what makes the patriarchy evil.
Also weirdly Christian? No idea what that was about tbh.
If you turn your brain off it's a fun romp roadtrip book with a girl and her grandma and a cast of ~20 other people who make up their found witch family/corporation.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No