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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I enjoyed this until right at the end which unfortunately felt so anticlimactic and flat for me and it lost all the books’s earlier potential
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Another disappointing read. Too much happens while not enough happens at the same time. I know that makes literally no sense but hear me out. The first like half of this book is Witches on a Hike. We don't spend enough time with any of the characters to really develop an emotional attachment. Our characters are just walking through the woods for chapter after chapter. There are brief mentions of other characters which are so fleeting and inconsequential it becomes incredibly hard to parse who is who, especially with all the fantastical names. On a similar note, the character growth felt forced and rushed. Most of the plot actually happens at the end of the book. I love me a slow burn, but how can I be invested when pretty much nothing of note happens for the majority of the beginning of this novel. It could've been a good time to make each character well established so their payoffs and arcs felt really resolute in the end, but most of the beginning chapters we're stuck inside Lorel's head where no one likes her and she thinks the trees are pretty and she wishes the witches would teach her magic. It's exhausting at a point. Mainly it seems like a pacing issue, where not enough emphasis is put on the important moments.
This culminates to create the ending where it feels rushed at a breakneck speed. A complete 180 from where we started at the novel. This novel neither built up it's plot slowly bit by bit until the satisfying climax, nor did it have engaging action at every turn to keep the reader turning the page. It starts slowly and then random shifts gears and speeds through the entire rest of the conflict. It's like the author had reached the word count and then realized they still hadn't gotten to where the first novel needed to be and just slammed the rest of it in the last five chapters.
I hate to be harsh, but I had such high hopes for this book. Based on the synopsis and cover I thought that this would be a perfect fit for me. All the ingredients were there, there was potential for this to be one of my faves, but it just didn't land.
This culminates to create the ending where it feels rushed at a breakneck speed. A complete 180 from where we started at the novel. This novel neither built up it's plot slowly bit by bit until the satisfying climax, nor did it have engaging action at every turn to keep the reader turning the page. It starts slowly and then random shifts gears and speeds through the entire rest of the conflict. It's like the author had reached the word count and then realized they still hadn't gotten to where the first novel needed to be and just slammed the rest of it in the last five chapters.
I hate to be harsh, but I had such high hopes for this book. Based on the synopsis and cover I thought that this would be a perfect fit for me. All the ingredients were there, there was potential for this to be one of my faves, but it just didn't land.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I truly wanted to enjoy this book. I picked it up for a fantasy book club at the local bookstore. When I saw that it was not only a witch novel, but the protagonist was a trans witch, I was excited to dive in!
Unfortunately, this book was underwhelming. I enjoyed the plot and the messages Killjoy conveyed through the plot and characters. The execution severely lacked. For a fantasy novel, there was little to no world building or descriptions of magic. Each sentence more or less was written in the same cadence, matter of factly. This book was so plot driven (in 1st POV), that at times it jumped without resolving a plot point thoroughly enough to move on. When this happened, I thought it would be resolved later. Sadly, it never was.
The latter third of the book started to have promise. With this being a trilogy, I’m hoping it improves in the second novel.
Unfortunately, this book was underwhelming. I enjoyed the plot and the messages Killjoy conveyed through the plot and characters. The execution severely lacked. For a fantasy novel, there was little to no world building or descriptions of magic. Each sentence more or less was written in the same cadence, matter of factly. This book was so plot driven (in 1st POV), that at times it jumped without resolving a plot point thoroughly enough to move on. When this happened, I thought it would be resolved later. Sadly, it never was.
The latter third of the book started to have promise. With this being a trilogy, I’m hoping it improves in the second novel.
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
While I had my issues with the world building, character choices that didn't make sense to me, and some uneven writing, I loved the monsters and the witchcraft. Killjoy really brought those elements to life.
Trans Rights Readathon 2025
Trans Rights Readathon 2025
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes