Reviews tagging 'Racism'

The Witch Haven by Sasha Peyton Smith

14 reviews

lindseyhall44's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I’m very conflicted about where I stand on this book. The beginning was great, and the twists and turns at the end of the book were extremely compelling. That being said, the middle portion dragged on a bit, and Frances made many decisions that I didn’t necessarily agree on! 
However, for fans of witch novels, boarding school settings, and novels about sisterhood, I would still  recommend reading:)

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Grief, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Mental illness, Racism, Sexual violence, Violence, Murder, and Death

anoveldestination's review

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Stalking and Sexual assault

Minor: Confinement, Racism, Classism, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Colonisation, and Addiction

shannnne_reads_words's review

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Grief

Moderate: Death, Stalking, Misogyny, Classism, Sexism, Violence, Abandonment, and Gun violence

Minor: Forced institutionalization, Racism, Colonisation, and Sexual assault

tessduets's review

adventurous challenging dark mysterious relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I’m giving this book such a high rating simply because of the vibes, lol. While it isn’t one of the best books I’ve ever read, I just enjoyed it so much and it was really fun. Scratches the Harry Potter itch just a little with a side of dark academia. However was surprised by the almost SA, for a YA book. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Blood, Violence, Racism, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Death of parent, and Colonisation

Minor: Sexual assault

calamitywindpetal's review

adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Blood, Murder, Death, Misogyny, and Grief

Moderate: Gun violence, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Confinement, Racism, Gore, Vomit, and Sexual violence

Minor: Stalking, Alcohol, and Sexual content

toofondofbooks_'s review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad 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? N/A

3.5

3.5 rounded up to 4

It's the early 1900s, and Frances Hallowell is a seventeen year old seamstress reeling from the loss of her older brother who was murdered. One night, when her boss attacks her in the empty shop, something Frances can't explain happens and her boss ends up dead. Before the police can cart her away on a murder charge, she is taken by two nurses to HaxaHaven "sanitarium," but it's not a sanitarium at all, but a school for witches. Magic ensues.

There is a lot to like about this book! I thought the writing was simplistic, but beautiful. The vibes of the writing reminded me a bit of one of my favorite authors, Sarah Waters. I wrote down a ton of quotes from this in my reading journal. The side characters, particularly Frances' friends at the school, were probably the highlight for me. I appreciated that Haxahaven is a place that includes people from all backgrounds and identities (more on that later). This book was easy to get lost in and by the end of it, I was excited to read the sequel (releasing in October 2022).

I have some qualms though, and I wish I didn't. This was going to be a 5 star, and then a 4 star, and then a 3.5. Hear me out. While this book has characters from diverse backgrounds and identities, I don't believe that you can claim that this book is incredibly diverse. If the non-white , non-straight characters took center stage at any point, you could. However, that never happens. Two of the non-white or non-straight characters get significant page time, but only in relation to the white main character. At the end of the book, we get a bonus chapter about a lesbian character in the book, and while that's great, it would've been nice to see her actually get to be queer outside of passing mentions of it and then just that one chapter.

Another thing that cost this book a star was the twist. I hated it. I felt as betrayed as anyone else in the book did. I normally wouldn't take off a star for a plot point, but I feel VERY strongly about it, and that's why I'm doing it.

Despite my qualms, I really did like this book and I am interested in the sequel.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Racism, Murder, Death, Classism, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Vomit, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Grief, Sexual assault, and Violence

bandysbooks's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This is a book about a young woman who discovers she’s a witch. She finds herself frustrated by the housekeeping and cooking spells She’s being taught and goes in search of more powerful magic and the truth about her brother’s killer. Eventually, she gets tied up with a bad crowd. It’s an okay story, but there are a fair few plot holes and the “twist” can be seen coming from two miles away. Enjoyable enough if you don’t think too hard while reading. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Sexism, and Violence

Minor: Racism

louisegraveyard's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious tense 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? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, Murder, Misogyny, Gun violence, and Death

Moderate: Racism and Gore

leahlovesloslibros's review

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Frances Halloway lives as a seamstress in 1911 New York City, where she spends most of her time mourning the recent death of her brother, William. When her boss attempts to attack her and her sewing shears end up in his neck, she is quickly named as the prime suspect - only she has no idea how it happened. Two women in caps quickly arrive and take her to Haxahaven Sanitarium, which Frances is surprised to learn is actually a disguised school for witches. Frances yearns to learn more about her magic than what they are teaching at Haxahaven, so when Finn - an attractive young man with magic - shows up and offers to teach her all he knows, she is eager to learn. She must decide whether the risk of secretly meeting with Finn is worth putting her new friends in danger, and what other secrets may lie deep beneath the surface.

There were so many great elements to this book: witches, boarding school, murder mystery, women's rights/feminist movement - loved them! 

What I liked: 
- Diverse characters, though please be aware of some content warnings surrounding certain characters, especially a prominent Native American side character
- LGBTQIAP+ representation
- lots of feminist ideals throughout the book
- the twists and turns throughout the book (although some were predictable)
- imperfect characters

What I didn't like: 
- some of the characters felt underdeveloped, especially some of the side characters at Haxahaven
- Frances was kind of whiny and impulsive at times, which I think was partially due to her age and struggles with grief (seeing as this is a YA book, I can't really hold it against her, as it seems that many of her reactions were age-appropriate for a girl in her situation)
- some of the plot twists were predictable

I'm definitely looking forward to reading the sequel.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Child death, and Murder

Moderate: Sexual assault, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Alcohol, and Misogyny

Minor: Racism and Homophobia

Additional TW/CW: Native American boarding schools

justkimmithings's review

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

5.0

I adore books about witches and Sasha’s debut was no exception! Highly recommend this book if you love stories about sisterhood, magic, and witches. I can’t wait for the next book to spend more time with these characters!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Mental illness, Racism, and Sexual assault