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quillye's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Super disappointed in the non-binary representation presented in this book. I started this book excited to hear about Morty’s gender only to find that despite Morty’s notable he/they pronouns the author couldn’t be bothered to use they/them once. We get a character the author put very little thought into, who doesn’t even develop the way other characters in the series do. So much of the writing surrounding Morty falls into the overdone category of “haha look how masculine this man is” tropes it’s depressing. I truly would have rather read a book where they didn’t try to shoehorn in an identity the author clearly lacks the understanding/capacity to write. If this is your best shot at writing a nonbinary character, just don’t write them. As a he/they nonbinary person, I honestly couldn’t even enjoy the romance. If I found out that my partner only considered/perceived me in binary terms I would feel genuinely hurt in a way I’m not sure that relationship could ever recover from. Morty deserved a better partner who thought to acknowledge their identity in any meaningful way, and Morty deserved an author who could actually write their identity well. 😤😤😤
Content Warnings
Moderate: Transphobia
allisonbraun's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Transphobia
Minor: Emotional abuse and Alcohol
aktreich's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.25
I would’ve given this a higher rating, but the obnoxious disregard and tokenism of the non-binary character. I enjoyed the book if I just pretended the character was intended to be male, because that’s the way they were treated and referred to throughout the book after the initial intro. I got angry every time I remembered they were supposed to be non-binary.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia
bookwyrm25's review against another edition
1.0
All this book does is say it’s ok to misgender someone if it’s more convenient for their family and partner to do so.
DO NOT say someone is nonbinary then proceed to have the main character call them/refer to them as he/him the rest of the entire book. There supposed to be the love interest and the main character has so little respect for her partner that she just misgenders them the ENTIRE book with no correction at all. This is a very harmful representation of “diversity” as it’s about as diverse as a cis white woman who is power hungry and gets away with murder (which… is basically the plot of this book).
DO NOT say someone is nonbinary then proceed to have the main character call them/refer to them as he/him the rest of the entire book. There supposed to be the love interest and the main character has so little respect for her partner that she just misgenders them the ENTIRE book with no correction at all. This is a very harmful representation of “diversity” as it’s about as diverse as a cis white woman who is power hungry and gets away with murder (which… is basically the plot of this book).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia and Homophobia
flovvergirl's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I liked the magic that was described and appreciated that the author clearly had world building around Thistle Grove. More than anything this book made me want to read her first book because it made me interested in the the tournament. I also like how the characters communicated with one another. I hate when conflicts rely solely on miscommunication and that wasn’t the case here at all.
Overall, this book was a fast, enjoyable read, but I wouldn’t personally recommend it for the romance, and be aware of possibly triggering misgendering.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Emotional abuse
There is some bioessentialism and misgendering of Morty, the nonbinary character. There is also description of an abusive partnership that has ended, and description and slight portrayal of parental emotional abuse.haileyhardcover's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Ugh. For books about witches, these books are getting less and less magical for me. The premise of this one was boring, so that’s bad enough… but it gets worse.
I learned before going into Back in a Spell that the non-binary representation was not great. (Please check out @foreverinastory’s review of this book on IG! Xe shared their perspective as a genderqueer individual and I really appreciated xem sharing their insights and feelings!) Being cis myself, I can’t speak to how authentically Morty’s identity was represented, but I will say that from my perspective, Morty’s non-binary identity felt more like a last-minute grasp for more diversity.
Morty’s pronouns are identified early on as he/they, but “they” isn’t used a single time after that, by any character. They were described in very masculine ways consistently, with occasional references to being “pretty” or “feline” or wearing makeup, which seemed like they were only added to remind us that Morty was non-binary, without actually having to do the work of exploring or embracing that identity.
“I could feel the ripple of his amusement, THAT DISTINCTLY MALE undercurrent of pride, as if he were somehow responsible for his own size.” This quote (emphasis my own) from a spicy scene cemented for me the feeling that the author made Morty’s character non-binary purely for some diversity points, and not with any actual care or empathy for the character she was creating or those with whom they share an identity.
I’m more and more disappointed with this series as I keep reading. I know there is a 5th book in the works, but as of right now, I’m not inclined to read it. I purchased all 4 of the already published books, and the 4th, In Charm’s Way, is short (and sapphic again!) so I will read it… but I think that is where my glimpse into the lives of the witches of Thistle Grove ends.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Transphobia, Classism, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Child abuse and Toxic relationship
tmkutawrites's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
As a nonbinary person: the nonbinary rep in this book is a joke. Others have said it better than me. The vibes felt rancid in the beginning and I am sad to say the vibes were right. The disability rep also feels tacked on for brownie points and like Morty's nonbinary identity could have been edited out from the final draft and I would have been none the wiser.
Otherwise... the writing as words go is good. The plot was lackluster and the romance felt half baked at best. The book starts off basically as "sex pollen but make it goddess". I love an enemies to lovers deal but this was not it. They basically become infatuated woth each other through sex? At the end do Morty and Nina even really like anything about each other beyond trauma bonding and magical orgasms? Dopamine is a hell of a drug but it ain't that good. I can't help but think of how more powerful the end of the book would have been if they had gone forward and removed the witch marriage spell and decided to give a relationship a go without being magically goddess-induced love spell infatuated with each other. I don't really think you can give consent to a lifetime of magical bondage while still being under a spell that makes you magically infatuated with the person you are to be bonded with--and therefore more inclined to say yes, we are happy to stay bonded thank you, because magic influence and dopamine are, again, one hell of a drug. Just a thought.
Beyond all of that, this is likely going to be a deep connection book for those with familial emotional abuse. The ending is going to feel good for folks with that kind of familial trauma and I love that for them, tbh! Also those who have dealt with partner betrayal/relationship trauma will also likely feel seen--I know I certainly did.
Otherwise... the writing as words go is good. The plot was lackluster and the romance felt half baked at best. The book starts off basically as "sex pollen but make it goddess". I love an enemies to lovers deal but this was not it. They basically become infatuated woth each other through sex? At the end do Morty and Nina even really like anything about each other beyond trauma bonding and magical orgasms? Dopamine is a hell of a drug but it ain't that good. I can't help but think of how more powerful the end of the book would have been
Beyond all of that, this is likely going to be a deep connection book for those with familial emotional abuse. The ending is going to feel good for folks with that kind of familial trauma and I love that for them, tbh! Also those who have dealt with partner betrayal/relationship trauma will also likely feel seen--I know I certainly did.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia
Moderate: Emotional abuse
thaliareads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-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
4.5
This book was an absolute delight! I really appreciated the growth Nina went through as she discovered who she could be outside of her family's expectations. I think that Morty was indeed exactly what she needed to help her grow and discover herself more fully and to find her own confidence and footing. While I do agree with some of the reviews saying that they probably wouldn't have been together if not for the unusual circumstances, I personally enjoy this sort of "fated mates" situation and I think they still grew the relationship further in a healthy way, they just sort of were given a reason to jump past their previous reservations and get to know each other better.
I do think the plot secondary to the romance was a little smaller than the previous books in the series, but again, I felt like the flow was so nice that I didn't mind and I powered through this book so fast.
What was a problem was the nonbinary representation. Other than Morty being labeled as nonbinary and a brief discussion on pronouns it seemed that they were described as a cis male with he/him pronouns for the rest of the book. The other characters treated Morty as a guy, and other than the not traditionally masculine style of dressing that Morty used, you wouldn't know or could easily forget they were nonbinary.
I do think the plot secondary to the romance was a little smaller than the previous books in the series, but again, I felt like the flow was so nice that I didn't mind and I powered through this book so fast.
What was a problem was the nonbinary representation. Other than Morty being labeled as nonbinary and a brief discussion on pronouns it seemed that they were described as a cis male with he/him pronouns for the rest of the book. The other characters treated Morty as a guy, and other than the not traditionally masculine style of dressing that Morty used, you wouldn't know or could easily forget they were nonbinary.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Emotional abuse, and Child abuse
Moderate: Cursing and Transphobia
Minor: Terminal illness
Nina grew up in a very emotionally abusive household, and a good part of the book deals with her breaking free of how she was shaped by these experiences. There is a scene heavy in cursing, but not a lot in the rest of the book. The sexual content was fairly thoroughly detailed. Morty's dad struggles with a degenerative disease - not necearily immediatly terminal, just begining to more severly affect how he can live. In this case, the transphobia is tricky because some characters obviously only refer to Morty as a cis male, and while this could have been a learning opportunity, they were never corrected and Morty's identity really fell on the back burner and got ignored. None of the characters who knew Morty well and heard this misgendering never corrected the speaker or felt outraged for that reason on their behalf.lindick's review against another edition
DNF at 40%.
[TW for this review for some discussion of transphobia/a potentially upsetting depiction of a non-binary person.]
I was really excited for this book after loving Payback’s a Witch, especially seeing that it had a non-binary love interest. I was really disappointed, though, with the way the book talks about the LI. Just a few examples: Nina’s friend says Morty is “maybe not entirely a man” (??) when viewing their dating app profile, which clearly describes them as non-binary; Nina and others only ever use he/him pronouns for Morty, despite him saying he uses *both* he and they without a preference between the two; Nina doesn’t correct her brother when he calls Morty “that guy” or “a dude,” etc. There’s just an overwhelming sense that Lana sees them as essentially a man, just a bit edgier. I really hoped that this all was setting the MC up to learn more about gender & non-binary identity, even though I don’t always love a character being forced to do that education in a relationship, but from the first 40% and other ppl’s reviews, I don’t think that’s going to be the case. I can see that some effort was put in here, and there were some moments I liked, like their initial conversation about gender and identity, but having read some reviews, I think I’m going to dip out before I get to the sex scenes, which sound like they just compound these issues.
Some positives: I still like Lana’s writing a lot, the audiobook narration was enjoyable, the setting is very fun, the law stuff is well-done (you can tell Lana is an actual lawyer lol), I love a good magical bond, and the magic stuff in general keeps things interesting and fun.
Thanks to LibroFM for the ALC!
[TW for this review for some discussion of transphobia/a potentially upsetting depiction of a non-binary person.]
I was really excited for this book after loving Payback’s a Witch, especially seeing that it had a non-binary love interest. I was really disappointed, though, with the way the book talks about the LI. Just a few examples: Nina’s friend says Morty is “maybe not entirely a man” (??) when viewing their dating app profile, which clearly describes them as non-binary; Nina and others only ever use he/him pronouns for Morty, despite him saying he uses *both* he and they without a preference between the two; Nina doesn’t correct her brother when he calls Morty “that guy” or “a dude,” etc. There’s just an overwhelming sense that Lana sees them as essentially a man, just a bit edgier. I really hoped that this all was setting the MC up to learn more about gender & non-binary identity, even though I don’t always love a character being forced to do that education in a relationship, but from the first 40% and other ppl’s reviews, I don’t think that’s going to be the case. I can see that some effort was put in here, and there were some moments I liked, like their initial conversation about gender and identity, but having read some reviews, I think I’m going to dip out before I get to the sex scenes, which sound like they just compound these issues.
Some positives: I still like Lana’s writing a lot, the audiobook narration was enjoyable, the setting is very fun, the law stuff is well-done (you can tell Lana is an actual lawyer lol), I love a good magical bond, and the magic stuff in general keeps things interesting and fun.
Thanks to LibroFM for the ALC!
Content Warnings
Minor: Transphobia
andloveistoolong's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing, Alcohol, Child abuse, and Classism
Minor: Toxic relationship and Transphobia