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sarah_bookshelf's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
slow-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
4.25
Surprised myself with how much I enjoyed this! It's witchy and botanical and adorable - and my favourite part is the main character and her quest for True Love ; but especially her eventual realisation that romance isn't the most important thing. I also found her terrible judge of character to be very realistic and relatable! I have a sudden desire to learn more about hedgerows and UK plantlife in general. And I feel a warmth after reading about a teenage girl who feels like an outsider but has also learned to believe in herself.
gillothen's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
A charming novella, a prequel to Threadneedle in which we find out what Rowan did the summer before sixth form. (No exam results, though.) The result is an entertaining look at adolescence complicated by magic.
ennakym's review against another edition
I listened to this as an audiobook and it might have been a mismatch on the narrator for me. Will probably try again in ebook form.
xcrissy67x's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
After reading Threadneedle, I was captured by the world that Cari Thomas had built. And with the upcoming release of the sequel, I knew I just had to read this little novella before I receive the sequel.
This book follows Rowan a few years before the sequences in Threadneedle occured. During one of her summer holidays, she has been sent off to the Welsh countryside where she is staying with her batty Aunt Winifred. Though her social opportunities have been crushed, she may learn more than she expected whilst staying with aunt Winnie.
In my Threadneedle review, I mentioned how the book seemed to flick between YA and adult. However, this book is very YA. Rowan is a teenager and it very much shows. However, I wouldn't say this is necessarily a bad thing as it is the realit of many teenagers out there: worrying about social status, having friends, getting their first kiss etc. Even though it is a good representation, be aware that it also comes with the usual stupid teenager things that may annoy you. Oh and Rowan is VERY dramatic, there were a few things that had me cringing a little.
I did like the fact that you got to see different types of magic a bit more. It's not as secretive as Threadneedle and opens up all the possibilities that magic can provide you with. Though heavily focused on plant magic, you do see small aspects of other types of magic.
However, being a novella, the book is incredibly short (129 pages) and therefore, there isn't a massively complicated plot. A lot is focused on teenage issues and a lot of Rowan's inner narrative which I personally didn't find the most appealing. There is a little bit of mystery that was just about enough to keep my attention, but I wasn't too hooked or invested in it. This book was more of a coming of age story for Rowan.
I think this is a quick and easy read and is a good way to get to know Rowan a bit more which may be good to know for the sequel of Threadneedle. However, don't expect a strong plot and massive twists etc. Also be aware of the YA nature of the book as it is VERY YA. Maybe best to avoid if you're not a fan of the YA genre.
This book follows Rowan a few years before the sequences in Threadneedle occured. During one of her summer holidays, she has been sent off to the Welsh countryside where she is staying with her batty Aunt Winifred. Though her social opportunities have been crushed, she may learn more than she expected whilst staying with aunt Winnie.
In my Threadneedle review, I mentioned how the book seemed to flick between YA and adult. However, this book is very YA. Rowan is a teenager and it very much shows. However, I wouldn't say this is necessarily a bad thing as it is the realit of many teenagers out there: worrying about social status, having friends, getting their first kiss etc. Even though it is a good representation, be aware that it also comes with the usual stupid teenager things that may annoy you. Oh and Rowan is VERY dramatic, there were a few things that had me cringing a little.
I did like the fact that you got to see different types of magic a bit more. It's not as secretive as Threadneedle and opens up all the possibilities that magic can provide you with. Though heavily focused on plant magic, you do see small aspects of other types of magic.
However, being a novella, the book is incredibly short (129 pages) and therefore, there isn't a massively complicated plot. A lot is focused on teenage issues and a lot of Rowan's inner narrative which I personally didn't find the most appealing. There is a little bit of mystery that was just about enough to keep my attention, but I wasn't too hooked or invested in it. This book was more of a coming of age story for Rowan.
I think this is a quick and easy read and is a good way to get to know Rowan a bit more which may be good to know for the sequel of Threadneedle. However, don't expect a strong plot and massive twists etc. Also be aware of the YA nature of the book as it is VERY YA. Maybe best to avoid if you're not a fan of the YA genre.
aurora93's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
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? Yes
5.0
sarahseesthis's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
thegoblinempress's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
2.0
The Hedge Witch is a novella set in the world of Threadneedle, which I haven't read but there was nothing in this story I didn't understand for not having read it, following teenager Rowan who's sent from London to the Welsh countryside for the summer to learn hedgecraft from her mum's cousin, Winnie. She's not that excited about going, but she does care about the magic her family works with plants and she's open to learning more.
This is a difficult book to talk about because I'm left with not an awful lot to say about it. It's... fine? And therein lies the problem for me. I saw that cover, realised it was a fantasy story set in Wales, by a Welsh author, and couldn't resist trying it, but it wasn't the story I hoped it would be. In fact for a story called The Hedge Witch, the hedge witch herself isn't really in it as much as I expected her to be.
Winnie and Rowan and the friends she meets feel like first drafts of characters with much more potential. To be honest that's how I feel about The Hedge Witch as a whole--for a novella about Rowan learning hedgecraft, Rowan learning hedgecraft takes a backseat to her teenage angst and her hopes to return to school in London having had a summer romance with a boy. There's nothing wrong with Rowan herself and at times she's quite charming, but the whole story reads like quite young YA which is bizarre to me when both this and Threadneedle have been marketed as adult fantasy books. I find it hard to believe these books aren't meant for a much younger audience when I was cringing every time Winnie's boyfriend called her 'Winnie Pooh.'
There's nothing wrong with The Hedge Witch, it's simply one of those peculiar little books that just didn't work for me and really reminded me of the kinds of books that were published under 'Teen Fiction' in the early noughties before the Twilight boom made publishers take YA seriously. I'm glad this world has found its audience, but I don't think it's a world I'll be in any hurry to return to.
This is a difficult book to talk about because I'm left with not an awful lot to say about it. It's... fine? And therein lies the problem for me. I saw that cover, realised it was a fantasy story set in Wales, by a Welsh author, and couldn't resist trying it, but it wasn't the story I hoped it would be. In fact for a story called The Hedge Witch, the hedge witch herself isn't really in it as much as I expected her to be.
Winnie and Rowan and the friends she meets feel like first drafts of characters with much more potential. To be honest that's how I feel about The Hedge Witch as a whole--for a novella about Rowan learning hedgecraft, Rowan learning hedgecraft takes a backseat to her teenage angst and her hopes to return to school in London having had a summer romance with a boy. There's nothing wrong with Rowan herself and at times she's quite charming, but the whole story reads like quite young YA which is bizarre to me when both this and Threadneedle have been marketed as adult fantasy books. I find it hard to believe these books aren't meant for a much younger audience when I was cringing every time Winnie's boyfriend called her 'Winnie Pooh.'
There's nothing wrong with The Hedge Witch, it's simply one of those peculiar little books that just didn't work for me and really reminded me of the kinds of books that were published under 'Teen Fiction' in the early noughties before the Twilight boom made publishers take YA seriously. I'm glad this world has found its audience, but I don't think it's a world I'll be in any hurry to return to.
sharnacious's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
3.75