Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

The League of Gentlewomen Witches by India Holton

16 reviews

gimmiiie's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-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? No

4.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

aromarrie's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

the author quotes jane austen at the end in her vision for charlotte pettifer’s story and it was this: “I’m going to take a heroine whom no one but myself will much like.” which just absolutely baffled me because what do you mean “no one but myself” will like her?? i love her, i loved charlotte’s pov and seeing her embrace her magic in a way that made her fellow witches gasp in horror at such lack of decorum and yet—she was so free & buoyant with the energy that flowed through her that it made this story all the more thrilling.

even more so was seeing her make as many leaps as she did falling, sometimes letting her insecurities wrap around her in her worries that she’s too different; that no one could possibly stand to be near her without her trying to diminish herself.  seeing the way that alex made her literally feel like she could fly just from their first meeting alone, and then in all the soft & chaotic moments they share afterward, to see charlotte express herself with such fervor and bare nakedness as she & alex spark an intimacy with each other like no other, it was romantic as hell. it was everything to see how charlotte made alex feel like he could let his own barriers down due to his own traumatic history with a witch from his past; to have that history not be swept away amongst all the chaos that does reign in this story (it’s absolute madness) but rather actually get explored as he & charlotte grow closer to each other, charlotte’s own fears being shed in light—it added such unmistakable depth to both of these characters and made their relationship one to be written in the stars and stretches across water. 

for the author to be able to write such an achingly sweet romance and balance it so well with cheeky humor & explosive action between pirates & witches—it’s an adventure i should’ve expected from my positive reading experience with the first book and yet in this one, it just felt like it was on a whole other level. there were just as many new characters as there were old, and the ones i was already familiar with fueled the heart of this story even more, making me feel so swept up in all this drama that at its core, was exploring a love story between a pirate & witch, two people who should strictly be known as enemies and yet they can’t seem to let go of their grip onto each other’s hands at any moment.
 
i adore charlotte & alex so much, and i adore how much excitement this story gave me; it was really fun, and i’ll always remember this for that. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

vixenreader's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous funny lighthearted relaxing tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

It’s like Jane Austen wrote a swashbuckler/Halloween novel. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

amberinpieces's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

3.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

fromjuliereads's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous funny hopeful 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? Yes

5.0

I loved this book so much 😭 mostly for the characters, let's be real. A badass witch subverting what is expected of her as the "good and proper girl"? Oof I feel that. Annnddd an Irish rogue pirate with a heart!? I CAN'T. The adventures were fantastic, I loved having characters from Wisteria show up. And there were SO MANY quotes from Austen and Shakespeare that I adored! 
This is NOT an Austen retelling for anyone who thinks this BUT there are so many Austen lines reworked to fit this story and it is amazing and so much fun to keep an eye out for them! Plus Charlotte references Austen characters and books throughout which was so much fun! 

I'm excited to see if there will be another spinoff!


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

allisonwonderlandreads's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous funny lighthearted medium-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? No

4.0

The League of Gentlewomen Witches follows in the footsteps of its fun predecessor with absurd humor and satire, great one-liners, and an eye for delightful phrasing when calling up relatable hilarities. What most impressed me with this sequel was the way it upped the ante emotionally. The romance was just as cheerful while allowing personal growth, vulnerability, and swoony adoration to still make it onto the page. The enemies-to-lovers trajectory was a delight, shifting from attraction and battle of wills in the first half to something heartwarming in the end without me noticing the transition in progress. I simply went along with it, completely convinced and entranced.

The series relies on a topsy-turvy bit of world-building that transposes a society of pirates (complete with flying houses) and now a league of witches onto historical romance. The witches rely on more subtle methods of magic, carefully aimed passive aggression, and battles of philanthropy to achieve their aims. Natural enemies of the pirates, it's no wonder that sparks fly and battle lines are drawn at the first meeting between pirate Alex O'Riley and witch Charlotte Pettifer. As they race to steal a powerful amulet that once belonged to the founder of both their groups, a reluctant alliance (or potential mutual kidnapping) may lead to something more.

Besides the humor and romance, I enjoyed the message in Charlotte's story. While the entire world is subversive in piratical fashion, Charlotte's rebellion went a step further and brought me a lot of joy. Diminished by years of training as heir apparent, Charlotte is a model witch. Her unscheduled, airborne adventures with a pirate unlock her personal agency and show her the unfettered freedom of loud feelings and life lived expansively. By the end of the book, she is practically unrecognizable after her transformative journey. Hers is a story of finding your own path, even outside the shadow of beloved heroines like Elizabeth Bennet, who it could be argued didn't have enough fun or adventure despite her great romance, anyway.

I had such a good time with this book, and it's truly one of a kind. Thanks to Berkley for my copy to read and review!

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
More...