Reviews with content warning for Bullying - The House Witch

Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

The House Witch by Delemhach

12 reviews

jems_'s review against another edition

4.75

Okay, how do I describe this? I‘m honestly still a bit giddy after finishing this. It was funny, cozy and entertaining to read. Despite it being over 600 pages long, it still contained enough material to entertain me thoroughly.

The characters were all unique and lovely and I came to love most of them a lot. The themes of home and food were heartwarming and mouthwatering respectively and I was just very happy to read this.

I love cozy witchy stories and this was just that, albeit having some points of tension and some more difficult topics in it.

Frankly, I knew I would like this book from the moment Kraken and Eric were introduced. I suppose I have a sweet spot for cats and sweet little children.

There were points in this book where it might’ve felt a tiiiny bit too immature and the kind of miscommunication in it positively infuriated me towards the later parts of the book but none of that can justify me lowering my rating much more right now. I liked this far too much.

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litwitchcore's review

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad tense 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

5.0

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jadejade's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted relaxing 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

3.5

It took me a while to warm up to this one. At some point I saw my grumpy self in the grumpy protagonist and realised I was enjoying this cosy fantasy. I'm open to continuing this series to see these characters become better versions of themselves together, but I'm mindful of my never ending tbr ...

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torturedreadersdept's review against another edition

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funny hopeful 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

5.0

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chrisljm's review

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funny lighthearted mysterious relaxing medium-paced

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

3.0

Really enjoyed the book when I first started reading, and the coziness it evoked, but it started feeling dragged out after half way. I think it could’ve been improved with less side stories and more investment in showing the romance develop.

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lackyducks's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted 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

5.0

This book was engaging from start to end. On the first page, when Fin is introduced, he makes a big impression. His characterisation makes him a delight to read as he stands off against other characters. He's the lovable asshole written right, and this is only cemented as the book continues and you learn more about him and see him soften. As a neurodivergent person, I saw a lot of my own traits in him.

The rest of the characters similarly are quick to become favourites. The kitchen aides are funny and it's heartwarming to watch them grow and learn throughout the story. There's a lot of side relationships that switch and change throughout the story. Even the antagonists are written well, intimidating in the scenes they appear but still multidimensional.

Despite the light-hearted and humourous nature of the book, there's also darkness to balance it out. The story follows a country on the verge of war, with all the court drama and political espionage that comes with it. We also delve into Fin's backstory, discovering his origins and how they are coming back to haunt him.

The main romance took a while to grow on me, and the 'will they won't they' dominates the latter half of the book. But I found the conclusion to this enjoyable and look forward to seeing how the relationship develops in the sequels. Both of the characters keep the core aspects of their personality whilst learning to make room for the other.

The worldbuilding for the magic is basic and understandable, built on the elements. There are ruling covens that play a minor role in the plot. A level of depth, though, comes from the mutations away from the four elements and the realisation Fin may be a lot more powerful than first appears.

Also, the cat has his own point of view and political drama. This is with an entirely separate cast of characters (cats) whilst still tying into the main plot. It's incredible.

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