Reviews tagging 'War'

The House Witch by Delemhach

15 reviews

chrisljm's review

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Miscarriage, Alcoholism, Sexual harassment, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Vomit, Xenophobia, Stalking, Infertility, Hate crime, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Child abuse, Classism, Medical content, and Homophobia

Minor: War, Religious bigotry, Murder, Racial slurs, and Sexual content

lackyducks's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, War, Bullying, Violence, Alcohol, Hate crime, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, Miscarriage, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Vomit

Minor: Slavery and Body shaming

One of the main characters is pregnant and has suffered miscarriages before, which is one of the key plots through the book. There is an arc where one of the characters is attacked by the world equivalent of a religious group for being gay. Another character suffered persecution due to magic in the past. One of the characters briefly discusses being a victim of slavery. Alcohol is present in many scenes and characters get drunk.

Fin was abused as a child by his father, as was his mother. There is a scene including this. He was also discriminated against by his teacher for the strength of his magic. Another character is violently threatened by her brother frequently throughout the book.

strange_little_ranger'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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Pregnancy, Sexism, Alcohol, Blood, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and War

secondhandbookshelves's review

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted fast-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 a wild ride & so much fun. 
Every character was perfection and so many of them are sassy! Everyone goes through some change or growth throughout the story.
The puns are fantastic. 
I devoured the book in one sitting & immediately bought the second one. 
Very brief mentions of big topics, but this book is focused on a small group of people & their relationships & growth over a short period of time.
10/10, would read again & laugh the whole time. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Miscarriage, Religious bigotry, War, and Domestic abuse

purplepenning's review

adventurous funny lighthearted slow-paced

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

2.0

Hmm.…nope. This was a great idea with excellent potential and some genuinely interesting and endearing characters. The plotting and pacing need quite a bit of work, however. The end is not nearly as satisfying or resolved as it should be for a book this length and the description of book two isn't particularly promising in that regards. There's also an uncomfortable thread of humor running through it that uses homophobia, sexual assault and harassment, and binge drinking. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Alcohol, Classism, and Hate crime

Moderate: Medical content, Outing, Sexual harassment, Xenophobia, Blood, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Vomit, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Violence, Bullying, Biphobia, Colonisation, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Domestic abuse, War, Miscarriage, and Racism