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rorikae's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Lucky St. James is struggling to take care of her grandmother, Stella, who has been dealing with memory problems. One day, she finds a spoon stuck in a wall in their laundry room and suddenly, she is pulled into a world of magic where a group of witches have been searching for the people to complete their coven. Lucky is number 6 and the witches only have a few days to find the final spoon and the final witch. Heading off on a road trip, Lucky will have to take care of her grandmother while also battling an ancient evil for the final spoon.
Dimaline continues to create incredible characters that are the backbone of her stories. Lucky and Stella (plus all of the witches) read like real people with all of their strengths and faults. In much the same way, the big bad of this story, who is truly terrifying, also feels eerily real. This story is quite specific, rooted as is in a timed hunt for a specific object and person. This specificity allows for the characters to blossom. This story celebrates family and the connections present in community. I would have loved to learn more about the larger organization of VenCo. This story is much more focused on a small group within the larger organization.
This story does feel like there is a much larger world that could be explored and I would love to see Dimaline return to this world and these characters. At times, it did feel like it was leading toward the start of a series but the story does wrap up neatly (with possibilities for more if the author chooses).
Graphic: Dementia, Violence, Misogyny, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual assault, Death of parent, Death, Transphobia, and Sexual content
Minor: Deadnaming
zombiezami's review
5.0
Graphic: Stalking, Misogyny, Dementia, Violence, Murder, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Car accident, and Sexism
Moderate: Alcohol, Body horror, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Vomit, Torture, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Gaslighting
Minor: Transphobia and Homophobia
jackie_marion's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Moderate: Death of parent, Alcoholism, and Dementia
Minor: Abandonment, Addiction, Violence, Sexual content, and Murder
cozyscones's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Sexual content, Violence, Death, Dementia, Murder, and Misogyny
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Torture, Transphobia, Sexual assault, Deadnaming, and Addiction
paperbackportals's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
First, I’d like to highlight that April is halfway to Halloween month making it the perfect time to embrace some witchy reads.
VenCo was an exciting adventure with Lucky St. James and the other fantastic witches. It gave me The Witches of Moonshyne Manor vibes and kept me intrigued until the end.
One thing I will say is that the villain, Jay Christos, is abominable, and I found myself skimming over his horrible exploitation. As always, be sure to check the content warnings before diving in.
So, if you’re looking for an intriguing witchy read with feminist and anti-colonial themes, as well as a kick-butt team of women, this is it. It’s also set in April, so what are you waiting for?
Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Sexual content, and Violence
Minor: Colonisation
internationalreads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Alcohol, Cursing, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Grief, Vomit, Misogyny, Sexism, Death, Blood, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Deadnaming, and Murder
Moderate: Torture
careinthelibrary's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
This is fun! I really loved the characters. Lucky, Stella, Freya. These "crafty ass witches" (and one's elderly relative) are the stars of the show. I'll admit that the plot wasn't my favourite, but that's more a me problem. Dimaline injects so much humour and heart into this through the dialogue. I love the way these characters talk to each other. She really knows how to make them feel real. They're likable, believable, and they're what I looked forward to when I was picking it up each time.
I didn't really get into the villains in this book. The Benandanti felt flat and those chapters I skim read, wanting to get back to the characters that I preferred. The fact that the villains weren't impactful meant this was a light read for me which I did appreciate. It didn't feel dark or like something I needed to prepare to process. The villains are definitely bad, but the tone remained fun, witchy, and mysterious. The explosive ending plus the twist (though I did see it coming, I still loved it) won me over a bit more.
I liked the structure of this. We meet Lucky and spend enough time getting to know her that we care by the time the plot takes off fully. I liked the sections about the other witches and their spoon origin stories. It was easy to pick this up and read big chunks of it at a time, which is saying a lot considering my burnout from work, current events, and general winter malaise. As I said above, the details of the plot wasn't my thing necessarily as I don't tend to pick up urban fantasy often, but I liked the pacing, humour, characterization, and ending. Cherie Dimaline is such a talented author and I'm sure fans of urban fantasy will love this.
Thank you to NetGalley for the e-ARC.
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Dementia
Moderate: Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Transphobia, Alcohol, Cancer, Chronic illness, Colonisation, and Deadnaming
Minor: Cultural appropriation
caseythereader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
- VENCO is a tense adventure and a story of sisterhood through the ages. I loved the women of this novel, always willing to jump in to a situation with no questions asked if it meant supporting the coven and their greater cause.
- I do wish there had been more about VenCo itself and its history and structure. Maybe Dimaline will expand on it in a later book, as the ending of this one was left open...
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Cursing, Death of parent, Dementia, Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, Violence, Misogyny, Murder, Death, Medical content, Sexual content, Ableism, Alcohol, and Alcoholism