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jgallagher1983's review against another edition
2.0
I had high hopes for this book. I lobe the cover, the premise, and somewhat the characters. But the writing was clumsy and couldn't keep my interest. I like the missing sister aspect of the book, along with the shadowy antagonist. The setting was right, but the execution was just "off".
astrologicalblues's review against another edition
4.0
Huge thanks to Xpresso Book Tours for giving me my own ecopy of this book in return for a honest review!
This is an interesting concept that really caught my eye. It does help that I am interested in books related to witches (yeah, yeah, I'm sure you guys have heard this from me a lot by now) and I liked that it involves three sisters fated to be together again in the future after their deaths at the Salem witch trials.
Now the girls have been reborn in the present US. They have been reborn in many time frames before this one but the sisters have yet to truly be together all this time. Because of this, they keep being reincarnated closer towards the future. This time, though, both sisters Trin and Kit are determined to finally reunite their third sister with them. They're still witches, just like their former incarnation, and they use their powers for their daily lives and for guidance to finding that third sister. They have to find each other - they have to.
Things start to go uphill, though, when one of the sisters have a connection with one of her clients at a spa job - one that normally indicates that they're of a magical connection and could be one of her sisters. Even though the last time she felt this certain connection during this lifetime ended up being a dud, she still finds herself determined to reconnect with this new person.
Now - on to one of the details that have irked me ever since I've even read this book: the characters' way of blending into their new environment as if they were born there. I know this sounds a bit tricky. It's a bit confusing because, as far as I know, it doesn't really state whether they're reincarnated as an actual infant and grow like a normal human or if they're automatically reincarnated as an adult. I don't even know if this line of reasoning makes even an ounce of sense. If it's the former, then I can see how they can fit in easily in the modern world as they actually grew up in it (but... how do they retain even a little bit of their memories?). If it's the latter, then... well, I'm still confused.
The point is - much of the backstory has been left to interpretation. The book doesn't really explain much on how reincarnation works in this instance. I know that the oldest sister cast a spell to keep all three sisters' souls bound, but I don't know what that really entails entirely. I know they don't recall most of their past lives, so what they do remember they hold on to, but how do they just... know their past and when do they recall that they have a interest in spells?
Another thing that remains constant is that they aren't the only three people being reincarnated into the next life. Why is that? Whyyyyyyy?
I know I'm overthinking a lot of things, which is why I decided not to let this train of thought affect the overall opinion on this book. Despite all of the information that I feel like that have been held back from me, I still felt pulled into the world with these girls and their story. I love it. I highly recommend it - I just want more backstory.
The plot twist though - the plot twist!! I never saw it coming and I'm sure future readers won't see it coming either. It really ties things together when it comes to the main arc and... yeah, I think it's awesome.
If you're looking for an adventure centered around three strong female leads, which does involve a love interest but it's not as emphasized compared to other teen fiction books, I would highly recommend it. Get it!
This is an interesting concept that really caught my eye. It does help that I am interested in books related to witches (yeah, yeah, I'm sure you guys have heard this from me a lot by now) and I liked that it involves three sisters fated to be together again in the future after their deaths at the Salem witch trials.
Now the girls have been reborn in the present US. They have been reborn in many time frames before this one but the sisters have yet to truly be together all this time. Because of this, they keep being reincarnated closer towards the future. This time, though, both sisters Trin and Kit are determined to finally reunite their third sister with them. They're still witches, just like their former incarnation, and they use their powers for their daily lives and for guidance to finding that third sister. They have to find each other - they have to.
Things start to go uphill, though, when one of the sisters have a connection with one of her clients at a spa job - one that normally indicates that they're of a magical connection and could be one of her sisters. Even though the last time she felt this certain connection during this lifetime ended up being a dud, she still finds herself determined to reconnect with this new person.
Now - on to one of the details that have irked me ever since I've even read this book: the characters' way of blending into their new environment as if they were born there. I know this sounds a bit tricky. It's a bit confusing because, as far as I know, it doesn't really state whether they're reincarnated as an actual infant and grow like a normal human or if they're automatically reincarnated as an adult. I don't even know if this line of reasoning makes even an ounce of sense. If it's the former, then I can see how they can fit in easily in the modern world as they actually grew up in it (but... how do they retain even a little bit of their memories?). If it's the latter, then... well, I'm still confused.
The point is - much of the backstory has been left to interpretation. The book doesn't really explain much on how reincarnation works in this instance. I know that the oldest sister cast a spell to keep all three sisters' souls bound, but I don't know what that really entails entirely. I know they don't recall most of their past lives, so what they do remember they hold on to, but how do they just... know their past and when do they recall that they have a interest in spells?
Another thing that remains constant is that they aren't the only three people being reincarnated into the next life. Why is that? Whyyyyyyy?
I know I'm overthinking a lot of things, which is why I decided not to let this train of thought affect the overall opinion on this book. Despite all of the information that I feel like that have been held back from me, I still felt pulled into the world with these girls and their story. I love it. I highly recommend it - I just want more backstory.
The plot twist though - the plot twist!! I never saw it coming and I'm sure future readers won't see it coming either. It really ties things together when it comes to the main arc and... yeah, I think it's awesome.
If you're looking for an adventure centered around three strong female leads, which does involve a love interest but it's not as emphasized compared to other teen fiction books, I would highly recommend it. Get it!
abibliophilecalledbeth's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Kidnapping
prpltrtl946's review against another edition
5.0
Witches, mystery and a little evil
Just like I enjoy them! The details seem life-like, the attitudes and history are pretty good, too. I even enjoyed the spelling changes with the time changes. Ex: Ipswich - now/ Ipswitch - then.
Just like I enjoy them! The details seem life-like, the attitudes and history are pretty good, too. I even enjoyed the spelling changes with the time changes. Ex: Ipswich - now/ Ipswitch - then.
klcsheridan's review against another edition
1.0
This was a total Kindle impulse buy, and I should've known better. Thank god it was a short book, because if it was any longer I would have just given up. The story was underdeveloped, there were completely unnecessary details riddled throughout, the writing was almost juvenile. I have never been happier to finish a book just so I could be done with it.
sagek's review against another edition
4.0
*I received a free ebook copy of this from Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 3.5/5
The Witches of BlackBrook is a book about three sisters escaping a time of the witch trials and being transported to the future, in a way. In each life they live, they are meant to find each other, to be together again. However, for some reason, Trin (the eldest sister who cast the spell that allowed them to escape) can only find one sister in each life. She becomes slightly obsessed with finding her last sister, and so when she meets the Hardy’s and sparks erupt, she gets her hopes up. But that’s just the beginning. There’s still a lot of secrets, deceit, evil, and bad intentions hanging around in the air. And with all these weird occurrences happening, who knows what’s really happening? Unless of course, someone isn’t who they say they are…
I like this book. It’s all about reuniting as a family and fighting off the evil trying to keep said family separated. It had mystery, romance, paranormal occurrences (obviously). It was a fight to find out what was happening and why and how to stop it once the sister’s figured it out. It was enjoyable to read.
The characters were good. I like Trin and how she’s fiercely protective. I love how she cares so much for her family that she’ll do everything in her power to be with them again. It’s only natural that she’d get a little obsessed and desperate enough to think every witch she encounters could be her long lost sister. But that’s what makes her easier to connect with, because we all get lost in our desires at times. I like how she never gave up even though people around her died, while other lie to her and use her. She’s strong and a likable character.
Kit is a jealous little thing. I couldn’t understand why she was always so jealous. I mean, I had my ideas, my predictions, but it didn’t really make sense. Especially the parts we read in her POV. Those don’t make sense anymore, especially not after the ending. It’s almost like she’s two different people. I don’t know. It doesn’t really work for me. At least she was nice and cares about Trin, though. For that, she is still a character I like. It made the story more enjoyable.
While I like this book however, at times the dialogue didn’t feel natural. It felt rather… choppy. As well as the fact that things at times were rushed. The ending was the most rushed, because at first. the sister’s have no clue what their next move will be and then BAM! Trin has sex and she knows all the answers? She knows exactly how the night will play out and what she needs to do? I don’t know. It just doesn’t work for me. I get that they’re witches, but it happened all so suddenly and then it was over. The book itself is fairly fast paced, yes, but even so, some things just went by a little too fast with little or no explanation.
Overall, I like this book. I do. But it was a bit rushed, some things didn’t fall into place at the end, and it didn’t always flow well. I still recommend this to lovers of paranormal, witchy reads though!
Rating: 3.5/5
The Witches of BlackBrook is a book about three sisters escaping a time of the witch trials and being transported to the future, in a way. In each life they live, they are meant to find each other, to be together again. However, for some reason, Trin (the eldest sister who cast the spell that allowed them to escape) can only find one sister in each life. She becomes slightly obsessed with finding her last sister, and so when she meets the Hardy’s and sparks erupt, she gets her hopes up. But that’s just the beginning. There’s still a lot of secrets, deceit, evil, and bad intentions hanging around in the air. And with all these weird occurrences happening, who knows what’s really happening? Unless of course, someone isn’t who they say they are…
I like this book. It’s all about reuniting as a family and fighting off the evil trying to keep said family separated. It had mystery, romance, paranormal occurrences (obviously). It was a fight to find out what was happening and why and how to stop it once the sister’s figured it out. It was enjoyable to read.
The characters were good. I like Trin and how she’s fiercely protective. I love how she cares so much for her family that she’ll do everything in her power to be with them again. It’s only natural that she’d get a little obsessed and desperate enough to think every witch she encounters could be her long lost sister. But that’s what makes her easier to connect with, because we all get lost in our desires at times. I like how she never gave up even though people around her died, while other lie to her and use her. She’s strong and a likable character.
Kit is a jealous little thing. I couldn’t understand why she was always so jealous. I mean, I had my ideas, my predictions, but it didn’t really make sense. Especially the parts we read in her POV. Those don’t make sense anymore, especially not after the ending. It’s almost like she’s two different people. I don’t know. It doesn’t really work for me. At least she was nice and cares about Trin, though. For that, she is still a character I like. It made the story more enjoyable.
While I like this book however, at times the dialogue didn’t feel natural. It felt rather… choppy. As well as the fact that things at times were rushed. The ending was the most rushed, because at first. the sister’s have no clue what their next move will be and then BAM! Trin has sex and she knows all the answers? She knows exactly how the night will play out and what she needs to do? I don’t know. It just doesn’t work for me. I get that they’re witches, but it happened all so suddenly and then it was over. The book itself is fairly fast paced, yes, but even so, some things just went by a little too fast with little or no explanation.
Overall, I like this book. I do. But it was a bit rushed, some things didn’t fall into place at the end, and it didn’t always flow well. I still recommend this to lovers of paranormal, witchy reads though!
ltg584's review
3.0
Overall, The Witches of Blackbrook is a cute read, but considering the material, I really wanted it to be darker. Don’t get me wrong. It’s perfect as a teen read. Sex is hinted at, fading to black. Not one single swear. But there’s also murder, and a witch being burned at the stake. Considering the mature themes, it was a strange contrast to have the book feel so light. It’s categorized as being New Adult, but I really didn’t feel like there was anything overtly sexual or too violent for a teenager.
When it comes to books with witchcraft, I’m always excited to see how the magic is portrayed. Sometimes the magic is merely thoughts brought to reality, maybe there’s sparks or lightning, or sometimes the author will just try to describe the intangible. In this case, there are actual spoken spells. I found that I actually enjoyed the rhyming spells. They were well thought out and didn’t come across as cheesy or forced. It fit in well with the characters, well rounding out the plot.
Speaking of plot, I had it figured out pretty quickly. No big surprises, though I still enjoyed the journey. I especially liked the flashbacks to their past lives, and I wished there had been more of those scenes. That was a whole half of the story that could have been explored further. Prequel perhaps?
When it comes to books with witchcraft, I’m always excited to see how the magic is portrayed. Sometimes the magic is merely thoughts brought to reality, maybe there’s sparks or lightning, or sometimes the author will just try to describe the intangible. In this case, there are actual spoken spells. I found that I actually enjoyed the rhyming spells. They were well thought out and didn’t come across as cheesy or forced. It fit in well with the characters, well rounding out the plot.
Speaking of plot, I had it figured out pretty quickly. No big surprises, though I still enjoyed the journey. I especially liked the flashbacks to their past lives, and I wished there had been more of those scenes. That was a whole half of the story that could have been explored further. Prequel perhaps?
thefox22's review
3.0
*I received a copy of this from Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.
Review can also be found on The Fox's Hideaway.
My Review!
Any time there is a story about witches, I NEED to read it! Add a pretty cover on top of that, and I’m basically sold. While I did enjoy this book, there was something about it that was just...lacking. It was told in 3rd person and switched a few POVs throughout so it was a little hard to connect to the characters, but I liked them! I just didn’t feel as if I knew them enough to come to care for them.
The main character is Trin, massage therapist and witch. I don’t really know much about her aside from that. She’s polite to the point I rolled my eyes. She’s the most powerful witch ever, apparently, and yet I didn’t actually see her doing much of that craft throughout the book. She’s been searching for her long-lost sister, and she thinks she’s finally found her. But nothing is as it seems for Trin, and she’ll have to deal with a lot of confusion in this book. I liked her character a lot, though again, with the 3rd person POV and the short book, I didn’t really feel like I got to know her enough.
There were quite a few other characters who didn’t feel well-rounded at all, even the “villain” and his little portions of POV during the course of the book. The romance left much to be desired, and I didn’t quite believe it even with a certain reveal. They didn’t make me FEEL like they loved each other. I liked the other characters well enough, but they were kind of bland. And everyone was just so POLITE to each other, and I was like: this isn’t real life. There wasn’t any emotional depth. Again, much of that could just be because it was in 3rd person, which always makes it harder to step into a character’s shoes, so to speak. But I could have used so much more development with them.
The plot was actually kind of the saving grace, as I was intrigued the whole way through! I even totally missed the Big Twist (which makes me feel like an idiot after rereading the synopsis). I didn’t guess that so it took me by surprise. I did really like the flashbacks, though I think less is more sometimes in that regard. They did give me great background on the characters and the past, but quite a few seemed either irrelevant or randomly thrown out there for a break in dialogue/story-line. That ending also felt completely wrapped up (even if it a bit open-ended), and I didn’t actually know it was a series. So I’m kinda interested to see where the sequel takes us.
The Witches of BlackBrook, while not the greatest book I’ve ever read, was really entertaining and intriguing. It grabbed my attention in the beginning, and that never wavered. It was a quick read, so it left the characters feeling underdeveloped, but I’m sure the sequel will change things in that regard and we’ll see more of certain ones. :)
Rating: 3 Paw Prints!
Review can also be found on The Fox's Hideaway.
My Review!
Any time there is a story about witches, I NEED to read it! Add a pretty cover on top of that, and I’m basically sold. While I did enjoy this book, there was something about it that was just...lacking. It was told in 3rd person and switched a few POVs throughout so it was a little hard to connect to the characters, but I liked them! I just didn’t feel as if I knew them enough to come to care for them.
The main character is Trin, massage therapist and witch. I don’t really know much about her aside from that. She’s polite to the point I rolled my eyes. She’s the most powerful witch ever, apparently, and yet I didn’t actually see her doing much of that craft throughout the book. She’s been searching for her long-lost sister, and she thinks she’s finally found her. But nothing is as it seems for Trin, and she’ll have to deal with a lot of confusion in this book. I liked her character a lot, though again, with the 3rd person POV and the short book, I didn’t really feel like I got to know her enough.
There were quite a few other characters who didn’t feel well-rounded at all, even the “villain” and his little portions of POV during the course of the book. The romance left much to be desired, and I didn’t quite believe it even with a certain reveal. They didn’t make me FEEL like they loved each other. I liked the other characters well enough, but they were kind of bland. And everyone was just so POLITE to each other, and I was like: this isn’t real life. There wasn’t any emotional depth. Again, much of that could just be because it was in 3rd person, which always makes it harder to step into a character’s shoes, so to speak. But I could have used so much more development with them.
The plot was actually kind of the saving grace, as I was intrigued the whole way through! I even totally missed the Big Twist (
The Witches of BlackBrook, while not the greatest book I’ve ever read, was really entertaining and intriguing. It grabbed my attention in the beginning, and that never wavered. It was a quick read, so it left the characters feeling underdeveloped, but I’m sure the sequel will change things in that regard and we’ll see more of certain ones. :)
Rating: 3 Paw Prints!
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