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vanillanightmare's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
this fun little novel might be a new fav of mine!
picked up on a whim because i was in the mood for a light but witchy read and this was exactly what i needed.
part chick lit, part supernatural horror (with a lil sprinkling of body horror), Cackle tells the story of a woman who gets dumped unceremoniously by her long-term boyfriend, moves to a small New England town, and finds a new bestie.
but as their friendship develops, she realises her new friend is a little witchy - and finds her own power.
I’ll definitely be picking up more books from Rachel Harrison, and this one will definitely get a re-read around Halloween!
picked up on a whim because i was in the mood for a light but witchy read and this was exactly what i needed.
part chick lit, part supernatural horror (with a lil sprinkling of body horror), Cackle tells the story of a woman who gets dumped unceremoniously by her long-term boyfriend, moves to a small New England town, and finds a new bestie.
but as their friendship develops, she realises her new friend is a little witchy - and finds her own power.
I’ll definitely be picking up more books from Rachel Harrison, and this one will definitely get a re-read around Halloween!
Content Warnings
Minor: Body horror, Toxic relationship, Gore, and Misogyny
homebodywitch's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Misogyny, Toxic friendship, and Body horror
theliteraryhooker's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Maybe a hair on the predictable side but I mostly enjoyed this read. Both Annie and Sophie are interesting characters to follow, and I appreciated Annie's character arc for the most part.
Content Warnings
Minor: Vomit, Alcoholism, Death of parent, and Toxic relationship
thegoblinempress's review
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I received an eARC of Cackle from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Hmm. I have very mixed feelings about this one.
Up to the halfway mark I was preparing for this to be a new 5 star favourite. I don't agree with the reviews that claim this book isn't horror because horror, like any genre, has many subgenres, and in my opinion cosy horror is still horror. But whether or not this book is horror isn't what demoted Cackle from a 5 star to a 3 star read for me.
I love the concept of a 30-year-old woman fresh out of a long relationship befriending an older woman who introduces her to literal empowerment through witchcraft. I would also like to move to a new a town and befriend a witch. Initially Annie is someone you can't help but feel for; she was convinced she and her ex, Sam, would get married, and instead she finds herself single and having to leave New York City to start a new job in a small town where she can afford rent.
Then Annie meets the glamorous Sophie who takes her under her wing. Annie is enamoured by her, even though the rest of the townspeople seem to be almost... scared of Sophie.
There's a lot about this novel I enjoyed. It's such an easy read and there are several air-punching moments where Annie finds gumption.
But I think Cackle could have done more with the ideas it had. There are brief mentions of some of the things Sophie's done to protect herself and the friends like her she's lost because, throughout the ages, townspeople have been threatened by her being a woman who's quite happy and comfortable in her own company, but I don't think Sophie got as much attention as she should have. This isn't Sophie's book, but because we didn't see more of her it ultimately felt like Annie went from doing everything her ex-boyfriend suggested to everything Sophie suggested. She does stand up for herself eventually, but it feels a bit too little too late.
For a book about friendship, I actually thought what was missing the most was kindness. I love that Annie learns to stop pleasing everyone around her to the detriment of her own happiness, but she's very quick to doubt Sophie despite the various ways she helps her, andhaving the novel end with the townspeople also slightly scared of her didn't feel like the feminist win I think Rachel Harrison was aiming for. I was hoping Annie would breach the gap between Sophie and the rest of the town rather than merely joining Sophie as someone who can wander around without paying for her coffee and her groceries because she can curse anyone she likes if she doesn't get what she wants.
Ultimately I still had a lot of fun with Cackle and I'm still keen to read more from Rachel Harrison, but I wish I'd loved it more.
Hmm. I have very mixed feelings about this one.
Up to the halfway mark I was preparing for this to be a new 5 star favourite. I don't agree with the reviews that claim this book isn't horror because horror, like any genre, has many subgenres, and in my opinion cosy horror is still horror. But whether or not this book is horror isn't what demoted Cackle from a 5 star to a 3 star read for me.
I love the concept of a 30-year-old woman fresh out of a long relationship befriending an older woman who introduces her to literal empowerment through witchcraft. I would also like to move to a new a town and befriend a witch. Initially Annie is someone you can't help but feel for; she was convinced she and her ex, Sam, would get married, and instead she finds herself single and having to leave New York City to start a new job in a small town where she can afford rent.
Then Annie meets the glamorous Sophie who takes her under her wing. Annie is enamoured by her, even though the rest of the townspeople seem to be almost... scared of Sophie.
There's a lot about this novel I enjoyed. It's such an easy read and there are several air-punching moments where Annie finds gumption.
But I think Cackle could have done more with the ideas it had. There are brief mentions of some of the things Sophie's done to protect herself and the friends like her she's lost because, throughout the ages, townspeople have been threatened by her being a woman who's quite happy and comfortable in her own company, but I don't think Sophie got as much attention as she should have. This isn't Sophie's book, but because we didn't see more of her it ultimately felt like Annie went from doing everything her ex-boyfriend suggested to everything Sophie suggested. She does stand up for herself eventually, but it feels a bit too little too late.
For a book about friendship, I actually thought what was missing the most was kindness. I love that Annie learns to stop pleasing everyone around her to the detriment of her own happiness, but she's very quick to doubt Sophie despite the various ways she helps her, and
Ultimately I still had a lot of fun with Cackle and I'm still keen to read more from Rachel Harrison, but I wish I'd loved it more.
Content Warnings
Minor: Gaslighting, Vomit, and Toxic relationship
emoryjoy's review against another edition
dark
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The back of the book sounds like it will be a queer romance. It is not.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Blood
Moderate: Addiction, Cursing, Death, Gore, Stalking, Blood, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence
Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, Emotional abuse, Vomit, Mental illness, Death of parent, and Body shaming
Arachnophobia - there are lots of spiders in this bookmegwilli's review against another edition
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Toxic friendship
maregred's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol and Alcoholism
Minor: Infidelity, Grief, and Toxic relationship
modernmatilda's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
[Normally I hate being mean to books because I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, so I will only be posting this review here. Just because I wasn't a fan doesn't mean it's a bad book, just wasn't for me! I don't really intend this review to change anyone's mind about picking up the book or not, but more as a cathartic release after having wasted time reading it...]
Cackle is what you get if you order Coraline by Neil Gaiman on Wish.com....
The best part of this book was that it made for EXCELLENT discussion with our book club group; what is the line between control and liberation, what are the boundaries between toxic friendships and empowering ones, what does feminism look like throughout the ages.
But the story itself left much to be desired. Loose ends, a "flat line" story arc, repetitive "I ate this for lunch, then I took a nap, then I did this" writing style, a dense protagonist, and an ending that didn't mean anything? Just wasn't an enjoyable read at all for us.
Would have possibly liked this more if Sophie and Annie were a weird couple, but the sensual "dress me in silky pajamas and kiss me goodnight like my mom used to" was VERY weird for me.
Wouldn't put it on your list of "Witchy reads".
Cackle is what you get if you order Coraline by Neil Gaiman on Wish.com....
The best part of this book was that it made for EXCELLENT discussion with our book club group; what is the line between control and liberation, what are the boundaries between toxic friendships and empowering ones, what does feminism look like throughout the ages.
But the story itself left much to be desired. Loose ends, a "flat line" story arc, repetitive "I ate this for lunch, then I took a nap, then I did this" writing style, a dense protagonist, and an ending that didn't mean anything? Just wasn't an enjoyable read at all for us.
Would have possibly liked this more if Sophie and Annie were a weird couple, but the sensual "dress me in silky pajamas and kiss me goodnight like my mom used to" was VERY weird for me.
Wouldn't put it on your list of "Witchy reads".
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism and Alcohol
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Toxic friendship
bitterseason's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Grief, Body shaming, and Body horror
Minor: Animal death, Misogyny, Murder, Vomit, Bullying, Sexism, Cursing, Infidelity, Blood, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
blewballoon's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
As I was reading this book, I thought I would describe it as "unhinged." It starts out sane enough with a main character who feels like a person. A person who is in a bad place emotionally, but still a person you can relate to. As she is thrust into more bizarre situations and interactions, it is harder to understand why she does what she does. In some instances she's obtusely passive and ignores what should not be ignored. In others she's overly confrontational and aggressive. I started to lose my sympathy and understanding of her and any of the other characters and never really got it back. The side characters and Sophie never feel completely fleshed out. Sophie is so performative and mysterious you never get closure on what she's really like underneath it all. I did like the ending, and I flew through the book, it was easy to read and kept me engaged even if a lot of the time I was just asking myself "wtf?"
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol
Moderate: Body horror and Bullying
Minor: Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, and Toxic relationship