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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Just too many different themes going on in this book.
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
DNF at 22%
Only 10 chapters in and the story is going in too many different directions to follow. Way too much of an info. dump and not focused enough on the main character. Also some major editing flaws like when she turns off her phone because of low battery but then a few pages later she turns it off, again?
I was really excited for a book marketed as National Treasure meets A Discovery of Witches, but this is not it. The politics and threat of AI in this book is weird and also so many modern references to YouTube, TikTok, and even Black Mirror which took me out of the fantasy element.
Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
informative
mysterious
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:
No
Sidney is an academic, a Historian, she deals in facts and certainties. So how will she react when she is introduced to the world of magic, secret societies and conspiracy theories?
Being a red-headed Black historian Sidney used to being seen as minority but when she is essentially ousted from her job, she is left to lick her wounds until a visit to her Grandma's gives her a new opportunity and the possibility of earning a million bucks!
This is a slow burner of a book, there are no big action scenes but there are episodes of peril where Sidney and other are in danger. I felt that she handled herself with aplomb even though she had zero training. She is a great FMC in spite of being a rich girl. She doesn't have access to her mum and dad's fortunes, she made her own way in life after college. I felt her frustration when instead of a raise or promotion, she gets "furloughed".
There was plenty of politics, history and conspiracy theories to chomp on, some I knew and others I didn't. I loved learning more about black history and even history about my own country (Scotland) and where they intersected.
There are the faint glimmerings of a romance but that is very much on the side-lines, the main themes of the story is definitely the magical mystery and secret societies.
I would very happily read book 2!
Being a red-headed Black historian Sidney used to being seen as minority but when she is essentially ousted from her job, she is left to lick her wounds until a visit to her Grandma's gives her a new opportunity and the possibility of earning a million bucks!
This is a slow burner of a book, there are no big action scenes but there are episodes of peril where Sidney and other are in danger. I felt that she handled herself with aplomb even though she had zero training. She is a great FMC in spite of being a rich girl. She doesn't have access to her mum and dad's fortunes, she made her own way in life after college. I felt her frustration when instead of a raise or promotion, she gets "furloughed".
There was plenty of politics, history and conspiracy theories to chomp on, some I knew and others I didn't. I loved learning more about black history and even history about my own country (Scotland) and where they intersected.
There are the faint glimmerings of a romance but that is very much on the side-lines, the main themes of the story is definitely the magical mystery and secret societies.
I would very happily read book 2!
adventurous
informative
mysterious
reflective
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:
Complicated
American history professor Sidney Taylor is on furlough from her job in Washington DC when she gets asked to return to her hometown Robbinsville to search for a historical artefact. If visiting her grandma isn't enough of a reason to go, there's a million dollars on offer if she succeeds. It doesn't take long for Sidney to realise there is more to the story of the artefact than she first thought, and before she knows it she is in the middle of a huge consipracy revolving around ancient bloodlines and secret societies, with the fate of the world at stake.
It took me a while to decompress after reading this and to try and pull together my thoughts and feelings, and settle on a rating. In the end I went with 5 stars, purely and simply because I really enjoyed reading and found it hard to put down. Yes it's a bit of an odd mix of sci-fi, history and fantasy, but it works and the story is engrossing.
I must admit when the story started and the concept of virtual reality was broached I was worried, that wasn't something I was expecting to come across given the blurb. It poses a scary prospect when framed like it is here though, and certainly added a different tone to the book. The history and magic side of things was much more along the lines of what I had expected, and I thought Addison did a good job of weaving the fantasy elements in to the story in what felt like a natural way.
I really liked Sidney, she was a great protagonist and easy to read about. I liked that she wasn't cowed by fear and didn't let others dictate her actions. A lot of the supporting cast were likeable too, even some of the villains early on, which made it hard to pinpoint a suspect. I had suspicions on a lot of characters at stages throughout the book and really wasn't sure who Sidney should trust, which always adds to the tension.
Although there's aspects of this that reminded me of Dan Brown's books, it also felt like something new and different, unusual. I'm looking forward to reading more of this series.
Thanks to NetGalley and Severn House for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
It took me a while to decompress after reading this and to try and pull together my thoughts and feelings, and settle on a rating. In the end I went with 5 stars, purely and simply because I really enjoyed reading and found it hard to put down. Yes it's a bit of an odd mix of sci-fi, history and fantasy, but it works and the story is engrossing.
I must admit when the story started and the concept of virtual reality was broached I was worried, that wasn't something I was expecting to come across given the blurb. It poses a scary prospect when framed like it is here though, and certainly added a different tone to the book. The history and magic side of things was much more along the lines of what I had expected, and I thought Addison did a good job of weaving the fantasy elements in to the story in what felt like a natural way.
I really liked Sidney, she was a great protagonist and easy to read about. I liked that she wasn't cowed by fear and didn't let others dictate her actions. A lot of the supporting cast were likeable too, even some of the villains early on, which made it hard to pinpoint a suspect. I had suspicions on a lot of characters at stages throughout the book and really wasn't sure who Sidney should trust, which always adds to the tension.
Although there's aspects of this that reminded me of Dan Brown's books, it also felt like something new and different, unusual. I'm looking forward to reading more of this series.
Thanks to NetGalley and Severn House for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
adventurous
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The intriguing premise of "An Intrigue of Witches"—a covert witch society—drew me in, but the book soon devolved into a maze of conspiracy theories, witches, secret organizations, artificial intelligence, and more. I was captivated by the fast-paced narrative, which reminded me a lot of National Treasure.
But as the secrets began coming to light, I noticed I was becoming disoriented. Even though there was still a lot of the book left to read, the plot advanced at such a rapid pace that by the time I was 25% of the way through, I felt like the mystery was coming to an end. From then on, the revelations came one after the other, like in a Scooby Doo episode where they would unmask the villain, but the unmasking never stopped.
The attempt to fit what seemed like a series' worth of content into one book was one of my biggest criticisms of it. I had a hard time keeping up with all of the bloodlines, groups, and conspiracies that were introduced because it was so overwhelming and complex.
The storytelling method presented another issue. The book frequently resorted to characters monologuing about their secrets, which made the plot appear more like a series of information dumps rather than a coherent narrative. This was in contrast to presenting us with the clues and allowing us to piece things together.
"An Intrigue of Witches" had potential despite these problems. I thought the concept was intriguing and could see how all the components and revelations could work together as a series. But everything in this novel felt crammed together, making for a disorganized and overpowering plot that required work to truly appreciate.
But as the secrets began coming to light, I noticed I was becoming disoriented. Even though there was still a lot of the book left to read, the plot advanced at such a rapid pace that by the time I was 25% of the way through, I felt like the mystery was coming to an end. From then on, the revelations came one after the other, like in a Scooby Doo episode where they would unmask the villain, but the unmasking never stopped.
The attempt to fit what seemed like a series' worth of content into one book was one of my biggest criticisms of it. I had a hard time keeping up with all of the bloodlines, groups, and conspiracies that were introduced because it was so overwhelming and complex.
The storytelling method presented another issue. The book frequently resorted to characters monologuing about their secrets, which made the plot appear more like a series of information dumps rather than a coherent narrative. This was in contrast to presenting us with the clues and allowing us to piece things together.
"An Intrigue of Witches" had potential despite these problems. I thought the concept was intriguing and could see how all the components and revelations could work together as a series. But everything in this novel felt crammed together, making for a disorganized and overpowering plot that required work to truly appreciate.
Stopped at 20% of the way through. I wish the book had a different title because I was expecting actual witches and magic stuff--this is more of a historical treasure hunt with tons of info dumping.