Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
I'm a huge fan of book featuring a parallel London and loved the dangerous and fascinating city in this book.
It's an enthralling and highly entertaining read, full of action and mystery to be solved.
The author is a good storyteller and the plot flows and never drags.
The world building and the character development
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine are excellent.
It's an enthralling and highly entertaining read, full of action and mystery to be solved.
The author is a good storyteller and the plot flows and never drags.
The world building and the character development
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine are excellent.
adventurous
dark
hopeful
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:
Complicated
adventurous
mysterious
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:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
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:
N/A
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Thank you so much to Titan Books for sending me a copy of Witherward by Hannah Mathewson for review! I was on the Instagram tour for the release and I had a fun time reading it. This is a YA fantasy book which released a few days ago, so check it out if it sounds interesting to you!
The synopsis of this book intrigued me immediately. The book focuses on a London alternate to our own, with conflict between different magical factions. Isla, a Changeling, finds herself transported from a London where real magic is seen as satanic, to the Witherward. There are themes of the Victorian Era, as well as a search for a long-lost family member, and Isla gets caught up in all of this drama. It sounded so cool!
The world-building combines magic, politics and intrigue to captivate the reader. I really liked learning about the different types of magic-wielders in this world and how their histories intertwined to form London. All the abilities sound so cool – especially Changelings and Wraiths. I’m hoping we’ll hear more about the political history between them in the next book, because I really enjoyed that. There is also a lot of history that Isla doesn’t have the answers to yet, so I’m looking forward to seeing how that part of the story develops.
Isla was an interesting character to read about, especially since she was thrust into a world she knew nothing about, just as the reader was. She was strong in coming to terms with her new identity, and I have no doubt that she will develop even more as the series continues. I didn’t completely fall in love with her – she did kind of seem like a generic protagonist at times. This might be just me, but sometimes I forgot that she had a Cockney accent and suddenly it would seem really strong, but I’m not sure if I was imagining the inconsistencies. But that’s just a random note!
I also found the book to move pretty quickly, and this was helped along by the mystery element of the book. It’s unknown what exactly happened to Isla’s parents, and her brother is also missing. Everyone in the Witherward is keeping secrets, and Isla doesn’t know who to trust. I’m not completely sold on the romance yet, but there is definitely intrigue there and I just think it needs time to develop.
Overall, I did have a fun time reading this book! I’m struggling a bit with my rating, because while I did enjoy reading it, something was missing. I think I just wish I felt more connected to the characters, but to be fair I don’t always get that with the first book of the series. I am still intrigued to see where the story will go, – I read it very quickly and I would recommend it.
3.5/5 stars
fast-paced
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes