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brookac's review against another edition
4.5
I adore this book. I really didn’t expect to like the characters as much as I did. I also thought it was primarily a romance book but the romance was more of a subplot to the overall conflict. Would totally recommend people read this book..
tachyondecay's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
My summer of witches has extended into an autumn of auguries by dint of my reading schedule attenuating in these waning days of 2023. What Became of Magic is a book I was looking forward to reading on my deck at the end of August, but it also worked well in the cooler days of September. Paige Crutcher brings a dazzling dash of creativity to her storytelling. Alas, I didn’t enjoy her narrative style or her characterization. My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the eARC in exchange for a review.
Aline Weir was always the loner kid. One day at a sleepover, a ghost of a girl named Dragon befriends her. Aline grows up and grows into her witchy power to help spirits cross over. An accident with a boy her age, however, reverberates across the world and will have consequences for more than Aline. Practically raised by Fates, she finds herself drawn to the magical town of Matchstick. Soon she is in a pitched battle against an ancient enemy who has designs on the personifications of magic themselves—unless Aline and her allies can find a way to restore the balance.
What Became of Magic keeps insisting that Aline is special—indeed that she is inextricably bound up with Magic, who is both a force and a man. But I don’t see it. Aline is boring, at least from the distance at which we get to know her. Crutcher’s narrative choices don’t work for me. There is a veritable montage of Aline’s childhood at the beginning of the book. Instead, bits and bobs of flashbacks spread out through the narrative might have kept me more interested. As it is, I never felt myself connecting to Aline. Like, Crutcher makes it very clear that her parents were always distant and never thought Aline would amount to much of anything—but we never really see Aline feel it, you know?
Then, after Aline leaves the bookstore for the town of Matchstick, the plot spins wildly out of control. Suddenly Crutcher throws us into a quest-like structure. Again, she puts a lot of work into establishing both allies and enemies, as well as laying out the stakes. It should all come together to create a great story. Yet it’s messy, convoluted—the rules are constantly shifting. And none of the characters are three-dimensional enough for me to care about them. Not even Aline.
I also can’t stand romantic subplots premised on destiny, for it veers uncomfortably close to removing agency (or even consent). To be clear, that’s a personal preference of mine; I’m not trying to say that is what Crutcher implies happens here. Indeed, if anyone is going to enjoy this chaotic book, it’s going to be romance fans who want to swoon over the idea of True Love between a witch and a magic man.
As it is, there was just nothing for me to grab onto as I read this book. I felt like I was listening to a child tell me the fantasy story they had just made up—each time they jump to a new scene, I need to stop them and ask questions because I cannot keep it straight in my head. Crutcher’s imagination is unquestionable—but the organization of this book, its editing, the plotting and pacing and protagonist—none of it works for me.
In the end, What Became of Magic felt like a missed opportunity. I say this not to be harsh. I don’t think it is a bad book. But I came really close to DNFing it.
Originally posted at Kara.Reviews.
Aline Weir was always the loner kid. One day at a sleepover, a ghost of a girl named Dragon befriends her. Aline grows up and grows into her witchy power to help spirits cross over. An accident with a boy her age, however, reverberates across the world and will have consequences for more than Aline. Practically raised by Fates, she finds herself drawn to the magical town of Matchstick. Soon she is in a pitched battle against an ancient enemy who has designs on the personifications of magic themselves—unless Aline and her allies can find a way to restore the balance.
What Became of Magic keeps insisting that Aline is special—indeed that she is inextricably bound up with Magic, who is both a force and a man. But I don’t see it. Aline is boring, at least from the distance at which we get to know her. Crutcher’s narrative choices don’t work for me. There is a veritable montage of Aline’s childhood at the beginning of the book. Instead, bits and bobs of flashbacks spread out through the narrative might have kept me more interested. As it is, I never felt myself connecting to Aline. Like, Crutcher makes it very clear that her parents were always distant and never thought Aline would amount to much of anything—but we never really see Aline feel it, you know?
Then, after Aline leaves the bookstore for the town of Matchstick, the plot spins wildly out of control. Suddenly Crutcher throws us into a quest-like structure. Again, she puts a lot of work into establishing both allies and enemies, as well as laying out the stakes. It should all come together to create a great story. Yet it’s messy, convoluted—the rules are constantly shifting. And none of the characters are three-dimensional enough for me to care about them. Not even Aline.
I also can’t stand romantic subplots premised on destiny, for it veers uncomfortably close to removing agency (or even consent). To be clear, that’s a personal preference of mine; I’m not trying to say that is what Crutcher implies happens here. Indeed, if anyone is going to enjoy this chaotic book, it’s going to be romance fans who want to swoon over the idea of True Love between a witch and a magic man.
As it is, there was just nothing for me to grab onto as I read this book. I felt like I was listening to a child tell me the fantasy story they had just made up—each time they jump to a new scene, I need to stop them and ask questions because I cannot keep it straight in my head. Crutcher’s imagination is unquestionable—but the organization of this book, its editing, the plotting and pacing and protagonist—none of it works for me.
In the end, What Became of Magic felt like a missed opportunity. I say this not to be harsh. I don’t think it is a bad book. But I came really close to DNFing it.
Originally posted at Kara.Reviews.
libraryofaleo's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
3.0
My experience reading this book is complicated. On one hand, I felt confused and like I was grasping at straws almost the entire time. On the other, I could not stop reading. Another reviewer put it best when they said it felt like there was a mist or a veil over this book. The writing is intricate and whimsical, but hard to follow. I really felt like I was going mad at times. And maybe that's what the author wanted? Even after a few days of thinking about it, it doesn't feel any clearer. I'm rating this as 3 stars since it was compulsively readable.
I plan to read more books by this author. I'm curious if they'll be written in a similar way.
I plan to read more books by this author. I'm curious if they'll be written in a similar way.
m4nda_beth's review against another edition
4.0
A beautiful story where we get to watch Aline find her place in a magical world after living a life where she never felt like she belonged. A life where she was invisible to most, and above all felt unworthy of others' attention. This book was unlike anything that I have read, and I found the writing to be poetic, full of riddles, and honestly overwhelming at times. Although this book is slower than my normal reads, I think it has to be in order for you to be able to fully process the depth of what is happening and find the real beauty in the story that unfolds.
marcellaluna_author's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
anndudzinski's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
What an absolutely enchanting book. Honestly, it has a lot of the same feels as The Wishing Game, which was one of my favorite books in 2023.
Who hasn’t felt like they don’t fit in? Who didn’t wish that what made them different didn’t exist, or tried to hide it? And who didn’t wish, at least once or twice, that they were actually extraordinary? That they had some untapped power that would explain why they never felt at home among the “normal” people?
If those thoughts/feelings apply, this book is for you. The Magic in this book is the wonderful hereditary witch magic that I love to read about (and always manage to be just a bit envious of.) Magic is also a person – so be prepared to encounter a town that shouldn’t exist, a witch that shouldn’t have as much power as she does, the ability to move between realities, and the perfect heroine. The Chosen One theme is strong in this book, that’s for sure.
Lovable characters (for the most part, some you’ll love to hate), the whimsy of the Fates, and a fully fleshed out world within a world. With all of these elements, the plot ticks along at a nice pace and honestly, I’d love to see a sequel featuring Aline.
sarah_ae13's review
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
3.75
Aline Weir has never seemed able to fit in, and this is made abundantly clear to her after a middle school slumber party where she learned she was able to talk to ghosts. While she may not have been accepted by her peers, she finds a friend in Dragon and learns that as a witch she can assist those lost souls in finding their way home, even if she struggles to find this herself. After a tragedy, Aline finds solace in a local bookstore and the quirky sisters who run it leading her to find the book of Mischief, which starts her unwittingly on a path to her destiny.
Now at the age of thirty, living a quiet, solitary life, Aline's life is snapped into a different direction when her only friends seem to be missing and she's invited to Matchstick, a town that doesn't exist. She is thrust into a world she doesn't understand and crosses paths with the man who had drifted into her dreams. It is here that she discovers Magic is not a feeling or ability, but a person. After their inevitable collision, they are forced down a journey that might lead to victory or doom, not only for them but for the world itself.
This fast-paced book will keep you on your toes and wondering where the story is heading next, especially when bouncing around multiple POVs, which gives you a 360-degree view of different scenes. The world-building was exquisite, and I loved how the story flowed. This was only enhanced by the excellent narration by Caitlin Kelly. With so many different POVs and characters, it was clear who was talking when, and she brought such a beautiful life to each of them. If you are looking for a unique, mind-bending witchy book or absolutely love solving riddles and puzzles, this is the book for you, so definitely add it to your TBR!
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for access to this ARC audiobook.
Now at the age of thirty, living a quiet, solitary life, Aline's life is snapped into a different direction when her only friends seem to be missing and she's invited to Matchstick, a town that doesn't exist. She is thrust into a world she doesn't understand and crosses paths with the man who had drifted into her dreams. It is here that she discovers Magic is not a feeling or ability, but a person. After their inevitable collision, they are forced down a journey that might lead to victory or doom, not only for them but for the world itself.
This fast-paced book will keep you on your toes and wondering where the story is heading next, especially when bouncing around multiple POVs, which gives you a 360-degree view of different scenes. The world-building was exquisite, and I loved how the story flowed. This was only enhanced by the excellent narration by Caitlin Kelly. With so many different POVs and characters, it was clear who was talking when, and she brought such a beautiful life to each of them. If you are looking for a unique, mind-bending witchy book or absolutely love solving riddles and puzzles, this is the book for you, so definitely add it to your TBR!
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for access to this ARC audiobook.
trish_beautifulchaosreviews's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I'm not sure what to think after reading this book. I enjoyed the storytelling and I enjoyed the FMC Aline. You could not help rooting for her. However, I felt a bit like I slid down the rabbit hole with this story. It seemed everyone spoke in riddles and vagueries. Just about the time I felt like I was getting a handle on what was going on---poof something else would happen and I would be confused again. I did get a handle on who the villain was, but knowing her origins is she really a villain? Aline would be really strong one moment and the next frail. It was like I was reading the book with a mist over it. However, I did enjoy the story, and when I got to the end I was happy I hung in there. But it was a bit of a difficult read. I give it 3.5 but roll it up to 4 stars just for the uniqueness of the story.
transportedlfl's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
liinley's review against another edition
The pacing of this book was so strange and I ultimately DNF’d at 28%. The first two chapters about Aline’s middle school and high school days explain how she is bullied by girls at school and completely ignored by her parents at home. At a sleepover, she meets a girl named Dragon and discovers she can see and talk to ghosts. Dragon helps her learn that there are keys in the world that have to be found and returned to ghosts so that they can move on and that Aline is a shadow witch who can find these keys. Sounds super intriguing, right? Aline helps a couple ghosts find their keys, like a girl’s charm bracelet and a man’s watch. Then the book rushes into Aline meeting a guy, having sex with him, immediately finding out he has a girlfriend, and accidentally killing him…all of which happens at the end of chapter two. Then in chapter three, Aline meets three witches who own a bookstore and becomes insta-friends with them and then in chapter four Aline is suddenly 30 and starts this adventure in another world. Like what?
I really wish this book would have focused much more on Aline helping ghosts find their keys because that was really interesting. Instead, the plot felt really rushed and then riddles were introduced and I lost all interest.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
I really wish this book would have focused much more on Aline helping ghosts find their keys because that was really interesting. Instead, the plot felt really rushed and then riddles were introduced and I lost all interest.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.