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janienefe's review
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
byoung1997's review
dark
reflective
tense
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
3.5
tachyondecay's review
dark
sad
slow-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
2.0
The summer(?) of witches continues with The Witches at the End of the World, by Chelsea Iversen. From contemporary romance we travel to historical fiction with this small tale of sisterhood nestled in the woods of Norway centuries ago. I’m impressed with how Iversen won me over despite my qualms about the book’s pacing and plot! I received an eARC from NetGalley and publisher Sourcebooks in exchange for my review.
Kaija and Minna are witches. For most of their lives, they have lived in seclusion in the birchwoods with their adoptive mother, who spirited them away from the village of their birth after their mother was burned at the stake for witchcraft. Now grown, their adoptive mother dead, Kaija and Minna are at a crossroads. Kaija is determined to return to the village and establish an “ordinary” life for herself. Minna, far darker of temperament, sees no need to suppress her magic or fit in with ordinary people. The sisters part ways, each trying to find success at the life they want to lead. Of course, it can’t be that simple….
I was intrigued by the promise of sister drama. Minna’s bitterness towards the world as a result of her and her mother’s persecution is a dark seed that she willingly nurtures. When Kaija abandons her—as she sees it—she is rightly furious. As Kaija works to establish a new life for herself, Minna seeks her out and plots something that is, if not revenge, then revenge-adjacent. The tragedy of Minna’s descent into antagonist and eventual blackhearted villain was so tantalizing for me. However, lest I misrepresent the book and at risk of spoilers—it is not quite meant to be.
Now, the book is still about the bond of sisterhood. That much remains intact, and it’s this theme that kept me going. Watching Minna pull herself back from the brink of darkness proves compelling even as Kaija must grapple with her own setbacks. I admit that Iversen likely made the right call by ensuring that the worst of Kaija’s misfortunes are not directly wrought by Minna. Not only does it offer a pathway to redemption for Minna in the eyes of Kaija and the reader alike, but it’s a potent reminder that often our worst moments in life are not anyone’s fault. Circumstances just suck sometimes.
I liked this book. I also struggled with this book. It’s just slow. It’s a lot of narration from each sister, and it takes forever to get going. Yet at the same time, it feels like we never get to know anyone other than Kaija and Minna. They hold every other character at arm’s length in their narration. Fifteen years in and I still don’t have a great term to describe how I feel about this style of writing. The closest I can get is that I can’t connect with the characters. It’s possibly related to my inability to visualize as I read: authors who rely primarily on descriptive language tend to fall flatter for me than authors who use more dialogue and action.
So, as is usually the case, your mileage may vary. This is a sweet story of sisterhood and dreams denied. It’s a tragedy wrapped around family ties, and it’s an interesting exploration of the ways in which internalized misogyny can fuck you up. But it’s a little slow, and it never quite lives up to the promises I feel like it establishes at the start of the story.
Originally posted at Kara.Reviews.
Kaija and Minna are witches. For most of their lives, they have lived in seclusion in the birchwoods with their adoptive mother, who spirited them away from the village of their birth after their mother was burned at the stake for witchcraft. Now grown, their adoptive mother dead, Kaija and Minna are at a crossroads. Kaija is determined to return to the village and establish an “ordinary” life for herself. Minna, far darker of temperament, sees no need to suppress her magic or fit in with ordinary people. The sisters part ways, each trying to find success at the life they want to lead. Of course, it can’t be that simple….
I was intrigued by the promise of sister drama. Minna’s bitterness towards the world as a result of her and her mother’s persecution is a dark seed that she willingly nurtures. When Kaija abandons her—as she sees it—she is rightly furious. As Kaija works to establish a new life for herself, Minna seeks her out and plots something that is, if not revenge, then revenge-adjacent. The tragedy of Minna’s descent into antagonist and eventual blackhearted villain was so tantalizing for me. However, lest I misrepresent the book and at risk of spoilers—it is not quite meant to be.
Now, the book is still about the bond of sisterhood. That much remains intact, and it’s this theme that kept me going. Watching Minna pull herself back from the brink of darkness proves compelling even as Kaija must grapple with her own setbacks. I admit that Iversen likely made the right call by ensuring that the worst of Kaija’s misfortunes are not directly wrought by Minna. Not only does it offer a pathway to redemption for Minna in the eyes of Kaija and the reader alike, but it’s a potent reminder that often our worst moments in life are not anyone’s fault. Circumstances just suck sometimes.
I liked this book. I also struggled with this book. It’s just slow. It’s a lot of narration from each sister, and it takes forever to get going. Yet at the same time, it feels like we never get to know anyone other than Kaija and Minna. They hold every other character at arm’s length in their narration. Fifteen years in and I still don’t have a great term to describe how I feel about this style of writing. The closest I can get is that I can’t connect with the characters. It’s possibly related to my inability to visualize as I read: authors who rely primarily on descriptive language tend to fall flatter for me than authors who use more dialogue and action.
So, as is usually the case, your mileage may vary. This is a sweet story of sisterhood and dreams denied. It’s a tragedy wrapped around family ties, and it’s an interesting exploration of the ways in which internalized misogyny can fuck you up. But it’s a little slow, and it never quite lives up to the promises I feel like it establishes at the start of the story.
Originally posted at Kara.Reviews.
herthrillingreads's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I absolutely love this cover and I really enjoyed reading this book. I loved the setting of the northern portion of Norway and the historical references to witch trials. The story follows two sisters who initially appear to be as different as night and day. However, as their story unfolds, will these two sisters find common ground or forever have their relationship fractured by the consequences of each of their actions. Overall, this is truly a book driven by the characters and their relationships. It has themes that examine good vs evil, especially when it comes to religion and feminism. If you love historical fiction that is atmospheric and character driven, then this is a great read for the month of October!
Thank you @bookmarked for allowing me to read this book ahead of publication in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you @bookmarked for allowing me to read this book ahead of publication in exchange for my honest review.
lina_k's review
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
NetGalley ARC review:
There's a lot of things I enjoyed about this book: the sister's relationship, the plot that almost mirrors itself in a way, the lyrical style of writing, the character development, and the true witchy vibes.
There's a lot of things I enjoyed about this book: the sister's relationship, the plot that almost mirrors itself in a way, the lyrical style of writing, the character development, and the true witchy vibes.
It did take me a long time to read this book even though its not very long. Mainly because I found the plot a bit plain. I think certain themes and plot points could have gone into more depth and the supporting characters could have been developed more.
Nevertheless, I would definitely recommend this if you are looking for witchy sisters figuring out what they want out of life and making some mistakes.
torturedreadersdept's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Fire/Fire injury, Animal death, Blood, Medical content, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Violence, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Death of parent, Grief, Murder, Self harm, and Religious bigotry
forever_undone_fables's review
DNF after like the first 3 chapters
Sadly it just didn’t hold my interest and I didn’t see that changing
Sadly it just didn’t hold my interest and I didn’t see that changing