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aurora4847's review
The cultural appropriation got to be too much for me. This book is filled with white savior narratives and all the negatives surrounding modern white witchcraft. Very disappointing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Grief, Cultural appropriation, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Colonisation, Homophobia, Alcohol, Bullying, and Misogyny
Minor: Injury/Injury detail and Drug use
antidietleah's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Bullying, Murder, Death, Homophobia, and Death of parent
keepingitread's review
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
P. C Cast & Kristen Cast are auto buy authors for me because I loved their House of Night Series. With that being said I mostly went into this book only knowing it was about twin witches, the book was good but took me a while to get though it as I hadn't realized that it also had to do with the death of a parent and the grief that come with that. Reading back over the Synopsis it is something that is mentions but I didn't bother to read it. With that being said it affected my reading of the book as I had a family health scare happening at the time and I had to put the book down for a bit, I do believe it might have affected my rating of the book and when I read the next one, I will be more prepared for that content.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Death of parent
Moderate: Blood and Murder
Minor: Sexual content, Bullying, and Toxic relationship
martamae77's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Death of parent
Moderate: Sexual content, Homophobia, and Bullying
Minor: Alcoholism
foreverinastory's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
QUEER WITCH!! THANK YOU!!
Rep: white lesbian cis female MC, white cishet female MC, various cishet side characters.
CWs: Death of parent, death, murder, sexual content, grief, bullying, slut shaming, toxic relationship (romantic), blood, gore, lesbophobia/lesbomisia, cursing. Moderate: cannibalism, homophobia/homomisia. Minor: alcohol consumption, alcoholism.
Rep: white lesbian cis female MC, white cishet female MC, various cishet side characters.
CWs: Death of parent, death, murder, sexual content, grief, bullying, slut shaming, toxic relationship (romantic), blood, gore, lesbophobia/lesbomisia, cursing. Moderate: cannibalism, homophobia/homomisia. Minor: alcohol consumption, alcoholism.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Blood, Cursing, Death of parent, Death, Murder, Sexual content, Grief, Toxic relationship, Gore, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Homophobia and Cannibalism
Minor: Alcohol and Alcoholism
cgphoenix79's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
“Spells Trouble” by: PC and Kristen Cast
In this first book of the Sisters of Salem series we find our identical heroines, Mercy and Hunter Goode, at a crossroads. Their world is crumbling, figuratively and literally. Murder abounds in their tiny town of Goodeville, named after their ancestor, Sarah Goode. The gates are splintering allowing Demi-gods and demons to depart their realms and enter their town. Will the twins be Goode enough to banish the Demi-gods, close the gates, and save their town? Tune in next book as this one ended on a cliffhanger.
My rating? Meh. The Casts are good authors. They have solid writing styles, great plot development and I loved the inclusion of a lesbian witch as one of the protagonists. Where it lost me was some misconceptions re mythology and witchcraft practices. Nitpicky I know, but that’s me. I don’t feel a driving urge to finish the series but if there was nothing else to read I’d read the next book.
In this first book of the Sisters of Salem series we find our identical heroines, Mercy and Hunter Goode, at a crossroads. Their world is crumbling, figuratively and literally. Murder abounds in their tiny town of Goodeville, named after their ancestor, Sarah Goode. The gates are splintering allowing Demi-gods and demons to depart their realms and enter their town. Will the twins be Goode enough to banish the Demi-gods, close the gates, and save their town? Tune in next book as this one ended on a cliffhanger.
My rating? Meh. The Casts are good authors. They have solid writing styles, great plot development and I loved the inclusion of a lesbian witch as one of the protagonists. Where it lost me was some misconceptions re mythology and witchcraft practices. Nitpicky I know, but that’s me. I don’t feel a driving urge to finish the series but if there was nothing else to read I’d read the next book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Bullying, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Lesbophobia
readwithzoe_'s review
I don't know. The whole writing style is not my type. This book have potential.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Death
Minor: Bullying
misslisag's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Grief, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Alcoholism, Bullying, and Sexual content
inkslinger's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
4.0
'Spells Trouble' by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast is book one in the Sisters of Salem series.
After centuries as the Gatekeepers to five ancient underworlds, descendants of the founder of Goodeville face a challenge none of their kind have ever seen before. The integrity of the portals is weakening and if they fail, all manner of walking nightmares would come through.
On the night of their birthday, Hunter and Mercy Goode lose their mother. The first in a string of deaths that the twins must understand before they can find a way to heal the Gates and put a stop to the inevitable. If they don't, their world will not survive.
This book is kind of a welcome surprise. Though the premise sounded interesting, when I first started reading it.. I thought it seemed very light-hearted, which is fine. The girls are high schoolers, one is stereotypically popular and the other is stereotypically shunned, but their twin bond is tight and the love at home with their mom is warm and welcoming.
Initially, I genuinely didn't take any of it too seriously. There's a mention within the book of Sabrina and of course, some of the vibe is definitely similar. But like Sabrina, there's also a surprising darkness kind of strewn throughout.
For me, the difference is that the darkness never feels campy. I'm not disparaging Sabrina, I was surprised to find I enjoyed that too, but even with the dark tones.. it's sort of tongue-in-cheek at times. And this can be, but again.. not really in the campy way. Though.. Xena. Very fun.
Mixed into this high school romp through spell casting, are some distinctively Stephen King-esque textures, some Stranger Things adventure horror, and a fascinating dash of mythology. Now, if you don't know much about mythology, don't worry. The part it plays is all clearly explained, as are any connections of importance.
The characters, are all well done. Some I liked and some I didn't, but as was fitting with the story. Hunter and Jax are probably my favorites, as the latter is a really lovely friend, and the former is the more reasonable of the two MCs. But Mercy is cool too, if a bit misguided at times. They do really love each other and try to look out for each other.
As for the magic system, though it's kind of dressed up and modernized a bit, it's also rooted in a couple of traditional ritual styles.. giving it a sense of believability even in fantasy use.
Admittedly, I really loved the choices that were made as to the mythological connections. I especially enjoyed what little we were shown in relation to the underworlds and the ways and reasons each of the Gates were different.
I definitely added book two in my Goodreads list as soon as I finished reading this one. So, if you like witchy stories with a lot of interesting elements that aren't too atmospheric, give this a try!
(I received this title as an ARC. All opinions are mine and freely given.)
After centuries as the Gatekeepers to five ancient underworlds, descendants of the founder of Goodeville face a challenge none of their kind have ever seen before. The integrity of the portals is weakening and if they fail, all manner of walking nightmares would come through.
On the night of their birthday, Hunter and Mercy Goode lose their mother. The first in a string of deaths that the twins must understand before they can find a way to heal the Gates and put a stop to the inevitable. If they don't, their world will not survive.
This book is kind of a welcome surprise. Though the premise sounded interesting, when I first started reading it.. I thought it seemed very light-hearted, which is fine. The girls are high schoolers, one is stereotypically popular and the other is stereotypically shunned, but their twin bond is tight and the love at home with their mom is warm and welcoming.
Initially, I genuinely didn't take any of it too seriously. There's a mention within the book of Sabrina and of course, some of the vibe is definitely similar. But like Sabrina, there's also a surprising darkness kind of strewn throughout.
For me, the difference is that the darkness never feels campy. I'm not disparaging Sabrina, I was surprised to find I enjoyed that too, but even with the dark tones.. it's sort of tongue-in-cheek at times. And this can be, but again.. not really in the campy way. Though.. Xena. Very fun.
Mixed into this high school romp through spell casting, are some distinctively Stephen King-esque textures, some Stranger Things adventure horror, and a fascinating dash of mythology. Now, if you don't know much about mythology, don't worry. The part it plays is all clearly explained, as are any connections of importance.
The characters, are all well done. Some I liked and some I didn't, but as was fitting with the story. Hunter and Jax are probably my favorites, as the latter is a really lovely friend, and the former is the more reasonable of the two MCs. But Mercy is cool too, if a bit misguided at times. They do really love each other and try to look out for each other.
As for the magic system, though it's kind of dressed up and modernized a bit, it's also rooted in a couple of traditional ritual styles.. giving it a sense of believability even in fantasy use.
Admittedly, I really loved the choices that were made as to the mythological connections. I especially enjoyed what little we were shown in relation to the underworlds and the ways and reasons each of the Gates were different.
I definitely added book two in my Goodreads list as soon as I finished reading this one. So, if you like witchy stories with a lot of interesting elements that aren't too atmospheric, give this a try!
(I received this title as an ARC. All opinions are mine and freely given.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Gore, and Death of parent
Moderate: Bullying and Grief
melaniereadsbooks's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an ALC of this book.
Twin witches Hunter and Mercy Goode are tasked with protecting the 5 gates to the underworlds set up in their town, just as every Goode witch has been before them. But when the trees marking the gates begin dying and so do people, they are forced to find a way to stop it before they are too late.
The plot of this book was pretty interesting, and I liked to learn about the type of magic they had. I liked the prologue with reference to the Salem Witch Trials and I liked that their magic came from deities that they each chose when they came of age. Hunter was a pretty interesting character for the most part, but most of these characters felt a little bland and one note.
I also thought that the writing was very over-descriptive for my taste and didn't feel natural. The dialogue was too exposition heavy for me. The over-descriptive is not my style of writing, but if you don't mind it then you will probably enjoy this book.
Pub Date: May 25, 2021
Twin witches Hunter and Mercy Goode are tasked with protecting the 5 gates to the underworlds set up in their town, just as every Goode witch has been before them. But when the trees marking the gates begin dying and so do people, they are forced to find a way to stop it before they are too late.
The plot of this book was pretty interesting, and I liked to learn about the type of magic they had. I liked the prologue with reference to the Salem Witch Trials and I liked that their magic came from deities that they each chose when they came of age. Hunter was a pretty interesting character for the most part, but most of these characters felt a little bland and one note.
I also thought that the writing was very over-descriptive for my taste and didn't feel natural. The dialogue was too exposition heavy for me. The over-descriptive is not my style of writing, but if you don't mind it then you will probably enjoy this book.
Pub Date: May 25, 2021
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Homophobia, Bullying, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, and Murder