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irenemarie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Dementia
Moderate: Cancer, Alcoholism, and Drug abuse
Minor: Transphobia and Deadnaming
foldingthepage_kayleigh's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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? It's complicated
5.0
”She said I needed to get my ass in motion, because they’d had to wait for me.”
“Wait for what ?”
“Until I could call myself by my real name. In order for them to find me, I had to find me first.”
Cherie Dimaline did it again! This is the third book I’ve read by her and it might be my favourite. It’s more similar to Empire of Wild in the sense that it features badass Métis women and their interactions with the supernatural. But what I loved the most about this one was Lucky’s strong relationships with the matriarchs in her family and the immediate, all-encompassing support of the coven.
This book is also told in multiple POVs, which is my favourite form of storytelling and made me feel much more connected to the characters than I would have if it was only through Lucky’s perspective.
Something happened near the end that absolutely made me burst out bawling with happy tears. And honestly if you’re looking for a feel-good feminist, witchy read filled with women reclaiming their power, I couldn’t recommend this one more.
Thank you so much to Tandem Collective Global and Penguin Random House Canada for this gifted copy!
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Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Transphobia, Dementia, Death of parent, Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Cancer, and Domestic abuse
internationalreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-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? Yes
4.0
The plot was a bit predictable but I enjoyed it all the same! Loved the diverse characters & magic systems, the badass lovable characters, and the feminism.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Alcohol, Cursing, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Grief, Vomit, Misogyny, Sexism, Death, Blood, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Deadnaming, and Murder
Moderate: Torture
abbie_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
5.0
Loved this one so very much! I’ve been neglecting fantasy over the last couple of years and this witchy roadtrip really hit the spot for me! Loved the way the author wove this story, with all the different perspectives and little tidbits of lore - it was seamless even via audio. I was never lost, the characters were alive, the descriptions vivid and glorious. And the inclusivity - brilliant! Hoping for a sequel!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Murder, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Dementia, and Misogyny
Moderate: Transphobia, Deadnaming, and Religious bigotry
careinthelibrary's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Cherie Dimaline is one of my favourite authors. Not just because she writes compelling characters and emotional stories, but she just really seems like a good, nice person. So when I heard she had a new urban fantasy title coming, I was excited despite the fact that I tend not to love urban fantasy.
This is fun! I really loved the characters. Lucky, Stella, Freya. These "crafty ass witches" (and one's elderly relative) are the stars of the show. I'll admit that the plot wasn't my favourite, but that's more a me problem. Dimaline injects so much humour and heart into this through the dialogue. I love the way these characters talk to each other. She really knows how to make them feel real. They're likable, believable, and they're what I looked forward to when I was picking it up each time.
I didn't really get into the villains in this book. The Benandanti felt flat and those chapters I skim read, wanting to get back to the characters that I preferred. The fact that the villains weren't impactful meant this was a light read for me which I did appreciate. It didn't feel dark or like something I needed to prepare to process. The villains are definitely bad, but the tone remained fun, witchy, and mysterious. The explosive ending plus the twist (though I did see it coming, I still loved it) won me over a bit more.
I liked the structure of this. We meet Lucky and spend enough time getting to know her that we care by the time the plot takes off fully. I liked the sections about the other witches and their spoon origin stories. It was easy to pick this up and read big chunks of it at a time, which is saying a lot considering my burnout from work, current events, and general winter malaise. As I said above, the details of the plot wasn't my thing necessarily as I don't tend to pick up urban fantasy often, but I liked the pacing, humour, characterization, and ending. Cherie Dimaline is such a talented author and I'm sure fans of urban fantasy will love this.
Thank you to NetGalley for the e-ARC.
This is fun! I really loved the characters. Lucky, Stella, Freya. These "crafty ass witches" (and one's elderly relative) are the stars of the show. I'll admit that the plot wasn't my favourite, but that's more a me problem. Dimaline injects so much humour and heart into this through the dialogue. I love the way these characters talk to each other. She really knows how to make them feel real. They're likable, believable, and they're what I looked forward to when I was picking it up each time.
I didn't really get into the villains in this book. The Benandanti felt flat and those chapters I skim read, wanting to get back to the characters that I preferred. The fact that the villains weren't impactful meant this was a light read for me which I did appreciate. It didn't feel dark or like something I needed to prepare to process. The villains are definitely bad, but the tone remained fun, witchy, and mysterious. The explosive ending plus the twist (though I did see it coming, I still loved it) won me over a bit more.
I liked the structure of this. We meet Lucky and spend enough time getting to know her that we care by the time the plot takes off fully. I liked the sections about the other witches and their spoon origin stories. It was easy to pick this up and read big chunks of it at a time, which is saying a lot considering my burnout from work, current events, and general winter malaise. As I said above, the details of the plot wasn't my thing necessarily as I don't tend to pick up urban fantasy often, but I liked the pacing, humour, characterization, and ending. Cherie Dimaline is such a talented author and I'm sure fans of urban fantasy will love this.
Thank you to NetGalley for the e-ARC.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Dementia
Moderate: Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Transphobia, Alcohol, Cancer, Chronic illness, Colonisation, and Deadnaming
Minor: Cultural appropriation
readingwithkaitlyn's review against another edition
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!
Before getting into the ins and outs of the plot let me just say that, as always, Cherie Dimaline is a phenomenal writer. She is fantastic at creating vivid imagery without being flowery in her writing. Without even having to try, an image will come to mind while reading, and that is undoubtedly the mark of a skillful author. To evoke imagery in such a way.
For the story itself, I wanted to give four stars, and really felt it would be in the first 40% of the book, but dropped down as the story progressed. The story is full of intrigue from start to finish. We wonder who these characters are, how they play together and what their roles will be, and who is the holder of the final spoon. Histories mesh and collide, as they work as individuals in a much larger organism. However, although those elements work for an entertaining, vivid, and unique story, they fell a bit flat to me. Without giving anything away, I saw the ending coming a mile away. There were so many characters it became hard to keep track of everyone and their backstories. The world building also required a lot of explaining and questioning, because the characters in fact don't know what they're doing most of the time. They're working on a goal that is surrounded by a lot of mystery. Although it didn't come together for me, I do believe plenty of others will be happy and fulfilled with it. I suspect this book will be either a hit or miss for readers all coming down to preferences.
What was most exciting was the individual characters and who they are as people. There is so much diversity in a way that didn't feel like tokenism. There are so many queer characters and characters of different ethnic/racial backgrounds. Although their identities are a focal point for all of them, it isn't the base of their journeys. They exist in their current lives and in their identities while working on their goals which remains part of the big picture. It was a pleasant balance.
I was also quite fond of the overall messaging too. About women empowerment, community, and overcoming an oppressive patriarchy. There's a lot of sexism in the book but it is tackled in every decision and action each woman makes.
Overall, I think this will be a lot of people's new favorite book. For me it wasn't a total hit, but I liked it well enough that I will recommend to friends.
Before getting into the ins and outs of the plot let me just say that, as always, Cherie Dimaline is a phenomenal writer. She is fantastic at creating vivid imagery without being flowery in her writing. Without even having to try, an image will come to mind while reading, and that is undoubtedly the mark of a skillful author. To evoke imagery in such a way.
For the story itself, I wanted to give four stars, and really felt it would be in the first 40% of the book, but dropped down as the story progressed. The story is full of intrigue from start to finish. We wonder who these characters are, how they play together and what their roles will be, and who is the holder of the final spoon. Histories mesh and collide, as they work as individuals in a much larger organism. However, although those elements work for an entertaining, vivid, and unique story, they fell a bit flat to me. Without giving anything away, I saw the ending coming a mile away. There were so many characters it became hard to keep track of everyone and their backstories. The world building also required a lot of explaining and questioning, because the characters in fact don't know what they're doing most of the time. They're working on a goal that is surrounded by a lot of mystery. Although it didn't come together for me, I do believe plenty of others will be happy and fulfilled with it. I suspect this book will be either a hit or miss for readers all coming down to preferences.
What was most exciting was the individual characters and who they are as people. There is so much diversity in a way that didn't feel like tokenism. There are so many queer characters and characters of different ethnic/racial backgrounds. Although their identities are a focal point for all of them, it isn't the base of their journeys. They exist in their current lives and in their identities while working on their goals which remains part of the big picture. It was a pleasant balance.
I was also quite fond of the overall messaging too. About women empowerment, community, and overcoming an oppressive patriarchy. There's a lot of sexism in the book but it is tackled in every decision and action each woman makes.
Overall, I think this will be a lot of people's new favorite book. For me it wasn't a total hit, but I liked it well enough that I will recommend to friends.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Dementia, Violence, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Transphobia, Deadnaming, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Drug use, Alcohol, and Death
Moderate: Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Homophobia, and Ableism
Minor: Addiction, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Cancer, Suicide, Incest, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Vomit, and Terminal illness
Homelessness, necrophilia (up to interpretation), lynching,caseythereader's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Thanks to William Morrow Books for the free advance copy of this book.
- VENCO is a tense adventure and a story of sisterhood through the ages. I loved the women of this novel, always willing to jump in to a situation with no questions asked if it meant supporting the coven and their greater cause.
- I do wish there had been more about VenCo itself and its history and structure. Maybe Dimaline will expand on it in a later book, as the ending of this one was left open...
- VENCO is a tense adventure and a story of sisterhood through the ages. I loved the women of this novel, always willing to jump in to a situation with no questions asked if it meant supporting the coven and their greater cause.
- I do wish there had been more about VenCo itself and its history and structure. Maybe Dimaline will expand on it in a later book, as the ending of this one was left open...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Cursing, Death of parent, Dementia, Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, Violence, Misogyny, Murder, Death, Medical content, Sexual content, Ableism, Alcohol, and Alcoholism
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