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fae_sarelfi's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
5.0
brennakay's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
phantasmwitch's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
matchhead's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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? Yes
4.0
shoulda been longer, too many great plot points were underutilized, and don’t get me started on Odette & Anna
btaylorb's review
I wanted to like this!! But after muddling through it for a few days I had to give myself permission to put it down. Theoretically this is right up my alley, and it has the makings of a good witchy folk-horror. But the writing style has this staccato, fragmentary sentence structure which, combined with the first-person POV, just does not work for me. I get the sense that it's supposed to convey urgency and tension, and you have to do that quickly in such a short novel. I feel like it would have been much more successful if it were longer and allowed to have that time to build tension by dropping hints, taking time for foreshadowing and allowing for more fleshed out descriptions of the unsettling parts.
sura_reads_books's review against another edition
3.0
2.5/5
Picked up this book at the library because the gorgeous cover caught my eye, I think the artist is @gawki on Instagram!
This book wasn’t for me personally, but the concept was cool! I just didn’t feel anything towards any of the characters, they all felt a little bit flat, and their motivations didn’t seem realistic or well described.
A lot of the book was very repetitive, especially when it came to conflict. There was a lot of running, and then seeing a pyre, and then running again, but because this kept happening from the beginning, I didn’t feel concerned about anything that was happening.
Picked up this book at the library because the gorgeous cover caught my eye, I think the artist is @gawki on Instagram!
This book wasn’t for me personally, but the concept was cool! I just didn’t feel anything towards any of the characters, they all felt a little bit flat, and their motivations didn’t seem realistic or well described.
A lot of the book was very repetitive, especially when it came to conflict. There was a lot of running, and then seeing a pyre, and then running again, but because this kept happening from the beginning, I didn’t feel concerned about anything that was happening.
raforall's review against another edition
5.0
Star review in the October 2020 issue of Library Journal
Three Words That Describe This Book: lyrical, fluid style, social justice
Returning with her second novel after winning numerous awards for THE RUST MAIDENS, Kiste introduces readers to Odette, the last of the witches, living on the outskirts of a small town, who has banished herself to a magic-free life of isolation after the Witchfinders came from “The Capitol,” five years previously, violently burning every witch, except for Odette, who would not burn. When the birds start falling from the sky, Odette is forced to stop hiding, confront her extreme loss and trauma, reckon with her past, stop living in fear of the future, and seek out justice, no matter the cost. Using a style that moves fluidly back and forth through time and lyrical language to describe awful things, readers will hang on every word, cringe and cheer through the action, and passionately root for Odette, despite her obvious unreliability as a narrator, as they watch her grow into her true self.
Verdict: Kiste casts a spell with this original and suspenseful horror story, but it holds more than meets the eye. It is also an honest look at what it means to be a woman who doesn’t conform to societal stereotypes, once who bravely stands up to systematic oppression. Clearly influenced by Shirley Jackson, this novel will also appeal to readers who enjoyed THE POWER by Alderman, THE YEAR OF THE WITCHING by Henderson or WONDERLAND by Stage.
Three Words That Describe This Book: lyrical, fluid style, social justice
Returning with her second novel after winning numerous awards for THE RUST MAIDENS, Kiste introduces readers to Odette, the last of the witches, living on the outskirts of a small town, who has banished herself to a magic-free life of isolation after the Witchfinders came from “The Capitol,” five years previously, violently burning every witch, except for Odette, who would not burn. When the birds start falling from the sky, Odette is forced to stop hiding, confront her extreme loss and trauma, reckon with her past, stop living in fear of the future, and seek out justice, no matter the cost. Using a style that moves fluidly back and forth through time and lyrical language to describe awful things, readers will hang on every word, cringe and cheer through the action, and passionately root for Odette, despite her obvious unreliability as a narrator, as they watch her grow into her true self.
Verdict: Kiste casts a spell with this original and suspenseful horror story, but it holds more than meets the eye. It is also an honest look at what it means to be a woman who doesn’t conform to societal stereotypes, once who bravely stands up to systematic oppression. Clearly influenced by Shirley Jackson, this novel will also appeal to readers who enjoyed THE POWER by Alderman, THE YEAR OF THE WITCHING by Henderson or WONDERLAND by Stage.
pbanditp's review against another edition
4.0
“Thanks to our father, Freya and I learned how you could hold someone’s hand as tight as you could and still never reach them.” -Odette
Odette has grown up mostly alone. She is shunned by her village because she was the only witch to live after the witchfinders came and burned all the suspected witches the last time they were here. She didn’t survive by hiding away, she was a child at the time but she was on the pyre, in flames, her ropes burned, all the others burned, she stepped out of the embers and ran into the forest. However, she kept the heat of the fire, and now, no one can touch her without getting burned.
She is now alone, timid, refusing to use the magic, and still abandoned by the town, she deals with spirits in the forest, the return of the witchfinders, and her own self doubt.
From the Bram Stoker award winner, Gwendolyn Kiste, this is so much more than a book about a witch. This book is written in a dreamy, hazy way that absolutely portrays the feelings of the main character, Odette.
There is an underlying theme of judgement, mental health and stereotypes. Categorizing people based on what they are and not who they are. While I did not find this a very compelling read, I enjoyed the world that it takes place in, it was sad and gorgeous.
Speaking of gorgeous, this cover by Gawki is stunning.
Odette has grown up mostly alone. She is shunned by her village because she was the only witch to live after the witchfinders came and burned all the suspected witches the last time they were here. She didn’t survive by hiding away, she was a child at the time but she was on the pyre, in flames, her ropes burned, all the others burned, she stepped out of the embers and ran into the forest. However, she kept the heat of the fire, and now, no one can touch her without getting burned.
She is now alone, timid, refusing to use the magic, and still abandoned by the town, she deals with spirits in the forest, the return of the witchfinders, and her own self doubt.
From the Bram Stoker award winner, Gwendolyn Kiste, this is so much more than a book about a witch. This book is written in a dreamy, hazy way that absolutely portrays the feelings of the main character, Odette.
There is an underlying theme of judgement, mental health and stereotypes. Categorizing people based on what they are and not who they are. While I did not find this a very compelling read, I enjoyed the world that it takes place in, it was sad and gorgeous.
Speaking of gorgeous, this cover by Gawki is stunning.