Reviews with content warning for Violence - The League of Gentlewomen Witches

Reviews tagging 'Violence'

The League of Gentlewomen Witches by India Holton

19 reviews

dmrains's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful lighthearted relaxing 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? No

5.0

This was exactly the right level of "spice" for me: not too explicit with descriptions for my ace brain & didn't feel like porn. Very sweet couple

the way they both save each other and have complementary childhood trauma

. Felt very late bloomer coming-of-age to me which I loved. I really identified with Charlotte 💙

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carbs666's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny fast-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? No

5.0

Just like the first book in this series, this book is indescribably fucking BONKERS in the best possible way. I loved how delightfully insane it was so much I didnt even care that its lowkey Han and Leia fan fiction. Witches and pirates in Victorian England battling it out over a magical artifact. I'm not going to say more because it's kind of impossible to do so without spoilers just read it and if you have even a shred of whimsy within you I promise you will be enchanted.

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of_fantasy_and_fibre's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted reflective fast-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? It's complicated

4.5

I went into this serious blind, but I will say I was surprised at how spicy it was as it's labelled as historical fiction. From the start it's quite action packed, it did have parts of comtemplation sandwiched into the more medium and fast paced scenes. This book is hilarious, being only somewhat familiar with the historical usages of words I'm sure there were some jokes I missed out on but there were enough modern plays on words that I wasn't entirely lost. The worldbuilding was very rich and I felt fully immersed in the world. The main couples being the sunshines to their own grumpiness was very sweet, being in forced proximity made the relationship between them develop quicker than I would've expected and that is kinda of adressed. The support characters were quite fleshed out, especially the Butler, we love supportive friends! Following on from that found family is another big part of the polt due to the main characters upbringings. Without spoiling too much them literally saving each other time after time was a nice touch, they did it both physically and emotionally. I really liked this installment of the series and look forward to the rest of them, the end was wrapped up nicely but not too neatly, leaving room for more possibilities to be explored. Relistening is definitely something that would happen when a pick me up is needed!

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mariamsaidwhat's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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? No

3.5

The first book in this series was captivating, but sadly the plot of this sequel didn’t quite live up the the dazzling debut. I found it difficult to stay interested in the amulet chase, but there were still moments that drew me back in. I will definitely continue reading anything Holton publishes because of her unique wit and humor.

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lovely_fantasy's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I had a good time reading this! Victorian England with some added magic, the lives of ladies. I read it as a stand-alone even though it’s the second book in a series, so I was a little confused about the intracies of magic and witches vs pirates, but I never had to guess who was who, so it didn’t really matter. It was fun and very lighthearted, and the writing was probably my favorite part. I’m hoping to read the first book soon.

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erebus53's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted tense 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

3.75

This is the second book of the Dangerous Damsels series. It's quite similar to the first one, and has some recurring characters. This book pits two factions (both alike in indignation) namely the pirates and the witches (if witches existed). There is a starcrossed not-really-enemies to lovers plot wrapped in a rambling adventure or perhaps prolonged chase scene, as they try to find a magical amulet.. and don't forget about rescuing Tom!

The vibe of this is sort of Pride and Prejudice, meets Indiana Jones at Studio Ghibli (Kiki + Howl's moving castle?) only with explicit sex. It's always going to be a bit cinematic when you have swords and sorcery - telekinetic witches throwing things around, and pirates with guns and cannon zooming about in flying buildings.

As in the first book, the sexy-times are explicit... and so is the consent and the birth control. Swashbuckling is certainly married to the unbuckling of swashes... but will it lead to marriage? There are a couple of other players/factions introduced that stay mostly in the background, but I can see them becoming more important in the next book.

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rhi_'s review

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-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

3.0

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j_squaredd's review

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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overflowingshelf's review

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-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

5.0

CW: Child abuse; emotional abuse; violence; fire

I absolutely adored the unique writing style of India Holton in The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels and could not wait to start book two in the Dangerous Damsels series! This book was bonkers, chaotic, over-the-top, and so, so, so much fun. I didn’t think it was possible, but I loved it even more than book one, as the romance really shines in this!

Miss Charlotte Pettifer is a witch and the prophesied next leader of the League of Gentlewomen Witches – a league that strives to improve the world in small ways by using magic to tidy, correct, and manipulate according to their notions of what is proper. They use the magic in subtle ways, not like the pirates in the Wisteria Society. When the long-lost amulet of Black Beryl is discovered, it’s up to Charlotte to ensure it does not fall into the wrong hands (i.e., pirate hands). Unfortunately, she keeps crossing paths with Alex O’Riley, a pirate who is no Mr. Darcy and harbors a bit of a grudge against Charlotte after stealing his briefcase. When the amulet mistakenly ends up in the wrong hands, Alex and Charlotte need to join forces to steal it back, though they cannot stop stealing from each other, including stealing each other’s hearts.

You need to read this book series in order as each builds on the other, so I highly recommend checking out The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels before you read The League of Gentlewomen Witches. If you read out of order, I think you’ll be very confused by the rules of the world and the backstory of many characters.

The writing style of this book follows the same vein as The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels, which I absolutely adored. Holton has such a unique voice, and it’s unlike anything I’ve ever read before. I love how tongue-in-cheek and self-aware the writing is – I constantly found myself laughing at little quips here and there and had the biggest grin on my face the whole time while reading. The book never takes itself too seriously, so the over-the-top nature of the story works perfectly!

I absolutely adore every single character in this book. From our main characters down to the smallest bit players, each character has their own distinct personality and quirks. I seriously think I adored every character we met, even the villainous ones, as they’re so fun to read about!

Speaking of characters, Charlotte and Alex are at the center of this story, and I adored both of them so much. Holton shared that she wrote Charlotte to be neurodivergent, and I definitely picked up on that while reading. I loved her unique view of the world – particularly her love of Jane Austen. It was also really great to see her come into her own and push off the expectations others had for her as she went on a wild journey with Alex. And Alex was so perfect for her! I loved how he adored her quirks. He’s very much a loveable rogue with a bit of a tragic past, but the two balanced each other out so perfectly.

And, oh my god, the romance in this! I was LIVING for it. I enjoyed the romance in book one, but Holton knocked it out of the park with this one. First off – the BANTER. I cannot tell you how often I was squeeing out of pure joy watching Alex and Charlotte go head-to-head with each other. The verbal sparing, coupled with physical and magical sparing, led to some truly romantic and sexy moments. You get enemies-to-lovers as pirates and witches do not mix with literal knife-to-throat moments. And the CHEMISTRY! My goodness, the chemistry was bursting off the pages. And yes, this is open door with more than one sex scene, which I found sexier than the scenes in book one.

I also love how Holton subverted common romantic tropes in fun ways throughout the story. My favorite was her spin on the ever-popular “only one-bed trope,” as she made that her own in a memorable way. This book knows it’s a romance and leans into that in the best possible way. There is even some breaking of the fourth wall regarding the romance, which I thought worked incredibly well here.

When it comes to the plot, it is a bit all over the place – and I mean that as they go all over the place! So much happens in this book, and I’m amazed at how much Holton crammed into it with the action, adventure, and romance. I loved the adventure as you truly go on a RIDE with Alex and Charlotte in their quest to retrieve Black Beryl’s amulet with lots of twists and turns. Things felt a tad chaotic sometimes, but it worked with the story’s pace and added to the overall vibe, so I had no problem with it.

As I said in my review for The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels, India Holton has such a fresh voice. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book like this before, and I don’t know if I ever will, as the style is so unique to Holton!

I’m now anxiously awaiting the final book in the series, The Secret Service of Tea and Treason, which comes out later this month. I loved the scenes we got with the protagonists of the next book and cannot wait to see how the series wraps up! I highly recommend picking up this series now in preparation for the final book, as I think you’ll have a rip-roaring fun time reading it!

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brianneh's review

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-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

3.5

This sequel to The Wisteria Society for Lady Scoundrels is very similar to its predecessor. It’s light and funny, with a slight tendency to overdo it on the amount of innuendo used. It’s Austen-esque, and definitely means to invoke Jane Austen’s style as the main character Charlotte makes a ton of references to Austen’s characters. Charlotte views many of them, particularly Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice, as role models. As a big fan of Jane Austen, I liked this aspect of it, but I can also see where it gets to be a bit too much at times.

My favorite part of this book is the banter between the two main characters Charlotte and Alex. It’s witty, quick and very funny. It’s obvious from their very first meeting that they will end up together, but I enjoyed the journey of them getting to that point. I love how the author writes both of their characters and their dialogue.

Like the first novel in this series, the women are in charge here. The League is very similar to the Wisteria Society, in that the women lead both groups and there’s magic present in all of them. It’s a very feminist take on the time period and just like in the first book, I really like that about it.

I appreciated that we were given a list of characters at the beginning of the book, because we meet quite a few people throughout the book (maybe a few more than are completely necessary). While I enjoyed the different personalities for the most part, we also met many of the eccentric ladies who make up the different societies in the last book, so this felt a little repetitive.

The one part of this book I really disliked was the ending for Charlotte’s aunt. For her to weirdly banter with and then immediately run off with a witch hunter, seemed extremely inconsistent with everything we previously learned. I wish Charlotte had been able to stand up to her in the end.

Overall, I did like this sequel, but not as much as I enjoyed the first one. They are very similar in many ways, which can get a little annoying, but to me it worked since I really liked the first book. I’d recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed the first book, anyone who likes Jane Austen or anyone who needs a light read.

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