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3.24 AVERAGE
3.24 AVERAGE
This was a case of "too many good books to wast time on a barely mediocre one" for me. I received a galley for this book, and I try to read all of the galleys I get. I gave this one longer than my normal 70 pages, and I still just couldn't finish it. The characters were flat and stereotypical, the witchcraft was boring, and the story was all over the place. By a third of the way into the book, I just didn't care about any of them or what might happen.
Good gracious there was A LOT going on in this book. I found it to be a little different from Brackston's typical writing style. Her language was quite....verbose but after a while I didn't mind it so much. She also did a mix of points of view...for instance, Lilith was always in first person but she would switch it up third person when dealing with other characters. I feel like it's the first time she's truly gone into such depth as to the backstories of other characters. Typically, the reader gets information about other characters from conversations between characters or from what the protagonist supplies; but this time we were able to get the information a different way. I felt by her doing this, we were able to get more in depth with all characters and not just Lilith.
It did start out slow...I'm not going to lie. However, once I got into the story and really started going I didn't want to stop...thus the reason I just finished the book at 4:30 in the morning and I have to be at church at 9am. I really like how she made me love certain characters and utterly loathe others. And honestly, I don't even think I loathed the main antagonist, Nicholas Stricklend. I was hell bent on hating Gudrund because she was such a....for lack of a better term...bitch. Just because she was a slutty mistress didn't mean she had to go around dashing the hopes and dreams of love for other people. Ugh...gingers...
I loved Bram. He was a man of outstanding character from the very beginning but I also want to know if he became a witch or not...way to leave me hanging. I like to think Lilith, in her risen witch form, went on to train him in the art of witchcraft and necromancy. I liked that Brackston brought about a good and evil side to necromancy. Those, the Lazarus witches, who commune with spirits for divination purposes, and those, the Sentinels, who would seek to raise an army of dead brought back to life.
There were also some pretty good plot twists and plenty of blackmail...and not like monetary blackmail, but the I'll kill your whole family if you don't do as I ask blackmail. Very interesting...
So..it's not her usual style and she did get a bit wordy sometimes, but all in all a good book with a happy ending. Definitely wasn't enough to turn me off from her; but I think you have to be a true Brackston fan to stick with it. If you've never read her, try The Witch's Daughter first. Become a fan and then read this one. I fear her language may turn some people off. As for me though, I'll definitely be reading The Silver Witch in the near future.
It did start out slow...I'm not going to lie. However, once I got into the story and really started going I didn't want to stop...thus the reason I just finished the book at 4:30 in the morning and I have to be at church at 9am. I really like how she made me love certain characters and utterly loathe others. And honestly, I don't even think I loathed the main antagonist, Nicholas Stricklend. I was hell bent on hating Gudrund because she was such a....for lack of a better term...bitch. Just because she was a slutty mistress didn't mean she had to go around dashing the hopes and dreams of love for other people. Ugh...gingers...
I loved Bram. He was a man of outstanding character from the very beginning but I also want to know if he became a witch or not...way to leave me hanging. I like to think Lilith, in her risen witch form, went on to train him in the art of witchcraft and necromancy. I liked that Brackston brought about a good and evil side to necromancy. Those, the Lazarus witches, who commune with spirits for divination purposes, and those, the Sentinels, who would seek to raise an army of dead brought back to life.
There were also some pretty good plot twists and plenty of blackmail...and not like monetary blackmail, but the I'll kill your whole family if you don't do as I ask blackmail. Very interesting...
So..it's not her usual style and she did get a bit wordy sometimes, but all in all a good book with a happy ending. Definitely wasn't enough to turn me off from her; but I think you have to be a true Brackston fan to stick with it. If you've never read her, try The Witch's Daughter first. Become a fan and then read this one. I fear her language may turn some people off. As for me though, I'll definitely be reading The Silver Witch in the near future.
A fun read, but only because I'm a big fan of this genre. FULL of clichés, making it pretty darn predictable. But still, not bad if you like fantasy and/or Austen-ish type period novels.
Ugh. I am impressed that I managed to actually finish this book. Possibly the only reason that I did was that I was too lazy to download another audio book at the moment, so I was stuck with listening to this one on my commute.
I wanted to like this book. It sounded so interesting and perfect for fall! I love books about witches and magic! But y'all, don't waste your time on this one. I was bored to tears one moment, yelling at the characters the next, and wishing the whole time that the book would be over!
In order to keep this short, I'll just list a few reasons why this book didn't work for me:
1. Lilith, our main character, is one of the most obnoxious, stupid, and self-centered characters that I have read about in a long time. I could not stand her. I am so frustrated that
2. The plot! What the actual hell was this plot? You know, it actually could have been very good. The main story line was interesting! But it was ruined with Lilith's inner monologues, way too much unnecessary description, and the weird, jumping timeline.
3. It was so long. I kept looking at how much time left I had on the audio book, and each time I wanted to cry. Why did I not just give up on this one?! Ugh.
So there you have it. I did not enjoy this book. I don't know if I will try another one from this author. 2 stars.
I wanted to like this book. It sounded so interesting and perfect for fall! I love books about witches and magic! But y'all, don't waste your time on this one. I was bored to tears one moment, yelling at the characters the next, and wishing the whole time that the book would be over!
In order to keep this short, I'll just list a few reasons why this book didn't work for me:
1. Lilith, our main character, is one of the most obnoxious, stupid, and self-centered characters that I have read about in a long time. I could not stand her. I am so frustrated that
Spoiler
everything turned out perfect for her! She should have died and stayed dead. She does not deserve to come back to life, be with Bram, have extraordinary powers, and live happily every after.2. The plot! What the actual hell was this plot? You know, it actually could have been very good. The main story line was interesting! But it was ruined with Lilith's inner monologues, way too much unnecessary description, and the weird, jumping timeline.
3. It was so long. I kept looking at how much time left I had on the audio book, and each time I wanted to cry. Why did I not just give up on this one?! Ugh.
So there you have it. I did not enjoy this book. I don't know if I will try another one from this author. 2 stars.
2.75 stars
This was better than The Winter Witch but not by much. I did listen this to 3x times and I kind of tuned out with the boring parts (which was most of this book). Chapters 27 and after is what saved this book.
Trigger Warnings: death of parent, dead bodies, war themes, death, body horror, and gun shots
This was better than The Winter Witch but not by much. I did listen this to 3x times and I kind of tuned out with the boring parts (which was most of this book). Chapters 27 and after is what saved this book.
Trigger Warnings: death of parent, dead bodies, war themes, death, body horror, and gun shots
This was my first Paula Brackston, but will likely read her again. This was a historical fiction, with witchcraft thrown in, but the witchcraft wasn't over the top.
This book started out alright, but by halfway through it really began to seem like it had no plot. There were so many pointless delays and bad decisions that made no sense. Also, for the length of it and all the descriptions we get, you'd think the author would have taken time to tell us more about the magic. It is a book about witches, after all. This never happens, sadly. The key to the entire story is the so-called Elixir and yet we never learn how it was created or why the coven bothers protecting it at all instead of simply destroying it, since apparently it's so dangerous.
Finally, the ending. It just...stops. So much time is spent waiting for something momentous to happen. Instead it builds and builds until the final "battle" which lasts a few pages and then...boom its over, and I'm left with so many unanswered questions. Even an epilogue would have been nice.
Finally, the ending. It just...stops. So much time is spent waiting for something momentous to happen. Instead it builds and builds until the final "battle" which lasts a few pages and then...boom its over, and I'm left with so many unanswered questions. Even an epilogue would have been nice.
Lilith Montgomery has just been bequeathed the highest position in their witch's coven, following the death of her father, the Duke of Radnor, Robert Montgomery. At the young age of twenty one, Lilith is to become the next Head Witch of the Lazarus Coven, a responsibility so huge, challenging and dangerous for any witch, experienced or otherwise.
For being the Head Witch means guarding the Great Secret of the coven with her life, no matter what the cost, no matter what the sacrifice.
For centuries, their rival coven, The Sentinels, men who practice dark sorcery rather than witchcraft, have been on a deadly mission to reclaim the Great Secret and the Elixir. The past Lazarus witches had intervened and taken them away from the Sentinels to protect them and act as the moral guardians of such dangerous magic. And now, with a new and inexperienced Head Witch guarding the Elixir, there is no better time to attack.
Lilith's strength and resolve as a Head Witch are put to the test when she falls in love with the handsome and charismatic artist Bram Cardale, a non-witch who knows nothing about Lilith's secret life and the great power she holds. One by one, the people closest to Lilith are attacked by a malevolent dark spirit on the behest of the powerful Sentinel Nicholas Stricklend, and they will stop at nothing until she gives them what they want.
It is up to Lilith and her powers to save the people she loves, protect the sanctity of their coven, and fight the evil forces that threaten to tear their coven apart. Forces that are so much powerful and darker than she ever imagined. Is being head witch ever truly worth it? Is protecting the Secret worth losing her family, her friends, and the only man she ever truly loved?
I have read Paula Brackston's earlier novels (The Winter Witch and The Witch's Daughter) and liked them a lot, so I was expecting this book to be something that I would enjoy, too. Unfortunately, I didn't. If I could just utter an incantation that would make it possible for a reader to wring the neck of a character in a book, I would have done so faster than you can say 'Lumos!'
Lilith Montgomery is such an unreliable heroine and the only thing she was definitely good at was MESSING EVERYTHING UP. There are so many scenes that ran far longer than necessary it bored me to tears. It was also quite irritating to read from the first person point of view, and then switch to the third person next. It also didn't help that the big climactic events always ended abruptly in the chapter, only to jump years ahead in the future and have the character recount the events through flashbacks. It's a pity, too, because the storyline held so much promise --- good witches vs bad witches, spirits and demons, new head witch harnessing her power --- but the author chose to put more emphasis on the romance between Lilith and Bram, which plainly just ruined it for me.
For being the Head Witch means guarding the Great Secret of the coven with her life, no matter what the cost, no matter what the sacrifice.
For centuries, their rival coven, The Sentinels, men who practice dark sorcery rather than witchcraft, have been on a deadly mission to reclaim the Great Secret and the Elixir. The past Lazarus witches had intervened and taken them away from the Sentinels to protect them and act as the moral guardians of such dangerous magic. And now, with a new and inexperienced Head Witch guarding the Elixir, there is no better time to attack.
Lilith's strength and resolve as a Head Witch are put to the test when she falls in love with the handsome and charismatic artist Bram Cardale, a non-witch who knows nothing about Lilith's secret life and the great power she holds. One by one, the people closest to Lilith are attacked by a malevolent dark spirit on the behest of the powerful Sentinel Nicholas Stricklend, and they will stop at nothing until she gives them what they want.
It is up to Lilith and her powers to save the people she loves, protect the sanctity of their coven, and fight the evil forces that threaten to tear their coven apart. Forces that are so much powerful and darker than she ever imagined. Is being head witch ever truly worth it? Is protecting the Secret worth losing her family, her friends, and the only man she ever truly loved?
I have read Paula Brackston's earlier novels (The Winter Witch and The Witch's Daughter) and liked them a lot, so I was expecting this book to be something that I would enjoy, too. Unfortunately, I didn't. If I could just utter an incantation that would make it possible for a reader to wring the neck of a character in a book, I would have done so faster than you can say 'Lumos!'
Lilith Montgomery is such an unreliable heroine and the only thing she was definitely good at was MESSING EVERYTHING UP. There are so many scenes that ran far longer than necessary it bored me to tears. It was also quite irritating to read from the first person point of view, and then switch to the third person next. It also didn't help that the big climactic events always ended abruptly in the chapter, only to jump years ahead in the future and have the character recount the events through flashbacks. It's a pity, too, because the storyline held so much promise --- good witches vs bad witches, spirits and demons, new head witch harnessing her power --- but the author chose to put more emphasis on the romance between Lilith and Bram, which plainly just ruined it for me.
Read it to the end to see what would happen. Two story lines of WW1 and a coven of witches did not meld well. Would have been better as two separate stories. Historical elements (clothing, etc) did not quite match the time period either. Her other book, "The Witch's Daughter" was much better.