Reviews - The Book of Witching

1.48k reviews for:

The Book of Witching

C.J. Cooke

3.77 AVERAGE

ah_bee's review against another edition

5.0

dark mysterious sad tense slow-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

pizzacatreads's review against another edition

3.75

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

alicihonest's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

lilifane's review against another edition

4.0

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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

I'm still thinking about C.J. Cooke's "The Lighthouse Witches" from time to time. She manages to write these atmospheric, dark, heartbreaking, witchy stories with a dual timeline.
This time we follow Clem in 2024. Her daughter Erin was traveling with her two friends in Scotland, and then tragedy struck them. Erin is found burned and unconscious at the beach of a small island. Her boyfriend is dead nearby, and another friend is missing. Clem tries to find out what happened to the kids while waiting for Erin to heal and wake up.
The second POV is Alyson in 1594. She's a healer for her community on the same island in Scotland. When a conspiracy against the Earl is uncovered, Alyson is accused of witchcraft and has to stand trial.
The past timeline was very hard to read. I was so angry the whole time. The way Alyson is treated during the trial, the unfairness of it all, was rage-inducing and depressing. The fact that this story was inspired by real events gave it another emotional layer. It's so hard to grasp, but at the same time too easy to believe.
The present timeline wasn't as strong. I was intrigued by the mystery and heartbroken by the whole story. But some aspects were weird and wild, tbh. (the cult, the initiation, the friendships). That plot felt all over the place, like it packed too much in too few pages to feel completely satisfying. But I really liked the reveals, the way I liked the reveals in "The Lighthouse Witches". How it all came together in the end. It is something I do enjoy in C.J. Cooke's works, but I don't think it is for everyone. It's a very specific combination of vague magic, timey wimey stuff, generations spanning connections. It's mostly vibes and not grounded in some defined world-building. I love it!

mallabear's review

4.0

I initially had a hard time getting into this book, but it took off and I couldn't put it down. I did have a very hard time reading Alison's chapters and the terrible things done to her, and other women, accused of witchcraft. I thought the author did an amazing job taking historical research and weaving in magical elements to make a really riveting story.