The Book of Witching by C.J. Cooke

1.5k reviews for:

The Book of Witching

C.J. Cooke

3.77 AVERAGE

mgreig's review

4.5
dark emotional sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
brilynnluna's profile picture

brilynnluna's review

3.0
dark mysterious medium-paced
megancmahon's profile picture

megancmahon's review

2.0
dark mysterious tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No
Spoilers!

The more I thought about this book, the less I liked it. It DESPERATELY needed an editor.

What I liked:
  • By far the coolest part about this was learning that the Book of Witching (or something very similar) actually existed
  • The first section of this book really gripped me. I liked the mystery aspect, which was delightfully dark, and wondering what Erin had got herself involved in
  • The hints we got of Orkney folklore were fascinating 

What I didn't:
  • This book needed a thorough edit. There were multiple typos and instances where character's names were used incorrectly, or inconsistencies. Out of all possible pet peeves in a book, this is my BIGGEST ONE
  • There was no real resolution, no real plot, not even a real mystery. We know from the BEGINNING that Alison dies, so there's almost no point to drawing out her story so much. We already know the conclusion
  • Alison's sacrifice essentially does nothing, as we learn over 70 women were later murdered on similar charges
  • The past and present switches - and the 2-page chapters - really annoyed me
  • Erin and Freya's chapters were just sort of meh. They go back and forth between places so quickly, and so little of the lore is ever explained behind what they're doing, that there seemed very little point to it
  • Everything was really anticlimactic
  • The selling point of this book - girl wakes up after terrible burn calling herself a different name - goes nowhere. We don't learn WHY Edward has possessed her as Nyx, we don't learn about HOW he did it, and Edward's story just sort of...ends. No real ending or resolution 
  • None of the characters were well-developed enough for me to really care about them
  • The Book of Witching had the potential to be really neat, but we don't learn anything about it. Cooke inserts a random devilish origin and leaves it at that

This is the second of Cooke's that I've read and been underwhelmed by, and I've come to the conclusion that she's not for me. If you're gonna spook me, commit to spooking me. ALSO. This was not Gothic. I'm sick of reviewers and blurbers calling something "Gothic" when it barely merits the title of "eerie."

kyproff's review

3.5
dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

bgrable92's review

5.0
Compelling and spooky, I loved the dual timelines and multiple POVs, they really lent to the story. I loved it!

fsws's review against another edition

4.25
challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
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nadiamg_reads's profile picture

nadiamg_reads's review against another edition

2.5
dark mysterious medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated
Had this book solely been about Alison and her story, I would have rated it much higher. There was no need for Erin/Clem. The constant jumping back and forth broke up the rhythm too much. Plus, I was totally uninterested in their storyline, and it didn’t get better. 

Overall, a disappointment and a struggle to finish. 
a_davis's profile picture

a_davis's review against another edition

4.0
challenging mysterious tense slow-paced
the end felt a little rushed and half assed but overall I really liked it! we love a well researched historical fiction <3
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sarah_eliz's profile picture

sarah_eliz's review against another edition

3.75
dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

jruth0123's review

4.5
dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated