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booksnapsandcatnaps's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
The intriguing premise of "An Intrigue of Witches"—a covert witch society—drew me in, but the book soon devolved into a maze of conspiracy theories, witches, secret organizations, artificial intelligence, and more. I was captivated by the fast-paced narrative, which reminded me a lot of National Treasure.
But as the secrets began coming to light, I noticed I was becoming disoriented. Even though there was still a lot of the book left to read, the plot advanced at such a rapid pace that by the time I was 25% of the way through, I felt like the mystery was coming to an end. From then on, the revelations came one after the other, like in a Scooby Doo episode where they would unmask the villain, but the unmasking never stopped.
The attempt to fit what seemed like a series' worth of content into one book was one of my biggest criticisms of it. I had a hard time keeping up with all of the bloodlines, groups, and conspiracies that were introduced because it was so overwhelming and complex.
The storytelling method presented another issue. The book frequently resorted to characters monologuing about their secrets, which made the plot appear more like a series of information dumps rather than a coherent narrative. This was in contrast to presenting us with the clues and allowing us to piece things together.
"An Intrigue of Witches" had potential despite these problems. I thought the concept was intriguing and could see how all the components and revelations could work together as a series. But everything in this novel felt crammed together, making for a disorganized and overpowering plot that required work to truly appreciate.
But as the secrets began coming to light, I noticed I was becoming disoriented. Even though there was still a lot of the book left to read, the plot advanced at such a rapid pace that by the time I was 25% of the way through, I felt like the mystery was coming to an end. From then on, the revelations came one after the other, like in a Scooby Doo episode where they would unmask the villain, but the unmasking never stopped.
The attempt to fit what seemed like a series' worth of content into one book was one of my biggest criticisms of it. I had a hard time keeping up with all of the bloodlines, groups, and conspiracies that were introduced because it was so overwhelming and complex.
The storytelling method presented another issue. The book frequently resorted to characters monologuing about their secrets, which made the plot appear more like a series of information dumps rather than a coherent narrative. This was in contrast to presenting us with the clues and allowing us to piece things together.
"An Intrigue of Witches" had potential despite these problems. I thought the concept was intriguing and could see how all the components and revelations could work together as a series. But everything in this novel felt crammed together, making for a disorganized and overpowering plot that required work to truly appreciate.
nightwing's review
Stopped at 20% of the way through. I wish the book had a different title because I was expecting actual witches and magic stuff--this is more of a historical treasure hunt with tons of info dumping.
trish_beautifulchaosreviews's review
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
3.5 (rounded up to 4) 🌟
0 🌟
I enjoyed this book quite a bit. It seemed a bit choppy at times, but the story was quite good overall, and I liked the premise. The story dragged a bit at times but then would pick back up and keep the action flowing. I believe much of what we learned in this book sets up a grander conflict in upcoming books in the series. I would like to see more development of the side characters if they are part of her team and assist her in the future. I particularly would like her to be less wishy-washy about Gabe. One minute she really likes him, and the next, she's rather dismissive. She needs to at least let him know if he's to be her hero. As I said it was an enjoyable read, there were some rocky parts, but overall I enjoyed it and would read the next in the series.
Thank you, NetGalley and Severn House, for an advanced copy. These opinions are my own.
0 🌟
I enjoyed this book quite a bit. It seemed a bit choppy at times, but the story was quite good overall, and I liked the premise. The story dragged a bit at times but then would pick back up and keep the action flowing. I believe much of what we learned in this book sets up a grander conflict in upcoming books in the series. I would like to see more development of the side characters if they are part of her team and assist her in the future. I particularly would like her to be less wishy-washy about Gabe. One minute she really likes him, and the next, she's rather dismissive. She needs to at least let him know if he's to be her hero. As I said it was an enjoyable read, there were some rocky parts, but overall I enjoyed it and would read the next in the series.
Thank you, NetGalley and Severn House, for an advanced copy. These opinions are my own.
jessawilson's review
This book was not for me. It's got a flare for history, puzzles, conspiracy theories, fantasy, and sci-fi. It's like National Treasure with fantasy and sci-fi take.
I loved the FMC. Her confidence and intelligence shined through. You could really feel for her. The small town felt like being in like Rosewood or Stars Hollow.
I struggled with how the history was told rather than shown as was a lot of the details. I felt like there was a lot thrown at you and it was hard to keep up for me. I don't know if it's because my brain was tired after work or this just wasn't the book for me.
Thank you to Netgalley, Severn House Publishers, and Esme Addison for providing an e-ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.
I loved the FMC. Her confidence and intelligence shined through. You could really feel for her. The small town felt like being in like Rosewood or Stars Hollow.
I struggled with how the history was told rather than shown as was a lot of the details. I felt like there was a lot thrown at you and it was hard to keep up for me. I don't know if it's because my brain was tired after work or this just wasn't the book for me.
Thank you to Netgalley, Severn House Publishers, and Esme Addison for providing an e-ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.
leelee_reads10's review
3.0
Thank you #netgalley for this early copy
This book is action packed and has a lot going on I enjoyed the history and mythology aspects of the story
It' got a little confusing in parts but overall I enjoyed it
This book is action packed and has a lot going on I enjoyed the history and mythology aspects of the story
It' got a little confusing in parts but overall I enjoyed it
kusine's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
0.25
amyashby's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley for an e-ARC of An Intrigue of Witches!
If I'm being brutally honest, for the first half of this book, I did find myself bored and a little bit confused. I feel like the historical crossovers got too much at times (VR, American Witches emigrating to Scotland, a royal bloodline descended from Ancient Egypt... all that in one book was very overwhelming). However after the halfway point, the action and plot crossed over and I was gripped for the second half, and reminded me very much of a Tomb Raider movie! If there are any further books by Addison, I would be very happy to read them, especially if they involve the same loveable main character of Sidney!
If I'm being brutally honest, for the first half of this book, I did find myself bored and a little bit confused. I feel like the historical crossovers got too much at times (VR, American Witches emigrating to Scotland, a royal bloodline descended from Ancient Egypt... all that in one book was very overwhelming). However after the halfway point, the action and plot crossed over and I was gripped for the second half, and reminded me very much of a Tomb Raider movie! If there are any further books by Addison, I would be very happy to read them, especially if they involve the same loveable main character of Sidney!
heather_j_fitt's review against another edition
Found the writing clunky and juvenile. Couldn’t connect with the story or the MC.
hereforethebooks's review against another edition
This is gonna have a lot of spoilers and just random thoughts i had throughout this book. I do feel like i could have finished this book but honestly it annoyed me so much that my intrigue into how it all turned out was not strong enough.
Now firstly when we are first introduced to our fmc omg she is so fucking annoying and the whole woe is me omg im in so much credit card debt because my parents are millionaires and wouldnt give me money but i had to live in the best neighbourhood and have the nicest clothes so im in debt is so crazy like wtf?!?
Also the plot has way too much going on, at the start i was like ok this is kinda cool we’re gonna have a mix of sci-fi and fantasy with this ultra modern world where vr is gonna take over and theres witches… well i got to 35% and shock surprise no witches yet. Its literally in the title how do we have no witches??
However i did enjoy that the author used actual people from history and as someone who doesnt really read historical fantasy i really enjoyed it.
The main reason i dnf’ed this book is because i just got the biggest info dumping of the randomest shit about this royal bloodline and a character starts saying shit like slave owners were having sex with their slaves because they wanted to continue the bloodline that ran through the slaves dna? like firstly how would they even know who had the royal blood and who didnt and then the whole convoluted story about this specific bloodline is supposed to rule the world and the ‘opposition’ has been trying to take them down for centuries is so far fetched its crazy.
Now firstly when we are first introduced to our fmc omg she is so fucking annoying and the whole woe is me omg im in so much credit card debt because my parents are millionaires and wouldnt give me money but i had to live in the best neighbourhood and have the nicest clothes so im in debt is so crazy like wtf?!?
Also the plot has way too much going on, at the start i was like ok this is kinda cool we’re gonna have a mix of sci-fi and fantasy with this ultra modern world where vr is gonna take over and theres witches… well i got to 35% and shock surprise no witches yet. Its literally in the title how do we have no witches??
However i did enjoy that the author used actual people from history and as someone who doesnt really read historical fantasy i really enjoyed it.
The main reason i dnf’ed this book is because i just got the biggest info dumping of the randomest shit about this royal bloodline and a character starts saying shit like slave owners were having sex with their slaves because they wanted to continue the bloodline that ran through the slaves dna? like firstly how would they even know who had the royal blood and who didnt and then the whole convoluted story about this specific bloodline is supposed to rule the world and the ‘opposition’ has been trying to take them down for centuries is so far fetched its crazy.
kariann_reading_journey's review against another edition
4.0
An Intrigue of Witches is a relatively fast paced read featuring secret societies with their own agendas. I really appreciated how quick of a read this was. It’s worth noting, though, that there’s a lot of information presented in the relatively short book. However, because it’s on the shorter side, there wasn’t a lot of delving in to the details of the information presented. For the majority of the story it stays relatively at the surface level. Given that it’s the first book in the series, I’m hoping that means we’ll get more of a deep dive in future book(s). Unfortunately, I struggled with connecting to many of the characters. I’m hoping that will also change with future books as we spend more time with them. I really loved the whole premise of the book between the secret societies and puzzles hidden throughout history. The plot also featured enough tension from the competing societies and enough twists to keep me thoroughly engaged. If you enjoy magic mixed with history or the movie National Treasure, this book may be perfect for you.
✨
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eARC courtesy of Netgalley and Severn House
✨
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eARC courtesy of Netgalley and Severn House