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jennywrennn's review
4.0
Ok, *loved* this.
I feel like this is what I was hoping These Witches Don’t Burn would be. While I enjoyed that one, it was too fluffy for me. I wanted darkness, power, edge, urgency, sisterhood, sigils and occultism, all that fun spooky stuff - Scapegracers delivered big time.
The comparisons to The Craft are pretty spot on without the story being copied in any way - but the magic is so deep and dark and powerful - the girls are diverse and edgy and real - the setting is chilly and grey and autumnal and halloween-ish, there is creepiness and uncertainty and a healthy dose of kickass feminism.
The characters were well fleshed out, their personalities came across very well - the only thing I felt I was missing was a bit more history - the story really just jumps in right in the middle of everything, and I personally felt I could have used a little more setup - both to bond me more with the characters, and to avoid some of the confusion I felt for the first 2 or 3 chapters. For example, as the blurb says, the book opens with Sideways at the party setting up a spell - I would have loved to have read a bit more about her life at school as an outcast, how she interacted with the other 3 girls pre-party, how they approached her to ask her to perform at the party, etc - I like a little setup before jumping into the story, personally, even just a couple pages.
I loved the prose here, the writing was stunning, but I did feel it got a little bit old and over-used after a while - this is a novel, but at times it felt like reading poetry, and occasionally it went too far - the story is told by Sideways, who is an awkward teenage witch with a sailor’s mouth - so the lyrical prose happening in every other paragraph occasionally felt a bit forced as her voice - but it was beautiful so I’m not sure this is a real complaint.
I also personally have no problem with swearing, but it felt here like the F word was over-used in order to make our characters seem tough, but it just came across stilted. F*** doesn’t need to be used to make a statement powerful - in fact sometimes it ruins the intensity.
I loved the way this magic was written - all sigils and drawing power from the universe and each other, all electricity and storms and leather-bound grimoires. This is my kind of magic. It’s not wands and potions or fireballs thrown from hands - it’s more like what magic would be like if it was real, or closer to how wiccans etc practice it today. It helped the story feel more grounded and believable.
The pacing did feel a little bit off, and the ending was very abrubt - Especially reading it as an E-book and not being able to see that there were only a few pages left - I reached the last page and swiped to get to the next chapter, and was baffled to realize that was the end of the book. It was more than a cliffhanger, it felt unfinished. I know this is set to be a trilogy, and I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book, but the way this ended felt very anticlimactic. There was no final battle or confrontation, none of the problems were solved, only more loose ends and plot points opened and left there to hang. I feel the book could have been tightened up in other places in order to at least have a bit of a final climax to round the story out, while still leaving it open for sequels.
Overall, I was a big fan - I do think it could have used some tidying up and rounding out, but who knows - by the time I read book two maybe all my questions will be answered and I’ll be eating my words.
Generally would recommend this to anybody who likes The Craft or Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.
*Special thanks to Edelweiss and the publishers for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review*
5* Loved this book, wished it would never end.
4* Really enjoyed this book, will probably read again.
3* It was fine, but I won’t read it again.
2* Not a fan, won’t read again - but could see why other people might like it.
1* Hated it, wish I could get that time back, no one should read this ever.
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I feel like this is what I was hoping These Witches Don’t Burn would be. While I enjoyed that one, it was too fluffy for me. I wanted darkness, power, edge, urgency, sisterhood, sigils and occultism, all that fun spooky stuff - Scapegracers delivered big time.
The comparisons to The Craft are pretty spot on without the story being copied in any way - but the magic is so deep and dark and powerful - the girls are diverse and edgy and real - the setting is chilly and grey and autumnal and halloween-ish, there is creepiness and uncertainty and a healthy dose of kickass feminism.
The characters were well fleshed out, their personalities came across very well - the only thing I felt I was missing was a bit more history - the story really just jumps in right in the middle of everything, and I personally felt I could have used a little more setup - both to bond me more with the characters, and to avoid some of the confusion I felt for the first 2 or 3 chapters. For example, as the blurb says, the book opens with Sideways at the party setting up a spell - I would have loved to have read a bit more about her life at school as an outcast, how she interacted with the other 3 girls pre-party, how they approached her to ask her to perform at the party, etc - I like a little setup before jumping into the story, personally, even just a couple pages.
I loved the prose here, the writing was stunning, but I did feel it got a little bit old and over-used after a while - this is a novel, but at times it felt like reading poetry, and occasionally it went too far - the story is told by Sideways, who is an awkward teenage witch with a sailor’s mouth - so the lyrical prose happening in every other paragraph occasionally felt a bit forced as her voice - but it was beautiful so I’m not sure this is a real complaint.
I also personally have no problem with swearing, but it felt here like the F word was over-used in order to make our characters seem tough, but it just came across stilted. F*** doesn’t need to be used to make a statement powerful - in fact sometimes it ruins the intensity.
I loved the way this magic was written - all sigils and drawing power from the universe and each other, all electricity and storms and leather-bound grimoires. This is my kind of magic. It’s not wands and potions or fireballs thrown from hands - it’s more like what magic would be like if it was real, or closer to how wiccans etc practice it today. It helped the story feel more grounded and believable.
The pacing did feel a little bit off, and the ending was very abrubt - Especially reading it as an E-book and not being able to see that there were only a few pages left - I reached the last page and swiped to get to the next chapter, and was baffled to realize that was the end of the book. It was more than a cliffhanger, it felt unfinished. I know this is set to be a trilogy, and I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book, but the way this ended felt very anticlimactic. There was no final battle or confrontation, none of the problems were solved, only more loose ends and plot points opened and left there to hang. I feel the book could have been tightened up in other places in order to at least have a bit of a final climax to round the story out, while still leaving it open for sequels.
Overall, I was a big fan - I do think it could have used some tidying up and rounding out, but who knows - by the time I read book two maybe all my questions will be answered and I’ll be eating my words.
Generally would recommend this to anybody who likes The Craft or Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.
*Special thanks to Edelweiss and the publishers for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review*
5* Loved this book, wished it would never end.
4* Really enjoyed this book, will probably read again.
3* It was fine, but I won’t read it again.
2* Not a fan, won’t read again - but could see why other people might like it.
1* Hated it, wish I could get that time back, no one should read this ever.
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leafblade's review
DNF @ 33%
I got a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The chapters are too long, we get thrown in the middle of the action and nothing gets explained. I tried to tell the side characters apart but I just couldn't, and there were confusing signs as to which of them was queer. I feel like this story could've worked with a stronger base, seeing at least two or three chapters of the MC's family and school life before the magic appeared.
Also I'm not really sure how normal people see magic? This girl gets invited to a party to do flashy magic (it was said multiple times, in narration and dialogue, that it was ACTUAL DANGEROUS MAGIC and not some party trick) and succeeds, but then when someone confronts her about it the next day she and her friends insist it was just some trick of the light or something.
Overall it just frustrated it. I didn't understand a thing that was going on, and when I did I didn't care because I didn't recognize the characters. Every time I'd read someone's name it'd be as if I was reading it for the first time. And it's sad because the synopsis sounded right up my alley, but it has a pretty confusing beginning that I'm not willing to get through to get to the juicy bits.
I got a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The chapters are too long, we get thrown in the middle of the action and nothing gets explained. I tried to tell the side characters apart but I just couldn't, and there were confusing signs as to which of them was queer. I feel like this story could've worked with a stronger base, seeing at least two or three chapters of the MC's family and school life before the magic appeared.
Also I'm not really sure how normal people see magic? This girl gets invited to a party to do flashy magic (it was said multiple times, in narration and dialogue, that it was ACTUAL DANGEROUS MAGIC and not some party trick) and succeeds, but then when someone confronts her about it the next day she and her friends insist it was just some trick of the light or something.
Overall it just frustrated it. I didn't understand a thing that was going on, and when I did I didn't care because I didn't recognize the characters. Every time I'd read someone's name it'd be as if I was reading it for the first time. And it's sad because the synopsis sounded right up my alley, but it has a pretty confusing beginning that I'm not willing to get through to get to the juicy bits.
blackberryreads's review
2.0
Would make a great TV show, but half of the book was just descriptions of scenery which slowed the story down way too much
janagaton's review
4.0
I SURPRISINGLY LAUGHED SO MANY TIMES THROUGHOUT THIS BOOK. Great one-liners. Every characters' sense of humor is just stellar. I loved the friendships in this book. I loved Sideways' two dads. Loved the possession, the hexing of shitty men, the ending, the WEIRDNESS. I was slightly confused by the magic system, but that was probably just a me thing. This reminded me so much of Bunny by Mona Awad, and i was LIVING for it. I'm so glad I pushed past the first 30 pages that I was kind of struggling with because it was DEFINITELY worth it.
lunaballz's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ilaxaria's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death of parent, Stalking, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Homophobia
allie_in_wonderland's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
ericainreallife's review
I can’t rate it because I couldn’t get into the writing. I’m sure there was a good story there, but the prose wasn’t for me.
marieintheraw's review
3.0
Overall, outside of some writing and first book issues, this is an interesting beginning to a witchy series.
I received an ecopy of this book via Netgalley; however, my opinions are my own.
I received an ecopy of this book via Netgalley; however, my opinions are my own.