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blueyogi's review
reflective
relaxing
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Classism, War, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Death, Medical trauma, Religious bigotry, and Sexism
Minor: Animal cruelty, Infertility, Animal death, Infidelity, Abortion, Abandonment, Antisemitism, Grief, and Death of parent
mburnsides's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I’m indecisive on how to rate this book. On one hand I believe it's well written and has developed characters and storylines, but on the other hand it's just so slow and so long and every new section follows the same general outline. With a variety of storylines and individual sections focusing on one main character, it's hard to dislike the entire book, as each section is like its own small book.
Nanette ★★★☆☆
This first section establishes the general outline for each following section- a girl comes of age, learns about her family’s history of witchcraft, has a baby out of wedlock, and her story ends, each in a unique way- Nanette having knowledge of witchcraft from the beginning. Her story is short and sweet, albeit sad.
Ursule ★★★★☆
Ursule was one of my favorite characters. Her initial rejection of witchcraft was unique to her character, and her relationships were more interesting to read. I liked the plot of her section as well as the fast and dramatic ending.
Irene ★★☆☆☆
The most irritating of the main women. Irene is unlikable from the very first page of her section. Luckily, her part of the story is fairly short. Her horrible treatment towards her mother, daughter, and lover gets her in the end. She’s the only main character that is written as a villain in her own story.
Morwen ★★★☆☆
This section is fairly forgettable alongside Nanette. Morwen doesn’t do much but ride her horse and fight against her mother’s wishes. She’s the only woman to not have a second lover or get pregnant outside of her marriage.
Veronica ★★★★☆
My favorite of the sections, Morgan actually gives the time to build a connection with the character. Although I found the incorporation of Queen Elizabeth as a witch to be strange, it was such a small aspect to Veronica’s story that it's forgettable. This section has the most male characters and the most deaths of minor characters (alongside Ursule), but has a genuine romantic relationship between the main woman and her lover. I did not care about Phillip or Thomas, and found Valery to be a very likable character. Their relationship was the most romantic, in my opinion, which made the section a much easier read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Infidelity, Murder, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, War, and Sexism
Minor: Rape and Animal cruelty
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