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mfrisk's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Really sad I didn’t like this one as I love the art but the story in this just falls incredibly flat. The characters have no depth, the action and gore is forced and uneven, the pacing makes little sense, and overall the concept is interesting but didn’t go anywhere.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Death, and Murder
annemaries_shelves's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I LOVE the premise (badass blood magic coven of witches who reincarnate) and the artwork is amazing! There's also a queer WLW romance in the volume, although most of the time they're separated and all of the women are in straight marriages (it is the quintessential 1950s suburbia scheme after all). It's a fun and quick read and fills that need for spooky October vibes.
However, I have two main critiques.
1) Pacing: the volume spends more time than necessary with the coven as housewives being gaslit - I wish it had picked up the pace a bit in terms of the witches realizing their powers and taking control. I appreciated the slow creepy factor of the gaslighting/emotional domestic abuse but it took a long time to get to the action. And then it kind of ended abruptly for me.
2) Characterization: the one Black character is a tad bit too stereotypical, which is a shame because she (and all the witches) are awesome. There's also a slur used in reference to the Asian character (in the prologue set in 1873), which was unnecessary. We don't get a true sense of who these women are as full witches, since they're under the control of the Architect for the majority of time, so I would love to see more character development in future volumes.
I would love a movie version of this premise though, and absolutely would pick up a second volume if it ever releases. I need to know if Isadora and Nadiya get back together in their newest forms!
Content warnings: animal death (cat), violence/blood, one anti-Asian slur, domestic abuse (emotional/controlling)
However, I have two main critiques.
1) Pacing: the volume spends more time than necessary with the coven as housewives being gaslit - I wish it had picked up the pace a bit in terms of the witches realizing their powers and taking control. I appreciated the slow creepy factor of the gaslighting/emotional domestic abuse but it took a long time to get to the action. And then it kind of ended abruptly for me.
2) Characterization: the one Black character is a tad bit too stereotypical, which is a shame because she (and all the witches) are awesome. There's also a slur used in reference to the Asian character (in the prologue set in 1873), which was unnecessary. We don't get a true sense of who these women are as full witches, since they're under the control of the Architect for the majority of time, so I would love to see more character development in future volumes.
I would love a movie version of this premise though, and absolutely would pick up a second volume if it ever releases. I need to know if Isadora and Nadiya get back together in their newest forms!
Content warnings: animal death (cat), violence/blood, one anti-Asian slur, domestic abuse (emotional/controlling)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Gaslighting, Fire/Fire injury, Confinement, Animal death, and Emotional abuse
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