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A review by missbliss
Bait and Witch by Angela M. Sanders
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Promising Premise, Lackluster Results
I struggled with this story. I had to keep pushing myself to finish. It is hard to put my finger on what was difficult because the premise does have promise. I had a hard time remembering and differentiating characters they did not feel clear enough. The early stages of the book some of the magic was presented in a way that was confusing and muddled. The protagonist's changing thoughts about folks in the town meant I often felt unsure of how I felt about people and therefore just did not feel connected to people in the town or did not care about certain dynamics. In particular certain relationships that were being built would have info revealed that just changed things in such a way with such a sudden turn I ceased to care. Sudden rug pulls on situations that already were feeling lackluster left me feeling no motivation to connect. Things I wished were given more time to breathe felt rushed through and things I wasn't as interested in the story seemed to be given lots of narration. This did have some of the cozy mystery tropes of face palm 'why on earth would you do that' which I do not enjoy. Also the hard shift between not understanding powers, to struggle to accept powers, to accept and excel with powers instantly did not feel believable and therefore like a forced plot device. By the end reveal I just was ready to be done and not rewarded by the answers--it felt more like a meaningless exposition and set up to the next story. There was a repeated tendency of developing a character then sharing something that walked that development back or completely changed what had developed. I understand characters change and have nuance but it left me feeling unmoored, struggling to keep characters straight, and not feeling a connection to anyone. I am able to get the second volume on loan so may try to see if this is a rough start that picks up as there are lots of elements I want to love in a cozy: small town, witchy, library. But I can't lie this volume left me feeling more meh than magical.
I struggled with this story. I had to keep pushing myself to finish. It is hard to put my finger on what was difficult because the premise does have promise. I had a hard time remembering and differentiating characters they did not feel clear enough. The early stages of the book some of the magic was presented in a way that was confusing and muddled. The protagonist's changing thoughts about folks in the town meant I often felt unsure of how I felt about people and therefore just did not feel connected to people in the town or did not care about certain dynamics. In particular certain relationships that were being built would have info revealed that just changed things in such a way with such a sudden turn I ceased to care. Sudden rug pulls on situations that already were feeling lackluster left me feeling no motivation to connect. Things I wished were given more time to breathe felt rushed through and things I wasn't as interested in the story seemed to be given lots of narration. This did have some of the cozy mystery tropes of face palm 'why on earth would you do that' which I do not enjoy. Also the hard shift between not understanding powers, to struggle to accept powers, to accept and excel with powers instantly did not feel believable and therefore like a forced plot device. By the end reveal I just was ready to be done and not rewarded by the answers--it felt more like a meaningless exposition and set up to the next story. There was a repeated tendency of developing a character then sharing something that walked that development back or completely changed what had developed. I understand characters change and have nuance but it left me feeling unmoored, struggling to keep characters straight, and not feeling a connection to anyone. I am able to get the second volume on loan so may try to see if this is a rough start that picks up as there are lots of elements I want to love in a cozy: small town, witchy, library. But I can't lie this volume left me feeling more meh than magical.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Kidnapping
Moderate: Violence