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A review by kalira
Bewitching Rosemary by Colleen Delaney
adventurous
emotional
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.75
(I received a free copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.)
Honestly I loved the setup for this book included right at the end of the first one (though the Witches of Star Island, as a series, builds onwards but I believe this one is cohesive and understandable without that background), and I was delighted to read through it with a bit more from Rosemary's perspective starting out here. (Though, like her sisters, I rolled my eyes at her reaction a bit.)
I continue to enjoy the worldbuilding and diversity of magical specialisation and talents in this world, which gets a boost and expansion with the shifted perspective! Rosemary, after all, has a very different skillset and focus than Laurel. (Sidenote: I'm quite interested in Verbena's history and in seeing more of Sage, especially from her perspective; I love a badass nature witch! Which made this one fun as well, because Rosemary? She can step up to that as well.) I would be happy with a little more about their world and its magic and structures, actually, but it doesn't feel too lacking - the Bay sisters are generally quite and understandably focused on their immediate issues as we peek into their lives, after all.
As a character I found Rosemary less grating than Laurel (who I did like somewhat, but also found to be very much the embodiment of an aged up - but not matured - Edgy Teenager; it grew tiresome very swiftly), but perhaps with some more foundation level issues - as in, I had issues with her choices and attitudes at times.
'Is it immoral to do a sex magic spell on a man I just met to make him trust me completely and implicitly? I don't know; no, actually, it's fine.'
. . .madam, let me count the ways that is not okay.
(Specifically, doing magic on someone without permission, and involving someone in sex magic without knowledge or consent, and doing a spell to make someone I've barely spoken to trust everything I say completely.)
While I'm glad it didn't force a misunderstanding argument and parting and take time to get over, as we had with Laurel and Owen, at that point in the book and their relationship, when Rosemary let that attempt slip and Asher found out, I do feel he could and likely should have been a teensy bit more upset. It felt rather jarring that he basically wasn't at all.
That aside, Rosemary feels like a more compelling character to me personally, albeit one occasionally a little hung up on her devotion to sex magic and recreational substances. (That aggravating and faintly caricature-esque set of traits did fade as the story developed; much as at least some of Laurel's dissipated through her own novel. I suspect part of the issue may be either Delaney's writing - a little sloppy at times - or editing process. There were likewise a couple of places where Asher's traits/opinions seemed to have changed without reason or acknowledgement (e.g.'I can't imagine myself as anything but a cop' early on, when later he thought 'I should never have become a cop, it doesn't suit me' later, not as a progression but a fait accompli. ).
I also deeply liked Asher, perhaps even more than Owen. I was not at all surprised by the revelation that he, too, is not a mundane human; I had been suspecting it since . . . the beginning, basically. I wonder if Delaney might be chickening out of making any of her heroines' soulmates a mundane, non-magical human, despite the fact that their father and grandfather were .
It felt like we spent even more time with Rosemary's past life than Laurel's, despite the fact that - as she's not a hedge witch - the only time we did was when she did her past life spell, going in blind. It was a compelling story and a good, full look at that life, however, and it was only a passing thought a couple of times that we were getting a lot of time in this that is not actually the story of the 'now' we're reading. . .
The heavy focus on sex (and occasionally a little dubious places and developments for sexy scenes, entirely aside from Rosemary's taste for exhibitionism and similar) remains similar to the first book, but I expected it this time . . . and it suited Rosemary a little more and mostly felt less out of place here.
Much like with Owen, it would have been (would be) nice to meet more of his family, but expanding the world a little with Guardians is interesting, as are the further hints of councils (even if the USA's is evidently very lacking). And necessary developments, perhaps, given the expansion of the Bay sisters' enemies coming after them!
Again, I'm left curious and hope to read further stories about the Bay sisters and their soulmates, and their world.
Honestly I loved the setup for this book included right at the end of the first one (though the Witches of Star Island, as a series, builds onwards but I believe this one is cohesive and understandable without that background), and I was delighted to read through it with a bit more from Rosemary's perspective starting out here. (Though, like her sisters, I rolled my eyes at her reaction a bit.)
I continue to enjoy the worldbuilding and diversity of magical specialisation and talents in this world, which gets a boost and expansion with the shifted perspective! Rosemary, after all, has a very different skillset and focus than Laurel. (Sidenote: I'm quite interested in Verbena's history and in seeing more of Sage, especially from her perspective; I love a badass nature witch! Which made this one fun as well, because Rosemary? She can step up to that as well.) I would be happy with a little more about their world and its magic and structures, actually, but it doesn't feel too lacking - the Bay sisters are generally quite and understandably focused on their immediate issues as we peek into their lives, after all.
As a character I found Rosemary less grating than Laurel (who I did like somewhat, but also found to be very much the embodiment of an aged up - but not matured - Edgy Teenager; it grew tiresome very swiftly), but perhaps with some more foundation level issues - as in, I had issues with her choices and attitudes at times.
'Is it immoral to do a sex magic spell on a man I just met to make him trust me completely and implicitly? I don't know; no, actually, it's fine.'
. . .madam, let me count the ways that is not okay.
(Specifically, doing magic on someone without permission, and involving someone in sex magic without knowledge or consent, and doing a spell to make someone I've barely spoken to trust everything I say completely.)
That aside, Rosemary feels like a more compelling character to me personally, albeit one occasionally a little hung up on her devotion to sex magic and recreational substances. (That aggravating and faintly caricature-esque set of traits did fade as the story developed; much as at least some of Laurel's dissipated through her own novel. I suspect part of the issue may be either Delaney's writing - a little sloppy at times - or editing process. There were likewise a couple of places where Asher's traits/opinions seemed to have changed without reason or acknowledgement (e.g.
I also deeply liked Asher, perhaps even more than Owen. I was not at all surprised by the revelation
It felt like we spent even more time with Rosemary's past life than Laurel's, despite the fact that - as she's not a hedge witch - the only time we did was when she did her past life spell, going in blind. It was a compelling story and a good, full look at that life, however, and it was only a passing thought a couple of times that we were getting a lot of time in this that is not actually the story of the 'now' we're reading. . .
The heavy focus on sex (and occasionally a little dubious places and developments for sexy scenes, entirely aside from Rosemary's taste for exhibitionism and similar) remains similar to the first book, but I expected it this time . . . and it suited Rosemary a little more and mostly felt less out of place here.
Much like with Owen, it would have been (would be) nice to meet more of his family, but expanding the world a little with Guardians is interesting, as are the further hints of councils (even if the USA's is evidently very lacking). And necessary developments, perhaps, given the expansion of the Bay sisters' enemies coming after them!
Again, I'm left curious and hope to read further stories about the Bay sisters and their soulmates, and their world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Death, Gun violence, Slavery, Blood, and Pregnancy