Review by xalrynne - The Coven

xalrynne 's review for:

The Coven by Harper L. Woods

2.5

dark fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I don’t normally read dark romance books, but I recently met this author and after talking with her for a few minutes, I felt bad that I hadn’t read any of her books because she was very nice and I enjoyed getting to know her. She pitched The Coven to me as “gothic dark academia with witches and vampires set in Salem” and told me how she started writing it on her trip to Salem one year. That honestly sounded like something I’d enjoy so here I am giving it a try.

I really enjoyed the beginning: the setup, the setting, the magic, and getting to know the characters. Willow was a total badass and I was so glad to see a strong female main character that doesn’t immediately swoon for the hot vampire the first time she sees him. She’s protective of her younger brother and puts that before her own safety. Reading about siblings who love each other has a soft spot in my heart because I am an only child who always wanted siblings.

The book up until 60% was really enjoyable for me. The worldbuilding was lacking a little bit, but the story and the setting and Willow’s character made up for that. Then the dark “romance” started to come in to play (nothing about what Gray did was romantic to me). Gray and Willow went from enemies to lovers to enemies to lovers to enemies. He lied to her and gaslighted her, and there was some dubious consent involved. I knew about this when I started the book because there’s a handy list of trigger warnings in the beginning. I honestly didn’t have an issue until about the 60% mark though, and then things started to get a little uncomfortable for me to read when the spicy scenes started to come into play.

Once I reached the 85% mark, the story became a bit unhinged, and the ending was quite messy. The plot went in directions I didn’t expect (not in a good way), and I was left feeling disappointed with how much I didn’t like the ending of the book because I liked the beginning so much.

Overall, I’m still convinced dark romance isn’t for me, even if there’s a gothic fantasy setting and cool magic and a strong female lead that I like. If you like the dark romance fantasy subgenre though, and you like lots of angst, then you will probably enjoy The Coven. I don’t plan on reading the sequel or any other books by this author, but I am glad I tried this one at least.

Content Warnings