Scan barcode
A review by allisonwonderlandreads
Witch Please by Ann Aguirre
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
In this witchy contemporary romance, two soulmates meet over broken appliances. Danica is a witch with technological powers, and Titus is a bi baker and actual human cinnamon roll. Their banter is silly and cute and all-around adorable. In the beginning butterflies-and-hardcore-crushing phase, I enjoyed their sweet anticipation of seeing one another for each encounter. The conflict is largely external because if Danica falls for Titus, she will face a family curse that takes her magic away.
An aspect of the story with a lot of promise is the family dynamics of both characters, messy with both deep love and bruising hurts. I was intrigued early on that family issues weren't relegated to backstory or provided purely as a connection point between the two lovebirds. I loved the amount of airtime given to those stories and the way they built into the plot. Titus is struggling with how easily his father moved on to form a new family after his mother died. Danica's grandmother is emotionally manipulative and trying to force her granddaughters into magical matches.
My problems with the book stemmed from the way everything is wrapped up. The love story is a whirlwind, and I was disappointed that while open communication is a big feature of the romance (my fave), there are some giant witchy-sized secrets between them until the bitter end. I found it especially problematic given the ways that magic had secretly (and negatively) impacted the trajectory of Titus' life and will continue to do so. Furthermore, the horrors wrought by Danica's grandmother are not completely addressed. Whereas Titus' family makes progress without reaching unrealistic perfection, Danica's story just feels unfinished. I suspect that this is partly because her family's drama will continue in a sequel, but I was disappointed that we didn't see Danica get closure with the several family members who tried to pull her strings. I was especially concerned that Danica's cousin/best friend's manipulations are never addressed as problematic and childish. At least the grandmother is cast squarely as a villain even if her fate is still undecided.
I think this book has good bones in a lot of ways, but I didn't find the conclusion was worthy of those first adorable moments that drew me in. I think that readers who want a paranormal romance that feels based in the real world and that keeps things relatively light will enjoy this take on the genre. Just expect some of the conflict to be left unresolved.
Thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!
An aspect of the story with a lot of promise is the family dynamics of both characters, messy with both deep love and bruising hurts. I was intrigued early on that family issues weren't relegated to backstory or provided purely as a connection point between the two lovebirds. I loved the amount of airtime given to those stories and the way they built into the plot. Titus is struggling with how easily his father moved on to form a new family after his mother died. Danica's grandmother is emotionally manipulative and trying to force her granddaughters into magical matches.
My problems with the book stemmed from the way everything is wrapped up. The love story is a whirlwind, and I was disappointed that while open communication is a big feature of the romance (my fave), there are some giant witchy-sized secrets between them until the bitter end. I found it especially problematic given the ways that magic had secretly (and negatively) impacted the trajectory of Titus' life and will continue to do so. Furthermore, the horrors wrought by Danica's grandmother are not completely addressed. Whereas Titus' family makes progress without reaching unrealistic perfection, Danica's story just feels unfinished. I suspect that this is partly because her family's drama will continue in a sequel, but I was disappointed that we didn't see Danica get closure with the several family members who tried to pull her strings. I was especially concerned that Danica's cousin/best friend's manipulations are never addressed as problematic and childish. At least the grandmother is cast squarely as a villain even if her fate is still undecided.
I think this book has good bones in a lot of ways, but I didn't find the conclusion was worthy of those first adorable moments that drew me in. I think that readers who want a paranormal romance that feels based in the real world and that keeps things relatively light will enjoy this take on the genre. Just expect some of the conflict to be left unresolved.
Thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Abandonment, Death of parent, Grief, and Terminal illness
Minor: Biphobia and Infidelity