Scan barcode
A review by aromarrie
The League of Gentlewomen Witches by India Holton
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
the author quotes jane austen at the end in her vision for charlotte pettifer’s story and it was this: “I’m going to take a heroine whom no one but myself will much like.” which just absolutely baffled me because what do you mean “no one but myself” will like her?? i love her, i loved charlotte’s pov and seeing her embrace her magic in a way that made her fellow witches gasp in horror at such lack of decorum and yet—she was so free & buoyant with the energy that flowed through her that it made this story all the more thrilling.
even more so was seeing her make as many leaps as she did falling, sometimes letting her insecurities wrap around her in her worries that she’s too different; that no one could possibly stand to be near her without her trying to diminish herself. seeing the way that alex made her literally feel like she could fly just from their first meeting alone, and then in all the soft & chaotic moments they share afterward, to see charlotte express herself with such fervor and bare nakedness as she & alex spark an intimacy with each other like no other, it was romantic as hell. it was everything to see how charlotte made alex feel like he could let his own barriers down due to his own traumatic history with a witch from his past; to have that history not be swept away amongst all the chaos that does reign in this story (it’s absolute madness) but rather actually get explored as he & charlotte grow closer to each other, charlotte’s own fears being shed in light—it added such unmistakable depth to both of these characters and made their relationship one to be written in the stars and stretches across water.
for the author to be able to write such an achingly sweet romance and balance it so well with cheeky humor & explosive action between pirates & witches—it’s an adventure i should’ve expected from my positive reading experience with the first book and yet in this one, it just felt like it was on a whole other level. there were just as many new characters as there were old, and the ones i was already familiar with fueled the heart of this story even more, making me feel so swept up in all this drama that at its core, was exploring a love story between a pirate & witch, two people who should strictly be known as enemies and yet they can’t seem to let go of their grip onto each other’s hands at any moment.
i adore charlotte & alex so much, and i adore how much excitement this story gave me; it was really fun, and i’ll always remember this for that.
even more so was seeing her make as many leaps as she did falling, sometimes letting her insecurities wrap around her in her worries that she’s too different; that no one could possibly stand to be near her without her trying to diminish herself. seeing the way that alex made her literally feel like she could fly just from their first meeting alone, and then in all the soft & chaotic moments they share afterward, to see charlotte express herself with such fervor and bare nakedness as she & alex spark an intimacy with each other like no other, it was romantic as hell. it was everything to see how charlotte made alex feel like he could let his own barriers down due to his own traumatic history with a witch from his past; to have that history not be swept away amongst all the chaos that does reign in this story (it’s absolute madness) but rather actually get explored as he & charlotte grow closer to each other, charlotte’s own fears being shed in light—it added such unmistakable depth to both of these characters and made their relationship one to be written in the stars and stretches across water.
for the author to be able to write such an achingly sweet romance and balance it so well with cheeky humor & explosive action between pirates & witches—it’s an adventure i should’ve expected from my positive reading experience with the first book and yet in this one, it just felt like it was on a whole other level. there were just as many new characters as there were old, and the ones i was already familiar with fueled the heart of this story even more, making me feel so swept up in all this drama that at its core, was exploring a love story between a pirate & witch, two people who should strictly be known as enemies and yet they can’t seem to let go of their grip onto each other’s hands at any moment.
i adore charlotte & alex so much, and i adore how much excitement this story gave me; it was really fun, and i’ll always remember this for that.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Sexual content, and Violence
Minor: Child abuse