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books_and_keys's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
kyleg1007's review
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Super quick read. Good little witchy book.
mystery_jem's review
1.0
DNF
I know this is a short novella, but I just couldn't slog my way through any more of it- I'm so bored. The writing is strange, and I had a hard time with it. So enough! On to something else.
I know this is a short novella, but I just couldn't slog my way through any more of it- I'm so bored. The writing is strange, and I had a hard time with it. So enough! On to something else.
drownedworld's review against another edition
4.0
I was immediately hooked by the quaint little village at the crossroads of all that is terrible and good and its inhabitants- think Paul Cornell by way of Neil Gaiman with a little Stephen King thrown in for good measure.
Witches of Lychford feels like an origin story and part of a much bigger tale which I hope to be the case as I'd like to read more tales of the old town crank, vicar and pagan.
Witches of Lychford feels like an origin story and part of a much bigger tale which I hope to be the case as I'd like to read more tales of the old town crank, vicar and pagan.
jencunn2024's review
2.0
Some readers will like this much more than I. It was about a 2.75 star for me. It was modern timeline mixed with traditional witch history and magic in the town of Lychford. It wasn’t as exciting or interesting as I was hoping for.
timinbc's review
3.0
3.5 stars really.
Well-written, well-plotted, nice twist at the end.
But curiously not engaging.
I know rural England, and understand a bit of the encroachment of the urban ick, and had no problem with the way that was handled.
Felt a bit like reading alternating pages of "The Ocean at the End of the Lane" with an M.C. Beaton murder story.
Perhaps I was prejudiced by having hoped for another Shadow police novel.
Well-written, well-plotted, nice twist at the end.
But curiously not engaging.
I know rural England, and understand a bit of the encroachment of the urban ick, and had no problem with the way that was handled.
Felt a bit like reading alternating pages of "The Ocean at the End of the Lane" with an M.C. Beaton murder story.
Perhaps I was prejudiced by having hoped for another Shadow police novel.
tregina's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not entirely sure what went awry with this for me, because the ingredients are a whole bunch of my favourite things, but somehow when they all come together here it left me underwhelmed.
bibi003's review
2.0
At the end of this short audiobook, I am left feeling "meh." Not even wanting more. I just don't ... care. much. at all. about any of it.
hirvimaki's review
3.0
I kept wanting this to be funny for some reason. I suppose the the "bad guys" being a box retailer put me in mind of Horrorstör. A interesting and entertaining short. I didn't really get much feels from it.
willrefuge's review
3.0
7 / 10 ✪
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2023/04/05/the-witches-of-lychford-by-paul-cornell-review/
The villagers of Lychford are torn.
A sleepy hamlet in the English countryside, Lychford is located at the crossroads of worlds—where the lines between faerie and other more remote locales are blurry, and the rules that govern reality are more like… guidelines. Protected by wards sewn into the fabric of the town, Lychford holds the Outside at bay, for now.
But with its local coven long gone, and a major supermarket chain bidding to drop a store on its doorstep, things are likely to change. A change that could destroy the world.
Autumn is a local wiccan—a practitioner of sorts, who owns her own magic shop in the center of town—but she is also a Traveler, one that has pierced the veil and wandered through some of the other realms. An experience she’d just as well forget.
Lizzie is the new town vicar, though she’d been a local before, long ago. Still reeling from a personal tragedy, she moves back to Lychford to take over the post just in time to get caught up in all the kerfuffle over the potential store. Some villagers welcome the change, others loathe it. And they are at each other’s throats about the impending vote. The company has been making the rounds, about the hamlet, in an attempt to curry favor—the results have been… mixed.
Judith is a witch. The last of her kind in Lychford, and without a coven to call her own, she can do little to oppose the coming store. But she has to try. Because the change that the store presents threatens more than just the town’s sleepy nature. It could threaten the very fabric of reality.
—
All in all, The Witches of Lychford was a decent series’ opener, one that plays little with the traditional and established rules of witchcraft, but provides another nice escape from the non-magical world.
I’ve heard relatively little about this series, but have wanted to check it out for a while now—ever since I started (but ultimately didn’t finish) Paul Cornell’s London Falling. This makes for a shorter, quicker treat—one that can be read in an afternoon or two, depending on the format. It’s a nice, quick jaunt into the world, though to be honest I could’ve done with a bit more substance. While I was left wanting more at the outset, I was also a bit disappointed by the substance within.
It’s all about the story, in this one. Where Book #2 takes the focus more to the characters, this opener pretty much introduces them, gives each a backstory, then dives right into the meat and potatoes of the plot. Little design is given to setting or anything else. While it still provides a decent enough adventure, the Witches of Lychford rings a bit hollow in the end.
Luckily, the story delivers. A back-and-forth tale about three locals all come together to save reality, it relies on the journeys of all three to untangle the conspiracy at the heart of Lychford, and solve the mystery hiding within. A thoroughly interesting step into the world of Lychford, and one that—despite its flaws—will have you going back for more.
Marisa Calin covers the first book in the sequence, but no more. I very much enjoyed her narration, even compared to the honeyed voice of Emma Newman, who handles most of the rest of the series. She handles the story with a tone that seems more raw than the natured, refined voice of Newman—perfect for a coven at the ass-end of nowhere. Not that I’m criticizing Emma Newman; I love her narration, it’s just nice to have some variety now and then. Either way, the series is in good hands.
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2023/04/05/the-witches-of-lychford-by-paul-cornell-review/
The villagers of Lychford are torn.
A sleepy hamlet in the English countryside, Lychford is located at the crossroads of worlds—where the lines between faerie and other more remote locales are blurry, and the rules that govern reality are more like… guidelines. Protected by wards sewn into the fabric of the town, Lychford holds the Outside at bay, for now.
But with its local coven long gone, and a major supermarket chain bidding to drop a store on its doorstep, things are likely to change. A change that could destroy the world.
Autumn is a local wiccan—a practitioner of sorts, who owns her own magic shop in the center of town—but she is also a Traveler, one that has pierced the veil and wandered through some of the other realms. An experience she’d just as well forget.
Lizzie is the new town vicar, though she’d been a local before, long ago. Still reeling from a personal tragedy, she moves back to Lychford to take over the post just in time to get caught up in all the kerfuffle over the potential store. Some villagers welcome the change, others loathe it. And they are at each other’s throats about the impending vote. The company has been making the rounds, about the hamlet, in an attempt to curry favor—the results have been… mixed.
Judith is a witch. The last of her kind in Lychford, and without a coven to call her own, she can do little to oppose the coming store. But she has to try. Because the change that the store presents threatens more than just the town’s sleepy nature. It could threaten the very fabric of reality.
—
All in all, The Witches of Lychford was a decent series’ opener, one that plays little with the traditional and established rules of witchcraft, but provides another nice escape from the non-magical world.
I’ve heard relatively little about this series, but have wanted to check it out for a while now—ever since I started (but ultimately didn’t finish) Paul Cornell’s London Falling. This makes for a shorter, quicker treat—one that can be read in an afternoon or two, depending on the format. It’s a nice, quick jaunt into the world, though to be honest I could’ve done with a bit more substance. While I was left wanting more at the outset, I was also a bit disappointed by the substance within.
It’s all about the story, in this one. Where Book #2 takes the focus more to the characters, this opener pretty much introduces them, gives each a backstory, then dives right into the meat and potatoes of the plot. Little design is given to setting or anything else. While it still provides a decent enough adventure, the Witches of Lychford rings a bit hollow in the end.
Luckily, the story delivers. A back-and-forth tale about three locals all come together to save reality, it relies on the journeys of all three to untangle the conspiracy at the heart of Lychford, and solve the mystery hiding within. A thoroughly interesting step into the world of Lychford, and one that—despite its flaws—will have you going back for more.
Marisa Calin covers the first book in the sequence, but no more. I very much enjoyed her narration, even compared to the honeyed voice of Emma Newman, who handles most of the rest of the series. She handles the story with a tone that seems more raw than the natured, refined voice of Newman—perfect for a coven at the ass-end of nowhere. Not that I’m criticizing Emma Newman; I love her narration, it’s just nice to have some variety now and then. Either way, the series is in good hands.