Reviews tagging 'Fire/Fire injury'

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow

140 reviews

benditlikebecka's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Abortion

_teacher_spice_'s review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I so wanted to rate this a 5-star review, but I feel first, that the youngest sister was short-changed and the end just let the story fall where it lay without really allowing the dust to settle and for her own "true" ending. Also, without a sequel to fill in gaps/answer questions/complete stories, I find that I am left with my heart still broken in spite of some reassurance at the end. As a sister of three deeply invested in the bonds between sisters, I struggled with Juniper's ending and no definitive reunion and continuation of their sisterhood. Regardless, this book was beautifully written and such a journey for the heart.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Cursing

hexedmaiden's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Child abuse, Homophobia, and Racism

Minor: Torture, Transphobia, and Abortion

mtwillz's review against another edition

adventurous tense

• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury

lira_the_recluse's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious tense medium-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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, and Pandemic/Epidemic

xcelxdx's review against another edition

dark hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Overall enjoyed the concept and thought it was cool how they tied together the threads of a lot of different folklore stories. This book did fall prey to the standalone fantasy catch-22 where it became somehow too detailed/long-winded and superficial; due to the cramming of perhaps too many intricate plot points into 500 pages. I struggled to really connect with the characters and thought on the whole that their characters and respective romances and backstories could have been fleshed out a bit more. There were also some aspects where I felt the emotional journey the characters went on was perhaps too quick in the sense that it took about a sentence to process and come to a conclusion, but the author also used this to good effect in some instances.

The plague element felt a bit random in the book and it wasn’t properly concluded: what happened to the sick people, how did Eve get better? If it was due to GH’s death, did everyone get better? How is it spread… though perhaps as the book was published in 2020 this was something they wanted to diminish

all of that said I loved how they intertwined all these folk tales into one adapted and connected

but actually not really

narrative that cummulated

into a message of internal power and an almost rejection of fate. Injecting agency into a world where women have such little. I do feel the race aspect could have been explored further beyond the singular allusion of the non-inclusivity of the suffragist movement to woc

. Overall I really enjoyed the concept but it simultaneously felt a little like a slog to get through and left me with questions wanting more

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, and Death of parent

Minor: Alcoholism, Slavery, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Abortion, Lesbophobia, Abandonment, and Pandemic/Epidemic

merenguita's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Loved it
It was a bit of a slow start, but the world building and the characters were intresting enough to keep me hook and the last third of the book is just SO GOOD, cried a bit and enjoyed every part
Juniper mvp

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury

steppecreature's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Misogyny, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Transphobia and Abortion

ali_k0's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The Once & Future Witches reports to follow three sisters bringing back the age of Witching. However, it's better told to be about a movement of women across the world who held onto the words and the ways so that those with the will could fight there way through life back to a time when they had power.

In the ashes of Old Salem is New Salem, a city free from witches and where every street is named after a saint, and hidden in those streets are women who have held on to the dying dregs of witchcraft by weaving it into their quilts and whispering it in each other's ears. All dream of a time where they have more then penny pinching and abusive husbands, but with the exception of low level house magic there is little left for them to use.

But the sufferage movement has women organizing, talking out of shadows, and the winds have blown three sisters back into the city. The sisters alone won't be enough to bring back the Lost Way, but with their new sisters (and romances) they'll find the way.

This book is for every spitfire with a habit for finding trouble, girls who draw their circles large enough for only themselves, anyone whose ever dreamed of being a magic librarian (I know I'm not the only one) or anyone looking for a story about organizing, finding a way when there's a will, and the power of intersectional allyship. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Genocide, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Moderate: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Alcoholism, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, and Abortion

littki's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment

Moderate: Physical abuse, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Murder, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Animal death, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Transphobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment