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bookishlucy's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
3.75
This was a really enjoyable read! I enjoyed the set-up and the competition of the Gauntlet.
I felt like the parts actually taking place during the competition were really short though. I wish they lasted a little longer than usually just a chapter.
I also think the reason Emmy left Thistle Grove was a bit weak. Especially because she left for 9 years and never even visited. Not even for birthdays or holidays.
I still enjoyed the relationship between Talia and Emmy. And I really liked the friendship between Linden and Emmy.
I did have patches of the book where I had trouble visualizing the story but I'll still be checking out the next book in the series!
I felt like the parts actually taking place during the competition were really short though. I wish they lasted a little longer than usually just a chapter.
I also think the reason Emmy left Thistle Grove was a bit weak. Especially because she left for 9 years and never even visited. Not even for birthdays or holidays.
I still enjoyed the relationship between Talia and Emmy. And I really liked the friendship between Linden and Emmy.
I did have patches of the book where I had trouble visualizing the story but I'll still be checking out the next book in the series!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Alcohol
Minor: Infidelity and Sexual content
bookcheshirecat's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
4.0
“Places from the past are usually much smaller than you remember when you return to them years later, shocked that they'd ever managed to command so much space in your brain at all.”
➽ Payback's a Witch is a cute paranormal, witchy Romance! The story follows Emmy Harlow, who left behind her hometown Thistle Grove 9 years ago, but now has to come back for a magical competition. I really liked the small-town setting and the way magic worked! Instead of being innate, magic is tied to Thistle Grove, meaning that Emmy lost her magic when she was away in Chicago. There are several founding families and each has their speciality. The Thorns are best at life magic/healing, the Avramovs at necromancy and the Blackmoores have the most powerful magic. I liked the political dynamics between the families and the implications of the monopoly the Blackmoores have on magic. They're slowly driving away business from the others and trying to be everything for the town.
➽ Emmy deals with a lot of insecurity and complicated feelings towards her home and her magic. Her family barely has enough magic to cast spells and is mostly there to chronicle the lore and history of the town. Therefore, she has dealt with some bitterness toward the other families for having much more magic. I liked how the story explored her reluctance to see Thistle Grove as home and not a stifling obligation to her family. She's been away for a long time and didn't realize how much it hurt her parents and her best friend Linden. I liked seeing her rekindle these relationships! Her ex Gareth Blackmoore is the one who drove her away, so I loved the pact Linden, Emmy and Natalia made against him! They each have been used by him, so they're no longer willing to let him and his family walk over everyone.
➽ I loved the witchy vibes, the romance and the tournament! Emmy's falling for her co-conspirator Natalia, a strong-willed woman with dark humor from the Avramov clan. Their romance was sweet and I thought they had great chemistry! Their conflicts were very realistic, as both of them have very different views of the town. I liked how Emmy came to terms with her own complicated feelings in the end and how her change of heart wasn't only about Natalia.Emmy finds out her family has a bigger role than she thought. They are conduits/filters for the magic in Thistle Grove, so that's why they can't do any big spells themselves. Knowing that really helped her feel more powerful and like her family has a purpose in town! I also appreciated that while Gareth was the catalyst for the plot, he didn't take over the story. Natalia, Emmy and Linden forged their own paths and built their futures without him!
➽ Payback's a Witch is a cute paranormal, witchy Romance! The story follows Emmy Harlow, who left behind her hometown Thistle Grove 9 years ago, but now has to come back for a magical competition. I really liked the small-town setting and the way magic worked! Instead of being innate, magic is tied to Thistle Grove, meaning that Emmy lost her magic when she was away in Chicago. There are several founding families and each has their speciality. The Thorns are best at life magic/healing, the Avramovs at necromancy and the Blackmoores have the most powerful magic. I liked the political dynamics between the families and the implications of the monopoly the Blackmoores have on magic. They're slowly driving away business from the others and trying to be everything for the town.
➽ Emmy deals with a lot of insecurity and complicated feelings towards her home and her magic. Her family barely has enough magic to cast spells and is mostly there to chronicle the lore and history of the town. Therefore, she has dealt with some bitterness toward the other families for having much more magic. I liked how the story explored her reluctance to see Thistle Grove as home and not a stifling obligation to her family. She's been away for a long time and didn't realize how much it hurt her parents and her best friend Linden. I liked seeing her rekindle these relationships! Her ex Gareth Blackmoore is the one who drove her away, so I loved the pact Linden, Emmy and Natalia made against him! They each have been used by him, so they're no longer willing to let him and his family walk over everyone.
➽ I loved the witchy vibes, the romance and the tournament! Emmy's falling for her co-conspirator Natalia, a strong-willed woman with dark humor from the Avramov clan. Their romance was sweet and I thought they had great chemistry! Their conflicts were very realistic, as both of them have very different views of the town. I liked how Emmy came to terms with her own complicated feelings in the end and how her change of heart wasn't only about Natalia.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Infidelity, and Injury/Injury detail
raptorq's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Infidelity
theverycraftyvegan's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
5 stars for this wonderfully witchy book! Reading about Emmy Harlow’s return to Thistle Grove was magical, reading about why she left made me mad, and reading about what happens after her return had me smiling.
All the different relationships between the characters was lovely and angering at the same time. Some people were good and kind, others were complicated, and some were just the worst and I loved to hate them!
I can’t wait to continue with this series!
All the different relationships between the characters was lovely and angering at the same time. Some people were good and kind, others were complicated, and some were just the worst and I loved to hate them!
I can’t wait to continue with this series!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Infidelity, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
cecetomas's review
adventurous
funny
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
3.75
This was a really fun October read. The reviews talking about it being a Triwizard Tournament are totally right but I actually enjoyed that a lot.
I liked the character dynamics a lot- they were complex and evolved well without being too intense or heavy, especially between Emmy and Linden. Seeing platonic friendship be just as, if not more, important than romantic relationships is really valuable and something that I don't think gets enough attention.
Garrett being an important part of Emmy's backstory but not a main character or part of her growth made me really happy. Given that the book is a sapphic story, I liked that her story didn't hinge on a man.
The writing felt a little juvenile and I wish there was more intricate imagery but generally I would recommend as a fun festive read.
I liked the character dynamics a lot- they were complex and evolved well without being too intense or heavy, especially between Emmy and Linden. Seeing platonic friendship be just as, if not more, important than romantic relationships is really valuable and something that I don't think gets enough attention.
Garrett being an important part of Emmy's backstory but not a main character or part of her growth made me really happy. Given that the book is a sapphic story, I liked that her story didn't hinge on a man.
The writing felt a little juvenile and I wish there was more intricate imagery but generally I would recommend as a fun festive read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Sexual content, and Alcohol
augustar14's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, and Classism
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Body horror and Bullying
fionamatilda's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity and Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Misogyny
bzliz's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This is a cute, harmless modern fantasy with a witchy side of queer love. It wasn’t groundbreaking by any means but I enjoyed it well enough to continue the series.
Our main character Emmy is returning to Thistle Grove to be the Arbiter of the Gauntlet- a 3 event magic tournament of the other 3 founding families of the town. Her ex-boyfriend’s casual dismissal of her family led to her fleeing town as soon as she was able, forsaking magic to build a life of her own in Chicago. In the mean time, he has managed to burn her best friend and the sexy wild card which leads to a plot for revenge to ensure his family loses the tournament.
The romance was cute but overall the less interesting part of the book. A lot of their chemistry felt heavy handed and Talia didn’t feel like a real person to me. Their blow-up didn’t feel warranted and felt manufactured.
I preferred seeing Emmy’s personal growth as she learns that she can still love her town and she doesn’t have to change everything about herself because of Gareth’s past actions. I would have like to see more of the families interacting; it seems like most of them want to follow tradition even though it has always been weighted heavily in favor of one family in particular. I kept thinking of it like generational wealth: of course the family who has “earned” some extra luck and magic over the past several generations keeps winning their little tournament at the expense of the other families.
Content warnings:
Cursing (on page):I don’t usually tag this but the cursing in this was so prolific that it feels worth mentioning. Hardly a page goes by without a curse or three to spice it up.
Sexual content (on page/fade to black):There’s a make out scene in the woods that gets stopped by spirits. Further sexual situations including chest touching but anything spicier fades to black.
Alcohol (on page):A few bar scenes and a party in the woods, plus alcohol at functions. Emmy has a hangover in one scene.
Infidelity (off page):Prior to the start of the book, Gareth is seeing Lin while hooking up with Talia. Talia feels betrayed because she thought they were exclusive and Lin felt betrayed because she thought they were falling in love.
Our main character Emmy is returning to Thistle Grove to be the Arbiter of the Gauntlet- a 3 event magic tournament of the other 3 founding families of the town. Her ex-boyfriend’s casual dismissal of her family led to her fleeing town as soon as she was able, forsaking magic to build a life of her own in Chicago. In the mean time, he has managed to burn her best friend and the sexy wild card which leads to a plot for revenge to ensure his family loses the tournament.
The romance was cute but overall the less interesting part of the book. A lot of their chemistry felt heavy handed and Talia didn’t feel like a real person to me. Their blow-up didn’t feel warranted and felt manufactured.
I preferred seeing Emmy’s personal growth as she learns that she can still love her town and she doesn’t have to change everything about herself because of Gareth’s past actions. I would have like to see more of the families interacting; it seems like most of them want to follow tradition even though it has always been weighted heavily in favor of one family in particular. I kept thinking of it like generational wealth: of course the family who has “earned” some extra luck and magic over the past several generations keeps winning their little tournament at the expense of the other families.
Content warnings:
Cursing (on page):
Sexual content (on page/fade to black):
Alcohol (on page):
Infidelity (off page):
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Infidelity and Alcohol
emilywemily6's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This book is a well-written, cozy witchy read with a major subplot of sapphic romance. I’ve read other cozy reads like this, but this one was the most well written in sentence structure, voice, etc. The turn of events in the third challenge and after that felt like there were plot holes and unanswered questions, and some quick resolutions, but overall I enjoyed the story, the characters, the ending, and the twists. I’m excited to read the rest of the series!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing and Sexual content
Moderate: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Grief, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
beckyremillard's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity and Sexual content