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emily_mh's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
This sequel read quite differently from its predecessor, which worked in some ways and let me down in others. For example, Semi-Magical Witch (SMW) is undoubtedly a cosy fantasy with a Studio Ghibli-inspired atmosphere. Cursed Witch (CW) is a lot darker, with world-ending stakes, and so loses all the Studio Ghibli magic and cosiness for it. This might turn readers off, and I thought this might be the case for me too, but the change-up actually allowed for an engaging, fast-paced plot to take place. I found it very entertaining and didn’t want to put the book down in the final third.
An element that didn’t work so well in CW was Eva herself. Her “development” here was a weaker, unsatisfying version of that which took place in SMW. This is because, unlike in SMW, Eva’s lack of magic was never actually a threat in CW. There’s never a risk of her fainting from magic overuse, she can handle almost every spell that’s required of her, yet Abe still tries to position Eva’s development in realising her capabilities. You can’t do this satisfactorily when her capabilities aren’t properly in question! And I didn’t like that they weren’t in question, either. This was a core part of Eva’s character in SMW and it sucked that it wasn’t carried over well into CW. It makes her feel like another super-charged, naturally capable magical middle-grade MC instead of the Eva who has to be creative and problem-solve, who has to work for her achievements. Here she could just do the spell, or someone else was there to do it for her. The payoff just wasn’t the same. I don’t think this was Abe’s intention for Eva judging by the way she positioned Eva’s character development, but this was how it came across.
What unfortunately WAS carried over in CW were the writing problems of SMW. The prose was again sometimes repetitive or bloated or forced, and the rhyming spells still read like first drafts.
I was really conflicted about rating this. While there were some issues with craft, I still enjoyed reading CW. The world is so interesting, the relationships between the characters are heartwarming, I love Ember, the emotional beats were solid for the most part, and, as aforementioned, it was entertaining. So while I wouldn’t give this a solid 4 stars, it sits close by at a 3.75.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement
Moderate: Child death, Death, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Bullying, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Major: medical emergency, sick parent Moderate: loss of a loved one Minor: typhoon, loss of a loved one, missing loved one, adverse weather, earthquake, floodmonniebiloney's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The story makes weird decisions to move it's plot forward. It's almost like the author had a couple of specific scenes in mind when writing the book, but was unsure how to get to those scenes, and the story suffered for it.
If I had to describe this book, it would have been disappointing.
If I had to describe this book, it would have been disappointing.
Content Warnings
Minor: Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
aformeracceleratedreader's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
A wonderful sequel! It made me tear up a bit.
I wouldn't have guessed the reason for the Cullings. Def took me by surprise. The ending also wrapped everything up nicely. I personally would love to see this series turn into an animated movie or two. It continued to give Studio Ghibli vibes which made it a whimsical, enjoyable read.
I wouldn't have guessed the reason for the Cullings. Def took me by surprise. The ending also wrapped everything up nicely. I personally would love to see this series turn into an animated movie or two. It continued to give Studio Ghibli vibes which made it a whimsical, enjoyable read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Death, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
lackyducks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book starts directly from where the last book left off. It takes a sharp turn from the coziness of the first book into a much darker and bigger plot that didn't resonate with me as much as the first book.
The writing is still enjoyable to read, and I did enjoy the book, but not as much as I did the first. It throws a lot at you, very quickly. The plotline described in the blurb is actually only a tiny bit at the start - which is a shame because I found it interesting!
I feel like the series could've sorely done with a second book in between to build into this one. It would've given the author the chance to introduce relevant plot elements over time and created a more natural build up, instead of such a dramatic shift in tone. I found it hard to connect with one particular character who is introduced in the last arc of the book, which took away some of the emotional weight of the climax.
Some of the decisions made in the book small didn't feel completely logical to me? They just didn't really make sense - it felt like the main reason was so it didn't obstruct the plot.
It's still a very well crafted story and one I enjoyed a lot! I think the change in tone when I enjoyed the first just put me off it a bit. I wonder if I reread it in the future, I'll enjoy it more.
The writing is still enjoyable to read, and I did enjoy the book, but not as much as I did the first. It throws a lot at you, very quickly. The plotline described in the blurb is actually only a tiny bit at the start - which is a shame because I found it interesting!
I feel like the series could've sorely done with a second book in between to build into this one. It would've given the author the chance to introduce relevant plot elements over time and created a more natural build up, instead of such a dramatic shift in tone. I found it hard to connect with one particular character who is introduced in the last arc of the book, which took away some of the emotional weight of the climax.
Some of the decisions made in the book small didn't feel completely logical to me? They just didn't really make sense - it felt like the main reason was so it didn't obstruct the plot.
It's still a very well crafted story and one I enjoyed a lot! I think the change in tone when I enjoyed the first just put me off it a bit. I wonder if I reread it in the future, I'll enjoy it more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Kidnapping, and Death of parent
Moderate: Grief and Injury/Injury detail
spaghettireads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
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: Confinement, Death, Violence, Grief, and Death of parent