phoebemurtagh's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, and Bullying
fibs's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
gae's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
It was a dream come true for twelve year-old orphan Zita Brydgeborn to inherit a distant castle. Little did she know that she was the last of her line, her family was murdered, and she did not know anything about being a witch. The guardian of Blackbird Castle, Mrs. Cantanker, was her source of spells and charms lessons as she navigated the mysteries enveloped in the castle, and what truly happened to her past.
This book was filled with magical adventures within the confines of the castle. Zita also had her allies: a crow which she named Vikers, and two young servants of her age, Bram and Minifer. I think this could have been a perfect read for the Halloween because of some creepy occurrences, presence of ghosts, and the ominous vibes of the castle.
Perhaps I expected too much from this book. I have always wanted to have a copy of this book since I first saw it a couple of years ago. Indeed it was filled with magic and adventures here and there but they were quite bland for my taste. I was hoping that my excitement would escalate towards the end that would make up for the just-fine part of the book. I wanted to be amazed by Zita, but was not quite there yet for me. I think my favorite characters here would be Vikers and Teenzy, (because he's a dog) but sad to say that they're not quite remarkable for me. And though there were twists that shocked me a bit, many wee quite predictable. Perhaps I'll give this book another try in the future because this is indeed a dark magical read which I really like.
This book was filled with magical adventures within the confines of the castle. Zita also had her allies: a crow which she named Vikers, and two young servants of her age, Bram and Minifer. I think this could have been a perfect read for the Halloween because of some creepy occurrences, presence of ghosts, and the ominous vibes of the castle.
Perhaps I expected too much from this book. I have always wanted to have a copy of this book since I first saw it a couple of years ago. Indeed it was filled with magic and adventures here and there but they were quite bland for my taste. I was hoping that my excitement would escalate towards the end that would make up for the just-fine part of the book. I wanted to be amazed by Zita, but was not quite there yet for me. I think my favorite characters here would be Vikers and Teenzy, (because he's a dog) but sad to say that they're not quite remarkable for me. And though there were twists that shocked me a bit, many wee quite predictable. Perhaps I'll give this book another try in the future because this is indeed a dark magical read which I really like.
gloomyplacereads's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-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? No
This was a bit of a miss for me. The story failed to find a balance between whimsy and truly dark themes that resonated with me. The lack of subtlety in the villains of the story also made it feel slightly derivative. Although I will say that there’s a fairly big twist that I genuinely didn’t see coming but that worked well within the framework of the story.
teacher2library's review
3.0
"Just like that I went from being a penniless housemaid to the mistress of Blackbird Castle, Pragast Wood, and several desolate mountain peaks, as well as a bank vault in Manzimer in which resided hundreds of thousands of gold galleons and, according to Mr. Grenouille, a unicorn horn and several priceless medallions stolen from the seventh circle of hell."
A pretty predictable but still palatable middle grade read. It's a slow trek to the last page, but every word is well-written, so it's still a worthwhile journey.
When the orphaned Zita inherits Blackbird Castle, little does she know she's also inheriting a witchy legacy... and a deadly grudge against her family. Does the last untrained Brydgeborn have what it takes?
A pretty predictable but still palatable middle grade read. It's a slow trek to the last page, but every word is well-written, so it's still a worthwhile journey.
When the orphaned Zita inherits Blackbird Castle, little does she know she's also inheriting a witchy legacy... and a deadly grudge against her family. Does the last untrained Brydgeborn have what it takes?
kylielovesbooks's review
5.0
4.5 stars
This book was such a fun ride! I absolutely loved Zita. She tried very hard to learn how to be a witch, but she wasn't perfect and she knew it. Bram and Minnifer (the only servents left) were such good friends to her when they were basically told not to be my Mrs. Cantanker. Mrs. Cantanker was a great "villain." She wasn't THE villain, but ugh she was so mean! The actual villain(s) were so scary and were fantastic villains.
The plot of this book is great! It starts with Zita being an orphan and getting a letter saying she is actually a Brydgeborn and she has to go to Blackbird Castle. It starts off with an exciting bang and it never slows down. Zita finds out her family was cursed and is now basically dead, but is sitting cocooned in the castle's dining room. Her whole family is witches whose job it is to shepherd ghosts to the afterlife. So with help from Bram and Minnifer and some of the ghosts living in the castle, Zita has to find a way to become a powerful enough witch to wake up her family. There were a few things towards the end that I definitely didn't see coming and I absolutely loved. The ending was just non stop action.
It looks like this book is a standalone, but I would absolutely love to read more about these characters.
This book was such a fun ride! I absolutely loved Zita. She tried very hard to learn how to be a witch, but she wasn't perfect and she knew it. Bram and Minnifer (the only servents left) were such good friends to her when they were basically told not to be my Mrs. Cantanker. Mrs. Cantanker was a great "villain." She wasn't THE villain, but ugh she was so mean! The actual villain(s) were so scary and were fantastic villains.
The plot of this book is great! It starts with Zita being an orphan and getting a letter saying she is actually a Brydgeborn and she has to go to Blackbird Castle. It starts off with an exciting bang and it never slows down. Zita finds out her family was cursed and is now basically dead, but is sitting cocooned in the castle's dining room. Her whole family is witches whose job it is to shepherd ghosts to the afterlife. So with help from Bram and Minnifer and some of the ghosts living in the castle, Zita has to find a way to become a powerful enough witch to wake up her family. There were a few things towards the end that I definitely didn't see coming and I absolutely loved. The ending was just non stop action.
It looks like this book is a standalone, but I would absolutely love to read more about these characters.
tiffani_reads's review
4.0
I very much enjoyed my reading experience while reading this but I found myself forgetting details just a day later about this book.
In the beginning of this book we meet Zita, an orphan, who has just found out that she has inherited a castle, fortune, and oh she's also a witch. From the very beginning you know that something is not right because it turns out her family has been cursed. As she begins her journey to becoming a witch she begins to suspect that her teacher has some nefarious motives, but she also does not know who she can really trust.
Along with Zita, you meet Bram and Minnifer. These two don't seem to be telling Zita everything they know and because of that she does not know if she can trust them. As the story unfolds it becomes more clear who the villain is but you as the reader know this before Zita does. It puts you on edge because while you wait for her to catch on she almost runs out of time to save the day.
This book is a great read but some parts of it are forgettable. While I have not read a middle grade book like this before, I would be interested in more books based in this world. I doesn't necessarily have to be more of Zita's story, just more about witches and magic.
In the beginning of this book we meet Zita, an orphan, who has just found out that she has inherited a castle, fortune, and oh she's also a witch. From the very beginning you know that something is not right because it turns out her family has been cursed. As she begins her journey to becoming a witch she begins to suspect that her teacher has some nefarious motives, but she also does not know who she can really trust.
Along with Zita, you meet Bram and Minnifer. These two don't seem to be telling Zita everything they know and because of that she does not know if she can trust them. As the story unfolds it becomes more clear who the villain is but you as the reader know this before Zita does. It puts you on edge because while you wait for her to catch on she almost runs out of time to save the day.
This book is a great read but some parts of it are forgettable. While I have not read a middle grade book like this before, I would be interested in more books based in this world. I doesn't necessarily have to be more of Zita's story, just more about witches and magic.