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venetiana's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This was A Ride, I loved it! Although I'll be very sad if there isn't a follow-up ;)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol
Minor: Child death, Confinement, Gore, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Classism
abookwanderer's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.5
In The Witchery by S. Isabelle—a young adult fantasy debut about a unique squad of witches at a magical school in Florida—we follow four young witches and their mundane friends as they work together to protect their fellow classmates and townsfolk from the annual Haunting Season and attempt to uncover the cure to the curse. Isabelle has created an impressive world with the coolest of rules and the coolest cast of characters.
I was first introduced to this book when it showed up as an ARC (advanced readers copy) in my spring book subscription box from The Strand Bookstore. I loved the cover, and the synopsis that made the book sound like a perfect blend of The Raven Cycle series and Harry Potter—but diverse! I was even more excited when iReadYA sent me a finished copy along with a set of character cards, which helped me get to know the large cast of characters quickly while I read. (I'll be passing along my ARC copy to one lucky blog reader!)
Immediately, the reader is introduced to Logan, a “baby witch”, new to the school and her powers. She’s been taken in by The Red Three: Iris, a deathwitch; Thalia, a greenwitch; and Jailah, a leader in the Junior Witchery Council. The reader joins the group on Halloween night with a kind of unofficial initiation of Logan into their circle. As the book progresses, we get each girls’ back story and how they all came together. Isabelle did an impressive job of weaving the present and past together, keeping the story fresh and exciting.
The large cast of characters does make the story a bit hard to follow in the beginning, so I recommend taking notes (or have the character cards with pictures and descriptions on the back close by!) until you learn everyone. It helped me to follow along more quickly and enhanced my reading experience even more. This is not a book to read when you can’t devote your full attention. Each detail is important and rewarding, and the book deserves complete immersion.
There’s a little bit of everything here for any fantasy fan: a well-established world, a mystery to be solved, magical cursed wolves, and even some romance. I especially loved the diversity of The Witchery. The representation within the large cast only enhanced the story and made it richer and more charming. Now that the world is established, my fingers are crossed that there will be a book two. If you’re a seasonal reader, The Witchery is perfect for the fall. It’s definitely one I would love to reread someday, as well. And please, someone develop an adaptation!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to iReadYA for providing me with a copy.
Check out my reviews and playlists at A Book Wanderer
I was first introduced to this book when it showed up as an ARC (advanced readers copy) in my spring book subscription box from The Strand Bookstore. I loved the cover, and the synopsis that made the book sound like a perfect blend of The Raven Cycle series and Harry Potter—but diverse! I was even more excited when iReadYA sent me a finished copy along with a set of character cards, which helped me get to know the large cast of characters quickly while I read. (I'll be passing along my ARC copy to one lucky blog reader!)
Immediately, the reader is introduced to Logan, a “baby witch”, new to the school and her powers. She’s been taken in by The Red Three: Iris, a deathwitch; Thalia, a greenwitch; and Jailah, a leader in the Junior Witchery Council. The reader joins the group on Halloween night with a kind of unofficial initiation of Logan into their circle. As the book progresses, we get each girls’ back story and how they all came together. Isabelle did an impressive job of weaving the present and past together, keeping the story fresh and exciting.
The large cast of characters does make the story a bit hard to follow in the beginning, so I recommend taking notes (or have the character cards with pictures and descriptions on the back close by!) until you learn everyone. It helped me to follow along more quickly and enhanced my reading experience even more. This is not a book to read when you can’t devote your full attention. Each detail is important and rewarding, and the book deserves complete immersion.
There’s a little bit of everything here for any fantasy fan: a well-established world, a mystery to be solved, magical cursed wolves, and even some romance. I especially loved the diversity of The Witchery. The representation within the large cast only enhanced the story and made it richer and more charming. Now that the world is established, my fingers are crossed that there will be a book two. If you’re a seasonal reader, The Witchery is perfect for the fall. It’s definitely one I would love to reread someday, as well. And please, someone develop an adaptation!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to iReadYA for providing me with a copy.
Check out my reviews and playlists at A Book Wanderer
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Gore, Self harm, Violence, Blood, and Death of parent
bookcaptivated's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Self harm, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Colonisation