secre's review against another edition
4.0
Rosemary and the Witches of Pendle Hill is a cute yet entertaining story that is perfect for adults and children alike. Full of magic, adventure and humour, this was a captivating read, even if I have thankfully grown out of the bottom humour stage personally. Rosemary’s mum is a witch. She knows this because her mum definitely does spells, she owns a broomstick and their house is full of guests that her dad can’t see. But when one of these strange guests goes missing, Rosemary and her friend Adi are drawn into their own magical adventure... reluctantly dragging along her little sister and her spectacular farts.
I thought this was a wonderful story and Giles captures the thoughts of a precocious nine year old well. In fact, all of the characters are beautifully drawn and presented and there is a relatively diverse cast, all idiosyncratic and compellingly odd. I loved how the author slots mental illness into the narrative so naturally and in a child friendly manner - it isn’t something I see often explored in children’s books, but depression and other illnesses that you can’t see are handled with sensitivity and thought here. And whilst the story is very much focussed around the children, the adults aren’t depicted as stupid or careless, instead as well rounded characters who have problems and concerns of their own.
All in all, this is a lovely read and one I would definitely recommend. It captures the drama of family life alongside the magical thrill of the adventure. There is a magical threat, but nothing overly scary, and I liked how it tied together with the family issues on a more mundane level. I’d say this is likely a book that would be most enjoyed by children aged around 10 and above, but there’s something here for the adults as well.
I thought this was a wonderful story and Giles captures the thoughts of a precocious nine year old well. In fact, all of the characters are beautifully drawn and presented and there is a relatively diverse cast, all idiosyncratic and compellingly odd. I loved how the author slots mental illness into the narrative so naturally and in a child friendly manner - it isn’t something I see often explored in children’s books, but depression and other illnesses that you can’t see are handled with sensitivity and thought here. And whilst the story is very much focussed around the children, the adults aren’t depicted as stupid or careless, instead as well rounded characters who have problems and concerns of their own.
All in all, this is a lovely read and one I would definitely recommend. It captures the drama of family life alongside the magical thrill of the adventure. There is a magical threat, but nothing overly scary, and I liked how it tied together with the family issues on a more mundane level. I’d say this is likely a book that would be most enjoyed by children aged around 10 and above, but there’s something here for the adults as well.
stitchsaddiction's review against another edition
5.0
Rosemary and the Witches of Pendle is fabulous.
I absolutely loved this book and would happily read any more if this is going to be in a series.
Samantha Giles has created some wonderful three-dimensional characters and Rosemary who is the main character in the book is adorable.
I loved seeing the world through her eyes and it's incredible how insightful she is in regards to friends and family. The relationship between Rosemary and Louis is incredibly realistic and her irritation at how she behaves reminds me of my own children when they were younger.
The portrayal of mental health illness is thoughtfully written and shows how children can be incredibly perceptive to things that adults often do not see. You see Rosemary and Louis’s father struggling with depression as well as the Mother of a school friend of Rosemary is receiving in-patient care for a form of mental illness. This was a first for me and I thought it was incredible to see two issues that children do have to face and have an impact upon their family. I do hope that other children’s authors acknowledge that sadly children do have to experience and live with others who struggle daily with what is deemed invisible illnesses.
The fantasy side of the story is enthraling and I was drawn into the adventures of Rosie, Louis and Rosie’s best friend Adi as they discover that there is a portal to a magical world in Rosie’s front room. I loved how Rosie’s adventure to help the descendants of the famous Witches of Pendle in Lancashire will impact on the problems that are affecting her family. (I don’t want to spoil the story for anyone)
The book is fantastic and I’m so glad I read it, I only wish my children were younger to read it to!
I absolutely loved this book and would happily read any more if this is going to be in a series.
Samantha Giles has created some wonderful three-dimensional characters and Rosemary who is the main character in the book is adorable.
I loved seeing the world through her eyes and it's incredible how insightful she is in regards to friends and family. The relationship between Rosemary and Louis is incredibly realistic and her irritation at how she behaves reminds me of my own children when they were younger.
The portrayal of mental health illness is thoughtfully written and shows how children can be incredibly perceptive to things that adults often do not see. You see Rosemary and Louis’s father struggling with depression as well as the Mother of a school friend of Rosemary is receiving in-patient care for a form of mental illness. This was a first for me and I thought it was incredible to see two issues that children do have to face and have an impact upon their family. I do hope that other children’s authors acknowledge that sadly children do have to experience and live with others who struggle daily with what is deemed invisible illnesses.
The fantasy side of the story is enthraling and I was drawn into the adventures of Rosie, Louis and Rosie’s best friend Adi as they discover that there is a portal to a magical world in Rosie’s front room. I loved how Rosie’s adventure to help the descendants of the famous Witches of Pendle in Lancashire will impact on the problems that are affecting her family. (I don’t want to spoil the story for anyone)
The book is fantastic and I’m so glad I read it, I only wish my children were younger to read it to!
librarianlayla's review against another edition
3.0
I received an eARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This had all the makings to be a magical adventure, perfect for middle grade readers, however I felt that it was missing something. There were moments when the flow of the story was a little jagged and at times terminology ect seemed to exceed what I would expect a 9 year old girl, in modern times, to use.
That all being said, I did appreciate that Adi was presented as being on the autism spectrum and that there were themes of depression, grief and recovery throughout. The characters were diverse, sometimes wacky but mostly wonderful. I do think that the idea behind the story was lovely and had great potential, however, the writing style just didn't click with me.
This had all the makings to be a magical adventure, perfect for middle grade readers, however I felt that it was missing something. There were moments when the flow of the story was a little jagged and at times terminology ect seemed to exceed what I would expect a 9 year old girl, in modern times, to use.
That all being said, I did appreciate that Adi was presented as being on the autism spectrum and that there were themes of depression, grief and recovery throughout. The characters were diverse, sometimes wacky but mostly wonderful. I do think that the idea behind the story was lovely and had great potential, however, the writing style just didn't click with me.
mythandmiddlegrade's review against another edition
2.0
This was a fun and interesting premise but unfortunately was underwhelming. There just seemed to be lots of empty points where the plot and descriptions/details could have been pushed further to flesh the book out more and to better connect the reader to the story.
I feel the title is perhaps a bit misleading as the story of the Pendle Witches was not as strongly featured as I had expected. Additionally the big bad/major points of the plot lacked full description and detail meaning the climax of the story was underwhelming. This is especially the case for the villain, as we were given no backstory, no strong reasonings/motivations and little introduction to them. Meaning they did not seem like a genuine threat.
With that said I do thing the depiction of depression/mental health difficulties was well done and an imaginative and effective way to explain it to younger children.
I am planning on reading the second book as I received it for free on NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. But if this was not the case I would not pay for a copy to read it, based on my experience with this book.
I feel the title is perhaps a bit misleading as the story of the Pendle Witches was not as strongly featured as I had expected. Additionally the big bad/major points of the plot lacked full description and detail meaning the climax of the story was underwhelming. This is especially the case for the villain, as we were given no backstory, no strong reasonings/motivations and little introduction to them. Meaning they did not seem like a genuine threat.
With that said I do thing the depiction of depression/mental health difficulties was well done and an imaginative and effective way to explain it to younger children.
I am planning on reading the second book as I received it for free on NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. But if this was not the case I would not pay for a copy to read it, based on my experience with this book.
annarella's review against another edition
5.0
It's a great book that can be appreciated by adult and children.
It mixes history, fantasy and it's engrossing, poignant and heartwarming.
It made laugh and it made me root for the characters. The world building and the character development are excellent and plot flows keeping you hooked.
It's strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
It mixes history, fantasy and it's engrossing, poignant and heartwarming.
It made laugh and it made me root for the characters. The world building and the character development are excellent and plot flows keeping you hooked.
It's strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
hazel_reads's review
3.0
3.5 stars
Rosemary and her sister Lois live with their parents and four witches. Everyone in the family can see the witches except for their dad. Rosemary thinks it's because he doesn't believe in magic.
Life has been going good until their mom finally lands an acting job. She's away from home a lot, their dad is always at work. When he isn't at work, there is a cloud hanging over his head. To make matters worse, one of the witches has disappeared and Rosemary thinks it's somehow making her dad worse.
Things have gotten so out of control that when Rosemary sees her mom and the witches pass right through the wall, she knows she has to figure out a way to get through so she can help her family get back to normal. She enlists the help of her sister and her friend Adi and they set off on an adventure to set things right.
I really enjoyed this story. It's a lot of fun. The characters are great. I laughed out loud a few times at Lois' "problem". You'll have to read it to see what I mean.
I received a copy from Net Galley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Rosemary and her sister Lois live with their parents and four witches. Everyone in the family can see the witches except for their dad. Rosemary thinks it's because he doesn't believe in magic.
Life has been going good until their mom finally lands an acting job. She's away from home a lot, their dad is always at work. When he isn't at work, there is a cloud hanging over his head. To make matters worse, one of the witches has disappeared and Rosemary thinks it's somehow making her dad worse.
Things have gotten so out of control that when Rosemary sees her mom and the witches pass right through the wall, she knows she has to figure out a way to get through so she can help her family get back to normal. She enlists the help of her sister and her friend Adi and they set off on an adventure to set things right.
I really enjoyed this story. It's a lot of fun. The characters are great. I laughed out loud a few times at Lois' "problem". You'll have to read it to see what I mean.
I received a copy from Net Galley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
annarella's review
5.0
It's a great book that can be appreciated by adult and children.
It mixes history, fantasy and it's engrossing, poignant and heartwarming.
It made laugh and it made me root for the characters. The world building and the character development are excellent and plot flows keeping you hooked.
It's strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
It mixes history, fantasy and it's engrossing, poignant and heartwarming.
It made laugh and it made me root for the characters. The world building and the character development are excellent and plot flows keeping you hooked.
It's strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
oyindalovesbooks's review
4.0
Title: Rosemary and the Witches of Pendle Hill
Author: Samantha Giles
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐. 5
Pub Date: 06 Aug 2020
Thank you Netgalley, Agora Books, and Samantha Giles for my free digital review copy in exchange for my impartial review.
This was a cute and fun read. It was a nice break from my usual thrillers and YA/adult fantasy and contemporary books. I haven't read a middle grade book in forever, and this was an amazing one.
The book focuses on Rosemary, the daughter of a witch, and how she deals with some issues and changes in her home life. We get to meet her parents, her friend Adi, her sister Lois, and many paranormal entities - friends as well as foes. Rosemary also has a unique gift of seeing people's moods as colors. We also see Rosemary's dad dealing with depression, and her mom dealing with some level of unsatisfaction in her life.
This read well as a kid's book, but there were instances of words that were too big being used. Words like voluptuous and trepidation don't come naturally to kids, especially a kid who would later ask for the meaning of "linear". Apart from this, this book was really good!
Author: Samantha Giles
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐. 5
Pub Date: 06 Aug 2020
Thank you Netgalley, Agora Books, and Samantha Giles for my free digital review copy in exchange for my impartial review.
This was a cute and fun read. It was a nice break from my usual thrillers and YA/adult fantasy and contemporary books. I haven't read a middle grade book in forever, and this was an amazing one.
The book focuses on Rosemary, the daughter of a witch, and how she deals with some issues and changes in her home life. We get to meet her parents, her friend Adi, her sister Lois, and many paranormal entities - friends as well as foes. Rosemary also has a unique gift of seeing people's moods as colors. We also see Rosemary's dad dealing with depression, and her mom dealing with some level of unsatisfaction in her life.
This read well as a kid's book, but there were instances of words that were too big being used. Words like voluptuous and trepidation don't come naturally to kids, especially a kid who would later ask for the meaning of "linear". Apart from this, this book was really good!
More...