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A review by manola
The Hedgewitch of Foxhall by Anna Bright
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
This story deserves much more recognition. It quickly became one of my favorite comfort reads of this year.
It's definitely not perfect, and going through reviews I understand claims about characters not feeling as solid as they could be, but for me, (even though having better built characters would've made the experience all the better) the story being YA and overall a bit more juvenile allowed for it. The characters had enough depth to make their drive in the story compelling for me, and to make them likeable and fun to read about.
The writing is probably one of the things I enjoyed the most. It was lovely; subtly flowery, avoiding becoming overpowering. The folklore was really interesting to read about, and all the songs sprinkled throughout beautiful to read, and they added a particular mystical feel to the story I fell in love with.
The ending was probably too fairy tale-y, and I'd understand if other readers are against it, but for me the narrative cultivated this fairy tale vibe from the start that made the ending (though not my favorite) cohesive enough with the rest of the book (but yes, I admit, some parts of it were a bit eye roll-worthy).
If the book would've had a more mature and maybe darker tone to it, it probably would've brushed five stars for me. It was addictively enjoyable, from the romance to the plot and the characters. Tiktok should get its teeth on this and label it a new cozy fantasy. I think it would play the part.
(And as for the romantic triangle, I did get mad at it when I came across it, but it dissolved quickly enough that it didn't become annoying. I would've preferred to keep the jealousy platonic, but it was tolerable and gave me tea to sip on for a while. )
It's definitely not perfect, and going through reviews I understand claims about characters not feeling as solid as they could be, but for me, (even though having better built characters would've made the experience all the better) the story being YA and overall a bit more juvenile allowed for it. The characters had enough depth to make their drive in the story compelling for me, and to make them likeable and fun to read about.
The writing is probably one of the things I enjoyed the most. It was lovely; subtly flowery, avoiding becoming overpowering. The folklore was really interesting to read about, and all the songs sprinkled throughout beautiful to read, and they added a particular mystical feel to the story I fell in love with.
The ending was probably too fairy tale-y, and I'd understand if other readers are against it, but for me the narrative cultivated this fairy tale vibe from the start that made the ending (though not my favorite) cohesive enough with the rest of the book (but yes, I admit, some parts of it were a bit eye roll-worthy).
If the book would've had a more mature and maybe darker tone to it, it probably would've brushed five stars for me. It was addictively enjoyable, from the romance to the plot and the characters. Tiktok should get its teeth on this and label it a new cozy fantasy. I think it would play the part.
(And as for the romantic triangle, I did get mad at it when I came across it, but it dissolved quickly enough that it didn't become annoying. I would've preferred to keep the jealousy platonic, but it was tolerable and gave me tea to sip on for a while. )