A review by bookstarbri
The Witchery, by S. Isabelle
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
What I loved about this story, I REALLY loved. Iris, Thalia, and Mathew were the stars of this for me. Anytime it was their chapter POVs, I was at an all time high. If I could've stayed with them the whole time, I think it would've been a solid 5 stars. I also really loved the central mystery. I was really interested in the wolves and how they were connected to the witches. I also think Iris might be one of my favorite characters of all time. I adore her. Honestly, I'd read an entire book on her and Mathew doing necromancy stuff together and give it an immediate 5 stars.
I see some people saying there were too many POVs. There were 6 and while that is more than I read in most books (especially at this shorter length), I didn't mind that and it actually made sense to me for it to be set up that way! I think my issue was that I just didn't like the other characters as much or they didn't feel as fleshed out as the aforementioned three. Where Iris, Thalia, and Mathew were more likable and had more interesting backstories, Logan, Trent, and Jailah needed a little bit more. I liked Jailah, but we just didn't get as much from her. Logan kind of faltered for me about halfway through. Also, I really wanted Logan and Jailah to be romantically linked and idk why I thought they would be but I'm really disappointed it didn't go in that direction bc Jail's girlfriend sucks.
What I mainly didn't love was the pacing was really odd sometimes. A lot of time passed in this that didn't feel like needed to pass? I think the stakes would've felt higher if the Hunting Season was shorter. Since it was drawn out for months, it just didn't feel all that important sometimes ().
Those gripes are relatively moderate and I honestly don't think I'd have them if this book was a series/duology. I TRULY hope it is because it ends with a lot of questions and, frankly, I want to dive even further into this world. It *feels* like a first book in a series and I DESPERATELY want answers. Even with my little complaints, I really enjoyed this and I want more from this author! I have to commend S. Isabelle on the rep too. It was so nice to have so many Black characters in a book :') it made my little Black girl heart SOAR. Black girls with wands and magic is all I've ever wanted. This book was so fun and dark and such a cool take on witches!
I see some people saying there were too many POVs. There were 6 and while that is more than I read in most books (especially at this shorter length), I didn't mind that and it actually made sense to me for it to be set up that way! I think my issue was that I just didn't like the other characters as much or they didn't feel as fleshed out as the aforementioned three. Where Iris, Thalia, and Mathew were more likable and had more interesting backstories, Logan, Trent, and Jailah needed a little bit more. I liked Jailah, but we just didn't get as much from her. Logan kind of faltered for me about halfway through. Also, I really wanted Logan and Jailah to be romantically linked and idk why I thought they would be but I'm really disappointed it didn't go in that direction bc Jail's girlfriend sucks.
What I mainly didn't love was the pacing was really odd sometimes. A lot of time passed in this that didn't feel like needed to pass? I think the stakes would've felt higher if the Hunting Season was shorter. Since it was drawn out for months, it just didn't feel all that important sometimes (
Spoiler
they even go on winter break and stop speaking for like a month at one point and that felt really unnecessaryThose gripes are relatively moderate and I honestly don't think I'd have them if this book was a series/duology. I TRULY hope it is because it ends with a lot of questions and, frankly, I want to dive even further into this world. It *feels* like a first book in a series and I DESPERATELY want answers. Even with my little complaints, I really enjoyed this and I want more from this author! I have to commend S. Isabelle on the rep too. It was so nice to have so many Black characters in a book :') it made my little Black girl heart SOAR. Black girls with wands and magic is all I've ever wanted. This book was so fun and dark and such a cool take on witches!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Self harm
Moderate: Blood and Death