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A review by galaxygraves
The Coven by Cate Tiernan
3.0
Morgan Rowlands thought she was an ordinary girl, but as she travels down the path of Wicca and magick, she realizes she is different. Samhain revealed her to be a Blood Witch and now she will learn the darkness that comes with that truth. However, the secrets of her past will pale in comparison to her possible future when two new witches arrive.
“It would be my first lesson in magick, and it would be hard learned: seeing the big picture, not just a part of it.”
I began reading Cate Tiernan’s The Coven as soon as I finished its predecessor, Book of Shadows. The first novel ended on a cliffhanger, and The Coven began with a flashback to that exact scene where Morgan discovers just how powerful she is in witchcraft during the Samhain circle with her new coven, Cirrus. However, Morgan promises in her narration that the happiness will not continue. Just like the balance of good and bad in Wicca, her story does not end with the happy notes. Everything has a consequence.
Discovering Morgan is a Blood Witch impacts everyone in the coven. It explains why her spell to help Robbie went so well, why their circles are so strong, and sparks a new rivalry between some members. This newfound knowledge also creates tension for Morgan at home, a Blood Witch is born from other witches, not humans. If Morgan has magick in her veins, then her family must as well. However, when confronts her family, she discovers secrets she never considered – secrets that should be left buried.
While the first novel had lots of exposition for the series, The Coven has more drama and even a bit of mystery. The themes of teenage angst, romance, rivalry, and growing up are all still present but expanded upon. We learn more about each character as the story progresses and see more of how they interact and rely upon one another, and how some of them drive each other away. We see more of how they use Wicca and magick to understand themselves and one another, but also how it can become uncontrollable and dangerous. Particularly, when the coven begins to fall apart and two new witches appear.
“I wanted to see them miserable.”
The most frustrating aspect of this book was Morgan and her reactions to things. As the story progresses we see her struggle with her power and her morals, which isn’t uncommon for a protagonist, but her reactions are a bit unrealistic in my opinion. When she discovers her past, Morgan is incapable of thinking of possible justifications for the secrets despite them being obvious. She immediately just refuses to hear her family out or give them time to explain, she turns on them as the enemy. It made sense but dragged on a bit too long. I was also incredibly frustrated by her lack of priorities at times, she would rather focus on romance than searching for the answers she needs.
The book was not as predictable as the first, but it was also not hard to read critically and pick out the important details and guess what was going to happen. However, my favorite parts came with the descriptions of magick. There were the common tropes of colored light, but there were also scenes that were much more internalized. Emotional and physical feelings, concepts rather than only visual manifestations. The balance between descriptions gave the story a more rounded, developed aspect that felt fresh and exciting. I fell into the story with characters, experiencing what they experienced and creating mental images easily. The book felt surprisingly cinematic.
I enjoyed the story and read it quickly, but it was not groundbreaking. It was less predictable than the first novel, but not a crazy adventure with twists and turns. However, there was much more “meat” to this story than groundwork and I was left satisfied. With the introduction of new characters and promises of more conflict and mystery, I can’t wait to read the third installment.
“It would be my first lesson in magick, and it would be hard learned: seeing the big picture, not just a part of it.”
I began reading Cate Tiernan’s The Coven as soon as I finished its predecessor, Book of Shadows. The first novel ended on a cliffhanger, and The Coven began with a flashback to that exact scene where Morgan discovers just how powerful she is in witchcraft during the Samhain circle with her new coven, Cirrus. However, Morgan promises in her narration that the happiness will not continue. Just like the balance of good and bad in Wicca, her story does not end with the happy notes. Everything has a consequence.
Discovering Morgan is a Blood Witch impacts everyone in the coven. It explains why her spell to help Robbie went so well, why their circles are so strong, and sparks a new rivalry between some members. This newfound knowledge also creates tension for Morgan at home, a Blood Witch is born from other witches, not humans. If Morgan has magick in her veins, then her family must as well. However, when confronts her family, she discovers secrets she never considered – secrets that should be left buried.
While the first novel had lots of exposition for the series, The Coven has more drama and even a bit of mystery. The themes of teenage angst, romance, rivalry, and growing up are all still present but expanded upon. We learn more about each character as the story progresses and see more of how they interact and rely upon one another, and how some of them drive each other away. We see more of how they use Wicca and magick to understand themselves and one another, but also how it can become uncontrollable and dangerous. Particularly, when the coven begins to fall apart and two new witches appear.
“I wanted to see them miserable.”
The most frustrating aspect of this book was Morgan and her reactions to things. As the story progresses we see her struggle with her power and her morals, which isn’t uncommon for a protagonist, but her reactions are a bit unrealistic in my opinion. When she discovers her past, Morgan is incapable of thinking of possible justifications for the secrets despite them being obvious. She immediately just refuses to hear her family out or give them time to explain, she turns on them as the enemy. It made sense but dragged on a bit too long. I was also incredibly frustrated by her lack of priorities at times, she would rather focus on romance than searching for the answers she needs.
The book was not as predictable as the first, but it was also not hard to read critically and pick out the important details and guess what was going to happen. However, my favorite parts came with the descriptions of magick. There were the common tropes of colored light, but there were also scenes that were much more internalized. Emotional and physical feelings, concepts rather than only visual manifestations. The balance between descriptions gave the story a more rounded, developed aspect that felt fresh and exciting. I fell into the story with characters, experiencing what they experienced and creating mental images easily. The book felt surprisingly cinematic.
I enjoyed the story and read it quickly, but it was not groundbreaking. It was less predictable than the first novel, but not a crazy adventure with twists and turns. However, there was much more “meat” to this story than groundwork and I was left satisfied. With the introduction of new characters and promises of more conflict and mystery, I can’t wait to read the third installment.