“She believed that most of what people believed was magic was actually just a way to wash out the accomplishments of women, make their hard work small.”

Set in a world where magic is real, Josephine’s mother went missing thirteen years ago. No one knows what happened to her, and Josephine carries a lot of questions around with her as she struggles to sever the connection between her and her mother. Independently of those gnawing feelings, she also struggles to conform to the world in which she finds herself, and right before she’s set to become a ward of the state for turning 28 and not being married yet, she receives word about her mothers will. On her mission to complete the task her mother has set, she makes a startling discovery that changes everything.

I am so conflicted on how I feel about this book. Part of me loves it, and especially the subject matter and parallels between witchcraft and the censorship women face in 2022. I loved how wildly imaginative this world was, and that this came from a diverse voice and so was seen from Josephine, a woman of colour with a black mother and white father’s POV. I liked that it also took on other modern-day issues we’re facing in the world right now, but mostly that the feminist angle was well explored - which is what I expected when I read the synopsis.

On the subject of bringing socio-political issues into the book, however, I did at times feel as though the writer was pontificating, which disconnected me from the story a little. I also felt that the book read like a fever dream in that something so inexplicable and strange would happen without any real reaction from the character and then it would move on to the next strange thing. I suppose at times it felt more like a series of events than an actual flowing story.

Very much on the fence with this one, I can certainly say that this book challenged me, but I’m still trying to figure out whether that was enjoyable, or just ended up being a bit of a jarring experience.

Final notes then: This was definitely a feminist dystopian novel with witches - as promised - and although I didn’t realise it at the time, the character did grow on me and I found myself rooting for her in the end, but throughout, I didn’t feel particularly invested.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

PS. Always check the trigger warnings.

While the topics covered in this book are usually right up my street I felt that the prose was difficult for me to get into a flow when reading. Potentially it is just the style the writer works in and is successful with readers who enjoy this, The pace of the novel was changeable and the slower sections really dragged for me, added to the plot holes and inconsistencies which made me have to go back and read sections again, I didn’t enjoy reading in the way I would usually, getting engrossed in other alternate worlds is something I enjoy but this had too many aspects I couldn’t brush over. It could be I was just missing key aspects and other readers can see this.

I get the comparison to Atwood, Butler and Jackson, but I think this story fell a little flat because it was almost too unbelievable. It felt like it was trying to do The Handmaid's Tale but changing everything to have a focus on witchcraft. Nonetheless, it's a story that works and does its job in illustrating the ever present reality of being a black queer woman in America.

The synopsis sounded enticing. Unfortunately, it turned out to be the most tedious accumulation of pseudo liberal woke trifle I have come across in a long time.

This one took me a bit of time to get into. However, was an interesting amalgamation of fantasy and dystopia which felt pretty original. A very thought provoking and rather disturbing look at the treatment of women in this fictional society. Incredibly salient and relevant novel to current society.

Wonderful, intriguing and captivating. A well thought out plot and colourful characters. It draws you in and once it has you it doesn't let go.
A stunning book and story it keeps you hooked for the whole ride. No second guessing here, you have to endure and experience until the conclusion.

What an intriguing and unique novel which is set in a dystopian but all too near-future culture. The way women of difference are treated is shocking, disturbing and recognisably familiar. I think this novel would have benefitted from having some additional chapters at the end but that could just be me being selfish and not wanting it to end at that point in the story.

In this dystopian novel if you're an unmarried women at the age of 30 you have to register with the state in order to keep some semblance if the life you knew before. Either that or be judged as a witch and subject to all that comes with it. And Jo knows all about this, she's 28 and bisexual and debating whether to marry a "friend with benefits" just to keep some freedom and normality.
Lovers of science fiction/fantasy/dystopian novels will love this book, sadly on this occasion it was not for me. I enjoyed the authors style of writing but have come to the conclusion dystopian novels are not my thing

This is an intriguing book which places you in a world where witches are acknowledged as existing but are still burnt at the stake if found. Witchcraft is held up by the patriarchy as an example of why women need to be controlled and directed by men in order to keep everyone safe. The MC is questioning herself, her mother, her memories of childhood and trying to work out how to move forward and embrace all she is and can be. Loved it. (Copy received from Netgalley in return for an honest review)

I seem to be in a minority as I didn’t really enjoy this book at all. Although the writing style was ok, for me it was like wading through treacle. The descriptions of previous conversations and stories that were told just seemed like word padding. I am normally a fan of this genre but this one didn’t do it for me.

This was a interesting read which I enjoyed to a certain point however felt lost in the middle part and then came together in the end. This is not my usual genre but the abstract was enticing and I was interested to read it. A very thought provoking current read for today; a dystopian world where magic exists intertwined with racism, sexism and themes of LGBT+. Being a woman in a man's world.. I will look for future books from this author.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an arc in exchange for an honest opinion

This was an interesting read. Magic is real but is banned and witches face being ostracised from society if caught casting spells. It has elements from The Handmaids Tale, The Power and Vox so if you enjoyed any of those, this will be up your street.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for accepting me to read this arc.

Josephine Thomas lives in a dystopian world where if you are not married by a certain age then you are a deemed a witch but especially if you are a woman of colour. 

Fourteen years have passed since her mother’s disappearance and Jo has heard every theory from kidnap, murder to her mother being a witch, and now when Jo is finally ready to let go of the past her mothers will is found and throws Jo a request that means leaving her every day life and to possibly feel connected to her mother one last time.

Truthfully it took me a while to get into this book which annoyed me as when I saw what the book was about I wanted to read it straight away. However when I did get into it I really enjoyed it. The ending was slightly unexpected but in a good way.

Until reading some of my fellow reviewers thoughts I had no idea this book would be quite so Marmite (that’s divisive for the non British among us). I was not entirely Giddings’ captive audience for this novel. While I love dystopian fiction I really struggle with fantasy and usually anything that mentions witches is a real turn off for me, but the combination of the two was quite dare I say it, bewitching. Throw in issues of race, sexuality and patriarchal control of women’s lives and there was enough to draw me in.
Giddings throws you straight into Jo’s life with no scene setting or character building but after a few chapters I realised it was a much more organic way to get to know someone and that I felt bonded to her as a protagonist by finding out who Angie and Party City were quickly with little back story just as you hear about the friends and family of people you meet in everyday life.
I loved Giddings descriptions of attraction, fizzing with sex without being at all overt. Her descriptions of magic are likewise, exciting and thrilling but still private and intimate to the witches who practice their crafts.
Jo’s desire for a life where she can do nothing but the one thing that drives her passionately, to create really resonates with me. As a creative who needs to make rather than make crafting into a business I could see how difficult the societal norm of having to be married by 30 and married in order to continue to work would stifle her.
Her complex relationship with her parents, especially her missing mother was another thing where I could identify so much of my own life in Jo’s story. Giddings writes with such honesty and simplicity of the complex feeling relationships can cause.
I won’t say much about the plot as I hate spoilers but suffice it to say I was blindsided by the end and shocked again at the ending of the end.
I will definitely be excited to read anything else by this author.

A beautifully satisfying conclusion in an infuriatingly believable patriarchal society where women’s lives are entirely controlled and under suspicion, whether or not they’re a witch (too easy to imagine in a Republican US where the possibility of magic exists). The main character is flawed but likeable and believable, and the characterisation honest; the same goes for those around her, and has you rooting for her throughout.

This book was weird, but I mean that in the nicest possible way! I felt like there was very little time given to world building or explaining the dystopian society, but once I got past this and just went with it, I really enjoyed it. Jo is a very relatable and likeable character and her relationships are as compelling as they are complicated. I loved the magic in this book, which felt very different - it was darker and stranger and more freeing. It's too easy to imagine that this is how most of the world would react if women were found to hold the key to magic, which makes this even more terrifying. I would definitely read more from this author in future.

Some books grip you from the first page, others are a slow burn, but keep you interested. Then there are those that are a lost cause for the individual reader. I managed exactly halfway through this book and then decided to do myself a favour and admit defeat. Only the second book I have given up on after doing many, many reviews. I think the fact I DNF says more about me than the book, I just could not relate or appreciate. Maybe I will return to it at a later date. My apologies to the author.

Thank you NetGalley.

I think this is going to be one of those books that many readers will absolutely love and yet some will not love quite as much as they wanted to or thought they should. Sadly, I fall into the latter group and I really did want to enjoy this book because everything I read about it appealed to me.
The story is set in a dystopian world where women must be married by their late twenties or else give up all their independence: right to work, socialise alone with other women, work etc. Women who choose this path are under constant surveillance for being a witch and in this society, witches are still burned at the stake. This for me would have been enough for the plot to succeed but themes of race, LGBTQ+ , abortion laws are also brought in, which for me gave the impression the author was trying to convey too many messages they lost their way. I’d say it’s a novel of three parts. The beginning had me wondering where the plot was going, middle rather lost me, and I enjoyed the last part which seemed to bring it back together for me. As I say, I think lots of people are going to love this book and wish it well.
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for a chance to read an early copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to love this story but I’m afraid overall it was a bit ‘marmite’ for me. I enjoyed the opening of the novel and it’s world setting. I must admit I got a little lost during the middle section but I’m sure there are readers much wiser than me who would understand the imagery much better. The end of the novel tied things up well . A dystopian novel where women have to marry by the age of 28 to be watched by their husbands in case they are witches and where you can still be burnt if you are found guilty of being a witch, where homophobia, racism and sexism pervades society and yes magic and witches are real. Overall I personally felt the novel missed its mark but I think that other readers will love it. As I said a ‘marmite’ novel. Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and the author for giving me the opportunity of reading this novel in return for an honest opinion.

Unfortunately this was another book that wasn't for me and I nearly gave up on it a few times. As it was offered as an ARC via NetGalley, I did push through and finish it to give it a full review. For me, this book was far too full of exposition and it seems to ignore the classic writing rule of "show, don't tell" as there are large passages of telling you things. It might appeal to a younger audience as there are plenty of references to current fads; hair dyed "plastic-unicorn-toy-pink", anyone? There are also a noticeably high number of uses of the "f-word". I can swear like a sailor when the occasion calls for it so I am not a prude however when the word is used excessively, especially in the narrative, I find it off-putting.

The author also repeatedly used a device of characters telling stories to the main protagonist. What is the problem with that? Nothing in theory, however in practice this felt incredibly contrived. For example "When you were a child, I told you stories...This one is called, 'The Witches and the Island in the Middle of the Lake." Reading this quote my first thought was wouldn't the protagonist already know that her mother told her stories? Secondly announcing the name of it before launching into a story of the form "Once there was..." felt awkward. This feeling was emphasised when later a different character told a story in exactly the same format.

I also did a bit of a double take when supposedly official government questions contained that pesky "f-word". If it was a standard set, would they use that word rather than the more benign "had sex with" or "had intercourse with"? When the government agents started with "...let me tell you a story" I was getting a severe sense of deja vu and decided that this was just not for me.