Cover Image: The Coven

The Coven

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Member Reviews

I love witchy reads but I struggled with this one. I think the formatting of the eARC probably had a lot to do with it - it was terrible. If I see this in a charity shop I may pick it up and give it another go though.

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This book went very up and down for me. Both the beginning and ending were very good but there was a lot of bloat in the middle which I struggled to get through. For me this could have been 50 pages shorter with less trips here, there and everywhere and made a stronger impact. I enjoyed the way magic was shown and the action was exciting. Some characters received a fair level of exposition but both Chloe and Daniel barely any, especially Chloe, we knew almost nothing about who she was as a person which I felt was lacking.

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Propulsive, action packed, plot driven novel full of witchy retribution that would translate well to film.

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I found it difficult to get into this book, despite such an interesting premise. Lizzie Fry gives the Salem witch trials an update and reimagines the world as a place where women have equal power to men. This is due to the fact they are still able to use their magic, witches magic passed down the generations to be used in a peaceful and positive way. However, this isn’t always enjoyed by powerful men in society and when a populist president enters the White House he decides he will harness the misogyny in society and deal with the witches. All witches must be imprisoned ‘for their own safety’, but one young woman avoids the re-education camps. She has a transformative magical power and there is a warrant out for her arrest. This is one of those books where a great premise doesn’t guarantee a great read. There were elements I loved, but I kept struggling to pick it up for some reason. There seemed to be a lot more characters than needed. The politics and philosophy behind the re-education camps seemed muddled to me and the signalling of certain character’s views was a little heavy handed at times - there are subtle ways within a story to show the reader that a character is sexist, rather than telling me over again. I didn’t finish this one, because it was taken a lot of time to get through and I needed to move on.

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* 2.5 stars.

I really wanted to love this one. A feminist fantasy/dystopia hybrid about witches is very much my type of thing.
Unfortunately some of the characters (namely, the antagonists) and their dialogue was so unsubtle and so much like a caricature that it was painful to read. Clearly, the subtext of the novel is critiquing the deep rooted misogyny that is so prevalent in our society. However, the author felt the need to remind the reader of that fact consistently, rather than letting the story speak for itself. I don't need a character to remark that a woman's place is in the home with a baby in her belly to understand that that character is sexist, when his actions get that message across quite clearly. There were other examples, such as using the terms 'snowflake' and 'cuck' which took me out of the allegory and made me feel like it was falling into parody territory. This was a shame as the story itself, the world building and intertwining perspectives was pretty good, but sadly due to its flaws, I can't rate it any higher.

(Many thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.)

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I just couldn't get into this book. I tried reading it earlier in the year ad put it down thinking it just wasnt the season for it, but no, even in spooky season there is nothing about this one that gripped me.

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3.5/5 - a fun, witchy, dystopian time!

Things I enjoyed:
- the dystopian/realism (alternative reality) setting
- there were many nods to witchy history
- the female characters dominate the story
- excellent concept, very fun, well-paced
- enjoyed that it was the usual 'this one special teenager who is very important and powerful somehow' vibe but from an mature adult's perspective

Things I did not love:
- insta-love always puts me off
- it was sometimes difficult to keep up with such a large cast of characters
- I think I'd have preferred the villain to have a lil more depth
- I thought the ending fell apart a bit

Overall I definitely enjoyed this though, would recommend!

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Thought this book had an interesting premise and enjoyed the storyline, I just could not connect with and like some of the characters. The plot was clever and I got invested in it overall good story about witches in modern day USA.

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The Salem Witch Trials get a modern update in this dystopian fantasy thriller. A breathtaking read that would be perfect for fans of Christina Dalcher. I really enjoyed it.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

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This is a good book, very strong first half and a bit slower in the second one.
Excellent world building, I liked the characters and found the story thought provoking and entertaining.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

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I found this book very hard to read. I just can’t put my finger on why. Possibly because of the formatting of the ARC - it wasn’t the best so put me off quite a bit.

I’m sure if you like mystical fiction, this would be your cup of tea

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I don't really know what to make of this read.
It seems to straddle YA and New Adult - maybe older Young Adult?
I enjoyed the general premise, the world building and magic system. But it was so much more complicated than it needed to be. There was a lot of side characters and appearances , I didn’t know who I needed to remember. And there were a lot of places mentioned and travelled to, it was not always completing clear why they were going there.
Overall, I enjoyed the characters and the found family feel, it was a great concept but I found it was overly complicated.
Saying that, I believe this would make a FANTASTIC movie.

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2.5 stars.

After a lot of indecision, I ultimately rated this book 2.5 stars. It had a strong first half, and I was initially really invested in the world and in the witches - I liked the three types of witches and the way their powers were varied. I also found it interesting and compelling that the more powerful the witch, the more they were stigmatised. It really helped to drive home the dystopia built on male power and female subjugation. Unfortunately I'm a character reader, and I just didn't get to learn enough about these characters to care about them. I wanted to really emotionally connect to the witches especially, but they weren't distinct enough for me to fall in love with them. I also found that the latter half of the book lost focus in a lot of ways. I found it confusing and a little over-complicated, and I lost the thread of what was happening several times. The writing was good and this wasn't a bad read, but I think I wanted a little more from it overall.

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The coven presents a world where witches are real and the president has declared them a threat that must be neutralised. A organisation called the Sentinal are tasked with dealing with witches and they are being killed or sent to prisons just for existing. Any woman suspected of being a witch isn't safe - sometimes even from her own husband! The story follows a young witch coming into her powers, her father trying desperately to keep her safe, a witch on the run from the prison that held her and a Sentinal officer who has deserted.

This book was a funny one, it wasn't quite what I expected. I enjoyed the set up of the world and the different kind of witches. The story started off with potential as the characters separate journeys brought them together but something didn't quite click. The book started to drag a little for me and the twist wasn't what I expected or wanted. I felt like the 'twist' undermined what the book had done so far. The resolution of the plot really wasn't for me either, it felt pretty generic to me in a book that had started off quite unique.
My biggest issue though was that none of the characters really interested me. I didn't connect to any of them and the only perspective I was interested in was of Daniel (father of young witch Chloe). This book made me realise that I am more of a character driven reader than I previously thought.
Another point I just have to mention is that the phrase 'rogue sentinal' was used WAY too many times to describe the character of Ethan. It seems like such a petty thing to point out but it got really grating near the end of the book when it became more fast paced.

Overall I can appreciate the good parts of the book but it wasn't to my taste.

I received this book via Netgalley in return for an honest review.

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A dystopian story set in an alternative reality featuring witches. Unfortunately, I was unable to engage with the novel but it will appeal to fans of Charmed, Bewitched and other series in the genre.

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After vampires, books featuring witches are my second love and this book doesn’t disappoint. There are definitely comparisons to The Handmaids Tale, which is not a bad thing. Set in a dystopian world where witchcraft is illegal, where women practitioners are considered a danger and are hunted down and ‘incarcerated’ or ‘re-educated’ this book is a evocative thrill ride and dare I say it ripe for TV producers out there.

I haven’t seen much buzz about this book which is unfortunate. This is a brilliant thriller. It has a real cinematic quality to the writing which is vivid and engaging, it pulls you in and keeps you reading. The characters are brilliantly written, it has some great locales, great action and the witchcraft and its classification are fresh and clever.
A compelling debut. Great dystopian fiction with witches what more could you ask for.

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Great concept, but I just couldn't connect with it. I found it hard to follow, and it was one of those where every time you picked it up you felt like you'd forgotten everything that came before and had to reread the last few sections to get back into it. The main issue was that it was just too long and not very well paced, so as it went on it just became harder and harder to connect to. However, I did feel that it would likely have worked a lot better as a film or tv series, where it could be edited and trimmed down to make it better.

Disclaimer - I was fortunate enough to be provided with an advance reading copy of this book by NetGalley. This has not affected my review in any way, and all opinions are my own.

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I really wanted to love this book as I love anything witch related but the formatting of this advance copy was so poor that I really struggled to get into it and on the pages where there were posters I had no idea what they said.

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I consumed this book in a day, but if I hadn’t got other things going on, I would have read it within hours. Full of magical action, fear and twists, I did not want to put it down. This dystopian novel set in our time has the feel of the Handmaid’s Tale but with the added element of witchcraft. Misogyny goes a step further and sees all women as evil, and potentially part of terrorist group if they have dealings with magic, tarot and crystals, etc. There are three types of witches – kitchen witches who can denounce their magic, crystal witches who can only perform magic when boosted by crystals so are contained in specialist camps in caves and the most feared, the Elementals. As someone who is fascinated by magic, owns several packs of tarot cards and is known to casting a good luck spell now and then, this book was disturbing. It made me feel vulnerable reading it.

It follows Chloe, an Elemental who comes into her magic with devastating results and Adalita, a crystal witch who escapes jail with the help of a rogue Sentinel, as they try to evade capture. It is an international thriller but the primary setting is one of my favourite places, Boscastle in Cornwall. It made me long to visit and when I do, knowing the connection to this story will make it more special. It is a story of friendship, and it highlights the power of women when fighting towards a common cause. The chemistry between the characters was a joy to read.

Would I recommend?
Yes! With magical explosions, conspiracy theories, twists and high tension, this highly visual novel is a thrill to read. The recent political events only adds to the tension, and it shows how political spin and control can divide families, communities and countries with horrifying results. It is a must if you love witchy books or a dystopian novel with a twist. I can’t wait to have a physical copy on my own forever shelf.

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This book grabs you right from the start as Chloe discovers the inner "Elemental" earth magic that had been muffled in her, burning her house to the ground with it. Set in an alternate world, where magic exists in most women, and men (and Goody women) have created the Sentinel to eradicate magic from earth, we journey with Chloe and her Dad, as well as crystal witch Adelita and ex-Sentinel agent Ethan as they set out to save themselves and make things right. I couldn't put it down!

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