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A review by luluwoohoo
The Witch Haven by Sasha Peyton Smith
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
The Witch Haven by Sasha Peyton Smith
☀️☀️☀️
A magical historical fantasy that excelled in some areas but failed in others.
The plot of this novel was simple but effective. I liked the combination of murder mystery with the growing turmoil amongst magical factions, though I would have liked more development there. The pacing really lacked in the second act with lots of repetitive scenes so I'm glad it improved in the end.
Where the book fell apart was in the character development. Frances is not overly likeable and makes poor decisions throughout that aren't always in keeping with the small amount we know about her. She lacks agency and struggles to achieve much of anything despite being a chosen one character. Her friends and love interests are archetypical and don't really expand beyond that. The villain was obvious from their first page.
The writing was serviceable but not outstanding. I wish the author hadn't overused words like 'trills' and 'fizzy' which stood out way too much. The dialogue was clunky in parts.
I expected more of this book than I got. It's not terrible but there were enough negative aspects to make me decide that I won't read the second book.
☀️☀️☀️
A magical historical fantasy that excelled in some areas but failed in others.
The plot of this novel was simple but effective. I liked the combination of murder mystery with the growing turmoil amongst magical factions, though I would have liked more development there. The pacing really lacked in the second act with lots of repetitive scenes so I'm glad it improved in the end.
Where the book fell apart was in the character development. Frances is not overly likeable and makes poor decisions throughout that aren't always in keeping with the small amount we know about her. She lacks agency and struggles to achieve much of anything despite being a chosen one character. Her friends and love interests are archetypical and don't really expand beyond that. The villain was obvious from their first page.
The writing was serviceable but not outstanding. I wish the author hadn't overused words like 'trills' and 'fizzy' which stood out way too much. The dialogue was clunky in parts.
I expected more of this book than I got. It's not terrible but there were enough negative aspects to make me decide that I won't read the second book.
"I know immediately what I am going to do. When it comes to my brother, I've never had much of a choice.
This is how I love him now, in the dark with my rage and shaking hands."