Thick Witch Travels by Lizzy Ives

 

Ebook with great thanks to Sword and Rose press and the author.

5/5 stars

You may recall last year I read book 1 of this series? Trilogy? I think it's a trilogy... Fat Witch Summer which I loved.

Book 2 picks up a year later, the Gift system has been dismantled thanks to Thrash and her coven but familiars keep approaching Thrash, everyone's unsettled and they just need a break.

Now Thrash, Cresca, Em and Saki are heading out on a gap year to travel Europa finished off with an apprenticeship Thrash arranged at Wainwood Academy under famed architect Fernicus Wainwood. Right from the start the four all seem to have different ideas about the trip and Thrash worried they might be growing apart but then a familiar asks for their help...

I LOVE these books, the characters are so well-written and 3D. They all have distinct voices and personalities. As a fat person I relate to Thrash's struggles to buy off the rack, especially when thrifting or at boutiques (that adjustment wand sounds amazing though!). I loved the ace rep.

The story is complex and layered but still easy to follow and the danger towards the characters feels real. I loved the expansion of the world and the magic system, everything is so well thought out and I'm really looking forward to the future and seeing where these characters end up.

Steff Out x

Empress of All Seasons by Emiko Jean

Ebook provided by NetGalley for review. Thank you.

Read October 2020

This was a beautifully written, well-plotted book for the most part. I loved the mythology behind the story, the Yokai and the deities stories placed at various intervals throughout the novel. The idea of the competition through the seasons was really interesting and unique.

The characters were all well-rounded with decent voice distinction. Mari, our main narrator and Animal Wife Yokai, was easily the best. Akira, Mari's haf-Yokai best friend, was a bit of a lovestruck idiot to start with who didn't like accepting her no. He did grow as a character though which I really appreciated. Taro was just a bit of a jerk. He fell in instalove with Mari just because she didn't immediately know he was the prince. The interest in metalwork seemed to be an attempt to humanise him which failed as he was just as bad as his father and everyone else.

My biggest problem with this book by a long way was the pacing. We end a chapter with Mari and Taro meeting after she gets lost but then the next chapter opens with all the girls gathered for the competition and no explantion as to how Mari found her way. A bit more of a build up, getting ready etc would have been nice.

However that was nothing compared to the ending! All this build up and tension and setting up a rebellion that goes throughout the novel and I presumed setting up for a sequel and then... Not a lot. We'll kill off a main character for shock factor, reverse it with magic, get a few paragraphs that everything is fixed and everyone is happy the end. It was such a let down and  took a 4-5 star book to a 2-3 star. I am still so peeved!

3/5 stars

Stef Out x