Tag: Witches

Book Review – The Ravens by Kass Morgan and Danielle Paige

Genre: Fiction; Fantasy; Young Adult

Note: There are NO spoilers in this review. When discussing in the comments, please provide a spoiler warning if needed.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐.5 / 5

I love the idea of The Ravens by Kass Morgan and Danielle Paige. I purchased this book solely because I thought the cover was gorgeous, and once I read the synopsis I knew it had the potential to be a favorite of mine. While it didn’t hit “OMG I HAVE TO TELL EVERYONE” status it was still a fun read. 

Westerly College’s sorority Kappa Rho Nu isn’t just a sorority – it’s a coven hiding behind the facade of a sorority. And they aren’t just anyone among the Greek life – they are the best and brightest, the envy of everyone on campus.

Throughout the novel we switch between the perspectives of Vivi Deveraux, a freshman looking to find her place and set down roots after a life of moving from place to place with her mom, and Scarlett Winters, a legacy Raven with her sights set on becoming Kappa Rho Nu’s next president. Following the initial meet for the new members, Vivi and Scarlett are pinned together as big and little for initiation.

Queue the big secret that could ruin it all for Scarlett, throw in some “she’s stealing my man drama,” and a few dead and/or missing bodies and you’ve got yourself The Ravens.

If you like mother/daughter drama – this is the book for you; if you like catty interactions in girl friend groups – this is the book for you; if you like Mean Girls – this is the book for you. Nothing is as it seems in this novel from the girls glamouring themselves to change their physical appearance to evil witches hiding in plain sight.

This one is definitely slow to start, but once we get into the magic and #drama it really takes off. We start with the assumption that this is your stereotypical sorority with your stereotypical sorority girls – obsessed with image and overall self-centered people. The authors work to shift that for us a bit throughout the novel, and they do an okay job. But I would have liked to see more of this. 

If you want a fun and easy read, The Ravens is a good place to start. It’s always nice when you buy a book because of a pretty cover and end up liking the book as well. The sequel The Monarchs came out earlier this year, but I haven’t picked it up yet. If I do, expect a review for that one as well.

Posted on by cieraraeoldham 0

Book Review – Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

Genre: Fantasy

Note: There are NO spoilers in this review. When discussing in the comments, please provide a spoiler warning if needed.

Reading an Alice Hoffman novel is like sitting around a campfire listening to someone tell you a story. Before you know it, time slips away and all you can focus on is the journey the storyteller is taking you on.

This is rarely the case, but I saw the movie Practical Magic well before I read Alice Hoffman’s novel. Because of this, I feel like the imagery and storyline was a little harder to critique because I had a clear vision of Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman while reading.

Although the movie and book are not identical. I found that I anticipated what was coming next, and became somewhat focused on the differences between the novel and movie. But I’m not going to let that color my opinions of the novel.

The book opens when sisters Gillian and Sally are young and living with their three aunts. As they grow up, they begin to resent their upbringing, in their own ways, and strike out on their own. Gillian with her transient and exciting life; Sally with her children and their attempt at a “normal” life. 

“My darling girl, when are you going to realize that being normal is not necessarily a virtue? It rather denotes a lack of courage. – Aunt Frances”

Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

Have you ever read prose that sounds almost like a song? Almost like someone is talking to you but everything flows and blends together in a beautiful and lyrical way? 

That is what reading an Alice Hoffman novel is like. 

I fell in love with the Owens women – wanted to be an Owens woman. There is no spellcasting or wand waving, but magic flows through each page.

But it’s subtle. If you are coming from reading an overly dramatized young adult fantasy novel (YES PLEASE), then the transition to the softness of this novel may be a little jarring. There is drama, pain, joy – all of it – woven into these pages, but it’s not in the same aggressive way a lot of other fantasy novels are. 

That’s one of my favorite elements – you aren’t ever completely sure if the Owens women are witches or just overly attuned to the world around them. There is definite magic, but it’s so natural, almost. 

I enjoyed the quiet. 

“There are some things, after all, that Sally Owens knows for certain: Always throw spilled salt over your left shoulder. Keep rosemary by your garden gate. Add pepper to your mashed potatoes. Plant roses and lavender, for luck. Fall in love whenever you can.”

Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

Love was the central theme of this novel (as it is for every Owen’s Family novel), and it reminds us of the importance of being and feeling exactly what you are – always. It was a lovely, peaceful journey with Gillian and Sally. 

If you haven’t already, I highly recommend Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman. (The movie is pretty good too!)

Have you read Practical Magic? Let’s talk about it here in the comments or on Instagram.

Posted on by cieraraeoldham 0