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spoonofnutella_'s review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
A great book to pick up and peruse. There's something for everyone here.
My favourite stories are:
- The Luck Thief, Tade Thompson
- Met Swallow, Cassandra Khaw
- What Dreams May Come, C.L. Clark
- So Spake the Mirrorwitch, Premee Mohamed
- Just a Nudge, Maureen McHugh
- Through the Woods, Due West, Angela Slatter
- Nameless Here for Evermore, Fonda Lee
- Night Riding, Usman T. Malik
I think I will definitely come back to this for Halloweens to come.
Thanks: Received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
My favourite stories are:
- The Luck Thief, Tade Thompson
- Met Swallow, Cassandra Khaw
- What Dreams May Come, C.L. Clark
- So Spake the Mirrorwitch, Premee Mohamed
- Just a Nudge, Maureen McHugh
- Through the Woods, Due West, Angela Slatter
- Nameless Here for Evermore, Fonda Lee
- Night Riding, Usman T. Malik
I think I will definitely come back to this for Halloweens to come.
Thanks: Received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
sandytfrench's review
3.25
The Book of Witches, edited by Jonathan Strahan
Publication date: 26 October 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3.25 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for providing me with an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
~~~~~
An array of original stories from around the world bring a new and exciting twist to one of the most beloved figures in fiction: witches.
~~~~~
This is a book perfectly suited to the season; I really appreciated Jonathan Strahan's introduction looking at witches through time and the prism of different cultures and there were quite a few authors I was aware of or familiar with in this anthology.
I think it's normal when reading a short story collection for some of the stories to not fully land for the reader, but there were much more of those than usual for me on this occasion. For instance, any story written in verse is very unlikely to work for me as I do not like poetry, but this is a me problem rather than a book problem. This being said, quite a few of the stories left me a bit "meh," a bit disengaged or confused as to the point they were trying to make.
However, as with any anthology, there were some outstanding stories. The most fun with a clever premise (and probably my very favourite) is "The Unexpected Excursion of the Murder Mystery Writing Witches" by Garth Nix where three murder mystery writing witches have to deal with a supernatural danger. One of those witches is called Agatha (wink, wink, nudge, nudge.) I had to do a bit of Google sleuthing myself to identify the other two murder mystery writing witches, which was a lot of fun and I loved the traditional aspects of the story (those witches ride broomsticks, they use wands and cast spells.)
"What Dreams May Come" by C. L. Clark also had an amazing premise that explored complicated family dynamics, rejection and acceptance. "So Spake The Mirrorwitch" by Premee Mohamed focused on prejudice and the othering of those whom Society would consider "different" while "John Hollowback and The Witch" by Amal El-Mohtar was a quieter, more contemplative and melancholy story.
~~~~~
Publication date: 26 October 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3.25 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for providing me with an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
~~~~~
An array of original stories from around the world bring a new and exciting twist to one of the most beloved figures in fiction: witches.
~~~~~
This is a book perfectly suited to the season; I really appreciated Jonathan Strahan's introduction looking at witches through time and the prism of different cultures and there were quite a few authors I was aware of or familiar with in this anthology.
I think it's normal when reading a short story collection for some of the stories to not fully land for the reader, but there were much more of those than usual for me on this occasion. For instance, any story written in verse is very unlikely to work for me as I do not like poetry, but this is a me problem rather than a book problem. This being said, quite a few of the stories left me a bit "meh," a bit disengaged or confused as to the point they were trying to make.
However, as with any anthology, there were some outstanding stories. The most fun with a clever premise (and probably my very favourite) is "The Unexpected Excursion of the Murder Mystery Writing Witches" by Garth Nix where three murder mystery writing witches have to deal with a supernatural danger. One of those witches is called Agatha (wink, wink, nudge, nudge.) I had to do a bit of Google sleuthing myself to identify the other two murder mystery writing witches, which was a lot of fun and I loved the traditional aspects of the story (those witches ride broomsticks, they use wands and cast spells.)
"What Dreams May Come" by C. L. Clark also had an amazing premise that explored complicated family dynamics, rejection and acceptance. "So Spake The Mirrorwitch" by Premee Mohamed focused on prejudice and the othering of those whom Society would consider "different" while "John Hollowback and The Witch" by Amal El-Mohtar was a quieter, more contemplative and melancholy story.
~~~~~
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