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astraia_sun's review against another edition
4.0
I was given a copy of this book by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book was a gem! It was a fast read, and actually pretty cute. It's definitely a book I would have read when I was in middle school and I would have loved it then.
Poor Mildred is sent off by her aunts to Black Magic Academy, to learn how to be an evil witch, complete with death enemies, curses, and school bullies. She immediately forms a blood feud with the daughter of the witch who was death enemies with her own mother, and soon finds herself working hard just to keep up with the other students. But she doesn't particularly like what she's learning...
I loved the idea of a girl born to a family of black magic witches reluctant to follow in their footsteps. The book is written fairly simply, but it works for the reading level and story line. The prose was very readable, and I enjoyed Mildred's third person narration on things. I do felt it got a bit rushed at the end, but I liked the bit characters and the winks at classic fairy tales.
I'd very much like to read more by this author.
This book was a gem! It was a fast read, and actually pretty cute. It's definitely a book I would have read when I was in middle school and I would have loved it then.
Poor Mildred is sent off by her aunts to Black Magic Academy, to learn how to be an evil witch, complete with death enemies, curses, and school bullies. She immediately forms a blood feud with the daughter of the witch who was death enemies with her own mother, and soon finds herself working hard just to keep up with the other students. But she doesn't particularly like what she's learning...
I loved the idea of a girl born to a family of black magic witches reluctant to follow in their footsteps. The book is written fairly simply, but it works for the reading level and story line. The prose was very readable, and I enjoyed Mildred's third person narration on things. I do felt it got a bit rushed at the end, but I liked the bit characters and the winks at classic fairy tales.
I'd very much like to read more by this author.
ladyzbyrd's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
All the elementary and super-Christian horror stories and scare tactics about evil and ugly witches from childhood. A rough read of some fairly poor writing. Timing, problem-solving, character interactions and character building - the obvious crumbs to well-known and well-loved fairy tales nearer the end. Very problematic storytelling from start to finish. I’ve read better horrible books.
katsmiao's review
2.0
I'm sorry to say I didn't love this book. I thought it was ok, and I did read the whole thing, hoping I'd like it more.
I felt the beginning was a little boring and confusing. Pretty disjointed. And that got worse later on. The last third of the book was too fast paced, and it didn't make sense to me. Anything after she goes on the errand was just strange and didn't make sense in relation to the rest of the book.
I felt the beginning was a little boring and confusing. Pretty disjointed. And that got worse later on. The last third of the book was too fast paced, and it didn't make sense to me. Anything after she goes on the errand was just strange and didn't make sense in relation to the rest of the book.
mdpenguin's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I was feeling the need for something light to read and this fit the bill nicely. I saw it and the sequel were part of the Magic School StoryBundle and, while I didn't buy that, the description for this struck me as kind of fun so I checked it out on Smashwords, where this book was free. It's a lot of silly fun and, though it's clearly written for a younger audience, it's still well fleshed out and tells the story well. I'll be buying the sequel because I like fun and it really is a good story.
nipomuki's review against another edition
4.0
What a fun little romp of a book. I like witches. I like fairy tales turned on their head. I like stories about girls, and friendships between girls. Would totally continue reading if this was a series.
kiess_nyx's review against another edition
3.0
You know when a book is going up and showing potential and then it just crashes down.
That is this entire book in a nutshell.
The beginning was awesome and interesting then the second half made no sense at all.
It is a good book to pass the time when you are bored not a really awesome book
That is this entire book in a nutshell.
The beginning was awesome and interesting then the second half made no sense at all.
It is a good book to pass the time when you are bored not a really awesome book
bertturtel's review against another edition
4.0
A fun read for children (and witches) of all ages. This book is much closer to Patricia Wrede's Enchanted Forest series than to J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series.
Personally the only thing I think would improve this book is a sequel. :)
Personally the only thing I think would improve this book is a sequel. :)
bookwormbunny's review against another edition
3.0
I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for my unbiased review of it.
Overall I really enjoyed this book. The beginning was a great start and had me really engaged and wanting to learn more about Mildred and her family. She's a good witch being raised by her aunts who are all evil witches but she's finally sent to school because they believe that it is time for her to do so. There are several moments throughout the book of where I wished that there was more detail into various scenes and situations throughout the story. But all in all it kept me engaged.
When it got to the middle and where things start to change for Mildred I think that the author felt rushed and rushed the rest of the story because you only get glances and gleanings of things that happen next. The story seems to go into fast forward mode and that you only get a brief glimpse at Mildred with her other family, you get a taste of her going to another school and a brief moment of her and her "death enemy" together outside the academy. I wanted to know so much more about what all was going on and read more about Mildred, her death enemy and her family but it seems like the story got cut short. I really hope that there will be another book after this one because I want to know more and this book leaves me with too many unanswered questions.
Overall I really enjoyed this book. The beginning was a great start and had me really engaged and wanting to learn more about Mildred and her family. She's a good witch being raised by her aunts who are all evil witches but she's finally sent to school because they believe that it is time for her to do so. There are several moments throughout the book of where I wished that there was more detail into various scenes and situations throughout the story. But all in all it kept me engaged.
When it got to the middle and where things start to change for Mildred I think that the author felt rushed and rushed the rest of the story because you only get glances and gleanings of things that happen next. The story seems to go into fast forward mode and that you only get a brief glimpse at Mildred with her other family, you get a taste of her going to another school and a brief moment of her and her "death enemy" together outside the academy. I wanted to know so much more about what all was going on and read more about Mildred, her death enemy and her family but it seems like the story got cut short. I really hope that there will be another book after this one because I want to know more and this book leaves me with too many unanswered questions.
bisexualwentworth's review against another edition
3.0
The author of this book is my cousin, so of course I got I signed copy. I really liked some of her ideas, but I felt like she could have developed them more fully. I'm waiting for the sequal.
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