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A review by just_a_bibliophile
Witches Steeped in Gold by Ciannon Smart
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Unlikely allies, Iraya and Jazymne unite against their common enemy in this Jamaican-inspired fantasy. With witches, pirates, magic, and lots and lots of alliances and betrayals, I'd hoped this would be an amazing read, but I just don't think it was for me.
The pacing seemed very off to me. It started off SO slow, and I reeeeeally had to push through it. Although the pacing picked up a bit in the last 30% of the book, it just felt like not enough happened, and it took me at least ridiculously long to read.
I really really wanted to like the characters, but I quite frankly just couldn't distinguish between them. As great as the dual narrative that we got seemed at first, I just didn't think the characters were fleshed out enough for this to be a success. The character development seemed a little off too - the characters either had very minimal development or suddenly appeared to experience this entire personality change overnight. Also, the romance was genuinely so strange. I didn't see the chemistry between the love interests, and it honestly made no sense to me - I don't think it was adding anything to the book either.
I struggled to keep up with understanding the world-building - could just be me, but I found it a little confusing at times and didn't think it was entirely as developed as it could be.
Culturally, this book was wonderful. I loved the Jamaican-inspired fantasy elements, and despite my confusion over the magic system at times, I still thought it was clearly very cleverly written. The diversity and representation incorporated was so refreshing to read, and generally, these aspects were enjoyable.
While this wasn't really for me, I don't doubt that other fantasy fans would devour it. Worth a read if you can get through the first half of the book.
Rating: 2.5 stars
The pacing seemed very off to me. It started off SO slow, and I reeeeeally had to push through it. Although the pacing picked up a bit in the last 30% of the book, it just felt like not enough happened, and it took me at least ridiculously long to read.
I really really wanted to like the characters, but I quite frankly just couldn't distinguish between them. As great as the dual narrative that we got seemed at first, I just didn't think the characters were fleshed out enough for this to be a success. The character development seemed a little off too - the characters either had very minimal development or suddenly appeared to experience this entire personality change overnight. Also, the romance was genuinely so strange. I didn't see the chemistry between the love interests, and it honestly made no sense to me - I don't think it was adding anything to the book either.
I struggled to keep up with understanding the world-building - could just be me, but I found it a little confusing at times and didn't think it was entirely as developed as it could be.
Culturally, this book was wonderful. I loved the Jamaican-inspired fantasy elements, and despite my confusion over the magic system at times, I still thought it was clearly very cleverly written. The diversity and representation incorporated was so refreshing to read, and generally, these aspects were enjoyable.
While this wasn't really for me, I don't doubt that other fantasy fans would devour it. Worth a read if you can get through the first half of the book.
Rating: 2.5 stars
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Death of parent, and Child death
Minor: Sexual assault