What We Sacrifice for Magic is a story about a magical family in a small, rural town in the 1960’s. The matriarch, Magda, is getting ready to pass the baton to her eldest granddaughter, Elisabeth, who just turned 18. Though Elisabeth has been training for this her whole life, she feels like something is missing; she’s starting to wonder what else is out there for her besides taking her grandmother’s spot.

As she starts to question her grandmother and her motives (why is this responsibility falling solely on her and not shared between her mother and sister as well?), Elisabeth uncovers secrets Magda has been keeping from the family. This causes a rift between all of them and kick starts Elisabeth’s road to self discovery.

The premise of this story is beautiful. It highlights the delicate balance of familial bonds and obligations against keeping the integrity of your own self. I enjoyed the plot, but the pacing of the story was my biggest issue.

It is incredibly slow in the beginning with repetitive inner monologue and then about 40% in, things happen one after another. I thought this would speed up the pace of the book, but it felt stilted and jerky which pulled me out of the story. There is a lot of telling and not showing in the secrets that are revealed which took the fun out of the story a bit as well.

The relationships between the characters were overall well done except for Magda and Elisabeth which is disappointing because they were such an integral foundation to the story. Magda in my opinion was too aloof and mysterious that we didn’t really learn anything about her personality except that she was secretive which made her one dimensional.

My favorite part was Elisabeth’s character growth and journey. She was a strong FMC and though (maybe because of the fact that) she was flawed, I was rooting for her the entire time.

I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to someone who likes low-stakes magical realism with a focus on witches and family. It is advertised parallel to Practical Magic and if that’s the vibe you’re looking for, this book is it.

Thank you to Andrea Jo DeWerd, the publishers and NetGalley for the eArc. All thoughts are my own.

Magda dying was unnecessary. I don’t think it added too much to the story or the characters. Though it created a major shift in the plot, it destroys Magda’s and Elisabeth’s potential of a renewed, more potentially significant , relationship. It further confirms Magda’s one-dimensionality and almost makes her character a plot pusher.

The Six Deaths of the Saint by Alix E. Harrow

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5.0

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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pagewanderer_'s reviews 285 reviews

pagewanderer_'s reviews
285 reviews