The Hedge Witch by Colleen Delaney - MAY 2024 LTER
Talk Reviews of Early Reviewers Books
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1Kalira
The Hedge Witch
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Perhaps my favourite thing about this book was the worldbuilding - some fascinating hints of different types of magic, most granted by birth/blood, not disciplines you can simply learn and hop between. And sonofawitch being a specific Thing, not witch (or warlock) and not mundane human? Quite interesting!
Honestly, the book felt a lot like a YA in style and characterisation - an aged-up YA, with lots of sex and some more grown-up problems, but still handled and feeling very teenager. Especially Laurel felt very . . . fictional take on a trying to be edgy teenage girl, at times.
Also, while I expected - as it is - the feel of one of Those Series of romances, where each novel follows a different sibling or member of a group as they find love, and possessed of an overarching storyline but not necessarily deeply entwined, this one . . . did not feel like the first in the series. It was perfectly understandable, but it felt like a later book in one of those series, with the extras that make more sense or give more layers if you've read prior books. Only there aren't any prior books.
Truly, though it didn't wow me, I enjoyed the book overall!
That YA feeling? There were several points at which the very much adult characters were making decisions that felt very . . . adolescent. Also some decisions that were head-tilt inducing; not so much the ones where you (not in the situation, with a better grasp on it) can see are unwise, but ones where even in-story the decision seems ???
Such asLaurel's refusal to ask Owen's family for help - any of his family .
The book also seemed to flip back and forth frequently on how soulmates are with one another - how much that means, how much it jumpstarts relationships, whether the rapid recognition should be held back against and worked on to build a proper relationship and understanding or just given up to. . . And personally, Laurel and Owen being all over each other sexually even in the middle of tense, we-don't-know-each-others'-buttons fights - and, indeed, in general - felt a little 'really?' to me.
Also,the curse Amee put on Flavie, and Morana desperately wanted Laurel to remove . . . Laurel was so horrified by it - given the curse was enacted on the woman who purposely set her up to be burned alive, among other things, it didn't feel unjustified, and definitely not like an abuse of power, to me?
I'll admit, the wrap-up felt a little quick and easy, especially after the amount of tension and searching to find the identity of the mystery threat and further (any) information about her. And the ending after that felt even quicker and more hand-wavey. I'm curious about the cliffhanger and I may try and check out the next book in the series, but we'll see.
Oh, and the set up for the next romance? A quick note that was rather amusing in the middle of that speedy wrap-up of drama.
~
Perhaps my favourite thing about this book was the worldbuilding - some fascinating hints of different types of magic, most granted by birth/blood, not disciplines you can simply learn and hop between. And sonofawitch being a specific Thing, not witch (or warlock) and not mundane human? Quite interesting!
Honestly, the book felt a lot like a YA in style and characterisation - an aged-up YA, with lots of sex and some more grown-up problems, but still handled and feeling very teenager. Especially Laurel felt very . . . fictional take on a trying to be edgy teenage girl, at times.
Also, while I expected - as it is - the feel of one of Those Series of romances, where each novel follows a different sibling or member of a group as they find love, and possessed of an overarching storyline but not necessarily deeply entwined, this one . . . did not feel like the first in the series. It was perfectly understandable, but it felt like a later book in one of those series, with the extras that make more sense or give more layers if you've read prior books. Only there aren't any prior books.
Truly, though it didn't wow me, I enjoyed the book overall!
That YA feeling? There were several points at which the very much adult characters were making decisions that felt very . . . adolescent. Also some decisions that were head-tilt inducing; not so much the ones where you (not in the situation, with a better grasp on it) can see are unwise, but ones where even in-story the decision seems ???
Such as
The book also seemed to flip back and forth frequently on how soulmates are with one another - how much that means, how much it jumpstarts relationships, whether the rapid recognition should be held back against and worked on to build a proper relationship and understanding or just given up to. . . And personally, Laurel and Owen being all over each other sexually even in the middle of tense, we-don't-know-each-others'-buttons fights - and, indeed, in general - felt a little 'really?' to me.
Also,
I'll admit, the wrap-up felt a little quick and easy, especially after the amount of tension and searching to find the identity of the mystery threat and further (any) information about her. And the ending after that felt even quicker and more hand-wavey. I'm curious about the cliffhanger and I may try and check out the next book in the series, but we'll see.
Oh, and the set up for the next romance? A quick note that was rather amusing in the middle of that speedy wrap-up of drama.
