Rewitched

Sweet and entertaining. I love the characters -- and I love how Bella gives people a chance to show her who they are. I didn't entirely buy the romance, but sometimes awkward is just the way it is, and I really appreciate that she didn't end up relying on Rune to save the day. I also love the theme of finding your own power after losing confidence, and friendships as being lifelong and just as important as romantic connections. I loved Lunar books, as well, and I'm glad it exists to give Bella an outlet for comfort and creativity.

I loved this book. As a 30yr old mum who often feels like I wasted my potential and my 20s and is finding new potential in her 30s I really enjoyed the self discovery journey we are on with our main character. I was not at all prepared for any plot twists, so I felt like I had just been transfered (definitely got the vacuum sensation (haha)). Reading this book filled me with the same love and happiness as the first time I read howls moving Castle, I could feel the magic surrounding me as I read

When Belladonna's witchy magic is endangered, can she find the self-confidence to save it?

There were so many things I enjoyed about this romantic fantasy! The quirky, often subtle, humor is near the top of the list. So is the magical world, with its rigid rules and vivid locations, all described so brilliantly that they demanded to be explored. Bella became more and more appealing as I read. She not only had believable flaws and strengths, but her growth as a witch and as a person had me rooting for her. What kept me reading, though, were the characters and Bella's developing or changing relationships with them all. I'm looking forward to this author's next book.

In a Nutshell: A cosy fantasy with an immature lead character who never acts her age. Decent plot intent but too padded out. More of monotony than magic. This was a slogfest for me.

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Plot Preview:

Belle, a witch who hides her magical powers from the humans around her, used to enjoy working at Lunar Books, but her new boss seems intent on butchering any customer-friendly ideas under the guise of corporate efficiency. To add to her troubles, just before her thirtieth birthday, there is a summons from her coven: there will be a trial to test her worthiness, and if she fails to pass the test, her magic will be stripped away. Belle has no choice but to prove that she deserves her magic, even if it means interacting with

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a mentor of questionable integrity and an intrusive “watchman” sworn to protect her.
The story comes to us in Belle’s third-person perspective.

Let’s begin with a hypothetical situation. Suppose you learn that you have a secret magical talent, and someone more experienced hands you a book to help you hone your skill. You ignore the book and use your magic as you wish for personal benefit. After more than a decade, the person comes and says that your prowess is going to be tested within a few days, and if you fail, the consequences will be severe.

Question 1: What would you do?
A. Pick up the book and study as much as you can within the limited time to be well-prepared for the test?
B. Hurriedly peruse through the book for a couple of hours and try your best to wing your way through the test?
C. Ignore the book and go to the superiors *demanding* clemency, claiming that you had no idea that you would be tested?

Question 2: What would the senior who gave you the book do if they learnt that you weren’t aware of the test?
A. Offer an extension on the deadline but with a firm warning about not taking it lightly again?
B. Strip away your talent with no sympathy because you should have been prepared better?
C. Acknowledge that it was their fault for not telling you about the test (despite the fact that the book mentions it) and give you a special mentor to ace it on a future date?

If your answer is (C) for both questions, this book is for you.

My answer was not C.

While many readers don’t prefer unlikeable lead characters, I actually enjoy the complexity such characters bring to the narrative and the growth that we see in their personality as the pages go ahead. (Would ‘The Christmas Carol’ have been as impressive if Ebenezer Scrooge were a good fellow from the start?) However, there’s unlikeable, and there’s stupid! Belle firmly falls in the second category.

Belle is a paradox: entitled and wishy-washy at once. She has the tendency of being aggressive with some people without justification, and she also allows others to walk over her. She’s opinionated, but is also wary of other’s opinions. Can’t forget the biggest contradiction, which tears a big fat hole in the base premise: Belle is a book lover but she doesn’t even read the book gifted to her about her magical talents. (Why on earth would a bibliophile not read a book about magic!?!??)

It is next to impossible to accept that Belle is thirty! show less

Belle is a bookstore manager and a witch who's resorted to using her magic for the mundane rather than reveling in the wonder of her abilities. She meets Rune (a warlock and a member of her coven) when it's time for the witchy magical reckoning that happens on every witch's 30th birthday. (It's like a little like the plot of the movie "Defending Your Life," but about witches and magic.) Belle struggles with resolving and unifying all the different parts of her identity, and her self-doubt complicates things. I liked it overall but the first half dragged a bit and felt a little out-of-step with the second half (initially cozy with plenty of self-doubt and identity crises, then careening into some darker conspiracy theory and personal show more danger territory). I thought there was going to be more focus on the romance than we got, and I found myself wishing we'd gotten more info on Rune's background. (Most of the time he felt like more of a plot device than a fully developed character.) The action picked up quite a bit in the second half, which was engaging with some twists I didn't fully see coming. The book overall is definitely a journey of learning to value and trust yourself, and I'm glad that Belle got the HEA that was perfect for her. This review was based on a complimentary eARC of the book, all opinions are my own. show less

‘we are way past rational and straight into delusional levels of blind revenge.’

This was a very satisfying read. A bit slow in the beginning to be truthful but the payoff in the end was well worth it! Her own doubts are very relatable and for all of the answers she’s been looking for were right in front of her all along: family and friends. I only wish Christopher had gotten a little magical comeuppance over a broken nose...

Belladonna Blackthorn is a witch who has used her magic primarily to benefit herself in small ways, so when she finds out that she has to undergo testing to see if she is using her magic to her fullest potential, she is understandably worried. When she finds out she could have her magic taken from her forever if she has not mastered it, she goes from worried to panicked. She is given one month to perfect her magic so she can pass the test, and she will have to devote herself to this endeavor, but not without a little help from her mother, an unlikely mentor with a worrying history, and a very annoying male witch who has been tasked with watching and protecting her. You'd think that would be enough to keep her busy, but throw in her job, show more a toxic boss, keeping her friends from finding out that she is a witch, and an unknown force trying to keep her from passing her test, and she's in for one heck of a month.

I enjoyed this cozy mystery with a witchy bent very much. The characters were likable and easy to connect with, and the story itself was very interesting. I look forward to reading more books by this author in the future.

5/5 stars.

*** I would like to thank NetGalley, Ace Publishing, and Lucy Jane Wood for the opportunity to read and review Rewitched. show less