Mindy L. Klasky

Yeah, I read this ages and ages ago, and then.... well, let's leave it at lots of hospital stays and other medical chaos in my family. On to the book itself: if you read the other reviews, you'll know that this is a retelling of a story originally told from the perspective of the witch in the title. I'm going to attribute the pacing inconsistencies to what happens when you're trying to fill in the gaps of a story you've already told, but they're more of an occasional thing than a constant bother. The characters (even the not-nice ones) are overall well-rounded, with an appropriate mix of good intentions and bad, just like people in reality. The Washington, D.C., of this world is apparently quite the hotbed of magical activity, and we meet all sorts of magical folk straight out of legend. In general, I would happily recommend this to anyone who is a bit tired of the "dark paranormal" and wants a wee bit of fluff in their urban fantasy.
… (plus d'informations)

To be honest, this book snagged my attention purely from the striking/pretty cover as I was walking past the YA section at my local library. It sounded intriguing, so I packed it in my bag with about twenty pounds of other books that caught my eye similarly.

I was really intrigued especially by the worldbuilding, though I was left curious about some of the history and things - I am hoping that since this book has a sequel, I will find some of the further information I expected/wanted in that book. At first I was rather disappointed, because I was unaware there was a sequel . . . and even knowing there is, I would still have rather a little more of an ending, even with leading into the next book.

However I still enjoyed the story, and Keara managed to balance between sympathy and irritation for me - I find first-person narratives very tricky to read oftentimes, yet never was I tempted to put down this book. Keara's feelings towards Caw were her strongest driving trait and also the strongest draw of her - and her confusion, hesitance, and her ultimate surprise towards the end were all perfectly understandable and well-represented.

Some of the novel's twists legitimately surprised me pretty strongly, and again, I was left curious about further information in characters' pasts, or the religion of Keara's world, or the history of the country she lives in. (I also think this set-up is really . . . well, it's quite a dystopia, even if it isn't expressly shown in that specific light. Keara's world is creepily terrifying under the surface, even if often she doesn't realise it, as that is just 'how things are'.) I'd also love to hear more from Caw himself (through Keara's perspective, of course) going forwards, which I'm hopeful will happen with the slant of the ending of this book and the implications of what to expect in the next one.… (plus d'informations)