Witches

Circe

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Title: Circe

Author: Madeline Miller

Year: 2018

Genre: Greek Mythology, Fantasy, 

Queer shit: none? It doesn’t make sense that mythology isn’t more queer because it all seems like it should be super queer and then they just procreate

Vibe Check: Greek Mythology, the dream and nightmare of living on an island alone, witch, revenge, toxic family drama, found family, finding/building your destiny

Pile of Opinions: I was not prepared for this book as I knew nothing about Greek mythology apparently. I need to read more descriptions of books before I read them. Also how do I not know more about Greek mythology? Anyways, definitely know the vague outline of the story or look up content warnings so you aren’t blindsided like I was. That was my bad. Circe is the daughter of a god and doesn’t have value to him or the family. She ends up being sent to an island as punishment and spends her days learning spells and witchcraft because she learns she is a witch. The story takes place over hundreds of years and is so well told and weaves the characters throughout the stories in a way that I was able to keep up with even though I usually forget who is who. I would recommend reading this over a few weeks or less unless you already know the characters already or you might get confused. The book can feel like a slow start since it spans so much time but if you look at it as the overarching collection of stories then it cruises along smoothly in my opinion. I enjoyed the humanness even from the gods and how the author explored power dynamics, perceived value, and abuse of power. Greek mythology is a whole ride. I did know enough about mythology to be prepared for the violence in the book and it actually wasn’t as prevalent as I thought it might be. Look up content warnings if you don’t know the stories. If you are prepared for this book, I think it really lived up to the hype and I really enjoyed it. If you’ve read it, let me know your thoughts in the comments. 

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The Brooklyn Brujas Series: Labyrinth Lost, Bruja Born, and Wayward Witch

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Book Review (more just a pile of my personal opinions from my personal experiences)

Title: The Brooklyn Brujas Series: Labyrinth Lost, Bruja Born, and Wayward Witch

Author: Zoraida Cordova

Year: 2016, 2018, 2019

Genre: YA Fiction/Fantasy, witches(bruja, brujo, brujex), 

Queer shit: Queer relationship, non-binary character (brujex)

Vibe Check: I…..confused myself (not uncommon) and accidentally read the third book first. The first book was all about the middle child vibes and explored wanting something different for your life than what your family chose, fighting with and against magical beings in another realm. The second book is about the oldest sister and explores outward beauty and its impact on our self-worth and identity, grief and loss, and was simultaneously my favorite and least favorite book of the series. I really didn’t like most of the plot because of reasons I’ll list below, and loved the overarching themes throughout. The third book is about the youngest sister and explores bonds with parents being different, personal power and identity, and includes more fighting with and against magical creatures in yet another realm.  

Pile of Opinions: 

Labyrinth Lost: I feel like this book would have had a bigger impact on me if I had read the books in order. I enjoyed the adventure and relationships and setting the scenes with family and traditions and normalcy, I just loved the 3rd one so much more that reading this one after the 3rd felt like a step back. I highly recommend reading these books in order as the author intended and not doing what I did haha Read the order of books in a series before you start reading, learn from my mistakes! I did enjoy this book and would recommend the entire series if you like witches and family and adventures. 

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Bruja Born: This was my least favorite of the series because it was about zombies. Something turns like the entire high school into zombies and hearts are being ripped out and eaten and it was just not for me at all. It was a great story and well told, I just really hate zombies and concepts surrounding fighting zombies.

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Wayward Witch: This is the third book in this series and I accidentally read it first because it happens. I loved this one the most out of the three. Maybe I am biased because it was about the youngest sister and I am the youngest sibling in my family. Also maybe because a non-binary character shows up. I enjoyed the adventure and the relationships of this one as Rose learned to use her powers and fight forces when she and her dad end up in a magical realm that traps her dad in a tower and sends her on a quest to fight powers destroying the realm. This book explained enough back story throughout it as a review that I wasn’t that confused reading this one first.

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The Witch Haven

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Book Review (more just a pile of my personal opinions from my personal experiences)

Title: The Witch Haven

Author: Sasha Peyton Smith 

Year: 2021

Genre: YA Fantasy? Paranormal Fiction (according to google), witchy, historical fiction

Queer shit: Supporting character is implied lesbian

Vibe Check: Kinda murdery, very witchy, nice and empowering. Don’t read before bed.

Pile of Opinions: This is a book I chose purely based on about 80% judging it by its title and cover and 20% actually reading the description and being interested. I’ve found I like doing it this way sometimes, knowing nothing about the book or the author other than what the book’s sleeve tells me. This book was dark and sad and had way more murder than I was comfortable with or prepared for. I also could not put this book down! I connected with the characters quickly and it was no time at all before I was speaking out loud my smart ass commentary of whether or not I think someone is trustworthy or up to no good and asking why people make stupid decisions. This is when you know I am sucked into a book. The quick summary is that this book is about a school for girls who find out they have magical powers. The school works to help them train their skills and of course people get into some adventure and shenanigans. Book 2 (I think there are only two books) comes out later this year (2022) and I am looking forward to it. Maybe #2 will be less murdery? Haha I doubt it. I enjoyed the storylines of finding our community and nurturing friendships through whatever life throws at you. I found this a very sweet and authentic view of the complications of friendship.

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