I’m excited to be reading more, and in doing so, I have joined some great writer groups that have given me an opportunity to get ARCs (advanced reader copies) and give my honest reader perspective. Keep in mind, that not every book may be for every reader, but I am enjoying reading new work and helping writers get their work seen. So, let’s get started!
Witches and Weavers: Book One: Balance
World Building
I’m partial to anything with a fantasy slant – it’s always a nice escape from reality. The world that the author portrays is an interesting one, and the flashbacks help to create more depth to the story overall. I liked the variety of different covens and the magic they possess, but I think there is more that could be said. I had trouble learning where certain cities were in relation to each other, and as someone who likes to know more about how characters look, there was not enough description for me. It does give the reader more room to interpret the characters as they see, but it’s also nice to see how the author imagines their characters.
Characters
Though there are many characters in the novel, I will focus on the main –
Rykki – She’s the female main character (FMC) and I will say that at the end of the novel, I am left with more questions than answers. I know some backstory, and I know there is more to come (this is Book 1, after all), but I’m not sure that I have a vested interest in her as a character. She’s fun and I love the magic she wields, but I’m not sure I have a full sense of her yet.
Kane – Kane is a very strong male main character (MMC) and he was a lot of fun to read. He’s a bit on the broody side, which is common for most romance reads. There is depth to his character as he is at times gentle and empathetic, and he makes me laugh. In a good way. I was most interested in finding out more about him and the cliffhanger left me frustrated and dying for answers.
Henley – I don’t know if it’s just because he is the only human in the “love triangle” but his character is very flat to me. I anticipated a lot of his character arc and I felt bad for Rykki when I knew that certain things were likely to happen in the story. He was a nice character but didn’t really keep my attention.
Pacing
I am 99% sure that this was marketed as a slow burn, so take my thoughts with a grain of salt – it took me a LONG time to get into this one. I know it takes time to get the reader settled into the world and learning about the characters, but I didn’t have the patience to wait for the story to start. BUT once it did, the pacing was nice. There were points of high conflict and lower/calmer moments of relationship building. Unfortunately for me, the story ended just when it got going.
Final Thoughts
Knowing that the author is working on a second one, and this may likely be the first in a trilogy or series, I know that this piece is merely the first stepping stone in an overall arc, but I don’t get the feeling this can stand on its own. I need more depth to the characters and more details on the world they live in. I look forward to seeing what Book 2 has to offer and hopefully my questions will be answered. As a fellow writer, I feel like the story was unfinished and could have done well to get another round of editing to develop the story more. Interestingly, I’d actually would have loved the story more from Kane’s point of view, since he was the character that carried the story for me.
I’d give this novel 3/5 stars.
