witchcraft Archives - Diary of Difference

DID NOT FINISH – ★

If you have been following my book journey for a while, you will know what I’m about to say. I don’t have rules about reading a certain book, but there is one thing I always stick to:

I give a chance to every book that comes my way. If I have it in my physical library – it will be picked up at some point.

Pagan Portals – Celtic Witchcraft is a book I won from a giveaway. It is not usually a genre I go for, but I do love witchcraft and spells. It intrigues me.

This book focuses on the Celtic Witchcraft and explains what it means to firstly, be a witch and what Celtic culture is all about – the beliefs, the customs etc.

After reading 30 pages, I decided that this book is not for me. This is, therefore, the second ”Did Not Finish” for 2019.

It starts very slow, gives detailed information of all things Celtic and the history of Celtic Witchcraft. It was a very boring introduction for me.

Then I got involved in a few life lessons without any added benefit really, and a full overview of a moon cycle followed by a detailed report on how the author’s behaviour changed during all these phases. This might be something you are interested in, but I felt like wasting my time reading someone’s daily moon diary. This was the moment I decided to close this book and move on.

I can understand why some might like this book, and you are valid! I am aware a lot of you will love and appreciate this book for what it is. And that’s okay. I just don’t seem to fit into this group. I love learning about witchcraft, witches and find out new things, but this book didn’t give me what I was looking for.

Better luck next time!

Purchase Links:
| Amazon UK | Amazon US |

★★★★

A high-school mystery full of suspense. A murder, a questionable friendship and witchcraft. The Furies is a modern take of all witchcraft legends and curses!

When a teenage girl is found dead, sitting on a swing, with no clues of how the death occurred, we are set up to trust no one from the very beginning. The story begins with Violet, who start the story from the very beginning, until finally leading us to how and why this murder happened. She comes to the new school and she becomes friends with an elite group of girls and a secret advanced study group, that focuses on witchcraft and influential witches connected to the school.

From the fist to the last chapter, you can feel the suspense. The story is unique and it certainly kept me on my toes. I had trouble with who the narrator is, and in each chapter it’s Violet, but because it was written in first person and her tone changed, I kept looking for clues as to whether the narrator has changed or not. The names are also not mentioned often, which added a bit of agitation at times.

I loved every part of the book that included witchcraft. There were awful lot of scenes about this, so trust me, I was more than satisfied. From witchcraft history, to a secret society, to performing rituals, The Furies will teleport you in that world.

I liked how the friendships were developed, but I didn’t cheer for them. I could perfectly understand how all girls felt and why they all made certain choices, and that is due to the excellent writing skills Katie has. Furthermore, I felt different emotions for them all, loved them, hated them and pitied them.

It’s worthy to mention that I couldn’t help but be annoyed with Violet, for never saying no, for settling, for being so naive and so needy to be accepted. It couldn’t be helped that I was angry at her for knowing things and choosing to do nothing about it. I felt so angry at the girls, for all the drama caused and for discouraging people around them. I can’t help but feel conflicted with Violet though, because despite everything, she belonged in that group, and with those friends. As wrong as it may sound, she did fit. But with time, she did change and she did find her true self. And her development was the gem that made me really fall in love with this book.

And then it struck me…

After all, I wasn’t mad at Violet. I was mad at all of us that have been in such position and chose the wrong things. I felt upset at all of us, who have changed themselves to fit in a group and forgot who they really are. To all of us, who were too afraid to say no to the popular girls in high-school.

I highly recommend it to all girls in high-school, to all mums and to everyone that loves witchcraft and mystery. You will definitely love this book!

Thank you to Katie Lowe, and the publisher, HarperCollins, for sending me a free hardcover copy in exchange for my honest review.

I had the amazing opportunity to do an Exclusive Interview with Katie – you can check it out HERE.Book Author Interview – Katie Lowe