This was such an excellent final installment in the Scapegracers series! The Feast Makers picks up a couple months after the ending of The Scratch Daughters, with Sideways's magic having been restored and the coven just wanting to get through senior year (and perhaps avoid confronting the inevitable separation that will come at the end of it). When the time comes for Madeline Klein to be put on trial for the crime of stealing Sideways's magic, however, the group knows they have to intervene. As Sycamore Gorge becomes a meeting-place for witches from all over just as witchfinders begin convening in town, causing the tensions boiling in the earlier books to come to a head.

First things first, I ADORE the characters and their relationships in this series and it was lovely seeing them developed even further in the final installment. Shiloh and Sideways having a sibling relationship with genuine love and support (but also an understanding of Shiloh's past and how far they've come) are a dynamic I *never* would have expected in the first book, but is truly one I came to love. The romance that developed between Jing and Sideways in this installment is also just *chef's kiss*. The protectiveness? The hesitation and tenderness and snark? The flirting via book recommendations? Utterly perfect!

This series also has really insightful and nuanced examinations of justice and redemption, themes that were introduced in The Scratch Daughter's via Shiloh and are expanded more on in this one. How should Madeline be treated as a witch who had her magic stolen and then stole another's? What kind of justice or punishment exists that an acknowledge both the trauma she endured and the pain she inflicted on Sideways? And who gets to decide that?

Sideways is, of course, the the beating heart of this trilogy and I continue to love them so much as a character. They're fierce and loving, spiky and loyal, afraid and reckless, and also have such a pitch-perfect, instantly recognizable voice as a narrator. I loved seeing Sideways grapple with both their past and how to move forward (and, spoiler alert, their plans for the future are perfect).

Also, as befits the final installment in a trilogy, there are some GREAT plot twists. I won't elaborate on them here, obviously, but there was more than one moment that genuinely surprised me and added new stakes to the story.

This was, overall, SUCH a fantastic end to a phenomenal series and I am so glad that I was able to read it a few months in advance. I love the snarky, queer, fiercely loving series and it's been a wonderful ride.

A stellar end to a series.

The LGBTQIA+ rep is beyond, it’s pure magic.

Psychedelic, triumphant, weird and wonderful and an absolute trip, I hope more people seek out this wildly unique series.

A fantastic end to a fantastic series! I was so excited to continue with Sideways’ journey! Love the witchy elements, as well! This will be great for anytime of year, but also during the spookier season!

Sad that this is the end for the Scapegracers, but I loved the wild ride. I loved how much Sideways Pike had grown between each book despite the intensity of their fucked up situation. As for Grace Chantry’s big reveal, I totally called it! I do wish there was a lot more backstory there, felt like there was a gaping plot hole on that front.

Super bummed that Sideways ended up with Jing and only Jing. Even more bummed that Daisy didn’t get Sideways in the end, though she was way cool about it and very supportive. I think Sideways was in love with all three of them so I genuinely felt like they should’ve just be one big poly couple.

The last stand with the witches and wotchfinders started off strong, them fizzled out, then we just faded into prom night? Uh uh. I need way more than an abrupt fade to black with zero explanation. Not cool. That alone knocked my rating down a star.

Overall, this book was good. The series is great. 9/10, would recommend.

This series has been such a delight to read and I’m already planning on rereading all 3 books back to back because oh my god I love these characters so much. The relationships the Scapegracers have with each other are so loving and heartwarming to read, and I love Sideways’ growth of accepting the affection they bulldoze into them as the books go on, which is especially clear in this book.

A few of the cons for me were that the group as a whole did not get together as much as I would’ve liked in this addition to the series, especially with one of the Scapegracers I felt was being denied the same amount of spotlight as the other members. The main conflict was also resolved pretty quickly, and Sideways was written as if they were confused/drunk/disassociating the majority of the time, but I think they’re allowed to be a bit out of it after everything they’ve endured in the prior books. I feel that all in all this book concluded the story in a satisfying fashion.

The romance was so cute and definitely hit allll the spots, although still managed to be somewhat slow-burny with Sideways being frustratingly oblivious at some points (no it’s not rocket science that the girl who asked you to kiss her acts like she wants you to kiss her, Sideways).

Small gripes aside, I really did enjoy reading this story from beginning to end, and I am not ashamed to admit that I opened the email containing the status of my ARC request faster than I would have an email titled: “I Paid Off Your Student Loans And Here’s Why” (thank you so much to Netgalley, Erewhon Books and of course the author H.A. Clarke for allowing me an advanced reader copy).

Song on loop: NDA - Billie Eilish

I really do fail to put into words how much I love this trilogy, to be honest. The plot in this one is perfectly adequate to the topics we're dissecting, just like in the other two books - and just like in the other two books, it was completely overshadowed by how much I adore the characters and the writing itself.

Clarke, I think, is writing like nobody else is right now. There's something so stupidly visceral and raw about it - they ALWAYS make me feel, touch, see and taste whatever it is that they're describing.

And my god, this was one of the VERY few books that I read this year that were impossible to put down. It was 3 in the morning and I was absolutely playing the good old JUST ONE MORE CHAPTER mind games - I just never wanted to stop, even for just a second.

Overall, I cried a little bit at the end - the Scapegracers speak to a part of me that I don't reconnect with often and I felt like we reached the perfect conclusion with it. An incredible ending, graceful tone shifts, strong character development, and it made me feel so so so much.

Ugh. It honestly makes me a little bit mad how good these books are.

I’m going to miss Sideways and their feral coven of queer witches. Sideways is such a messy character who makes you want to tear your hair out, it just makes me love them even more.

The way Clarke describes how Sideways navigates the world is so rich and gritty. It’s so vivid I honestly hurt a little while reading but I couldn’t get enough.

When I randomly picked up The Scapegracers from the library years ago I wasn’t expecting to be so invested in a series. I was so drawn in by how unapologetically feral this group of teenagers are. The level of friendship this coven has for each other is inspiring.

While the pacing was a little off I can’t not LOVE the fuck out of this book/series.

I want to read them again and again.

This series will kick you in the gut repeatedly and you WILL ask for more just to spend as much time with these badass teens as possible.

On a personal note, watching Sideways grow into their identity was a breath of fresh air.

Thanks to Kensington Books/Erewhon Books for a free eARC of this book via NetGalley. This review is left voluntarily.

The Feast Maker is the third and final installment in the Scapegracers series, which is a witchy queer fantasy book that I absolutely adored. H.A. Clarke's writing style is sharp, and they have masterfully managed to capture the essence of the story and the characters. The dynamic between the four girls is chaotic and enjoyable. I highly recommend this series to anyone and can't wait to read more stories from the author. I will miss these girls and their chaos so much. Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for providing me with an early copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Erewhon Books for providing me with an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I definitely did a little bit of jumping up and down for joy when I saw that I'd gotten approved for this ARC. The Scapegracers series is an oddball little trilogy that came in like a wrecking ball and unexpectedly stole my heart, and this, the final installment, was no different. It's bloody and ferocious. It's fiercely loyal, fiercely anti-establishment, and gloriously queer. It loves hard. And there's absolutely nothing else in YA at the moment that's quite like it, in a really, really good way.

The plot of this particular book felt a little less tight and polished than previous installments, and there were definitely things that I felt could have been a little bit better—the romance is great, but feels like it could have been built up a little bit better, and I felt that overall, we saw a lot less of the Scapegracers together. This in particular bothered me, since the heart of these books has always been the fierce love among these four people, and the terrifying power of them all working together; and particularly in this book, where one of the questions hovering over their heads is how their coven is going to survive the inevitable ensuing separation post-high school, I felt like it would have made sense to see more of them spending time working out that question together. It didn't detract from my overall enjoyment of the plot, however, and I really liked the way that Shiloh, who was introduced (in a manner of speaking) in the previous book, had a much larger role to play in this one.

I'm definitely going to miss this world and these characters a LOT, and I hope August Clarke writes more witchy books in the future!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for review. A satisfying conclusion to a great queer witchy YA series. I love how messy flawed and real all the characters seem. And as always the absolute strength of this series is the interactions between the Scapegracers. Plot points from the previous books are all neatly ties up and the girls really find their place in the witchy community.

so so good. loved all the characters and the plot. so happy sideways and jing ended up together! i love this series and I can't wait to see what H.A. Clarke writes next!

This book was amazing. It's everything I could've hoped for. I understand some reviewers had issues with the pacing but, for me, the minute I picked it up I could not put it down. I inhaled this book and felt it course through me in a way that only good writing is able to pull off. Thank you so much for these characters and their stories, they mean the world to me.

Didn’t love it didn’t hate it. Would I be able to recall anything from this in a day - probably not.

I have never completely lost myself in a series so hopelessly before! I absolutely adored this series and this book was just the most perfect conclusion to an absolutely wild ride. The Scapegracers have the kind of feral friendship that you could only dream of. I felt so connected to all of the characters individually but the friendships are so well written that it just seeps off the page and draws you in, almost like witchcraft you could say. Each character brings something amazing to the story and I missed them when they weren't there.

This book has so many twists and turns and so many bright and vivid characters even on the final book we still meet new people as the Scapegracers get ready to go in their separate directions. There is slow burn romance, action, battles, fights for justice, magic and most importantly what shines through in this book is the importance of being yourself no matter what. I find Sideways one of the most inspiring book characters I've read in a long time, by being unabashedly themselves they bring this group of misfits together. This book is gritty, dark at times, full of magic and fantasy and extremely queer in the best possible way. I will be recommending this series to everyone I know for the rest of my life!

A great conclusion to a wonderful trilogy. The threads of the previous volumes are brought together nicely and the ending is satisfying. There are some pacing issues as far as how quickly certain events happen, but I think this is likely a personal thing for me and is fairly typical of YA stories. The LGBTQ+ rep continues to be superb and I can't wait to see what else the author has in store for us in the future.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest rating and review.

5/5

This series remains one of my favorites and I am not ready to say goodbye to it. Part of me wanted to read this as fast as possible, so I could know what happened, but I also wanted to read it slowly so it wouldn’t end!

You do need to have read both of the previous books. There’s very minimal recap, so make sure those are fresh before reading this one!

I loved watching the characters continue to grow into themselves and the growth that they experience individually and together as a group. I wish that the end of this book didn’t feel quite so rushed, and I wish that this series wasn’t ending. But I’ve loved the time I’ve gotten to spend with the Scapegracers! What a beautiful trilogy about self discovery, trusting your intuition, building a badass coven to rely on, and so much more! 🥰

Thank you to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In this, the final installment of the Scapegracers series, my beloved butch Sideways Pike finally faces the big bad world in all it's messed-up glory and gore.

I loved everything about this book. I loved its gritty commentary. I loved its romance and queer-as-in-eff-you attitude. I loved its friendship and found family and keeping each other safe no matter what.

Even though the pacing was off - the first half of the book takes place over the course of one night, the second half over the rest of a week - I didn't want to leave. I love this world so much. I can't wait to re-read the whole series when the final version is released.

If you love queer witches, if you love magic, if you love protagonists with too many sharp edges, I implore you to give this series a go before this fantastic finale releases in March 2024.

One ofthe best lesbian trilogies out there. Unapologetically queer with a sharp and raw writing style.

Sink your teeth into H.A. Clarke's eccentric novel, "The Feastmakers." This trilogy is an indie work of art that immerses readers in a gory, grimy, gay world full of outcasts, witches, and helpful (if not overly opinionated) book devils. I promise you, you will fall in love with Sideways, Jing, Daisy, and Yates-they are the feminist, ass-kicking coven you have been waiting for. I will miss my Scapegracers dearly, but I just know they are up to no good doing the vigilante work they were born to do (hexing douches, killing witch hunters, and helping fellow witches). The narration in this last installment comes off as stream-of-consciousness that full immerses us in the chaotic mind of Sideways and the love she feels for her girls.

The Feast Makers is the incredible conclusion to The Scapegracers trilogy. Sideways and their coven are back!! As the Scapegracers prepare for high school to come to an end, an important witch trial looms. Madeline must pay for her crimes against other witches, including Sideways. But Sideways has plenty to keep themselves occupied, including college admissions and untangling complicated romantic feelings. The Feast Makers is a triumphant conclusion to this action-packed and creative trilogy.

I devoured The Feast Makers!! This book is filled with queer found family, excellent LGBTQ+ rep, and queer romance. I loved who Sideways ends up with and how they connected. There is so much to love about this series- Clarke’s writing is witty, uplighting, and delightfully sarcastic. Above all, one of my favorite things is that the Scapegracers is a coven who will always be there for each other. The Scapegracers trilogy feels like a hug, a promise of found family, and the belief that magic happens in community.

I love each of the characters so much and will miss them! (Especially Sideways, Jing, and Mr. Scratch!) I can’t wait to see what H.A. Clarke writes next. I would highly recommend The Scapegracers to anyone! Readers who seek queer found family, fantastic LGBTQ+ characters, and gritty magic that comes with a price will love this trilogy.

Thank you so much to H.A. Clarke, Erewhon Books, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, Storygraph, and Barnes & Noble etc