A reimagined story dealing with witches and magic.
Lucky finds a spoon in her partment building but what does it mean? It places her directly in the path of VenCo of A coven who have been waiting for all the spoons to be reunited.
It’s always interesting reading about the different interpretations of magic and witchcraft. I liked the locales in Salem and New Orleans.
I disliked Jay Instantly and cringed when I read about him. He got what he had coming to him.

When Lucky St. James, working for a temp agency and about to lose her apartment, finds a strange spoon in a hidden tunnel in her basement, she is suddenly pulled into a high-stakes adventure. Welcomed as the sixth witch in an eclectic coven based in Salem, she must help find the seventh spoon and the seventh witch to complete the circle. She takes her grandmother, Stella, who suffers from dementia, along for the ride, helped Bookers, Watchers, and Tenders along the way.

The premise for VenCo is great: A powerful coven must be formed to battle against evil. I have so many questions though. There was never a good explanation for what VenCo is, nor was there enough time spent to understand the roles of the Crone, Mother, and Maiden characters. I longed for a more detailed explanation of the different kinds of witches; Watchers, Tenders, and Bookers; and the kind of magic of which they are capable. I wanted to know more about the members of this new coven. We only got small glimpses of their backgrounds, how they found their spoons, and no real explanation of what powers they brought to the group. What was the group meant to do once they were assembled? As this wasn’t addressed in the book, is there going to be a sequel? In short, I felt like the world-building was neglected here. We are left with an adventure story of some lovable characters on a mission, a mission we don’t quite understand.

While I found Stella to be very fun as a character, I never really warmed to Lucky. I would have liked to spend equal time with all the other characters instead of Lucky being the main character. The insinuation is that there is something special about her over the other members, but I’m not sure what.

Due to all of this, I wasn’t particularly invested in the story and it took me a long time to get through it. I almost feel like it would have more of an appeal for YA readers, all that would need to be changed would be the ages of the characters. In short, there wasn’t enough world-building or character-building to make this memorable.

The beginning was a little slow but ended up picking up. Enjoyed the intersection of indigenous representation and witches. The characters were all unique but I would've liked to read a little more of their backstories. Maybe that will play more into the next book?

Disclaimer: I received a free advanced reader’s copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review.

I was previously very impressed with Cherie Dimaline’s horror thriller novel, Empire of the Wild, based on the Métis myth of the rogarou. So I was very excited for this title.

This book is not horror or thriller but feminist magical realism. The story is about a business called VenCo that is made up of a network of North American witches, and Lucky St. James, a young woman who is trying to work and take care of her grandmother with no parents to help her.

The beginning was a little slow for me. First, we’re dropped into a meeting at VenCo, between characters only named “the Maiden,” “the Mother,” and “the Crone,” who each have special talents and are making plans to complete a coven. You have to just “trust the process” at first. After that we are introduced to Lucky and get a feeling for her life and how desperate it is getting for her.

When it picked up and really caught my interest is when Lucky finds a spoon (you’ll see) and is contacted by coven members. Shortly thereafter, we get the women’s stories about how they came to join the coven. The stories feel very authentic to the experiences of female and femme people and are relatable, but are specific enough to go beyond being just archetypes. And then we are introduced to even more eccentric characters and some real magic.

As in her other books, the writing here is beautiful. A few quotes that I marked:
“Lucky also liked an underdog, and she liked a good story. She’s been parented by them both, after all.”
“The scent was thick, deep. It was the smell of choral music and heavy books about the Industrial Revolution.”

I enjoyed this thoroughly. I will pick up any other adult books by Cherie Dimaline and may give her YA titles a try as well. Recommended for witches, feminists, Millennials, people who like reading about native people’s urban experiences, and anyone interested in (very) contemporary magical realism.

Going into this book I thought I was really going to enjoy it, and I did enjoy the beginning quite a bit. We meet Lucky, her mother, and her grandma Stella. We see Lucky struggling to take care of Stella who has Dementia, and her struggling to make it through every day. Then Lucky hears a story that sets off a bit of her adventurous spirit, and she finds something that will change her life.

I did really love the relationship between Lucky and Stella, and the relationships that start to grow between her and the other women in the story. and I did think this had a lot of potential, but once Lucky goes to Salem everything kind of screeches to a halt. It seemed like while the story was moving forward, nothing was really happening, and I found myself bored not wanting to continue. We do get a bit of action but that's almost at the very end.
I wish we would have gotten more magic, more from the women who embody the fates, and more action. If there is going to be more in this series or in this world this book was a good start, but if it's a standalone I was left wanting more.
While this book didn't totally work for me, I do think it would appeal to a lot of other people. and I would read more by this author in the future.

So many twists and turns! I had high hopes for this one and it did not disappoint. While there were times I saw things coming, there were more I didn’t!

I found the concept of this story was really unique and promising. A council of witches, with elders to divine when a new coven member would arrive to join the current coven. The characters were quirky, and somewhat like-able. For me the pacing was just really slow, and didn’t have very many exciting events.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Before getting into the ins and outs of the plot let me just say that, as always, Cherie Dimaline is a phenomenal writer. She is fantastic at creating vivid imagery without being flowery in her writing. Without even having to try, an image will come to mind while reading, and that is undoubtedly the mark of a skillful author. To evoke imagery in such a way.

For the story itself, I wanted to give four stars, and really felt it would be in the first 40% of the book, but dropped down as the story progressed. The story is full of intrigue from start to finish. We wonder who these characters are, how they play together and what their roles will be, and who is the holder of the final spoon. Histories mesh and collide, as they work as individuals in a much larger organism. However, although those elements work for an entertaining, vivid, and unique story, they fell a bit flat to me. Without giving anything away, I saw the ending coming a mile away. There were so many characters it became hard to keep track of everyone and their backstories. The world building also required a lot of explaining and questioning, because the characters in fact don't know what they're doing most of the time. They're working on a goal that is surrounded by a lot of mystery. Although it didn't come together for me, I do believe plenty of others will be happy and fulfilled with it. I suspect this book will be either a hit or miss for readers all coming down to preferences.

What was most exciting was the individual characters and who they are as people. There is so much diversity in a way that didn't feel like tokenism. There are so many queer characters and characters of different ethnic/racial backgrounds. Although their identities are a focal point for all of them, it isn't the base of their journeys. They exist in their current lives and in their identities while working on their goals which remains part of the big picture. It was a pleasant balance.

I was also quite fond of the overall messaging too. About women empowerment, community, and overcoming an oppressive patriarchy. There's a lot of sexism in the book but it is tackled in every decision and action each woman makes.

Overall, I think this will be a lot of people's new favorite book. For me it wasn't a total hit, but I liked it well enough that I will recommend to friends.

This is a fabulous book about women and mysticism and women's bodies and relationships and nature and darkness and juicy fruit and magic and witchcraft and power and Canada and darkness and everything. This book is about women and everything.

It's 400 pages and yet it feels like it's 1 page of just.....all of the universe in one solitary blink.

*chefs kiss.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

VenCo is one of those books that scratches that itch you get every now and then for a good witchy read. The story revolves around a newly-formed (or rather, still in the process of forming) coven as they search for their final predestined member. Added into the mix are the three women of the Oracle (Maiden, Mother, and Crone, of course), and some non-magical but still helpful and in-the-know women known as Tenders, Watchers, and Bookers.

The good parts: this is a modern witch tale, complete with cell phones and laptops and a heaping helping of feminism. The main character, Lucky, has a wonderfully complex relationship with both her quirky and beginning-stages-of Alzheimer's grandmother, Stella and with the memory of her own odd-in-her-own-way mother. In the search for the seventh witch for the coven, Lucky travels from her home in Canada to Salem, then on to the backwoods of the Ozark mountains and on to the jazz-filled streets of New Orleans. I appreciated how author Cherie Dimaline pulled in the different branches and beliefs of varying kinds of folk magic and witchcraft. Personally, I was especially happy to see an old Ozark granny witch, because well...that's my people.

The less-good: in many ways this feels like half a story. We get an introduction to several characters and the basics of a backstory, but it takes four hundred pages to find the last witch and I felt like surely there should be more. I do wonder if perhaps this is going to be the beginning of a series, in which case this makes an excellent opening chapter.

Overall, a good, fun tale, humorous at times and dangerous at others, of witchcraft and women, and the powerful bonds between them that form the real web of magic.

I will, unfortunately, be withholding my review until a fair contract agreement is reached with the HarperCollins Union.

This book did not draw me in. I really wanted to like it but had to force myself to finish it.

2.5 stars. Thank you go netgalley the arc.

Parts of this were great: the way in which the coven banded together and the relationship between Lucky and Stella. But the action was rushed at times, and while we had great glimpses of the CEOs of VenCo, exactly what they did and what they expected to get done once the coven was assembled was really vague. If this were a series it might have made more sense but since that doesn't appear to be the case...

eARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.

This book wasn’t what I was expecting from the description but it was a fun ride. I will say the plot took a while to really pick up, but while I was waiting for the story to really progress the book was full of amazing imagery and the relationships between women and their meaning. The take on magic and feminism and the connections between the women were great and I am hopeful there will be a sequel. The characters were each unique and while you did get to see some of the backstory of each of them I think there is so much more we could learn about them all, even about Lucky (who was the main focus of this story). Long ago a strong witch in Salem predicted that the North American coven would find each other and come into their power but it was far in the future so she set up a spell to lead the women to themselves, their power, and most importantly together.

VenCo (an anagram for coven) starts with Lucky St. James and her grandmother on the verge of losing their apartment and Lucky searching for a decent job, when she is drawn to a silver spoon, hidden within the old house they live in. The spoon has a witch & broom engraved on one side and the word, SALEM engraved on the other side.
Finding the spoon leads her to apply for a job in Salem, for a company called VenCo, where she meets other women who have also found similar spoons in different circumstances.
Her employment eventually takes Lucky and her grandmother to New Orleans to locate the last of the 7 spoons needed to form a powerful coven that generations of witches have been waiting for.
The narrative and especially the dialogue are very similar to Fern Michaels popular vigilante "Sisterhood" series of novels, where the women come from different backgrounds, but all seem to have the same personality.
The plot is a little slow, it takes almost 50% of the book for the action to start, but it is entertaining. I like how the grandmother, even though she may have dementia at times, is valued as a person and included in all the endeavors.
The ending is very satisfying, but you know there is more to come - this may be the first book in a series.

VenCo is a tale that combines magic, a quest, and a story found family. The main character is Lucky St James, a young woman who seemingly is struggling under the weight of managing adulthood and the care of her grandmother. It is in the face of the unknown that Lucky chances upon an object that introduces her into the world of witches.

The novel had all the elements of a riveting story, ranging from characters in quick motion, a fast approaching deadline, and a battle between “good and evil among others. It is well written and the author has seamlessly woven social commentary throughout the tale. But despite these elements the story seemed to drag in parts. At times convenience seemed to play more a role in moving the story along than the actions of the characters. I also wished that the story went more in-depth with the community of VenCo and how magic functions in this version of reality. I felt like I skimmed the surface of the world the author has created and am interested in learning more about it. While I do wish the story offered more to the reader I found it interesting and it kept my attention. Overall it is a story about a journey of self discovery and in this Lucky’s story came to a satisfying conclusion.

Thank you Book Club Girl and NetGallery for the eARC in exchange for the review.

The description of this book really intrigued me. I do enjoy magical books sometimes and I loved the idea of a more modern witch tale focusing on a group of women in a quest to restore their power.

The book started off interesting but I did feel that some
parts and descriptions were too lengthy. The writing style, however, was enjoyable and easy to follow.

Lucky finds a magical spoon, completing a coven to bring a new era of women into their magic power. This was not good. This felt like a prequel. Nothing happened and it wasn't even magical. They keep saying they have magic powers but where??? Boring.

Lucky St. James cares for her free-spirited, young-at-heart yet somewhat troublesome grandmother, Stella in Toronto. When they learn they will be evicted, she suddenly finds a silver spoon in the laundry room with the word "Salem" engraved and the timing could not be better. The spoon ends up being her ticket out of monotony and feeble attempts to make ends meet and sends her on a wild ride to complete a coven of witches that takes her from Salem to New Orleans on a wild goose chase to find the seventh witch. Of course there is an evil witch-hunter following her every move to add some oomph to the story.
While I loved the premise, setting, and a few of the characters, I felt there were too many conveniences in this story. The readers' suspension of disbelief must be pretty high for it to be truly enjoyable. That being said, I enjoyed the ride and am interested in seeking out Dimaline's other works since most of her other novels are YA and I think that this storyline would be better suited in that category with some slight edits.

VenCo follows Lucky St. James, a twenty-something woman on the verge of being evicted and stuck in a dead end job, who lives with her grandmother, Stella, whose memory has started to fade. One day, Lucky finds a silver spoon with the engraving of a witch and the word "SALEM" on it, which leads her into the web of VenCo, and a not-yet completed circle of a coven of witches in Salem, Massachusetts. When she gets there, she learns that not only is she a witch, but she has mere days to find the seventh witch to complete the coven's circle which will trigger the resurgence of witches, their power, and their ascendancy to "save the world" from the patriarchy, essentially.

For 400 pages, the plot is essentially Lucky traveling across the states with her grandmother with a man, a witch-hunter, on her tail, trying to prevent the circle from being completed. This story is very much women-focused, character-driven, feminist, and diverse. We learn the background stories of each of the women in the circle. I appreciated this story being about women and what women have had to do to survive in a man's world.

Where this ultimately fell short for me was its pacing and world-building. This is a very slow book. So for readers who love character-driven novels, this is very much your book. I was a little disappointed at how bare-bones "VenCo" really is. We learn, sort of, that it is a company of women trying to get women jobs and housing or something like that, while in the background they try to help the coven complete its circle. And what will happen after the coven completes its circle? We are sort of just told trust me, it will be better. Women will take back their power, they will save the world from the problems the men caused, i.e., wars, climate change, civil unrest. We don't get to see any of that, and there isn't really a plan, but again this story is really about the women in the circle, their agency, their power, and their found family.