the story follows two witches - Minna and Kaija, living alone in the forest, after the death of their grandma, as they decide what to do with their lives next.
i loved the writing and the witchy vibes in general. i also really enjoyed the difference in the sisters' povs, in how they both see the world in such different ways that it's impossible for them to understand eachother with ease.
overall, i liked the story and the way it was told a lot. and it had some good plot twists too. great book!

Overall, I enjoyed the premise of this book. I love witchy/magical vibes. The writing could be a little slow at times and I would have enjoyed more dialogue from the sisters versus so many inner thoughts. The world building was really good and made for an appropriate and easy to picture setting and vibe.

I want to start off with a thanks to the wonderful author, Chelsea Iversen and NetGalley for providing me with this e-ARC. This review is my honest opinion.

The Witches at the End of the World follows two sisters living in Norway. They're both witches and watched their mother burn many years ago. When Kaija decides that she doesn't want to live secluded in the birch forest anymore, and leaves her sister to go live in the village where their mother was burned, Minna is furious and casts a curse. This backfires, to say the least!

The synopsis of this book really hooked me. I live in Norway and I love stories about witches, so it seemed like the perfect book. I liked the ominous and dark feel of this. Even when things are good, there is this vibe that something ain't right. Just like Kaija and Minna's inner witch is scratching their insides, my insides felt a little scratchy too, and not in a bad way. This book almost read like a history book and not fiction at times. It talks about women, and about the persecution of the Sami people in Norway, it feels pertinent for our time.

Now to what made this book land in the middle for me. The story starts off a little slow and kind of continue that way. There isn't that much dialogue and we're left with just the thoughts of both sisters, this makes the pace slow at times. Sometimes it feels a little repetitive, both Kaija and Minna has strong minds and they're stubborn, this reflects in their thoughts and I caught myself thinking "just get on with it!! I know what you're thinking by now!". There was a few words the author decided to write in Norwegian instead of in English and I couldn't figure out why? Some of them was okay, but for non-Norwegians I'd think this would be a little frustrating.

All in all this was a decent book, I never wanted to not finish it and it kept me interested enough. I will keep my eyes on this author and her work!

I really enjoyed this book! In truth, it felt more like quiet, dark fantasy. The prose was lyrical and poetic. The worldbuilding was beautifully and intricately done. The cast of characters was amazing. Especially Tante Tilde's mentoring of both Kaija and Minna. I especially loved the juxtaposition between the scenes of the village as Kaija desperately tried to reclaim ownership of her own life, albeit by changing her identity, and Minna's scenes in the woods, her growing desperation and fury. At the heart of this story, though, was the relationship between the two sisters, which was great. You could tell that they were so intertwined with each other that there was no removing each other from themselves, no matter the depths of their betrayals or sins against each other.

Definitely would recommend this book to others!

I really enjoyed the story of the sisters and how they both tried to embrace who they were. Minna and her internal struggle and Kaija with trying to hide her true self, you couldn’t help but to feel for them both and the things they’ve been through in their lives.

Even though the book was good, it just didn’t have 100% of my attention.

When I finished The Witches at the End of the World I was a bit unsure as to my thoughts. On the positive side it was an interesting exploration of the relationship between two sisters and how that connection is tested by their different approaches to their magical heritage. It's a story of whether one should embrace one's true nature or conform to expectations. There was nothing wrong with the story or even the writing, but somehow the book never fully captured my attention, the characters not speaking to me in anything but a cursory way. I was tired during the evenings when I read it, so that could possibly be a factor, but overall for me it lacked a certain spark to make it memorable. As such, I am giving it 3.5 stars. The writing was good and the premise interesting, and even though it didn't 100% appeal to me, I'm sure there are many readers out there who will love it.

(My review will go live at the links below on 2 October 2023. At that time I will also share across social media.)

Short Synopsis: Hidden in the woods in Norway is an old cottage where two magical sisters live. After their mother was burned for witchcraft, their grandmother hid them away to protect them. Kaija, sweet and innocent, is ready to leave and explore the nearby village. Minna, full of wrath, cannot fathom why her sister would want to surround herself with the same villagers who burned their mother. Kaija leaves and in her anger Minna casts a curse against the village but her action causes a terrible chain of events.

If you enjoyed Spells For Forgetting, I think you'll enjoy this one! It's magical, dark, and witchy vibes struck all the right chords for me. The sisters have such a strong bond and I loved when they were reunited. It's incredibly atmospheric and with such descriptive writing sometimes the pacing was a little slower than I'd like.
I enjoyed Kaija's perspective the most because she's a witch trying to fit in with the villagers but never fully feeling "at home" because she has to keep her true self hidden. There's a bit of suspense as you read her chapters wondering if she'll get caught. Minna's perspective was more about her internal battle with who she is and why she feels the way she does, so it was a lot of internal monologue.
A good read--I recommend!

Thank you @netgalley and @bookmarked for the ARC.

Wow this was a beautiful and unique story. The writing style was mesmerizing and the characters, concept, and storyline was intriguing. There was a lot of depth in this book and I couldn't get enough.

Chelsea Iversen does a great job with creating the story and making uniquely written characters. I enjoyed what I read a lot and glad it was so well written. The story worked well overall and I loved the use of witches. It had everything that I was looking for from the description. I can't wait to read more from Chelsea Iversen as I enjoyed this a lot.

"But it kept me from doing what I should have done the moment I discovered her gone, which was to send her another rainstorm or maybe some hail. Maybe I could have pointed the wind southward, pushing her back up the hill. I could have brought her back here, apologizing and asking for my forgiveness. By the time I recovered my voice, I knew she was too far to turn back because of a storm."