Thank you for the ARC of The Witches At The End of The World.

When I read the blurb for this I thought it sounded really interesting, I love a good witch story and the dark aspects sounded really interesting but it just didn't quite get there.

The writing itself was lovely, and the characters were really strong but not a lot really happened.

I read a review of a different book once that said it was 'all vibes no plot' and that's how I feel about The Witches At The End of The World.

Thank you Sourcebooks Fire and Chelsea Iverson for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest review!

I am ALL over anything witchy , spooky, dark, tense, and emotional.

This book seemed exactly the kind of book I would read just based on the cover, title, and basic blurb. The premise of this story really pulled me in wanting to read more. This one is dual POV with two sisters, and their story of their obstacles, emotional trials, and fighting for power. Two very different sisters.

The writing in this book was truly well done and very picturesque descriptions created images in my mind. My biggest complaint is that I just feel like there was too much description and not enough tension, drama to make up for the abundance of description. I just wish there could have been a little more to it so I was more excited to read and keep going, unfortunately this one did drag. I have been sitting on this one for two months now, so it’s just taken quite some time to try to finish it. Don’t get me wrong it’s still a good story, and I would recommend, it just fell a little short if what I was personally expecting, so don’t let that keep you from trying it out.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review. The following opinions are my own.

This book was very disappointing. I think it had potential but there were elements keeping it from being good. I didn't love the relationship between the sisters, it felt very judgemental and there didn't seem to be any sensitivity between them to understand each other. The writing was beautiful but nothing seemed to really happen either.

I just can’t get enough! If you love a good witchy read, that is historic and will leave you at the edge of your seat, this is for you!!!!

A tale of two sister witches, living in the deep woods far away from the village that burned their mother as a witch. I’m torn with this book, it was equal parts exciting and boring. Kaija is soft and sweet, Minna is angry and impulsive and together they have just lost their grandmother, their choices upending their peaceful life and causing each other heart ache and pain. My two biggest flaws with this book is that there’s chapters of ordinary life that just wasn’t necessary and dragged on, also the ending leaving Olen abandoned when there was clearly a connection with Minna is frustrating. Kaija learnt her lesson the hard way and although she had something for her troubles it feels like she was more impulsive and naive than her sister a lot of the time.

I loved the premise of this book. The dual POV and witchy atmosphere is something that is right up my alley. There were moments when this book moved swiftly and things came together for me, but often it dragged. While the imagery is outstanding, there was little dialogue so it did take a long time to plow through it.

Book : The Witches at the End of the World
Author : Chelsea Iversen
Pub Date: 17 Oct 2023

Thank you NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark & the author for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This book was just what I was looking for! A story about two witches who live in a forest. It gave all the good witch vibes AND if you like dual POV like I do…this is going to be the one for you.

I sat down with this book and it took a little while for me to read through but I honestly kept turning pages when I did pick it up because I wanted to know what was going to happen next. There are some twists and some turns in there that threw me through a little loop. The world building was great and the dialogue was as well but I would have liked a little more from the sisters. I enjoyed the story and the plot and thought this is the perfect crisp evening weekend read if you are looking for something a little different, eerie and witchy to dive into.

I enjoyed this book and have already been talking to some book buddies about this book and told them to anticipate the release. I cannot wait to see what this author has in store for more books in the future.

Thank you to Chelsea Iversen and Sourcebooks Fire for providing me an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. This doesn’t affect my thoughts towards the book in any way.

3.5 ⭐️

Kaijah and Minna’s journey is a wonderful tale that tells us how a bond between sisters goes beyond the separation of distance and time. Told in dual POVs, this story was driven by both longing and revenge woven by sisters’ love for each other. Both of them were equally strong and determined in their own ways, no matter how wicked and protective they may be as witches. As an only child, it was nice to read a book purely written to convey familial love and forgiveness towards a sibling since it wasn’t a feeling I wasn’t able to experience growing up. Suffice to say, this was an emotional read since both our main characters deal with their own definition of heartbreak and loss throughout this book. Yet, I stand by my rating since given that the premise signifies a lot of thrill, I didn’t feel the plot thickening since nothing really happens. I just hope there could’ve been more tension to this story besides the picturesque narration.

Nevertheless, I’d recommend this! I love how this book portrays incredibly strong women fighting for two completely different ideal futures. They didn’t really need a man towards the end and I loved that.

I was hoping to do a good review especially since this is my first on netgalley but i haveto be homest.
This book almost created a reading slump, took me a while to get through.
It was beautifully written. But honestly that's about all that's going for it. Maybe I had too high hope but it just didn't live up to what I wanted. I am willing to reread it and give it another go in the future because the writing truly was beautiful.

Posted a review on goodreads.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me a copy of this book in return for my honest opinions.

What can I say? The author blew me away. You will not regret buying this one! Fantastic book. You will not want to put it down!

Five plus stars

Highly recommend.

i am very disappointed by this book. i liked the writing which is full of picturesque sentences that sound beautiful. but the book feels empty. there's barely any plot in it, which isn't to my taste.
i also found that the sisterly love minna and kaija proclaimed to have for one another wasn't really there. they judged each other and refused to understand each other. all the interactions they had with one another were uncomfortable because at times i felt like they hated each other. it was more as if they had to interact because they're blood relatives and they share the ability to do magic, rather than they want to interact with one another.
that wouldn't have been an issue to me if there was something happening in the text. i wish there was more story: that there was more plot, more dialogue, more lore. i feel like i would've enjoyed the book more then.

This one fell a bit flat for me, unfortunately. I would’ve appreciated more dialogue versus the internal monologue of thoughts. Maybe some good editing will help clean this up & cut out a lot of the extra “weight” that seems to slow the novel up. I received this eARC from NetGalley for my unbiased opinion. Thank you!

As always, I am so thankful to Sourcebooks for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I couldn't finish this one because it was JUST. TOO. SLOW. I love witchy stories but this one just wasn't doing enough for me.

However, I could see someone who loves historical settings liking it.

I want to thank the author and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review. I liked the two sisters and how they are so different. I also liked the duel POV. I liked the setting. Sisterhood standing the test of time. I wish there was more dialogue in the book. It did seem to drag a bit in the book. It was sometimes hard to read because it was slow. Also, it seemed like not much was going on in the book.

I was intrigued by the description, and I liked the cover design.

I enjoyed this book a lot. I would describe it as a dark fantasy novel. The writing had a dark, eerie quality, but at the same time, it felt magical. I was very interested in the characters and the stories they had to share, and I was gripped. I understand that this is the author's debut novel, and I hope there will be more, because I'd be interested in reading them.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.

Fantasy books involving magic and witches are among my favorite tropes, so I was so excited to read this book. A darker fantasy that I loved. The magic system was intricate and exciting, and the world-building was fantastic. I loved it. I’m going to add this one to my favorite list.

✨ The Witches at the End of the World // Chelsea Iverson ✨

Details: 320p, 2023, fantasy/historical fiction
TW/CW: witch hunts and misogyny?

First notes: I got this book as an arc, thank you very much NetGalley! I put in the request because I saw witches, Norway, birchwood, sisters, small village, curses and burnings and did not need to hear more, everything there to convince me, elated when my request was met.

⭐️⭐️ 𝐏𝐥𝐨𝐭: However… However. The plot sadly lacked. It had promise, but from the beginning on the sister bond feels off, they seem to want to love each other, but with so much bitterness and regret. It makes us expect something around their sisterhood will evolve along the way, but the entire story feels like a build up. Everything was cliche and their relationships with everyone, including their sister story, felt unbelievable.
⭐️ 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬: This made me feel distanced from every single character (save Aunt Tilde). Kaija seemed incredibly naive and almost plain stupid, while I wondered if Minna also missed a brain (the boldness, do excuse me). Never could I understand their actions, and again their relationships were unconvincing.
⭐️⭐️ 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭: We switch from sister to sister, which could work, but did not (sorry).
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 𝐒𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 (𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 + 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞): A positive aspect! Set in Norway in both a dark forest and a small village, it theoretically fit perfectly with the 1600s and witch trials. Beautifully described as well!
⭐️⭐️ 𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐲𝐥𝐞: Lastly: the sentences were pretty, but my praise regretfully ends there. Too much anticipation packed in words that didn’t say much at all.

Final notes: With some heartache I regret to inform you: I really wanted to not finish this but surprisingly did, I’m just sad to say I don’t feel the slightest connection to this story in any way. It could be alright had it been written differently and to be fair now I write this, maybe it could not be alright no matter what (sorry again). Actually, not a sorry, it just wasn’t for me! Maybe it is for you, but I can’t recommend it.

2⭐️

I really enjoyed this! If you like witches, magic, and a well done and easily pictured setting, this is for you.

Loved the story, the setting and the magic. This was well-written and easily consumed. My only issue was it was a bit slow in places, but still a good read.

Would definitely read more by this author.

Thank you so much for letting me be an ARC reader!

4.5 stars rounded to 5.

This book was very good. This is new author to me. I will look forward to reading more by this author.

A fun and magical story about two witches, who are sisters in Norway, that look at their magic and past in vastly different ways. I loved this one it's has such a unique concept, two sisters who want different things in their life and have to deal with the consequences of their actions. There's an overarching darker feeling to tis as well, especially with the magic element which was interesting to explore and great to see it in different forms with dynamic, strong female leads who show their strength in different ways. This was slow in parts and I agree with other reviews that I wish there was more dialogue between the sisters and we got to see their relationship more together but overall I really enjoyed this.