2.5 stars

I really don’t like rating this story so low, because I truly think this is a me thing, but I’m trying to be consistent in how I rate my reads. I wanted to like this story - this is my second attempt reading, and I hoped it was just the head space I was in when I tried reading the first time, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case. I spent most of the story confused and often caught myself skimming.

The POVs jumped around without warning, the magic system is never fully explained, and although the lore is interesting, it’s dumped on the reader randomly throughout the story and did little to increase my understanding. I felt disconnected from the characters and to me the plot was a whole lot of tell. I wish there were glimpses of Margot and Doreen as younger witches, so I could more fully understand their relationship with Stella and the ways in which their magic formed. A prologue showcasing Ambrose’s and Lenora’s doomed romance would also have been extremely helpful.

This story had a whole lot of potential, but I just couldn’t get engaged and had to force myself to finish. I’m sure this book has its audience, but it just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I got this digital ARC and needed to wait until I had the time to sit down and properly read it to give it the time it deserved. HOLY SMOKES. Such great read. If you liked Practical Magic in any way shape or form you’ll like this book. The vibes are the perfect blend of romance, magic and such perfectly paced it really is over to soon.

Thank you NetGalley for this eARC. I TRULEY adored it!

The premise was really interesting but I couldn't connect with the characters. The heroine did not have agency. Things just seemed to happen to her.

I loved it....i couldn't put it down.

The enemies to lovers vibes had me excited for when they got to the love part.

Everything was done for love, it was beautifully broken and mending. This story was so much more than a circle of witches, it was the heart of witches.

Ambrose & Doreen

The one who put to the curse and the one who desires the curse to be broken for love, they both fall in love and break the curse. It went full circle.

I was entertained with the journey, the trials, the magic. It was a compelling story.

"It says that love is like wildflowers, found in the most unlikely of places," he said.”

✨THINGS AND STUFF✨
-no hope of finding true love
-a curse & a leap of faith
-complete the trials and win
-magic comes with a cost
-secrets
-the queen & her shadow army
-lavender tea, sweet apple cider, shortbread cookies
-#isthisakissingbook: closed door

thank you smp for the advanced copy!

1.5 stars (rounded up)
Crutcher has talent as a writer, with specific descriptions ripe with imagery, and her sentences are lovely and rhythmically executed. Unfortunately, beyond the style of the writing, A Circle of Uncommon Witches did not work on nearly any level for me. The plot was the biggest executive failing--the characters didn't really make choices, the plot just sort of nudged them into place. Important world building elements weren't explained, and I spent so much time honestly just confused as hell with what was going on, and the structure of the book never made any sense to me. I am a pretty savvy reader and used to fantasy shenanigans, but this was just confused. I think the author struggled with the plot as well, since in-story mysteries in this all-important trial were simply revealed to the characters; if they 'figured it out," it wasn't through any knowledge we, the audience had as well, so it seemed deus-ex-machina'd all over the place to pull the characters through the book, as though the writer was figuring it out as she went. And perhaps, if I'd enjoyed the characters more, I'd have been fine with all of that, but none of the characters were interesting enough on their own to make it worthwhile. I found all the motivations ridiculous and the villains honestly farcical. I didn't ever care about the stakes for this group.

So, interesting premise and great sentence-level writing, but ultimately, clunky and not executed in a way that worked for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the ebook ARC. All opinions are mine alone.

I am so grateful for this book but it was unfortunately not for me. I appreciate it and see it’s allure to others.

Great book! It's a captivating story about ancient curses that still linger in the present day, and a witch determined to break them in order to find love with someone who can truly choose to love her in return—before she dies at 30. The characters were well-developed, and the plot kept me hooked from start to finish

This book is in close competition with 'The Orphan Witch" for my favorite book from this author. I liked that the stakes were high for everyone and that nothing was quite as it seemed at first. I loved following Doreen's story and watching her develop into the strong witch she was by the end. Ambrose's journey from tortured captive to supportive partner was also really interesting. I thought his forgiveness of Stella came about way too easily - if it were me I definitely would not be so quick to be on good terms with someone who had mercilessly tortured me for decades. The trials Ambrose and Doreen went through kept things moving and were each interesting in their own way. I liked that the big-bad-villain here was more complicated than she at first appeared and that you could understand how her good intentions at the beginning of her tale could go bad. There were two parts of the ending that I wish had been different or given more detail/explanation. One, I want to know what happens with Margot and Dean! And two, what was the meaning of Doreen's shiny eyes at the end?! The most frustrating thing about these is that I know I will never get answers to them since these books are not a series and do not connect to one another.

Doreen is a witch that comes from a bloodline with a generational curse to never find true love - and she’s determined to break this curse by making an alliance with the man who placed it. I thought the premise of this story was intriguing and had a lot of potential. We find out Ambrose’s curse on Doreen’s bloodline created a counter curse in which Ambrose outlived those he loves. Doreen is able to convince Ambrose to join her in breaking the curse through a series of trials. The beginning of the novel kept my interest, Ambrose and Doreen have to work together through their differences and grudges against each other. As they continue working through the trials - I didn’t really see them connect well or begin to trust each other. There was lots of continued mistrust and not enough communication between them, it was hard to believe the progression of their relationship from enemies to lovers - it felt a little too sudden. Overall entertaining read 3.5/5

i was excited about the concept but i don't think it was executed enough for my taste. the story was a bit clunky and the pacing was not great so it was hard to pay attention to this one.

Wasn't for me unfortunately. Loved the premise but it felt liek it took so long to get into the story and I wanted to put it down constantly.

3.75⭐️ rounded up..

I am thankful to have gotten an eARC for free from St Martins Press through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.



One thing that’s hard to balance when doing a review on a draft that could have 2-3 more revisions still to go is that things that you find challenging can absolutely be fixed by the time the final draft is done. So I have been eating accordingly as this book in concept and material is a fun and enjoyable read. There are nuts some execution challenges.

I enjoyed the story of this family who was doomed in live due to a curse and it takes you on a journey to deal with that as who doesn’t want to be on live for their whole life?? I like the magic system and also the book has a cozy aspect to it.

The challenges I’ll point out starts right at the beginning. I actually had to look to see if this was a sequel as that’s how it read at the beginning. It was like it was summarizing another book to get the reader caught up. It was all tell and no show. Now it’s not a sequel at all, it was just how the history was written. It can just benefit from a good editor which I’m confident SMP has and will do.

The prose doesn’t flow as easily as it should with some stages transitions and choppiness. Again something I expect will be worked on.

With all that being said, once released I think folks will eat this Romance up! The trials they have to go through and the the journal entries make it a nice immersive experience. It comes out February 25th 2025 and I’ll report back then as I’ll read the released copy!
My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars and I rarely round up.

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

I had absolutely no idea what to expect going into this book, and I loved every second of it. It’s an adventure, a romance, fantasy and women’s fiction all rolled into one highly entertaining story. Another reviewer likened this book to Practical Magic combined with Outlander, and I think that is exactly right. Thanks to SMP for the ARC.

I love a good witchy read. This is comfy and cozy and full of magic. I am excited to see what comes next from this author. Magical realism is one of my top fave genres.

Thank you to the publisher and the author for a review copy of A Circle of Uncommon Witches.

Generations ago, Doreen MacKinnon’s family was cursed to never find true love. The centuries-long feud between her family and the MacDonalds has forced the MacKinnon women to either marry for convenience or die. This doesn’t work for Doreen, who’s determined to break the curse. In order to do so, she must team up with the man who created the curse – Ambrose MacDonald himself.

After Doreen and Ambrose team up, the story takes off and doesn’t let up. The duo travels to a dark fantasy world in Scotland, fights against a keeper of souls, meets the specters of ancestors, and discovers that true love is worth battling for.

I liked the way the author weaved the past and present, the real world and the imaginary. Themes of love, sisterhood, and following your instincts permeate throughout. A lot of witchcraft mixes with romance and redemption to create a spellbinding tale.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: Feb. 25, 2025
Doreen MacKinnon is cursed. Like the rest of her line, if she doesn’t marry by the time she’s thirty, she’ll die. But, unlike the rest of humanity, it’s easy for the MacKinnon’s to find a mate, since they can easily tantalize any partner, pulling them under their spell. But Doreen wants true love, not just a man who is spelled to love her, and, at twenty-nine years old, she’s running out of time. Desperate to break the spell, she seeks out Ambrose MacDonald, the witch who cast the spell, but it isn’t as easy to break a spell as it was to set it. Doreen and Ambrose must compete in “trials”, set in an alternate universe, in order to reverse the spell. But at what cost?
Paige Crutcher’s “A Circle of Uncommon Witches” is crafty, magical and romantic, perfect for fans of “Practical Magic” and “Outlander”. Full of fire and brimstone, this alternate-universe, spell-casting plot, piloted by a gentle but powerful protagonist, asks the question- is love worth the price?
Doreen narrates the novel primarily, although there are chapters where Ambrose speaks as well as Ada (who is an underworld Witch), which allows readers to explore the story from all viewpoints. There are journal entries, also, that are read aloud in parts, which helps to fill in the background of some of the more historical figures that play an important role. Written this way, Crutcher makes “Witches” an immersive experience, and I was invested in the outcome of all characters from page one.
The aspiring romance was predictable from their first meeting, but I still wanted to see how it played out. Of course, I’m also a sucker for anything that takes place in Scotland (even if it’s in an alternate version of it), so the picturesque setting earned bonus points from me.
Crutcher’s novels all feature witches and have some magical component, and I was a fan of her previous novel, “The Lost Witch”. This one has an added paranormal component and some really neat visual tricks that were exciting and spooky, in the best ways. A strong, magical protagonist combined with a stunning setting and some powerful magic and “Witches” has everything that fantasy romance fans could look for. An easy-to-read page-turner, Crutcher has delivered another slice of charm into the book world.

A mystical, dangerous adventure to remove a one hundred year old curse sends this story into a whirlwind of perilous trials for a young witch and the male witch she rescues. He is the source of the curse and is necessary to ending it. She is powerful but has been held back by her aunt. It is up to her to grasp a hold of her power, work with the rescued witch, and strive to survive a series of trials to end the ramifications of the spell once and for all.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

*A Circle of Uncommon Witches* by Paige Crutcher is a captivating tale of love, magic, and revenge. Doreen MacKinnon, cursed to never find true love, teams up with Ambrose MacDonald, the witch who cursed her family centuries ago. As they navigate perilous trials, sparks fly, but Doreen must decide what she's willing to sacrifice for love. This enchanting story blends adventure, romance, and a dash of vengeance, making it an unforgettable read.

This is a wonderful read of adventure, paranormal curses and witches. I enjoyed the richness of the characters and the well defined story . Thank you to the publisher, to Net Galley and to the author for the opportunity. My review opinion is my own.

This story reaches across three centuries of time. Doreen is a Thirteenth generation witch. She is doomed in love unless she can break a spell against her family. The witch that placed the curse on her family is Ambrose who has the power to change her future. They must act together to fight against what is meant to be for her family. The adventure they embark on takes them through centuries and other world places. Their adventures are exciting and a engrossing read to conclusion.

The writing is well crafted and compelling. The story is richly drawn to the characters and story. I enjoyed this fantastic read from beginning to end. Well done to the author.