⭐ 3.5
🌶️ .25
👀 Multi POV 3rd person
🩷 Something I liked: the Robert Frost poem
🙈 Something I disliked: there isn't one thing that stands out as "dislike", honestly just a general "it's not really my jam"
🛍️ Available: Now

💬 I'm really not sure what to think about this book. I felt like I was reading a mashup of a lot of books I've read in the past. So there are a lot of things that I kept finding myself thinking "this seems familiar".

That's not really a bad thing but I definitely think this would work better as a movie. There's a lot of stuff going on and a lot of layers to this story that would be better enjoyed in film. However it is definitely worth reading this book for the ending and that's why I bumped this up to a 3.5 ⭐.

I think the story itself is really well written, and it's very creative. It's hard to say a whole lot without giving away spoilers but I liked the idea of the storyline. Unfortunately the execution seems to drag.

Along with that there are a lot of hidden meanings that are making it hard to follow what's happening. Everything is a curse within a curse and there's more to the story than you see on the surface. And that's fine but it's happening with everything and I wish that it was just centered around 1 thing. But again for me this probably would have been resolved if it was a movie.

It also seemed like there was context missing that would have made the story more relatable and understandable. I have a feeling that if I were more involved in witchcraft or practiced this is as religion or maybe knew more about the lore I would have been able to connect more with the story.

For the right person this is going to be a great book, but I am not that person. I think this author will find their niche and do really well within that niche.

I am a sucker for witch in the title of any book! This book did catch me by surprise though. I enjoyed it even more than I anticipated! This is a definite recommendation.

Thank you to St. Martin’s press and the author for a free advanced reader copy of this book.

4⭐️

Cursed to die with a broken heart, Doreen MacKinnon is determined to break the curse and find true love.

This was a cute book. The vibes were vibing. It felt a little like practical magic and masters of death by Olivie Blake. It was predictable in the comforting sort of way. I loved the sister like relationships, the romance was great. Overall, a great story for the witchy romantics out there

If you want a book with magic, witches, strong women, love, curses, and trials then this is a book you need to add to your TBR. This book took me a couple of chapters to get into but after that it had me hooked. I enjoyed seeing Doreen fight for what she knew she could change. She wasn't afraid to go against what she had been told to be able to find love.

The trails that Doreen goes through in the books she learns so much about who she is and what she can do. She is more powerful than she realized. This is a slow burn with some steamy moments. I liked the story of these characters and how they were all interconnected. Learning the past of these characters and what their ancestors went through. This book was also about giving up what you thought and looking for the truth.

This book had so much potential, but it just felt a little flat and at times boring for me. The overall plot and the idea is really great, but the writing was just not it. At times the author tries to be real poetic, but I feel like the book would have benefited from a more simple writing and direction. Also, I counted at least 10 mentions of "The thirteenth generation witch" or some variations of it...I think mentioning it 2 or 3 times should have been enough lol.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin Press for providing me with an ARC of this book

This captivating tale of fantasy, romance, and adventure will sweep readers away into a world where true love, self-discovery, and the power of breaking free from generational curses reign supreme. Fans of the genre will be enchanted by the story's exploration of the transformative magic of love and the indomitable human spirit. This book is a perfect fit for anyone who believes in the power of love to conquer all, overcome any obstacle, and break the chains of inherited burdens. It is a testament to the enduring strength of the human spirit and the boundless possibilities that arise when we embrace love's transformative embrace.

This was just okay.
It was fun but I wasn’t hooked too much to it nor super engaged.
I had a hard time connecting with the plot and the characters.

I was eager to dive into this—the magic, Scottish backdrop, curse, and family dynamics all seemed captivating. But for some reason, I had a hard time connecting with it. It took a while to draw me in, and at times, I struggled to stay engaged.

As the story progressed, I found myself more interested, and I really appreciated the romance and family themes. However, it still felt like something was missing. Certain parts left me confused, and while I enjoyed aspects of it, it never completely pulled me in.

Thank you NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and St. Martin's Press for this ARC for me to review honestly.

I wanted to love this so much, the premise was right up my alley as I love witchy stories. However, this unfortunately did not work for me and I am rating it 2.5 stars.

For me the romance in this book happened really quick and the plot moved too fast for me, and I ended up feeling confused at times. I also didn't believe in the romance between Ambrose & Doreen, and I didn't like them as a couple.

Overall, loved the idea behind this book but I think the execution could be better.


***I did not post this review outside of Goodreads***

Author Paige Crutcher does an excellent job of involving all the senses in her writing by creating fear, love, anger, and hope. Her writing style is full of descriptive scenes gripping the reader’s mind emotionally throughout the book.

Doreen MacKinnon (main character) and her cousin Margot (secondary character) have been very close since childhood. They are so close they understand each other’s thoughts and are protective of one another. Through some tragic generational history their family line has been cursed by Ambrose MacDonald, a powerful male witch who fell in love with a MacKinnon three hundred years ago.

Meanwhile, Ambrose is imprisoned and trapped in a tempest by the MacKinnon witches. Angry and heartbroken, he barely exists but he wants to be free and more importantly he wants revenge. When Doreen frees him, he decides to use her to get back at the witches who caused him so much pain.

These three characters with their intense dynamic personalities create a fascinating storyline as they rush to break the curse that controls all of them. What a surprise the last few chapters are when choices are made in the name of love... you may set them free or even die for them! I know readers will enjoy this book.

Any book with witches and finding true love, I would gladly read it! Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the #ARC

This book started strong and compelling - the main idea is that Doreen has to break the curse so she doesn't die if she failed to find true love. To do so, she has to free Ambrose - trapped for hundreds of years due to long-standing feud with their families. Their journey had to go through trials and in doing so, learn to trust each other eventhough they both had different intentions. All the while without realizing they are falling for each other but unfortunately they are doomed until they win the trials and break the curse.

It all started compelling BUT.. here's the but that disappointed me along the way. The plot steered to a different direction and got me confused. The backstory was a bit complicated and felt like the author wanted to tackle and expound on too many subplots that didn't align anymore and felt unnecessary. Too many pages or disarray of ideas that needed to be cut.

Was Margot sacrifice necessary? Coz that was weird
The dolls felt creepy and unsure what's the connection.

"To be loved back might be the truest form of magic that exists"

Felt so bad for what could possibly be a book with so much promise and yet felt unsatisfying.

I did love the Scotland setting as Isle of Skye, Portree town and Man of Storr are some of my bucketlist itineraries one day.

I went into this one open minded and I enjoyed it. I loved Doreen and Ambrose’s relationship from the very beginning. The chemistry was there from the start. It was a journey this book and I had fun figuring out what was happening and learning the truth about the curse and everything. But it was a bit convoluted as well and the ending felt rushed. I would’ve liked another chapter or two. Overall, this was a good read and I’m glad I gave it a chance!

A Circle of Uncommon Witches by Paige Crutcher
Paranormal witch romance. Enemy / cursed lines, enemies to lovers troupe.
Doreen MacKinnon is a 13th generation witch from her family line, making her one of the most powerful in centuries, but also the most lonely. She is doomed to die of a broken heart from an old curse placed on her family. Doreen isn’t a witch to accept a predestined disaster and decides she is going to be the one to break the curse.
Doreen releases Ambrose MacDonald who has been trapped in a tempest and tortured for the past three hundred years. He agrees to help break the curse although he is more interested in vengeance against her family than helping. As the two work together, sparks start to fly but Doreen must keep her eye on the bottom line: ending the curse and saving her family. Even if it means heartbreak.

Complicated intertwined, multigenerational family lines made following the storyline seem to twist over and into itself more than once. I admired Doreen’s determination though the curse turned darker than I expected. A series of trials akin to life and death gave the story an unexpected hard edge.
3.5
I received a copy of this from NetGalley.

3.75⭐️💚✨ A witch generationally cursed to never find true love, and if they don’t marry by age 30 will perish…. I just love a witchy read any time of the year, and this one was an exciting, twisty, and action-packed one!

This book had so many things that I love in a witchy book - strong relationships, sisterhood, realizing one’s true potential and power, old family / generational curses, forbidden love, trials, misunderstood villains… etc! The list could go on! The romance was definitely on the back-burner of the plot, (which I find interesting as love is a major driving factor of the characters and plot), but I found it interesting enough that it didn’t need the romance to keep to going which I liked. There were ‘aha’ moments and moments where I found myself tearing up, but I also found myself getting confused every once in a while as I was reading which pulled me out of the story. Sometimes I felt as if there was too much jumping around, or things were a little too vague to keep track. The concept was great, and made for a generally good read, but for me personally could have been executed better somehow for a more engaging read as a whole.

Overall, I did enjoy this read! 💚💛

—

Overall Ratings:
Star: 3.75⭐️/5
Spice: 0.5🌶️/5
Emotion: 2💧/5

Tropes:
💚 Forced Proximity
💛 Forbidden Love
💚 Generational Curse
💛 Hidden Potential
💚 Sisterhood
💛 Trials
💚 Witty Banter
💛 Enemies to Lovers (kind of)
💚 Witches and magic

Quotes I loved:

💚“To be loved back, in kind, might be the truest form of magic that exists.”💚

💛“Love is like wildflowers, found in the most unlikely of places.”💛

💚”Tomorrow’s flowers bloom because of the seeds of today.”💚

—

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin Publishing for the opportunity to read this an an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I don’t know how she does it, but every single time I pick up a new book by this author, I am left wanting more immediately. I am so absorbed into the story from page one and I’m sorry to turn the last page. I want more. She just brings every single one of her books and her characters to life. I have never been disappointed with one of her books, and I will never I will never miss anything she publishes. Yes, she’s that good!!

"Witches are life flowers; the most potent ones don't think about their magic. They do not try to control or change or guide; they simply bloom."

Whenever there is a witchy book I immediately gravitate toward it. This was the first book that I have read by this author and I was pleasantly surprised how much I liked it. The Mackinnon witches are cursed to never find true love by a rivalry from three hundred years ago. Doreen is determined to break this curse so she can find love. She must team up with an unlikely person to help with this... the person that cursed her family.

Overall this was a really fun read. It had magic, dangerous journeys, and a little bit of romance that was really fun to watch unfold. I really enjoyed the trials and the clues that they had to endure to figure out how to overcome the cure. I am always a sucker for an enemies to lovers romance and this one was no exception.

A nice cozy low fantasy that is easy to digest, would love to see more from this author in the future

I decided not to finish at 33% into the book. While the premise interested me, I made it about 100 pages in and didn't feel hooked to keep going. The inclusion of the Queen of the Order of the Dead, the Queen's desire for Doreen's soul, and her being the gateway to the trials didn't really make much sense to me and instead felt chaotic when added to Doreen and Ambrose being on the run from Doreen's family.

I really loved the overall idea of the book and the imagery in it was lovely. It definitely gave Practical Magic vibes with the sisters and the aunts and their house, as well as the curse relating to love. I wish they had delved a little deeper into the characters and the relationship between Ambrose and Doreen. If the characters and the relationship had of been a little more fleshed out, I would have been more invested in them. I did love the lore, but again, it felt rushed over and underdeveloped. I would be interested in reading more from this universe, perhaps from Margot and Dean but I would hope there would be a little more yearning/romantic development/character development.

I truly wanted to love this, but the execution just wasn’t there. We were thrown into the story halfway through and never given a full explanation of what was going on. There needed to be a lot more world building, the pacing was too fast in some places and too slow in others, and as a result, the book felt disjointed. The romance had no buildup, or basis, and there was no chemistry between Ambrose and Doreen, so their relationship felt like it came out of nowhere. And lastly, the “trials” were barely even trials and were solved almost by accident.
📖
My rating: ⭐️⭐️
Spice level: 🌶️
📖
Read if you like:
▫️witches
▫️multi-generational curses
▫️enemies to lovers
▫️multi POV
📖
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Paige Crutcher, and NetGalley for the ARC. I received an advanced copy for free, and am leaving this review voluntarily.