Review by Kelly Jarvis: A Circle of Uncommon Witches by Paige Crutcher

In A Circle of Uncommon Witches, Paige Crutcher takes readers on a magical journey through Scotland and the realms beyond. The novel begins with the rebellious Doreen MacKinnon, a 13th generation witch seeking to break a curse cast upon her family. Three hundred years ago, Ambrose MacDonald, a powerful witch from a rival line, fell in love with Lenora MacKinnon, and when he was forbidden from seeing her, he cast a curse upon the entire MacKinnon clan, dooming them to choose loveless marriages or perish by the age of thirty. When Doreen realizes Ambrose has been held captive by the MacKinnons, she sets out to free him so he can help her end the curse. Together, they face epic trials that bring them face to face with their greatest fears.

While navigating foreign landscapes, dark magic, and vengeful ghosts, Doreen and Ambrose notice sparks of love beginning to fly between them. Their witty banter and sensual attraction to one another will keep readers interested in the outcome of the trials which can break the curse, allowing the MacKinnon women to both fall in love and be loved by others. The book moves beyond romance, fully exploring the bonds of women and presenting rounded characters with positive and negative personality traits. The relationship between Doreen and her cousin Margot is of particular interest, informing the plot and themes of the book from the beginning to the end.

In addition to providing readers with an engaging plot, Crutcher builds a world of magic, explaining how the families use oak trees to travel across space and time and relaying how they seal their spells with maple syrup. If you enjoy witchy stories filled will full-fledged magic like Paige Crutcher’s What Became of Magic, pick up A Circle of Uncommon Witches. This is atmospheric and entertaining read is perfect for spooky season! You can find it here.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy of the book in exchange for a fair review.  

Kelly Jarvis works as the Contributing Writer for The Fairy Tale Magazine. Her work has also been featured in A Moon of One’s Own, Baseball Bard, Blue Heron Review, Corvid Queen, Eternal Haunted Summer, Forget Me Not Press, Mermaids Monthly, The Chamber Magazine, The Magic of Us, and the World Weaver Press Anthology Mothers of Enchantment: New Tales of Fairy Godmothers. Selkie Moon is her debut novella. You can connect with her on Facebook (Kelly Jarvis, Author), Instagram (@kellyjarviswriter) or visit her at https://kellyjarviswriter.com/