A Witchy Review!

HI FRIENDS! Welcome back!

Today I have a fun review for you and it's about WITCHES... (hence the corny title of this post). 

Today I will be reviewing This Coven Won't Break by Isabel Sterling. This is the SEQUEL to her debut novel, These Witches Don't Burn that was released in May of 2019. If you haven't read the first book, that's fine! Though you may be confused about the content I am reviewing, I will be describing both stories and going into a spoiler-free review.

Let's start off by admiring this GORGEOUS cover! 

This series follows our main character, Hannah, who lives in Salem, MA (how fitting). Hannah is an Elemental, which is a type of Witch. There are three different witches, or clans, as they are called. The types of witches are Elementals, Blood Witches and Casters. Those without magic are called regs (hello Muggles). The Elementals get their magic from the Earth's elements (water, air, ground and fire) and can manipulate those. Blood Witches are considered healers by using, you guessed it, their actual blood. The Casters are advanced potion-makers. We meet Hannah, who just broke up with her girlfriend Veronica (hello LGBTQ rep) who is also an Elemental. We then meet Gemma, Hannah's best friend who is a Reg and the new girl, Morgan, who Hannah has a crush on. We follow Hannah and Veronica as they try to solve their town's mystery and find out who is hunting them and their covens.

The first book was ADDICTIVE, action-packed, and very interesting. I had high expectations for this one, and this sequel did not disappoint. It was still action-packed, picked up right where the first one ended, and tied together the ending of the duology very well in my opinion. 

In this story, we follow Hannah as she tries to take down the Witch Hunters, who are working to take away all the clans magic and "cure" them. Minor spoiler: throughout this story we see the three clans work together to stop the hunters. 

PLOT

I loved the plot. While you can tell this book is generated towards more of the younger audience in the YA genre, I still enjoyed it thoroughly at the ripe age of 25. Sterling does an excellent job picking right up where she left off, hinting at events from the first book to remind readers since SO much happened. This one is equally as fast-paced and easy to follow, with a twist at the end that leaves you asking yourself: "how did I miss that?" I loved how each of the different types of witches were explored and how their unique abilities were explained. It was nice to be able to fully understand more of the Blood Witches and the Casters aside from the basic facts of "oh he makes potions" and "she heals things with her blood." I LOVE reading about witches and magic, and this one was SO fun. It definitely wasn't as dark as the debut novel, but that didn't make the plot weak. 

2. Character & Character Development

I honestly liked every single character in this book, even Alice, the hardass who basically hates everyone and is incredibly sarcastic to the point of coming off as rude. I loved being able to see Morgan and Hannah's relationship develop. I liked how Sterling showed us how Hannah was processing the grief from the first book and how that was affecting her magic. I felt like every character had trials they had to go through in this book, bringing them closer to not only their own clans, but the others as well. 

3. Writing Style

Sterling's writing style is easy to follow, and flows together well. There are no awkward pauses or parts of the story that are confusing because of the writing. Her writing is descriptive and the way that she handles dialogue is fun and witty, to the point where I feel like it is actually happening in front of me!

4. Overall Impressions & Opinions

This book was super enjoyable! I had my mouth hanging open at various points, while smiling at others. The characters steal your heart immediately, and are easy to relate to and understand. The plot has many different points playing into it, but Sterling does an excellent job showcasing how it all ties together in a way that makes sense and leaves the reader satisfied instead of craving more. While I am sad to see that this is the last book in the series, I feel that the way that it ended was perfect. There were no unanswered questions and it was all tied together with a pretty bow. 

Definitely a 5 star read from me!