Astania Reviews

Kae | The Five Cursed Witches: Volume 1 - Zoe, the witch of innocence

TITLE: The Five Cursed Witches: Volume 1 - Zoe, the witch of innocence

AUTHOR: High_Priestess_Elena 

GENRE: Fantasy

CHAPTERS I'VE READ: Six

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This review details my opinion. At the end of the day, this is your story, and you know it better than anyone. My opinion is merely that, and it is subjective. I perceived it a certain way and you do not have to agree, since it mostly comes down to my preferences.

Plot

The plot follows Zoe, a witch with a curse: she kills everything she touches. Used as a tool by her coven, she kills based on the word of her coven superiors. I liked this plot, and I think it sets up a great story arc: Zoe must use her curse to either escape from the coven controlling her, or find a way to better use her ability—which she herself thinks of as a curse rather than as a powerful weapon. I think there are a lot of moments where the story takes care to set up ideas that come up later on, such as mentioning the Library before the characters go there, that lend to a cohesive storyline. The plot therefore feels very solid to me. The only point I would clarify is why Zoe cannot escape from her coven: has she tried before? I get the sense her curse is very powerful, and I'm curious as to why and how she's accepted her fate as a pawn in the Priestess's game. Besides this minor point, I found the plot enjoyable, and I really enjoyed what I read, especially how the plot was explained in a way that connected with other elements such as character and story, and I enjoyed learning as my reading continued.

Characters

Since Zoe is the main lens through which we view the story, I will say that I think it's great that her arc is set up immediately. She has to learn how to appreciate herself and her ability. Some of the aspects of her character, such as her exact age (I think at one point, she mentions having been thirty, then forty, though her narration reads younger to me: does aging work differently as a witch?) could be more clear. As well, I understand and like that she feels cursed by her ability, which in its current state does seem to be used for nothing but death; why though, does she think she isn't pretty? I'd like to have seen that idea explored in a bit more detail. Does her appearance remind her of her mother, and that's why? Finally, one way I think the reader's proximity to Zoe could be increased is by detailing her thoughts more often. I got a good sense of her voice through her narration, and I would have liked to see more italicized inner thoughts from her, which would help us see into her perspective. Since this story is written in first person, getting deep into the main character is crucial, and something I think would help a little in understanding Zoe. She is an interesting perspective to follow, with her obedience to her Priestess but her ability to lie to her by changing the wine labels, and I think those moments of character helped understand her.

World

I think the world-building here is really nice. There's a nice integration of detail as the chapters continue, so we learn at a good pace that doesn't feel overwhelming. Smaller details introduced early on come back in later chapters, and I especially liked that Zoe learns about her mate and sets out to find more about him before finally meeting him, leading to a better sense of tension. My only suggestions here would be to make the writing more specific in certain places, to help create an immersive story. In scenes like the one in first chapter, where Zoe uses the cooling-box-fridge, the description of it being "wooden" and "standing in the corner" help us picture what she's using, while also making us understand how what she's using is different from a human-world fridge. Small descriptions are all that's necessary to make it clear to a reader, and oftentimes, these can go hand-in-hand with character details and plot, such as when Zoe goes to the Library. Scenes like this could benefit from being slightly more specific about her interactions with the surroundings, so as to better bring us into the scene. I can tell you have a very clear idea of the world and how it functions, so I think it's just a matter of bringing them into a bit more focus. I really liked seeing the setting and getting to explore different locations.