Witchtown

by Cory Putman Oakes

Enter the gates of Witchtown to find a mischievous coming-of-age story for fans of Alice Hoffman's Practical Magic and the Danielle Paige's Dorothy Must Die series.



When sixteen-year-old Macie O'Sullivan and her masterfully manipulative mother Aubra arrive at the gates of Witchtown--the most famous and mysterious witch-only haven in the world--they have one goal in to rob it for all it's worth. But that plan derails when Macie and Aubra start to dig deeper into Witchtown's history and uncover that there is more to the quirky haven than meets the eye.
Exploring the haven by herself, Macie finds that secrets are worth more than money in Witchtown.
Secrets have their own power.

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Witches, Paranormal, Audiobook, Young Adult Fantasy, Fiction

320 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 18, 2017

About the author

Cory Putman Oakes was born in Basel, Switzerland, but grew up in Novato, California and attended Marin Catholic High School. She then spent three fantastic years at the University of California at Los Angeles before graduating in 2001 with a B.A. in Psychology. In 2004, Cory graduated from Cornell Law School with a Juris Doctorate Degree and her husband, Mark (the first was the intended consequence of attending the school, the second was a bonus). Since then, she has been an associate at a big law firm, taught business law to undergraduates at Texas State University and written several books for young people.

Cory now lives in Austin, Texas with Mark and their two kids. In addition to writing, Cory enjoys reading, cooking, running, and hanging out with her family and pets.

Reviews

[Chelsea (chelseadolling reads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve been itching to get my hands on every witch book I can find lately, so when I saw that my library had this one on audio, I HAD to give it a listen. This one was fun! Predictable and tropey, but overall a fun read. Although I will say I was real annoyed by the overly villainous mother. She was mega overdone. Other than that though it was fun and scratched my witchy-itch!

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Witchtown by Cory Putman Oakes is such a fun middle grade, young adult/teen read! I may not be a teen or even young anymore but I got so engrossed in the story that I couldn't stop reading. A teen witch and her overbearing mom witch rob havens but they came across Witchtown, which may have been one witch haven too many. This is where all the excitement and fun begins. Lots of secrets, intrigue, suspense, and just good fantasy happens. A big 5 star kids read. Great job! Thanks NetGalley and publishing company for letting me read this fun fantasy.

[Susana · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 Stars



Arc Provided through Netgalley

When you're expecting something along the lines of"Ocean's 11" but instead get stuck with the unwatchable "Ocean's 13".
Oh, this is going to get a rant of epic proportions. -_-

First of all, have you seen *that* title? Witchtown? Wow, you would think that this story was filled to the brim with an amazing number of gifted people, right?
Wrong. You know what's the right title for this book?
Boringtown, filled with boring and stereotypical people. Even the poltergeist is boring as hell.
There's barely any magic at all in this book, and most of the one there is _ like a very important scene close to the end _, is basically, "Oh, I don't know what I'm doing here, I'm just improvising as I go, and look, IT WORKED."
Really? How the hell was this published? -_-

Then there's the deceiving summary wrote by someone who mustn't have read this book...
I was hoping for a FREAKING MYSTERY! I WAS HOPING FOR COMPANIONSHIP BETWEEN MOTHER AND DAUGHTER! I was honestly hoping for a heist along the lines of "Ocean's 11".
Clearly I'm an idiot.
But that plan derails when Macie and Aubra start to dig deeper into Witchtown’s history and uncover that there is more to the quirky haven (...)
AUBRA, Macie's mother is a cartoonish villain, there's no bonding between those two. Macie is being used by her mother! As for the "mystery", surprise! The heaven is broke.
Also, WHAT QUIRKY HAVEN??
Because you have a lesbian couple? A goth girl?
They have the depth of air. Every single person that appears in this book is a fricking stupid stereotype.
Also, blond people everywhere... except for one person, but I'll get there. Eventually.
And what is worst, is that the beginning was actually promising: In some sort of future (yeah, that also isn't explained), witches have been outed. In some part of my brain I kept expecting that tomatoes had been involved in it, like Kim Harrison's "Rachel Morgan's series", lol, but I digress.

So the rest of the population started freaking out, and Havens started being created to house the witch population... the native American reality happening over again.
In this reality where witches exist, there's people who don't have any type of power. Not learned or inherent (natural). Those are called void, and check this out: these people who have been supposedly persecuted in "our" world, people who needed shelter end up branding with an hot iron those who are Void, so that other havens will not accept them. BUT, there's a character in Witchtown, about whom there's rumours of "voidness" o_O AND NO ONE FREAKING CARES!!
If Havens are supposed to be fortresses to the rest of the world, why not ask the people who want to join their "club" to put on some sort of magic display as proof of their abilities?
Wouldn't that be less time consuming and idk... CRUEL??
Also as fortresses, these places leave a lot to desire when it comes to security: people are constantly entering and leaving the things!! See? There's no consistency in anything; just plot-freaking-holes everywhere!

Another aspect that you don't get to anticipate with this summary is that there's "luvey duvey" involved in this story. Two guys, although not a love triangle...
One of them is presented as this black dangerous dude who Macy initially thought was as a drug dealer. Really author?? With the blatant racism that exists in America, who think that is a line to casually drop in the middle of a teen/new adult story?
And I say "new adult" because in flashbacks it is left to your imagination if Macie had sex with Rafe, the black dude who ends up not being a criminal, but a really great guy.
The other dude, of whom I can't even remember his name anymore (I don't care!) is this golden witch boy who is just great with kids, and about whom Macie starts salivating about, just days after something heartbreaking happened between her and the other guy Rafe.
Oh, my waning patience... and my shrivelled heart. -_-

So let me just recapitulate:
The writing style is basic and choppy; the story line (what story line?) and characters boring as hell.
Then there's the author's comparisons in the summary...uh, I haven't read anything by Danielle Paige (so, I'll leave it as that), but I'm PRETTY sure this has nothing to do with Alice Hoffman's stories.
So, yeah, this is a freaking mess that I definitely don't recommend.
The two stars? Because I ended up reading the whole thing due to the amount of incredulity that I was feeling.

[Samantha (WLABB) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating 3.5

I feel like the blurb did not do a good job describing this book, so I'll do a little intro.

Following the Second Inquisition, witch havens were established as places where both natural and learned witches placed on the National Witch Registry lived openly as witches. Macie and her mother, Aubra, had spent the past decade inserting themselves into these havens only to rob them blind. In the last haven, Macie made the mistake of breaking one of the fundamental rules for being a con, she formed an attachment and fell in love.

Shortly thereafter, Macie and Aubra fled and sought refuge in the utopian haven of Witchtown. Aubra promised Macie, that this would be the last heist, and afterward, they would settle down and establish roots, the way most witches did. However, as their time in Witchtown grew shorter, Macie began to doubt her mother's promise, and also suspected that her mother was harboring a much bigger secret, which involved both her and her mother.

I enjoyed my trip to Witchtown, and found this to be an entertaining tale with filled with some really great characters and some captivating magic.

Things I liked:

*The main character, Macie, was quite complicated. She was struggling with the life she knew and the life she wanted. In Witchtown, she found a solid group of friends, who believed she was good. They supported her and were there for her when she really needed them. This was a huge change from how she was treated by her mother, and she began to rethink a lot of her ways and beliefs as a result of coming to Witchtown.

*There were some great secondary characters too. I found Tayla and Kellen to be pretty awesome friends, who really showed Macie that she could trust other people. They opened her up to letting others in. Both Tayla and Kellen were keeping some major secrets, but in the end, they were there to help Macie uncover a huge secret, which was standing in the way of her happiness.

*I liked Witchtown. This town was billed as a utopia, and it did not disappoint. Witchtown was green and self-sufficient. The citizens lived in harmony and were always there to lend a helping hand. It's no wonder that Macie grew to love and care about this town and the people in it, because it seemed like such a charming place.

*This is a lighter type paranormal. There is conflict and tension and even some violence, but it's never too much or too heavy. I felt that the relationships Macie was building in Witchtown played a bigger role in this story, and therefore, were featured more prominently.

*I cannot forget the romance. This was sort of a twofer. We get one romance in the form of flashbacks, and a second that plays out real-time in the story. Both were important with respect to Macie's personal journey, and I always love a good romance.

*The ending was strong for me. Although there were still some unresolved plot points at the end of the story, this did not detract from my enjoyment of how Oakes left the story. It was in a neat enough bow and filled with sufficient hope and promise, that I was left happy.

Overall: a lighter-side paranormal with enough magic and mystery to entertain.

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[lady h · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is one of those books that appears to have a spectacular premise, only for the execution to be a huge letdown. It's also one of those books whose blurbs is misleading - from the description, I thought Macie and her mother would be a well-oiled machine, a team. Instead, the mother is a cartoonish villain with hilariously unbelievable motivations and actions, and her daughter pretty much hates her, though it's difficult to tell, since Macie is so bland.

Essentially, the premise of the book is this: Macie and her mother Aubra settle into a witch haven called "Witchtown" (oh, the creativity) intending to rob it for all it is worth. Once they dig deep into the town's finances, they discover the town is broke. And then...basically there's a lot of drama between Macie and her mother, a lackluster romance, some nonsensical and pointless twists, and very little excitement.

I'm going to break down some of the issues I had with this book one by one.

First, the setting. This is a town of witches! And yet the town is one of the blandest settings I've ever read. The author simply did not have the talent to show us how magical such a town could be. And yet, the town is never really described, never fully fleshed out. In Sweep, Cate Tiernan did a much better job crafting the wonder of magic and her characters weren't even living in a town of witches!

Second, this novel is blindingly white while usurping a narrative of oppression that belongs to people of color. At the start of this novel, we are told that witches have been persecuted and forced to the fringes of society, an event described in a way that made me seriously side-eye the entire book. The main characters are white, but then, so is literally everyone else! In fact, the only person of color in the entire novel is Macie's old boyfriend Rafe, whom she describes as "dark and dangerous" and had apparently mistaken for a drug dealer when she first encountered him. We discover that Macie has lost Rafe - the love of her life, apparently - only five days before arriving in Witchtown, and yet she already begins to fall for milquetoast white boy Kellen.

Third, the characterization. All of the characters here were completely bland. I could barely tell anyone apart. The only somewhat interesting character, Aubra, is revealed to be cartoonishly evil, to the point of trying to seriously hurt her own daughter. After this, Macie appears to be perfectly fine, when one would think she would be utterly distraught after losing her mother, the only person she has in the world. Even if the author had wanted to have this relationship be complex and grey rather than supportive, she could have done it in a much more subtle way. The dialogue is really cringey at times, especially when Aubra uses words like "defy" like she's Mother Gothel and we've been transported into a Disney movie.

Fourth, the plot. Or the lack of a coherent one. Initially we are made to think this is going to be a heist novel, but that falls apart. Then, we're made to think that, because the town is being sabotaged, there's going to be some kind of mystery to solve. That is also tossed aside. Instead the story jumps from one subplot to another without really laying out a coherent narrative. Also, this is a very boring book. It took me nearly a month to finish it because the first half is so dull. It's a lot of introductions and expositions that should have been interesting - because hey, witches! - but is instead really boring. Finally, the "twist" was one I could see coming a mile away.

This was a disappointment. I was already predisposed to like this - mother/daughter stuff, witches (witches! I love witches!), strange towns, a heist - so I went in with high expectations, but I'm sad to say I was let down on every single point. The only good thing I can say about this book is that it's a relatively light, easy read, but overall I would say it's a waste of time and energy.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had no idea what this book was about going into it (only that I loved the cover) and I was pleasantly surprised.
This is set in the modern world and is about people who have chosen to learn the practice of witchcraft. They have been threatened and attack by "normal" people and other religions so they have taken to live in closed off communities where they can practice in safety. We get to see Witchtown, which is the utopia of these communities. It is green, self-sustaining, and welcoming. Macie and her super powerful Natural born mother roll into this community giving the story that they are looking for a place to settle down. But the hook in this book is that they are actually there to rob the community.
I was intrigued the moment I realized our main character was morally grey. You can tell there's something bugging her about her past and that she's remorseful, but she is also skilled at what she does. There's also the fact that you aren't sure what Macie is. She's not a Learned witch and she's not Natural like her mother.
While Macie and her mother have their secrets, they soon realize that so does the town and it was interesting to figure out the secrets as the story progressed.
I read this book in one sitting. It is fast paced and unique. I was a little disappointed there wasn't much actual magic involved, but I think it was trying to be based more around realistic religions.
There are some more progressive relationships mentioned in this (f/f & m/m neighbors, but sadly they aren't mentioned much).
I thought the ending was well done (that last page kind of KILLED ME), but I did feel there were some plot holes and it left me with a lot of questions so I look for this to get a sequel eventually.
I think this is such a fun read and I would recommend it, especially for the fall season.

[Atlas · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Welcome home!" she said grandly. I managed only a weak smile in return. Because I knew that we hadn't come to make Witchtown our home.
We had come to rob it.

* * *
3 / 5

Perhaps suprisingly, I didn’t pick up Witchtown because of the witches but because it promised a heist: a mother and daughter rock up to Witchtown, a haven for witches, intending to rob it blind. There wasn’t actually much focus on said heist, instead you get witchyness, an abusive mother (who is condemned for being so), romance, and friendships. It was a good, fun book, but I thought it could have pushed a bit deeper in terms of the secondary characters and the themes.

We're all misfits here. Refugees from the real world.

There are three kinds of witch: Naturals, rare witches who are born with power at their crooked fingertips, Learneds, an ordinary person who has learned to channel magic, the most common type, and Voids, witches who have burnt themselves out. For no particularly explained reason, Voids are feared and outcast from society with brands from hot pokers on their faces! I felt like such a punishment really deserved a proper explanation, but apparently not.

Macie is our main character, a sixteen year old girl who has never had a real home. She and her mother have been on the move for as long as she can remember, robbing witch Havens. They stay just long enough to find out where the money is, rob everyone blind, and then Aubry, Macie’s mother and a Natural witch, wipes them from everyone’s memory.

This makes Macie an interesting character; she’s sort of devoid of a past, of a history, with no one to remember her. No friends, little family, and no place to call home. She’s also a Void, unable to channel magic, which makes her dependent upon her abusive mother to protect her and her secret. I thought Macie was a great character, but that too much of her was wound up in romances both past and present. In her past is Rafe, who no longer remembers her. Their story is revealed through memories that are interspersed throughout her interactions with good-boy Kellen, her new love interest.

"Haven't I always protected you?" she asked. "Hasn't it always been you and me?"
I took a breath instead of answering. Separately, those two statements were accurate. But together, they seemed to mean something more. Something that wasn't quite true.

Like I said, unfortunately there isn’t actually much heist going on. It’s a semi-prominent theme throughout the first half of the book, which then pales to the background as Macie’s turbulent relationship with her mother comes to the fore, as well as her interactions with her new friends and her dealings with a poltergeist. There’s also the tantalising hints of another subplot: Macie buys the Depot, a shop which she intends to run. Unfortunately, she never really does this and it’s something I would have really liked to see.

Overall, Witchtown is a bit light on the elements that the synopsis promises, but has richness in its main character Macie and her new Witchtown friends. There’s lots of little plots going on, some of which are never properly resolved, which give the book flavour.

My thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for an ARC of this book.

Read this review and more on my blog: https://atlasrisingbooks.wordpress.co...

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: https://bookbriefs.net**Witchtown is a standalone young adult supernatural by author Cory Putman Oakes. I think Witchtown would appeal to both young adult readers as well as middle grade readers. It is young adult, but it is on the younger end and the romance is very light and age appropriate, so all ages of witchy fans can enjoy Witchtown. This is the first book I have read from Mrs. Oakes and I have to say I really, really enjoyed it. I completely forgot that this book was going to be about a mother daughter con team. (very light emphasis on the word team.) Does that ever happen to you? I read the summary a while ago when I decided to sign up for the blog tour, and then forgot all about it until I picked up the book to read it for my review. And I never go back and read the summaries. It is more fun for me that way. So I was super excited when I saw that Macie and her mother, Aubra were looking to rob Witchtown blind.

But then the story took a completely different path and I was even more excited in the direction Cory Putman Oakes decided to take Witchtown in. This book was even better than I was expecting it to be. I flew through it. I think it only took me 2 1/2 hours to read, and I enjoyed every bit of it. Witchtown is part con, part mystery with a very light touch of romance and friendship added in. It was a very fun read. Macie was a delight. I don't want to give too much away because there were quite a few twists in this book that managed to surprise me, and I want you to have that same pleasure.

I will say this about Witchtown. The mother daughter dynamic completely surprised me. I thought that Macie and her mom were going to get along really well, but that was not the case at all. Macie and Aubra are completely at odds during the whole story, which added an unexpected element to the plot line. I actually loved the way everything turned out. I thought Cory did an excellent job crafting a fast paced, enjoyable tale. I also really loved the friendship element of the story. Tayla was my favorite character in the whole book, and I would love to see a companion novel from her point of view. I think she is pretty awesome!

Bottom line: If you are looking for a young adult standalone with lots of fast paced witchy fun, Witchtown is a fantastic quick read for readers of all ages. I really enjoyed this novel.

This review was originally posted on Book Briefs

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

WITCHTOWN is a fun, engaging and lightning-fast read that offers a touch of romance, an ethical dilemma, a devious scheme, a cantankerous poltergeist, and a girl with secrets. While there are moments that are sad, dark, and bittersweet, it is predominantly a light, humor-filled, and satisfyingly sweet story that can easily be devoured in one sitting.

After a lifetime of moving from place to place, and leaving behind the only boy she ever cared about, Macie was hopeful that Witchtown would be a place she and her mother could finally call home. But Aubra had other ideas.

The exclusive, witch-only haven was supposed to be the wealthiest haven in the country and Aubra was not about to settle down when the possibility of a huge score existed. With Macie’s help, her plan to rob the town would ensure they’d be set for life. And if Macie wasn’t willing to do her part? Aubra had no problem doing whatever it took to make sure she was.

Cory Putman Oakes imagined a world where witches live openly, but are largely confined to havens as they are seen as a threat. She gave a few of her witches incredible powers, but most have lesser abilities, and a few have none. She set her story in a haven beleaguered from within and without. And she introduced characters who ranged from kind and helpful to mischievous and curmudgeonly to intriguing and secretive to self-centered and vile.

Her heroine, Macie O’Sullivan, is likable and sympathetic. Raised by a mother who puts her own interests first and last, Macie’s sense of right and wrong is skewed. And when she’s finally in a position to make her own choices she’s confused, conflicted, and frightened, and doesn’t always choose right. But she is still worth rooting for.

Equal parts delightful and addictive, WITCHTOWN promises to keep readers hooked as they uncover Macie and Aubra’s secrets, discover the truth about potential love interest Kellen and about potential bff Talya, ferret out what’s really going on with the ghost that’s taken up residence in the Depot, learn more about all that is Witchtown, and find out which witch will end up a winner.

Original GR comments:
Such a fun read and a super cute story. I was rooting for Macie from the very beginning, hoping she'd find a way to get out from under her mother's influence.

I enjoyed the light romance, the bit of mystery, and especially the poltergeist.

Full review TK

[nia🏹 •shades0fpaper• · Rating 3 out of 5]

You can find this review and others on my blog http://www.shades0fpaper.wordpress.com

“Everybody I had ever met had always been fair game, To the extent that I had ever bothered to fin out their stories, their problems, their hopes, I had never let their needs eclipse mine.
No one had ever been off-limits.
Until now.”

If you’re picking this book purely because of the witch-y things… you’ll probably be disappointed. Now I’m not saying there are no witches or magical or paranormal elements related to them, just that it’s not the main focus of the book. It’s simply its background. But let me tell you it was a guilty pleassure for me. The story wasn’t special or mindblowing, but it was so addicting I needed to keep reading. So maybe that had something to do with the way I enjoyed the story.

And also let me add that despite loving witches so much, this is I believe the second book I’ve read where witches are the main focus of the story. And it was a nice introduction, so I’ll definitely be looking for more witch-y stories to read on Halloween!

“I took his hand. It was a decision. I knew that it was the start of something. And now, even after all that had happened, I couldn’t bring myself to regret it.”

Now at the beginning I was a bit confused because even though there were many types of witches (only three), it didn’t really explain what things each did until half of the book but the characters keep talking about them like if we knew. So yeah, I was a bit late on that train. I guesses who a Natural or a Learned were, but I had no idea what a Void was, but I guess the author did it on purpose because that is one of the big mysteries the story had.

There was the mystery surrounding what happened in the other haven and who was Rafe and what happened to him, as well. And because of those things the story felt so quick and easy to read.

“We did not know people. Witches (with the exception of my mother) like to put down roots, so they stay in one place. And since we never went to the saem haven twice, we never saw the same people more than once.”

I think my favourite part was the relationship between our main character Marcie and her mother. It’s the first time I’ve read about a toxic or problematic parental relationship, and I found it quite interesting. You could see how her mother manipulated her ’til the point where she believe she was doing something for the best and because her mom wanted the best to her, which let me tell you, it wasn’t. Their relationship was so messed up, and me having a really loving mother, found it really shoking.

But I loved how Marcie progressed throughout the story and became stronger and believed in herself. The friendships were really sharing and positive to her, and I think it helped her dealing with her mother.

Buuut… you know me. C’mon, this isn’t weird. I found it quite predictable and wasn’t surprised with most of the plot twists. Nothing new, right? (ha ha). However, that’s pretty normal to me, so I no more lower my ranting because of these things because it’s just me most of the times).

Overall, this was a pretty fun and quick read, and if you’re looking to a character driven story with a cute friendship and a bit of paranormal, this maybe is for you!

I recieved and ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. This however, doesn’t change any thoughts or opinions of the story.

Actual ranting: 3.5⭐️

[The Blonde Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Witchtown caught my eye a while back and I placed it on a tentative read list. When the opportunity came about to read it along with the Rockstar Book Tours crew, I knew I needed to jump aboard and read it. It was a fun middle grade novel about a young girl and her mother who travel between witch havens in order to get rich quick. The leading lady Macie begins to uncover some secrets in Witchtown and the story flows from there.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and found the characters entertaining. It was fast paced and fun, but it also had some unexpected twists and turn towards the end. Each of the characters had their own secrets and I loved being able to follow along with Macie as she searched for answers about herself, her new home, and her new friends.

All in all, Witchtown was a well written and entertaining read. It was definitely a "read in one sitting" type of book and I really enjoyed the fantasy and magic involved. I would definitely recommend this to readers who enjoy middle grade reads with a hint suspense! A big thank you to HMH Books for Young Readers, NetGalley and Rockstar Book Tours for sending my this novel in exchange for an honest review.

[Alisha Marie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love witches. Have loved them ever since I started watching Charmed almost twenty (wow!) years ago. After reading the premise of Witchtown, I had assumed that I was going to love it. In fact, I started to get some serious Halloweentown vibes, just from the premise. Unfortunately, Witchtown was so not like Halloweentown. What it was was a HUGE disappointment.

The main issue with Witchtown is that it never lives up to its awesome premise. Despite the name of the town, it's actually incredibly boring. I mean, you have one sole poltergeist, but even he was kind of boring. In fact, most of Witchtown was so utterly unengaging. I never connected with any of the characters. I never felt anything for any of them. We get very little world building and don't tend to know much about Witchtown beyond its boring inhabitants and it was all just so very meh.

Also, the villain was extremely cartoon-like. I'm not going to say who it is as to not spoil anyone, but I had a feeling from the beginning that the villain was going to be cartoony because when that person kept popping up in the book, I simultaneously rolled my eyes and clenched my fist due to frustration. So, yeah, the villain was also a bust.

The only good thing that I can say about Witchtown (besides its amazing premise that was oh so squandered) was that it was a quick read. That's it. Everything else about it was underwhelming. Due to this, I can't really recommend this book to anyone. You won't be missing anything if you skip it.

[EA Solinas · Rating 1 out of 5]

Right out of the starting gate, "Witchtown" triggered two massive pet peeves of mine:
1. Stories that conflate fantasy witches and real-life neopagans.
2. The depiction of powerful supernatural/magical people being unjustly seen as dangerous by mean evil bigots... without acknowledging that they actually ARE dangerous.

So I was already in a foul mood when the first chapter of "Witchtown rolled around, simply because I could tell that these were not going to be insignificant flaws. And Cory Putman Oakes did little to endear her book to me as the rest of the tale unfolded -- the setting is dry as old toast, and the story is a fairly predictable tale about a girl who doesn't really want to be bad, and just needs to be inspired by The Power of Friendship (And Teen Romance) to mend her ways.

The story takes place in an alternate reality where witches actually have quantitative magical power, and are constantly discriminated against by Evil Straw Christians so that they have to live in ghetto-like Havens. No, the overtones of Nazi Germany and Native American reservations won't amount to anything. It just feels like a Tumblrite's persecution fantasy.

Macie and her mother Aubra have been conning their way through all the Havens in the United States, stealing money and covering their tracks with memory-wiping spells. Remember, only evil Christian bigots think witches could be dangerous. Because they're not. Even though they have magic that can rewire your brain and destroy your city. Not dangerous at all.

Their ultimate goal is Witchtown, a supposedly idyllic community built by a legendary witch who will not actually have any impact on the plot, and occupied entirely with witches (and by witches, I mean they're all white Wiccans with no cultural or religious differentiation). Macie also keeps to keep her true nature a secret -- she is a Void, a witch completely unable to do magic of any kind.

Predictably, Macie comes to like Witchtown and the people who live there, especially the local pretty boy Kellen Stewart (I think we found a Twilight fan) and the reclusive goth psychic Tayla. She's also trying to build despite the interference of a fiery poltergeist. But she also suspects that someone has murdered, and that her mother might be about to do something unspeakable in the pursuit of money. Can she gather the strength to defy her mother once and for all?

"Witchtown" isn't so much terrible as it is relentlessly mediocre. The setting of Witchtown has actual promise as a sort of supernatural reservation, so to speak... but the actual setting is never really fleshed out. We're told there are houses... and streets.... small businesses... a mayor... but the actual town remains amorphously dry and dusty. The lesbian baker tells us at one point that it's a place where misfits and refugees from the "real world" can gather and let their weirdness hang out, but I never actually saw any of that happen. It's just a standard small town, except everyone is Wiccan.

And unfortunately, the writing is not much better. Oakes has a fairly pedestrian style with a few moments of flair that blaze out (the final confrontation with Aubra), but her plotting is absolutely atrocious. She seems to simply write about whatever pops into her head, and then knits a few of those developments into the actual main story so that there will be a plot... and then leaves most of those developments in the dust, without even enough explanation to develop them into red herrings.

For instance, it seems like the Natural investors will have some impact on the story. No, they don't. It seems like Autumn and Royce will matter to the story. No, they don't. It seems like the hidden vault of money will be somehow important. No, it's not. These aren't even red herrings -- they are dropped plot threads that litter the story like dropped pins, and are rarely if ever mentioned later.

Furthermore, "Witchtown" has the smug, smothering qualities of the worst religious fiction -- it practically crams Wicca down your throat with all the store names ("Pentagram Pizza") and constant emphasis that all the witches practice Wicca and never anything else, and Wicca is better than other religions (meaning Christianity, the only other religion even mentioned). Christianity is only represented by the ridiculously-named Zealots, and is absurdly eeeeeeevil and intolerant, without even a hint of intellect hinted at -- the only smart and "good" Christian is the one who smugly and obnoxiously lectures us on how all religions are the same anyway. Just flip the religions around, and tell me it wouldn't end up on a "Christian Fiction" bookshelf.

And no, the characters don't save this mess either. Macie is a vague, weak character who only develops a spine toward the end of the story, and spends most of the story feeling sorry for herself. Most of the other characters -- the High Priestess, the baker, the other teenagers -- are nondescript "types" that just sort of float in and out whenever Macie needs them to. The only interesting character is Tayla, who sees others' hidden thoughts but keeps herself from using them entirely through iron will and inner strength.

Despite some promise, "Witchtown" has a messy disjointed plot, a pushy religious message, and a nondescript cast of characters -- try the Curse Workers trilogy for a starkly logical (and non-religious) take on the oppression of the magical.

[Chelsies Reading Escape]

Got this from netgalley but I cant read pdfs. Asked for another format but no response yet.

[Kristina · Rating 2 out of 5]

This young adult novel was really disappointing. Filled with shallow, morally reprehensible characters, numerous unnecessary plot devices, eye-rolling cliches, and a ridiculous ending, I honestly couldn’t wait to wrap it up. There was some creativity here but it was stifled by bad writing and underdeveloped ideas.

[Rian *fire and books* · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can’t believe I never wrote a review for this. Okay. Well. I’m still angry about it. So here goes.

This is supposed to be their last con job. Swindling the big ole grand brouhaha that is Witchtown. Psst... if you can’t tell this is about witches. Or... is it?

The history of Witchtown states it was created by So And So (very important) who made it so this city would be self sufficient and free from human persecution. Don’t worry though! The bigots still camp outside the walls and attempt to destroy the town. #modern

Witchtown has big walls, it’s own water source, orchards, farms, a town hall, a bakery, and oh yeah, a circle for summoning in the center of the town perfectly attuned to the compass and elements. Also a building with a persistent habit of running it’s proprietors out of it in some cruel way or another. Bless the poltergeist.

Now our main character over time falls for this city as main characters do. (Probably helps that magic might be real.) But mom isn’t for that. She wants to keep the con going and seduce the important men. Something she does a lot when swindling and honestly I get the vibes that the daughter was over it.

The problem though? I mean aside from the MC and mom fighting? The town is flat broke. Ain’t nothing in the coffers. So what happens then?

...
...
...

NOTHING! No wait, I’ll give you a guess. Mom and MC fight, mom is revealed to have slept with important man and that she lied and wants to keep traveling and swindling, MC may or not have magical powers...

Thing is this sounds pretty cool right? Yeah. The author has previously published middle grade type books. And quite frankly if you cut out the mom getting her some this would have been middle grade. EVEN THE POLTERGEIST IS BASIC AND ONE DIMENSIONAL.



So. In summary.

I read this a year ago. I got angrier and angrier the more predictable and obvious the plot became. Not to mention lackluster characters, villains, poltergeists (seriously, why short change this man?), and just... it seriously read like a middle grade book. I was so frustrated and best of luck to you if you read this. But don’t. Save yourself.

Oh wait! Positive thing! It has the best damn hardcover you’ll ever see. Super witchy and spooky.

[Pastels Passions · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was hoping for more with the premise, but it ended up being pretty average by witch book standards.
I received an ecopy of this book through Netgalley; however, my opinions are my own.

[Pratyu · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh, I feel like I’ve been writing so many downer reviews lately and I’m sorry about that. I don’t want to; if I had a choice, I wouldn’t write these at all, but I’m obligated to since I received the book for free from NetGalley, in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
So moving on. I’m going to try to be concise, and I’m going to make it a point to write about the things that I did like. This is Ms. Oakes’s first book, so there are going to be some kinks, but I commend her for having the drive to write an entire novel in the first place. It’s not an easy thing to do.
So… onto the review, I guess.

I recently finished up an ARC of Witchtown, the debut novel of Corey Putnam Oakes, and I have to say that I did not find it very immersive. The story follows Macie and Aubra O’Sullivan, a mother-daughter duo of thieves who infiltrate “havens,” which are like real-world reservations but for witches, and rob them of every penny they have. Macie’s starting to experience some doubts about their lifestyle, but she doesn’t have much of a choice in the matter. Her mother is a powerful witch (a Natural witch, born with powers, as opposed to a Learned witch, who learns how to use magic) who won’t take “no” for an answer, as she recently found out in their last escapade, where a Very Bad Thing happened to someone that she loved very much.

The premise of the story was good; the execution was not.
Macie wasn’t fleshed out much; we barely see into her past. The only things that we’re made aware of are the facts that she had a boyfriend in the last town, and things went down terribly; and she has no powers, which has affected her for pretty much her entire life. Also, who is her father? We never find out, but that’s a thing, too. He’s barely mentioned and doesn’t seem to make much of an impact on her character. Aubra is the personification of narcissism and abusive to boot, so she’s a terrible person—not even a likeable villain, which isn’t bad, because you can’t always root for the villain in a story. The rest of the cast, which consists of the members of Witchtown, are forgettable save Talya and Kellen, the only two people that are somewhat fleshed out after being designated Macie’s friends.
My problem with this story is that it wasn’t cohesive. The first three quarters of the book are made up of random subplots that are strung together, like Macie buying some supply depot in the market-place and struggling with an angry poltergeist that haunts it (what was that even about, I don’t understand why this was included in the story), and Macie struggling to hide the fact that she’s Void (she has no powers) from the other townsfolk, and Macie getting magic lessons from Kellan (who refuses to believe that she’s Void,) and, you know, random slice-of-life stuff. Of course, it all comes together in the end, but the links are weak and far too flimsy to make for a good M. Night Shyamalan-esque twist.

The last quarter is when the main plot—let’s steal everything this town has—comes into play. Macie decides that she doesn’t want to do this anymore. She goes to Aubra and demands that they settle down in Witchtown, and Aubra basically laughs her off. Then Aubra gets it in her head to burn the town down and steal the insurance check, so the game changes drastically, and it’s up to Macie to stop her.

The main point of the story did like a backflip at the end. It changed, not completely, but enough to make obsolete the buildup from the first half of the book. And there’s so much weird stuff going on in the story that no one, other than the immediate main characters of Talya, Kellan, the mayor and Macie, acknowledge. Like the swarm of locusts that invades the town, or the depot, which is constantly burning down, or the rowan-laced water.

I’m also kind of annoyed that the summary lied to me. I was promised this cool story about witches and thievery and robbing a town, but the story was actually a coming-of-age, escaping-the-abuse tale. That wouldn’t be bad, if the blurb had been forthright about it. I guess I expected Six of Crows and I got something resembling Matilda.

There are some loose threads at the end of the story: Witchtown is still broke. Though Macie saves it from being burned to the ground, the books are still forged and the town is still running on fumes. I guess that Percy was a big detractor to their welfare, having staged a lot of the problems that were occurring like with the rowan in the water and stuff, but that never is explained. Talya likes some guy in the book whose name I can’t remember because he only crops up once or twice, but he’s still attached to Autumn, another side-character, and there’s no resolution in that. Also, this guy has something about him because Talya, apparently, gets this wonky, distant gaze when she looking into his past (Talya’s power is being able to see people’s secrets, which is a seriously cool power, but is rarely utilized), and that’s never explained. Aubra just vanishes in the end. She leaves behind all her money, but she disappears without a trace. What happened to her? And what was with the poltergeist, Bradley, who haunts the depot? Is he just going to stay there forever, or is his husband going to crop up sometime? They mention Stan like once, and then never again. I’m guessing that Ms. Oakes is writing a sequel or a companion book—I hope she does, because there’s potential for another story there.

My last complaint is about all the deus ex machinas. Lord, the worst one was when Kellan summons the ghost of that old woman who died in the beginning, the only other Natural witch in the town. He literally throws her ashes into this magic trap that Talya makes (speaking of which, how does Talya know how to do these things? She was far more interesting than Macie, but all we ever learn is that she was abandoned in Witchtown by her parents) and starts mumbling in Latin and then boom—there’s a ghost. When asked about how on earth he did that, he just shrugs and says something about making it up as he went along.
Kellan! You summoned a ghost! The ghost was able to choke a living woman! This ghost could touch people! That seems really powerful!
And the explaining away of what happened with Macie. I’ll appreciate that there was buildup, with the moonstones and the weirdness over her lack of power at the beginning, but the buildup was really weak. Also, the whole thing about the moonstones clouding Macie’s memory seemed to be put in the story as an afterthought.

Another thing was that Macie is so afraid of being revealed as a Void witch and being marked and turned into an outcast. Apparently, that happens—Void witches are branded and shunned from both Witchy and human society. But then, Talya is also rumored to be Void, but nothing bad happens to her. She works for the mayor in the archives, I mean, she’s totally fine. She interacts with the other townspeople and other than thinking that she’s a little strange, no one does anything about her. It’s possible that I missed a line where this is explained away—that she’s keeping it a secret, too—but then it’s stated that first of all, Macie knows, and second of all, the mayor’s ex-secretary, Lois, was the one who spread rumors about Talya being Void. So why isn’t there any repercussion to that? Talya is a free woman, for all intents and purposes. Witchtown does nothing to their only supposedly Void witch, which leaves the question of why is Macie so terrified of being found out? They won’t do anything to you, kid.

I did appreciate the worldbuilding. There was a lot of thought put into Witchtown, like the whole concept of being totally independent, eco-friendly, etc. Ms. Oakes lay out the town so that it was easy for the reader to imagine. I think that one thing that I would have appreciated would be a map in the beginning of the book, so that we could kind of see exactly what she had envisioned. There was good LGBT representation; there was a lesbian couple (one of the Elders and the baker, which was kind of funny,) and then the poltergeist and his husband, although… I guess the “bury your gays” trope is subverted because the Elder and the baker are alive and well. And the baker, I think her name is Gayle, makes an impact on the story despite not being as fleshed out as any of the main cast members. The characterization of witches in the book was interesting, with the whole idea of the caste-systemy style of power in play, with the Learned witches being less sought-after than the Natural witches. Also, the weakness of Learned witches to rowan, and Natural witches to angelica. Also, Macie’s flair for herbology was a good character trait that presented itself naturally, rather than feeling contrived.

Darn. I said I would keep this concise. :’-)
I wish that I could give this book a higher rating, but it really didn’t hold my attention. There were parts of the story that were really good, but it didn’t get interested until the last three chapters. Everything before that felt like fluff, like the kind of stuff that goes between chapters of a romance-y, finding-your-way-through-the-world sort of story. Anyways, my review could be totally different from someone else’s. I do hope the author the best with the release and thank you so much to HMH Books for the free copy of Witchtown.

You can read more of my reviews here!
https://summerprat.wordpress.com/

[Karen Barber · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I'm honest, this is more of a 3.5 but there were just a few discrepancies which prevents me rating it higher.
When I saw this on NetGalley I, along with many others I would imagine, was expecting lots of details about witchcraft and perhaps some focus on exploring how it impacted on people's lives in this imagined future. I got it, but not quite in the way I expected.
Macie and her mother, Aubra, move into his safe Haven called Witchtown. It is a safe community for those ostracised from the rest of the world when their talents become known. Sadly, it's the latest mark in this pair's thieving trail. Only this time, things are different.
Macie has always felt rather reliant on her mother. As a Void (someone with no magic) Macie has depended on her mother's Natural ability to protect her. This leaves her vulnerable as she can rely on no-one. Yet we are told that in their last residence Macie did exactly that, and it started off what can best be described as an unstoppable source of tension.
Macie is a character who comes into her own in this, with the help of new friends Talya and Kellan. She learns more about who she is, what she wants from her life and what it might cost her to achieve it. Even though her mother is depicted in a rather caricature fashion, there's something rewarding about watching Macie take a stand against what she's been told her entire life.
Though there's some interest in watching Macie learn the truth about herself (which we suspect from quite early on), there's a lot that just doesn't add up and this is, ultimately, frustrating.

[Carolyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't know why I forced myself to continue reading this, when I didn't enjoy it. I never had the urge to know what happened next. It was one of those books sitting at the library near check out, and the title intrigued me. I don't even know if I had it on my wishlist before I saw it.

It was boring. Macie even once refers to the ghost as hot. Like what. No. And the romance was forced and felt way too much like a dumb YA novel storyline about a girl who meets a guy and her whole life changes.

There were a lot of unexpected twists I guess, and nothing interesting happened until over 100 pages in. I didn't see the main twist coming between Macie and her mom, so I guess that's something. Other people might.

I dunno. This just didn't do anything for me, despite being the right time of year for a book about witches. I feel like the idea of Witchtown and Havens could have been way more fleshed out; I would be interested in reading more of that sort of thing. But Macie's story was boring. She's a boring thief, an becoming good and sending her mother away was also boring. Where did her mom even go? She was evil, wasn't she? And she didn't take $12,000 when she left? After all we've been told about the character? Doubtful.

Also the story behind the original depot burning down was never resolved, and I was marginally interested in finding that out. I dunno. There are better witch books out there, I'm sure. Pass.

[Anniken Haga · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this on a whim, never having heard of the author or the book. I had some misgivings - it is a YA after all, and finding a YA book without romance is near impossible, but the blurb didn't actually say anything about a romance, so I had hope.

There was a romance there, but it was a really small part of the story, but just enough to claim the title of a YA, so to speak.
The rest of the story was predictable, but entertaining enough. I know I'm not the demographic, so I won't dwell too much on that point and instead chose to have enjoyed the book.

It was an easy listen, the narrator doing a good job and the writing having a good flow that was easy to get lost in - as far as I could tell from an audiobook.

All in all, I'm glad I took the chance.

[Julie Thoft]

Randomly found an arc of this at a used bookstore today.

[Shelley]

Author's guest post at my blog:
https://bookfare.blogspot.com/2017/07...

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked Witchtown! This book is full of likeable characters, some unexpected twists, and a cheesy town that to my 90s Disney brain resembled Halloweentown. A quick read certainly worth 4 stars!

[Maci D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love! I'm bias because the lead characters name is my name.....ha! But this was such a fun book. I loved the little mystery, the friendships and magic!

[PingPongofOz · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Sara (A Gingerly Review) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well that was... disappointing.

This felt more MG than YA. I'll work on my thoughts and start my review. Hope to have it up soon.

-------------

Full review can be found here: https://agingerlyreview.wordpress.com...

I’m still struggling to write my review on this one. I borrowed it from my library with the pretense this will be a fantasy mystery thriller type story. WRONG. It was a slightly boring read with very little to do with actual witches. The ending was predictable and I was less than thrilled.

Short recap: Macie and her mother, Aubra, have been moving from witch haven to witch haven claiming to need shelter and safety. That’s a lie as their master plan is to rob the city folks and move on to the next town/haven. Their big finale plan is to rob the infamous Witchtown.

This story was a let down. I know that is a harsh way to start a review but it is true. I wanted so much more but quickly realized it was never going to happen. Macie’s character was not engaging. She was the stereotypical “But I don’t want to be bad, Mom! I’m a good girl!” character. She tried to fight her mom, her mom manipulated her daughter into helping, and Macie stewed in her growing disgust for her mom. The thing that should have been a bigger part of the book was the fact it was about witches. You could have made it all about blondes and it would have had the same effect. Calling these characters “witches” felt like it was for a way to enhance the story. Well, it didn’t work. The witches in the town of Witchtown (sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it?) did very little witching. Very little witchy power was used at all. Most of them knew more about baking or herbs than powers.

I knew I should have DNFd this story when Macie grew to really like Witchtown. She liked the teens within because there was a cute boy. Groan. No surprised but Macie starts to develop feelings for this one cute boy but has constant flashbacks to the first boy she really liked but her mom took away from her. (I won’t give away the secret as to how she did that…) But because of the heavy “friendship is all the strength I need!!” montra from Macie and the “I want this boy to like me” vibes she was throwing off, I lost all interest in the outcome of the story. I did not care one bit what was going to happen.

Nothing about the story felt flushed out. The characters were all weak, flat, and one-dimensional. They had no substance to them whatsoever. They all filled one of the stereotypical roles (outcast, innocent who has a dark secret, brooding dreamy boy, vally girl who is too popular, etc). The setting was also underdeveloped. I read that there were streets, a bakery, a bank, a city hall, etc, but nothing more than that. I didn’t feel as if this place could actually exist. It did not feel believable at all. Even the overall plot itself was painfully predictable. I was not surprised by anything that happened. Hence the reason I wish I had DNFd.

This was just a disappointment of a story. There are heavy religious undertones and messages sprinkled throughout the entire story so expect that if you do read this. I won’t recommend it to you because I don’t want you to walk away as frustrated as I was… still am for reading this.

[L · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read an ARC, so this might be fixed in the final book.

But a solidly average story was kind of dampened for me by the fact that Macie's ex-boyfriend, Rafe, is a black man who's described using some very coded, stereotypical language. Like, for example, when he comes to her door, he's described as a "dark, dangerous" figure and in her next flashback he's incredulously responding to the fact that she thought he was a "drug dealer" when she met him. While these assumptions are understandable given the context — the first time they met, he threatened her after she found the cursed bags of money he'd buried in the woods — the stereotypical nature of that kind of language and those kinds of assumptions of black men left a bad taste in my mouth that made me unable to enjoy their romance.

Aside from that, it was really a very average book. The town could have been more richly described, the neighbors delved into more to really drive in the sense of community and flesh out the setting to explain Macie's attachment to Witchtown. As it is, you only really meet about ten different people, and only get to know about four of them well enough to care about them. Her romance with Kellen wasn't fleshed out enough for me to care about either; it felt tacked on to what could have otherwise been an interesting friendship. I think my favorite character in this was Aubra; she was fascinating.

It's not a terrible book, though. Just not quite what I was expecting after so great a premise.

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this incredibly fun/creepy/fast-paced/mysterious story. If you love YA, witchy books, a little romance, and a lot of mystery, you'll love it, too!

[Gayle Gordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this fun little book. Loaded with intrigue and secrets that I (mostly) didn't figure out. I think it would make a great movie!