This was incredibly fun, I loved the female friendships, queer representation and everything about this!
The Scapegracers (the coven) were all so interesting and fun and powerful, and I can’t wait to see where this series goes.

Thankyou Netgalley and Edelweiss for sending me an E-ARC of this book.

I was excepting maybe too much of it. Especially because of the lesbian witchy thing. But I didn't really enjoy the writing overall. I didn't connect with the characters, who were so womanly powerful and 100% queer. I didn't really understand the plot neither. It was ... something. This book was not for me but I'm happy to have given it a try. Unfortunately, I DNF'ed it.

I thought this book was super cute. It really pulled me in right away and kept me hooked until the last page. My main issue was the fact that there seemed to be so much build up but very little action. I think it was a good first book in the series as it brought in a lot of different elements and sequences that need to be resolved. I just felt like there was still something missing for me.

Overall, if you like magic, covens of badass witches, a mysterious witch-hunting group, and all the gay teen angst you could possibly want, this book is for you.

Eloise “Sideways” Pike is her small town’s resident outcast lesbian who dabbles in witchcraft; she’s worked hard to cultivate her reputation of “don’t bother—this one bites.” When Jing, Daisy and Yates—the three most popular girls at their school—invite Sideways to their Halloween party, Sideways is adopted into their tight-knit clique and finds herself with genuine friends for maybe the first time ever. Over the course of a week, the four girls uncover perilous tensions and strengthen their bond, all the while cursing boys who don’t treat women right.

The Scapegracers is a novel that aims and succeeds in subverting high school stereotypes, especially in “mean girls” versus “outcasts.” It explores the dynamic of intense female friendships, featuring a group of friends who would do anything for each other, regardless of their differences in experiences and identities. Sideways is unapologetically herself—she’s prickly, she’s feral, she’s self-proclaimed nasty—and her newfound group of friends love her for it, just as she loves them for who they are. The fact that there’s a healthy dose of queer characters and representation presented in the characters is the cherry on top of this witchy, atmospheric novel. I absolutely look forward to seeing what Clarke does in the next two books of this series.

Arc provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own

A book about a lesbian girl that's an outcast for being an all around weirdo and looking like a Satanist. A book about a lesbian girl without friends that finds that the group of popular girls are actually great.

It's a book about female friendship and... Not much more? I mean, there are witch hunters but they're next to nonexistent and I'm never properly worried for the witchy girls because it doesn't read like a pressing issue for them. Now, this is apparently the first book so it's probably going to be expanded upon but still, it was more of a contemporary read and I wish that it could have been more.

The friendship between the girls is amazing because Sideways really starts to feel like she has friends and she loves them but honestly I hate entitled rich girls, which the popular girls are, they're all eDgY and are always filled with so much energy that they could just punch someone. I didn't enjoy the writing style because of how aggressive the girls sounded when they were described.

It's not a bad book or anything but it just wasn't for me. Recommend if you like magic and female friendship and queer girls


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Ok this book I started liking it at first but later on I just was not hooked enough to keep my attention. I just was confused with the whole concept, the coven is easy to understand but you never understand the whole world it just focuses on a bunch of popular girls that supposedly are good and not mean as people think (which is not real whatsoever). I just finished it cause I felt the duty to do so as I requested to give the the feedback in Netgalley.

Sorry to give this review I know that the author made the effort and I just feel bad for doing this but this is my honest review.

Am sorry to the author and the publishers for such a low rating but I didn't like this book at all. The characters were so childish and mean that I didn't want to continue reading about them. They all seemed mean in the pretense of being "cool". The magic or runes weren't properly described. The plot felt a little confusing initially and the main character seemed to flaunt magic when she didn't have full knowledge of it herself and was in a learning phase. Misusing of magic for entertainment didn't gain any brownie points either. Maybe it was me who has passed that phase of reading typical teenage characters, but I was not at all invested in the plot or the characters or even the magical ability.

Badass teenage coven!? Count me in. I was so excited about this book and thankfully was not disappointed! The Scapegracers is a fun, exciting, and thoroughly enjoyable read. It has a dark and spooky vibe, which I lived for, and reminded me a little of The Craft. The atmosphere was fully immersive and made me forget where I was in real life while reading, which is one of my favorite feelings in the world. The characters in this book were fascinating, and I’m honestly not sure if I actually liked any of them, but it worked. Our narrator, Sideways, had a snarky voice and she put on such a tough exterior to cover up her insecurity in navigating her emotions and new friendships. Her new friends, Jing, Daisy, and Yates, were a different version of a typical popular highschool clique which was a cool choice. While Yates was a sweet and loving friend, Jing and Daisy were a little terrifying. I did have a little trouble visualizing what they all looked like, but their personalities were extremely vivid and strong. Their banter was hilarious and sarcastic and felt like a real friendship. I wish the development between the trio of girls and Sideways would have been a little stronger because it felt a little zero to sixty, and I would have enjoyed really seeing them bond and be vulnerable together to become the kind of friends that they became by the end. I loved the diversity in the cast and there is a ton of good LGBTQ+ rep. The magic system in this world is a little muddy, but the specifics that were there were fantastic. I would have liked to see the coven really discover how the magic works instead of just guessing and letting things happen. The idea of their “specters”, or a type of magic soul, was so cool, as well as the idea of the Book Devils in their spellbooks. They mentioned other covens and there seems to be a big magical history in this world that we have only tapped the surface of, that I am excited and hopeful to learn more about. I was fully engaged in the plot the whole time and the ending twist was great. It made me really pumped to continue with the rest of the trilogy. This book is a good read for anyone who likes witches with a spookier edge, and since the release date was pushed back to September, it will be a perfect fall read.

The plot and characters are fun! Lesbians and witches are seriously two of my favorite things! Lol And that cover!! I requested this book half because the gorgeous cover and half because ‘LESBIAN WITCHES!!’

But, unfortunately, this book is going to be a ‘did not finish’ for me. Maybe it’s just not my thing. I’m not sure but I just couldn’t connect. It felt like reading a teeny-bopper text thread or something. The lesbian bit was a tad over exaggerated. As a queer person myself I felt that it was just there as a side plot or prop and kinda cringe. There was just nothing to the story. No depth or chemistry. It just didn’t live up to the promising synopsis. I do think that it will definitely appeal to the younger demographic of YA, as for myself, I am in my late 20’s and this book is just not quite at the maturity level I would’ve expected for the content.

4 angsty STARS ★★★★✩
This book is for you if… you dig dark teenage witch vibes with a significant amount of gay and bi angst. It’s very high school-esque but satisfyingly so.


⤐ Overall.
This was kinda cool tbh? I went into this hating everyone and now I love... them all? The big strength of The Scapegracers is the way the characters are diversifying and become more likeable with every chapter.

At first, they just are a bunch of stereotypes: the mean girls, the outsider, the mysterious stranger, the jocks. Over time, their personalities stretch out from chromosome to all the colours of the rainbow, which is probably one of my favourite aspects of this book.

I've sometimes had slight trouble with the narration. In specific moments, the world building lacks details - both in relation to the individual circumstances of certain characters or the concrete details of a certain situation. A little more storytelling and description would make for a fuller picture. That's what accounts for the missing star in my rating.

The way the Vade Mecvm Magici is portrayed - a powerful collection of volumes featuring spells and magi - gave me absolute marauder feels, except it was Queen Minerva speaking herself.

They have persoality and bite and I am here for it.

What I love most about this book are the incredible vibes, which were dark, angsty, witchy and significantly gay. I couldn't get enough of it.

Friendships in high school are a great thing: they happen quickly and without much ado. They can be iron clad and fragile at the same time. That's what makes them so great.

The second biggest highlight are the many truths that are spoken by the characters, sometimes with a significant portion of humour:
‘I dodged my feelings by flipping her off.’

and other times bluntly as a backed baby ass:
‘I guess my point is that teenage girls aren’t supposed to be powerful, you know? Everybody hates teenage girls. They hate our bodies and hate us if we want to change them. They hate the things weÄre supposed to like but hate it when we like other things even more, because that means we’re ruining their things. We’re somehow this great corrupting influence, even though we’ve barely got legal agency of our own.’

⤐ What’s happening.
‘‘Why would you go by Sideways?’ He grimaced, looking between Alexis and I like we were twin bugs. ‘It’s because I’m not straight.’ I shot gun hands at him.’

That's Sideways for y'all. She's worked hard to establish her don't bother - this one bites social disclaimer, but literally over night she is part of a group of teenage girls that are as mean to as they are protective of each other. They form a coven that quickly gets more serious than Sideways would have ever dared to dream and she loves every minute of it.
Con:
⇢ insecurities gnaw at her more than ever
⇢ comfort zone under attack
⇢ with more power come more enemies
Pro:
⇢ people who give honest compliments
⇢ evenings are no longer occasions to be lonely and mopey
⇢ hot new witch in town with significant gay vibes

_____________________
writing quality + easy of reading = 3.5*

pace = 3*

plot/story in general = 5*

plot development = 3.5*

characters = 5*

enjoyability = 4*

insightfulness = 4*

so, holy shit. this was one of the wildest things I've ever read and it was Amazing.
I started out thinking how weird this whole magic thing was, and it's considerably creepier than other fantasy/magical books I've read before, and it did take me a bit to warm up to all the characters (except for Yates *blows kiss* u're doing amazing sweetie) but. I love it.

The descriptions felt very raw and strong and I love the way the magical feelings were described, and honestly despite some questions I had though most of it like when will the danger come back?? where's the actual plot besides being friends and throwing parties?? I just enjoyed it so much. Even just reading about Sideways and the girls at school and talking about their lives was really nice.

There isn't a lot of actual Romance here, but despite being what I wanted at first it was so much better than I expected!!! Girls being friends!!! Girls being gay and talking about being gay and having adorable gay dads!!! Trauma and magic!!! Creepy Halloween themed things!!!

I absolutely loved this book and I can't wait for the sequel!!!

The Scapegracers is exactly what you could expect from its premise. A lesbian witch who is an outcast in high school finds her coven through the most popular girls. I loved how this book subverted the « mean popular girls » trope. One of the big points of this novel is the emphasis puts on friendships and relationships.

I loved Sideways as the main character. I loved to recognize myself in her flaws and her insecurities but also in her love and how she was lead with love through the entire novel. I loved Clarke’s prose and her way to extract the beauty and meaning out of the most mundane and common teenage experience.

I told her how I »d tried to bless the acne off my back once and how that had failed because it was too mundane for the universe to bother with

The Scapegracers is an ode to girl gang, to the power of girls and to their magic. A positive aspect of this novel was to sum it up, for us, readers, to have the opportunity to see friendships romanticized and our relationships with other teenage girls, the one we think do not look like us, do not even look at us, redefined. The dynamics between the characters are complex and handled with richness and care.

Through the plot, this coven challenges rape culture and it is refreshing to see girls taking back what is theirs in the first place. I truly loved the way magic was a vector for girl’s empowerment and a catalyzer of what is considered as « ugly »: their pride, their violence, their need for revenge

I was worried because I have been severely disappointed last year with my reading of These Witches Don’t Burn by Isabel Sterling which dealt with the same themes, sapphic witches, and I was afraid that this book would not live up to my expectations. However, this book was the kind of slow-pace quiet and focused on character book I really needed. The magic was really spooky and complex, its effects on the girls and its instability made me wanting for more, more magic, more show-offs. The strong sisterhood that is this coven was really appealing and really well done. I loved how the girls were committed to each other and it was really sweet to seed how supportive of Sideways’s faith in magic they were, before embracing their own magic.

The romance was sweet but not really deepened enough for me to have a true opinion about it. It could not challenge the strong friendships and intimate relationships that link Sideways, Jing, Yates, and Daisy. They are the true power of this book.

Sure, the book has its fallouts as it depicts the same upper-class mean girls, who always seem to be above consequences and a little bit out of touch with reality. I sometimes mixed up Yates and Jing and Daisy because their personalities are very similar but with time, each one grows on you. Actually, this clique really made me think of Foul is Fair, one of my favorite books. However, it does not suffer the comparison, we found there too merciless girls who would set dudebros and threats on fire for their girls in the blink of an eye. Hungry girls, ambitious girls. Witches.

« Can girls not be soft and still be powerful? »
« Girls can. Girls are. »

I’d recommend it to people who want to read an #Ownvoice atmospheric book, with strong bonds and friendships and magic. I can’t wait for the second book and to dive deeper into this world.

I received a copy of this novel from Erewhon books in exchange for an honest review.

2/5 -DNF

The cover and synopsis drew me in. Witchcraft, LGBTQA+ representation, female friendships...sign me up!

Unfortunately, the story fell flat. From the beginning, the writing was dense and confusing with far too many descriptors. In the first fifty pages alone, I'd imagine a good ten or so could've been cut. I liked the idea of Sideways (that's her nickname) channeling this magic and coming into a level of power that she didn't previously know she could, it was all a bit thrown together though. The incident that leads them to seek revenge in so vague that it makes you wonder what the point is.

The characters are all static, I can't honestly say I cared much about any of them. This is a big part of why I didn't finish this book. The rambling conversations that don't further the story were frustrating and slowed the pacing along with the overly dense prose. About halfway through, with the entire process being a struggle to connect, I didn't feel like it would ever happen and I decided to put it down.

Honestly, I really wanted to like it. Perhaps with another round of editing, some of these issues could've been addressed. Regardless, the idea was great but the execution left something to be desired.

I am fiercely in love with this book! It is one of my favorite reads of 2020.

I call down the screaming cosmos and I cry for chaos. We want something impossible. We want something the papers can't explain, something so wild and gorgeous that nothing could doubt it, not ever.

The Scapegracers is about Sideways, an outcast teen witch, who is befriended (although that word sounds too soft for them- adopted? stolen?) by a trio of the scariest and coolest girls in school. It's about making a coven, about ignoring established institutions and rules and building a family. It's about goth girl gangs cursing bland dudes who want to control them. It's about queerness, and desire, and the feeling of being wanted (platonically, socially, romantically) for maybe the first time. It's talking books, and ink demons. It's about power, and taking power. It's parties in abandoned houses, and queer dads and thrift store treasures, and the simple shattering joy of someone braiding your hair. It's spraypaint, and nail polish, and blood.

The Scapegracers is lush, creepy, angry, loving, and so, so decadent.

ARC provided by #Netgalley and Erowhon Books in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks! #Scapegracers

It has been a long time since I’ve put a novel on my did not finish pile, and that is because I usually hold out hope that the story is going to get better. This novel did not and about halfway through it, I faced facts: I would not be finishing this story.

The biggest issue with this novel is the two-dimensional writing and static dialogue. These characters have no substance to them; they flounder in the story that has virtually no plot. There are lackluster personalities and a pitiful attempt to make the novel something good. It has a great premise to it but the dialogue is choppy at best. The dialogue is dated and fails even more with the poor pacing and lack of personality. There is nothing to draw the reader in, nothing to make the reader invested in the characters.

Then there is the plot or lack thereof. It is not clear what the plot of the story is. It had a good beginning, but it was thrown out, it seems by trying to build up the feministic approach of the story, by the idea that girls need to stick together. A promising idea but it should not have taken away from developing what could have been a great arc to explore.

Unfortunately, it just did not do it for me. I wanted to like it, I loved the premise, but the shallow, two-dimensional characters just failed to keep me invested in the story.

4’5. “There’s a reason why every cheesy Medieval grimoire you see in movies requires fifty-something props. Feeling witchy is a large part of successfully being witchy, and nothing makes you feel powerful like surrounding yourself with gigantic dripping candles.”

The Scapegracers is exactly what you need: an lgbt book about a coven formed by four teenagers having fun with magic.
First of all, I absolutely ADORED this book. The Scapegracers is intense, exciting, and it doesn't let you stop reading for a moment. When I first got the arc I was kind of scared I wouldn't like it, because I was afraid it would be way too similar to the movie The Craft, and it did remind me of that story but it's absolutely not the same!

There are so many good things in this book. One of my personal favorites was the characters. I totally fell in love with Sideways, Jing, Daisy and Yates. Each one of them have a very strong personality and are so well written I was even sad when they weren't in a chapter. And I love how they're genuinely good with each other and have each other's backs constantly. The loyalty between them made me so happy. Also, the diversity in this book!! I've never read a story with as much representation as this one. And obviously, I love a good magic and witches kinda story, and the fact that I actually learned stuff about witchcraft made me love it even more.
Something that really hook me was the writing. The narrative was easy and familiar, which helped a lot with imagining the situations. There were some parts in the book where I got a bit lost, because I wasn't sure what the context was or I didn't understand why something was happening, and that's the reason why I haven’t given this book a full five stars, but in spite of that, the story was well developed.

There are so many references to pop culture too, which I personally LOVE to find in books, and the clique really gave me those teenage movie vibes, not only The Craft but also Jawbreakers, Mean Girls... and those movies I adore.

In general, I really enjoyed the story and I literally can’t wait for the sequel!

Thanks to Netgalley and Erewhon Books for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book was the girl gang coven book I have been waiting for all these years. The Scapegracers takes the idea of girl covens like in The Craft that abuse their powers and spins it on its head. It's about girls supporting girls and tackling issues girls face. It's a bit of a slow burn as it leads up to something bigger in the sequel, but this book packs its own punch anyway. There's humor, dynamic characters, meaningful conversations, and all the dark concepts that you want in a book about teenage witches. Fans of the Weird Sisters from The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina will love this book.

As for the diversity and LGBT themes, it's packed with them but also handled in a graceful way. The characters have realistic dialogues and reactions, along with woes. The ambiance of small town life and dealing with finding yourself when you feel like you're being crushed by how inescapable the constraints of your home is are represented so well.

The one criticism I have on this book is that it rests on the double-edged sword of purple prose. It's common in fantasy to have purple prose because lush descriptions make the story feel like it's woven in magic itself. However, too much of it can be distracting to the actual plot as the reader focuses more on the imagery than the action. This book wavered back and forth on the edge of this blade throughout. I enjoyed the author's style and tone so much, but at times I needed to go back to reread because I was so caught up in the spell of pretty words that I didn't follow what actually happened. I also saw a few editing mistakes, but that's a rather minor detail.

Truthfully, I'm eagerly awaiting the sequel to this book. It leaves off in a place that left me thirsting for more of what happens since things were just getting to an elevated state of risk.

Scapegracers is a book very intense ! I get caught by the moment Sideways was tripping in magic and has no problem in be a weirdo. The other girls-Jing,Yates and Daisy-are lovely and sharp and all the things in between. Makes me wanna be one of them . And all the representativeness in this book,it's amazing ! And all covered in a American Horror Story palette than make this be one of the most spooky and scary books I ever read. Sometimes things happen a little too fast, but there is nothing that gets in the way of reading ... definitely it is one of those books that you can see a movie and or series being produced from it. I loved the setting, and the way it was so scary at times that I had to go under the covers, and the description of witchcraft is also very well described. it has a rich feature that makes it easy for us to visualize everything. I believe that the sequence will bring a slower and more explanatory step, which was what was missing in this volume, but apart from that, it is a young, funny, intense and scathing book, and has everything to be one of the darlings of 2020/2021.

This book was SO GOOD! First and foremost, I love that it is an LGBT+ book that is actually written by a queer person. I know writers of all sexual orientation can capture emotions and turmoils of an LGBT person but no one can get the grit and feelings as someone who has actually LIVED all these emotions in there life. The friendships within this book are something that so many relationships strive for - loyalty, fun, honesty and so much more. It is so refreshing to see that each character is handling there thoughts and emotions of being queer in different ways. None of the girls handle it or feel that same way about it which I love, it makes them each so much more relatable. Also, the fantasy within this book was done SO WELL! Everything felt so natural and cohesive. I will definitely be purchasing this book for myself! Thank you Net Galley and Erewhon for providing me with this ARC.

I had much higher hopes for a book that stars someone named "Sideways" but overall, this was pretty predictable. Magic exists, girls get revenge, etc.. And, of course, none of the girls in the coven is actually what they appear to be on the outside.

eARC provided by publisher.