Scheduled to post 10/3/20.

Where did I stop? 32% in

Why? This should have been a book I loved, in a voice that I loved and connected with. But for whatever reason I didn't and it didn't. I can't quite put my finger on why. I just didn't connect with the characters, the situation, any of it. I think what initially threw me out of the story was the MC, who's supposed to be really knowledgeable about witchcraft, is just flinging spells at the wall and seeing what sticks and doesn't know what she's doing. And since the whole premise is predicated on this spell Sideways did going wrong and she having no idea what happened, it felt contradictory. So with the foundation of the story wavering for me, everything else felt off as a result. It also focused a bit more on the outcast-now-cool-kid trope a bit much for me and made the story feel a little all over the place. Dead deer in the pool over here and the top bitch of the school is painting my nails over here. It just all around felt off.

It’s The Craft meets Mean Girls—except more heartwarming and queer. That’s the best way I can describe The Scapegracers, the start of a new YA fantasy trilogy by debut novelist Hannah Abigail Clarke. If you love a good found family trope, but also want to see some teen witches funnel their angst into reckless magic, then The Scapegracers is the book for you! It comes out tomorrow, September 15.

Sideways Pike is the school’s outcast lesbian weirdo, and experimenting with spell books under the bleachers has only solidified that reputation even further. But when the three most popular girls in school pay Sideways to add some extra thrills to their Halloween party, the experience changes all of their lives. After getting their first taste of real magic, Daisy, Jing, and Yates can’t wait to see what they could be capable of under Sideways’s tutelage. For Sideways, it’s her first taste of real friendship—although she can’t quite believe West High’s holy trinity would still hang out with her if it weren’t for her magic. But her insecurities are soon the least of her worries. With witch hunters after their magic, rival covens guarding access to knowledge, and inky devils set loose by their impulsive actions, the girls have their hands full. Not to mention, they need to find a way to outdo themselves for the next party. The four girls form a coven of their own, and they’re ready to cut down anyone who stands in their way. The reign of the Scapegracers has only just begun.

The magic system in The Scapegracers is quite unlike anything I’ve read before—particularly because of the reckless and cavalier way that these headstrong teens approach it. Working off of a mysterious spell book sent to her by a stranger, Sideways intuitively draws sigils and makes up incantations on the fly—some of which are terrifyingly vague, as when she calls on the cosmos to “Douse our revelry with magic. Change the way we are” in the middle of a party. It feels a bit like playing with fire, but if the Scapegracers aren’t willing to bow to the authority of another coven and find a mentor, then the next best way to learn is by doing. As a reader, it’s exciting to be learning about magic and the magical community at the same pace as Sideways and her crew.

Learning magic isn’t the only thing that The Scapegracers approaches from a nontraditional direction. The book does a beautiful job of turning the “mean girls” trope on its head. Daisy, Yates, and Jing aren’t “mean” in the stereotypical catty way—fighting over boys, spreading rumors, and tearing down their friends. Instead, they simply embody traits that we often don’t allow girls to display. They are ambitious, powerful, imperfect, and sometimes even vicious. But they’re also loving, affectionate, and ride-or-die loyal to their friends. At first glance, Daisy Brink appears to be your typical popular cheerleader, but she has a cutthroat, ruthless streak to her that is both terrifying to see and refreshing in its honesty. Jing Gao tends to fill the role of the quick-witted, cool-headed leader of the group, but her affected nonchalance conceals some real vulnerability, particularly as she begins to explore her sexuality. And Lila Yates is the heart of the trio—kind, trusting, soft, and feminine, but every bit as powerful as the other girls. When Sideways rounds out their clique, she learns that the gulf between popular girl and outcast weirdo is not as wide as one might think. Sideways is prickly and rough around the edges, with trauma making it difficult for her to connect with others or believe that she is worthy of being loved. But as she glimpses the insecurities and imperfections of the other girls, Sideways is better able to accept those aspects of herself. The Scapegracers are girls—though they each inhabit femininity in a completely different way—and they’re mean—if that’s what you want to call it when they’re unapologetic about grabbing power—but this isn’t a “mean girls” narrative like you’ve ever seen before.

THE SCAPEGRACERS is a wild ride start to finish - full of lively, edgy characters, vivid settings, and a darkly intriguing plot. This story is all at once unique yet familiar - something like if you mashed Heathers up with Soul Eater and made it 1000% gayer, it is a fresh, whip-smart take on the themes of social outcasts, teen witches, and finding your place in your world. I absolutely loved the main character, Sideways - this book has one of the best first-person voices I’ve ever read, giving me a crystal-clear picture of who Sideways was as a person from page one.

The queer representation in this book is also delightful - the characters’ queerness is explored and celebrated in a very natural way, and while it isn’t the focus of the entire plot, it is a critical piece of many characters’ identities.

The only aspect of this book I found unsatisfying was the ending - I wasn’t aware it was the first of a series, so the ending threw me for a loop because the plot felt like it was rising to the climax rather than winding down for the end, and I felt it could have been wrapped up a little less abruptly.

Overall, this was an entertaining, intriguing read that had me rooting for Sideways and her coven, and I look forward to reading the next book when it becomes available!

Character driven stories are a hit or miss for me. While I can appreciate many elements about this book and can see how others may love it, it didn't quite work for me. The writing is where this book lost me, and not having enough plot to continually pull me into the story. While the characters were ruthless and I wanted to love them, it just didn't work for me.

I wouldn't necessarily say this book isn't good though. If you're looking for a character-driven book heavy on description that follows a coven of ruthless teen witches (including lesbian & bi rep), this could be perfect for you. It definitely has some great spooky vibes if you're looking for that. This is one I'm really sad I didn't like, but I'm excited for it to fall into the hands of readers who'll love it.

The premise of this book?

A lesbian teen witch who lives life as a grungey outsider gets sucked into a new friend group with some “popular” girls. Things amp up as a coven is formed and the witchy group get wrapped up with a family of witch hunters.

The Scapegracers centres around a strong female group full of diversity and individuality. The story clearly pushes the idea of redefining popular “mean girls”. This is something that I can always support in YA, but I wish the story had leaned MORE into this trope.

Similar to how I wish the author had leant into the “redefining mean girls” trope more, the story’s plot just left me wanting more.

And while I adore a found family trope, it was very insta-friendship. One second, Sideways is just a random they’ve hired for a party trick. Next second they are the bestest of besties. This really damaged any connection I had to the group as a reader.

Overall, this book has cemented the idea that – for me – young adult contemporary witch stories are often not it. Witches and covens promise a sense of dark grunge that is never quite reached.

If you're interested in gay witches being gay and being angsty, this book is for you.
This took me a little while to get into, but it was worth the hype surrounding it.
I loved the good character driven stories, and this was one of them. Sideways and Daisy and Jing and Yates were all such interesting and multi-dimensional characters, and I loved their dynamics with each other. They were all a little bit in love with each other and I loved that. Friendships between teenage girls are so interesting and these girls were all such well written and diverse and amazing characters, and their friendships were the same.
I could take or leave the plot/story, but the characters were what really made this book such a good read for me.

Atmospheric, spooky, emotional, and completely gripping! The friendships, the magic, the suspense... I loved every moment of it! I can’t wait to see what else these characters have to bring. Highly recommended for ‘spooky season’ reading, or for anyone that loves anything magical all year long!

Thank you for allowing me to read an e-ARC!

*Netgalley arc*

Teenage witches not hiding their powers but showing everyone so they can be known and feared? Fantastic! Loved the sigils, the books, the little details of everyday magic.

I have a very low tolerance for a certain type of character. The one who doesn't care about others as long as it benefits them. You know the type. This is one of the reasons this book isn't getting 4 stars like it should deserve. Sideways was that kind of character to me. A little too much with certain things. Everyone screaming at her not to do a certain thing, and she caring zero about their opinion, being outright rude about it. I would've listened, they seemed to know more than her about stuff. It's my opinion. I have encountered a few characters fitting this description that everyone love but sadly, I just like enough to keep reading the series.

Moving on from that personal tiny dislike, the book has a lot of potential. The magic system was interesting with covens, books having souls and choosing you, being a sort of witch family. I liked how the three already friends girls just took Sideways in and never made her feel left out. The friendship was pretty cute and we need more of that, not only bullies and mean girls. I liked it!

I'm definitely interested and can't wait for more!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I don’t think this is quite the book for me.

Following getting paid to do magic at a party for the popular girls Sideways finds herself swept up by these three girls and together they’re banding together with the strength of female friendship and forming a coven.

I was really into this concept a MC who is a lesbian witch?? Amazing.

But I wasn’t super drawn into the plot and didn’t really get invested. I liked the interactions between the popular girls and sideways and the friendship they created but none of their personas really stood out to me. Certain chapters certainly gripped me more than others particularly towards the end but still felt as a whole like it fell a little short for me.

I managed my way through it but don’t think Ill read the next one.

This book had absolutely no plot. The most boreing thing I have ever read.
The cover is really nice.

This is the book I’ve wanted to read since the first time I watched The Craft when I was like five, since seeing Willow go dark and obsessing over Charmed and Sabrina every night. Witches are top tier, my absolute favourite, they are the bad asses of the mythical world and this is truly the perfect fledgling witch story.

We come into Scapegracers at the very beginning of a coven’s creation. Our protagonist, Sideways didn’t expect to find her coven among the untouchable popular girls, Daisy, Jing and Yates, but that is where our story catches. These girls are just coming into their magic and with Sideways as their guide they begin to uncover the power within themselves and they’re ready for retribution so don’t cross a single one of them.

I am living for this friendship dynamic. Each girl is strong in her own way and I honestly can’t give you a favourite right now because they’re all so interesting and different. Scapegracers shows that teenage girls are powerful, it harnesses that idea and runs with it. The bonds we create as teens are fast and strong when they’re the right people. Add a touch of witchcraft on top of that bond and you’ve got some feisty girls who are ready to do some damage. This group would literally die for one another, the first instinct is to bite back and protect. The fierce love is palpable and I can’t wait to follow them through their journey.

Scapegracers is a dark atmospheric urban fantasy (with a touch of teen sapphic angst) that grips you in from beginning to end. I came for the magic but I stayed for the layered and complex characters and the insane storyline. Clarke allows the characters to live the story rather than outwardly lay it out for you so some of the worldbuilding and plot isn’t fully realised but that’s forgiven because it’s made up for in the feeling it evokes.

Sideways Pike is a witch. When three popular girls hire her to cast a spell at their Halloween party, the formerly outsider and lesbian finds herself becoming part of a bond with them, forming a coven. Sideways is an interesting character to me, and the book truly hooked me. I loved the play of its words and the way Sideways communicated telling this story in first person. These aren’t cardboard teenagers, but people you like to get to know, while you get paranormal elements, magic, and scary stuff.

This paranormal YA to me is if Mean Girls, Tim Burton, and The Craft had formed a coven and conjured a demon, The Scapegracers would be the result. Not just a paranormal horror story, but characters drive this book. It will be perfect read for the coming Halloween season in this Covid year.


(I actually gave this book 4 1/2 stars.)

<i> ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own! </i>

You ever read a book that just scratches all your itches when it comes to an entertaining piece of media? That’s what Scapegracers was for me! This novel follows your local goth lesbian witch who calls herself Sideways (because she’s not straight? GEDDIT?? XD) as she navigates her way through the world of witchcraft as a fledgling witch. She does this really weird, captivating piece of magic for a halloween party, but events that are bigger than that are set into motion, and Sideways ends up in a LOT of trouble. But, it’s okay, because she also finds her...umm, coven, if you will, along the way.

My favourite thing, outright, about this book is that it’s just so unapologetic about EVERYTHING! It’s unapologetically gay, it’s unapologetically weird, it’s even unapologetically supportive when Sideways does stupid shit. It’s unapologetically feminist! It’s just so authentic and free and amazing and I loved that SO MUCH!!!!

The next best thing about this book is the found family! At the beginning, Sideways Pike is just at the party to do a trick or two, but then she ends up on the inside of this elite trio of girls at her school, and honestly? THAT WAS SO CUTE?? These girls are their own brand of fucked up, and they’re as close to the “Mean Girls™” as anyone can be in this small town, but not once did I find myself disliking them or hating them or judging them or anything like that. They’re all kinds of insane, but they’re also honestly insane, you feel? Also Jing, Daisy and Yates are basically Blossom, Buttercup and Bubbles, if the girls were taller, human, witches and also a little psychopathic xD

And then there’s Sideways. Oh, SIDEWAYS!!! I loved her so, so, so much! She was so awkward and idiotic and just so very….teenager-y. But, like, in the best way! She was silly, but she also valued the right things. She was selfish, but she knew when to put her family- found or otherwise- first. She did stuipd things, but she owned up to that shit and did what she could to make things right when she could. She did the randomest things, but she also made the unthinkable sacrifices. You’d probably dislike her a bit maybe, but you’d love her anyway! She was so dramatic, too! OH MY GOD, SO DRAMATIC!!!! But, like, if you’ve ever known/met/been a sapphic teenager, you’ll know that this is the most accurate thing in the whole wide world! XD

The plot of the novel is like...The Craft meets Supernatural, but we’re not on the side of the hunters this time around. There’s also devils, which are like the spirits of books or something? There’s so much fun, weird shit dude! Like I don’t even want to say anything because I don’t want to spoil anything! It’s all just a weird delight to read about, really! My only gripe with this book was that I really couldn’t figure out what the plot was for almost over a third of the novel. I was enjoying what was going on, but I didn’t get where we were going, you feel? So I knocked off a star, oop!

But honestly, this was one of the most fun reads of the year for me!!! It was just so damn entertaining and I really can’t wait for the sequel!!!!! Definitely check this one out if you’re able!!!

"Teen lesbian witch finds her coven/high school clique" sounds extremely my jam, so I admit I was disappointed not to like The Scapegracers more. I can easily imagine it will appeal more to other readers, but the over-worked linguistic style wasn't to my taste, and I found the story to be weakly paced, with a (seemingly) significant plotline just abandoned for a long period of time.

Though it really wasn't for me, it might appeal to readers in search of sapphic, witchy-dark YA, with all the drama of high school, mean girls, the complexities of friendship and dating as a teenager...all of it given a queer, gothy twist, like the rainbow-shine gleam on top of a black oil slick.

Thank you to NetGalley and Erewhon Books for the advance review copy!

This isn't a book. It's a howl. It's a roar. It's a spell screamed at the sky. It's fierce and bold and beautiful, it's ancient magics rewritten in neon lights, it's bared teeth and a middle finger, it's lipstick smiles sharp as scythes, it's a lit fuse, it's living fire. It's a war-cry. It's shrieks of laughter. It's the wild, feral joy that makes the hairs on your arms stand up and your blood pound.

This isn't a book.

It's something else.

Open Scapegracers, and you start the ritual. Every word is a sigil drawn directly on your mind; every page is another step in the spell. Reading becomes an act of power, witchcraft, charged and electric; you're casting the enchantment on yourself each time you turn the page.

By the time you reach the end, gravity will be for other people.

*

What draws you into Scapegracers, first, is the beautiful prose. It's lyrical, wild, raw, exquisite, a siren-song remixed for the modern age. The words get under your skin, catch in your eyelashes, spiral inside your head. Every other sentence is a nod from Hannah Abigail Clarke directly to the reader, a potent potion of truth that hits you low in your gut; true things that you've never been able to put into words, or that you've never heard anyone else think or say, flow through these pages like poetry.

"We're inviting the liquid night, the molten magic. We're inviting the star-spiked darkness inside and calling it to this circle. Flow through us and spill. All this dancing is in triumph and our booze is all libations. We've brought you beats and lights and glamour, we brought fresh meat, new blood, and booze, and in return, we want some chaos. We want havoc. Bring us hell."

I want to push this book into the hands of every teenage girl, and everyone who has ever been a teenage girl, and everyone who has ever thought for even one second that teenage girls are things to mock or dismiss or objectify.

Clarke gets it.

I was not alone. In this space, in the presence of these sacred things, I felt witnessed and genuinely understood. I felt it marrow deep. It made me want to cry, or maybe crash my fists into something over and over again until it was dead.

The real, hardcore action takes a little while to get going. That's fine. Because that's just the cinematic stuff. The magic starts from the opening line and doesn't let up for a second.

Wind picked up and tossed our hair, and it felt like celestial validation, like the entire night was primed for whatever I was going to do. Wreak havoc, said Nature. Raise hell. Our hands vibrated where they touched. This didn't feel like a liquor-dusted parlor trick; this was ancient, opulent, invincible. It was the realest thing in the world.

Sideways is a witch, and I can only assume Clarke is too, because I've never read a book that so completely and perfectly captures what it's like to be a witch and work real magic. Or, for that matter, what it's like to be a teenager, feral and wary and wanting to belong.

That's where Yates, Daisy, and Jing come in.

they were dangerous angels, sugar-coated rattlesnakes, the kind of girls who everybody adored

And once they see Sideways' magic, they want in. They want her. Not to use her or possess her, but to join their sisterhood. To make their coven.

They'd look at us like we were teenage Erinyes.

(For the record? Erinyes are better known as the Furies from Greek mythology. Clarke's writing isn't pretentious, but Scapegracers doesn't talk down to you, either. Or slow down. You want the magic, you need to keep up. You need to want it.

Which is my way of letting you know that lines like this, references like this, are scattered throughout, and each one is a dark and delicious surprise. 'It was bleaker than Nietzsche on the staircase'? *chef's kiss*)

And that's just what the four of them do: form a coven. Form a sisterhood. Scapegracers is all about sisters, girlhood, femininity, friendship. It's about being stronger together. It's about the wildness that waits under the most ribbon-bedecked girls, about nails shining with sparkly polish still being sharp as claws. Scapegracers does not sneer at or demonise girls who like pink any more than it turns its nose up at girls who like leather jackets. There's countless ways to be a girl, and they're all valid, and they're all powerful.

Scapegracers is a manifesto, and its message is this: Girls are magic.

"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 we're 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 any legal agency of our own. But the three of us - the four of us, counting you - we're powerful. Maybe not in the ways that people are supposed to be, maybe in ways that people think are scary or hard to understand, but we are. Magic is ambiguous. It's scary and flashy and everybody wants it and it really freaks people out. I guess it fits with the rest."

There is action. There are mysteries. There are wonders to be discovered and miracles to be made. There are neon myths to tell. But I'm not going to tell you what they are. What would be the point of that? You need to read them for yourself.

You need to work magic to understand it.

2020 has been the year of the Queer Witch. We've been absolutely spoiled for choice, from Witches of Ash and Ruin and When We Were Magic, to Elysium Girls and This Coven Won't Break - and, of course, the breathtaking Dark Tide.

Widen your definition of 'witch' a little and we also have Storm of Life, The Fascinators, Harrow the Ninth, and Cemetery Boys, all featuring queer magic users of one stripe or another. I could wrangle another dozen entries to the list from books I know of, and I'm sure there's more that somehow escaped my notice.

But it doesn't matter how many there are. A Queendom has only two monarchs, and Dark Tide claims one crown - but Scapegracers takes the other.

Then snaps it in half, tosses the pieces aside, and gives you the finger, laughing, for thinking it wants or needs validation from anyone.

Scapegracers doesn't need you to love it. It dares you not to.

I'm feeling <strong>majorly conflicted</strong> <strong>about</strong><i> The Scapegracers </i>because while it had a really interesting premise and I'm always searching for more books about witches, some of the plot and pacing issues really made this very slow and difficult to read at times. I'm still unsure if I'm going to check out the sequel, as I've <strong>outgrown really slow-moving books that only pick up speed at the very end of the story</strong>. At times The Scapegracers felt like it wasn't really my thing and like it was trying to be a specific aesthetic instead of a well-rounded story. If you like slower, more atmospheric stories, this one might be for you!

<strong>✅ We get a lot of cool WITCHCRAFT </strong> ➽ Ever since I fell in love with my own witch story, I have been happily checking out all YA books featuring witches, as we need more stories that have the good old witchcraft! The Scapegracers leaves you with a few questions, but the magic system and premise are interesting</strong> and a breath of fresh air. The magic here is based on having a 'witch soul' called a specter but also depends on your experience, tools, and surroundings, combining talent with practice and support. Witches often gather into covens for a reason, as the bond makes them stronger and capable of greater witchcraft. There are several existing covens that you can join up in initiation and with witch hunters trying to exorcise the specter out of all witches, a strong coven is needed for protection and power. I also loved that every specter had a specific color and that the spellbook was actually alive and more like a guidebook than an instruction manual. The representation of magic as something individual that you had to make your own was great!

<b>✅ The writing style was really good to read </b> ➽ I have to admit that despite some of my plot issues, the writing style was pleasant to read. One of the best things was <strong>how atmospheric the writing was, you could really feel the witchcraft</strong> and creepiness that was happening in a lot of the scenes. Despite some weird phrases and very specific references, I liked how the writing flowed and gave us an insight into Sideway's surroundings. The settings really came to life this way!

<b>✅ There's a queer friend group + found family </b> ➽ I did appreciate that the book showed a strong, new friendship between Sideways - our main character - and the popular girls in her school: Yates, Jing, and Daisy. The book itself aims to subvert the mean girl trope and for the most part, I liked seeing our new witchy coven made up of strong queer teenage girls. I also loved <b>Sideway's two dad - Julian and Boris</b> - who have taken her in after her mother's death and now care for her deeply. Julian is her uncle, but his partner Boris loves Sideways just as much and they try their best to be there for her, which honestly melted my heart 🥰

<b>✅ The scene-stealer was the friendly neighborhood demon </b> ➽ One of my favorite tropes ever is when a <strong>demonic/otherworldy creature ends up becoming like a sidekick to the main human characters</strong>, despite often being very morally grey or pretending to be evil (e.g. Silas in Sorcery of Thorns or Calzifer in Howl's Moving Castle)! <strong>Mr. Scratch is a demon/devil</strong> who used to be a spellbook and therefore a coven's keeper but after being nearly destroyed by witch hunters it has been waiting for another opportunity to serve witchcraft. Looking out for its new girls made for a lot of touching moments even though you can't help but be plenty suspicious about Mr. Scratch's real motives. This will definitely make for an interesting dynamic in the next book!

<b>⛔ The plot and pacing were all over the place </b> ➽ My main issue with the book was that it began feeling very<b>repetitive and slow for the majority of the book</b>. The first few scenes are action-packed but then the book drastically slows down and instead of giving many answers has a lot of scenes that felt like filler to me, especially as I barely knew the characters yet and didn't find myself connecting to them. <b>The Scapegracers just felt directionless</b>, for the first 40% of the book there's no real goal the main character has, and even afterward it felt like there was no overarching storyline, instead a lot of subplots that the book failed to connect. The <b>focus of the story was all over the place</b> and the pacing so painfully slow, that I was waiting for some more interesting scenes. Only at around 70% did we get any real action again and finally some answers, but that didn't make up for a slow middle. I also easily guessed the main plot twist, so there's that. Another thing that did annoy me was that so many of the major characters just happened to be witches despite the book highlighting how rare they are.

<b>⛔ The book waited too long to introduce important information </b> ➽ My second main problem with the book was that the book didn't weave in character or worldbuilding information. I don't need to know everything about a character, but I need at least some details so I can get the personality and background story and can slowly piece things together. The book sadly skimmed with the character information for about 40% of the book (Sideways) and way towards 70% for the other important characters. <b>Because the beginning is focused so much on the action, we barely get any information about the main character</b>, which made her feel a bit unapproachable for the reader. The background information and view into the character's normal world were given only about half of the book in and that was way too late for me to care much for the characters. I also felt like we could have gotten the worldbuilding information a bit sooner, as it left me feeling a bit in the unknown for a long time. The <b>book did fail a bit to lay the foundation for the story in terms of characters and worldbuilding</b>. It felt like the author knew her characters and the world exactly but failed to show it to the readers.

<b>⛔ Sadly Daisy, Jing, and Yates lacked depth</b> ➽ I only could discern them and get a glimpse into their lives and personalities when the book was almost over. How they knew each other, why they included Sideways in their friendship group, and what their lives are like was only mentioned 80% into the book and by then there had been already so many opportunities to reveal more about them. That's why& <b>I never really felt connected to the girls</b> and thought that they suddenly welcoming Sideways against the reputation didn't feel organic.

<strong>IN CONCLUSION.</strong> ➽ <i>The Scapegracer</i> is a book full of witchcraft, powerful girl covens, and spellbook. <b>While I loved the whole aesthetic of it, I was a bit disappointed with the execution</b>. The plot was all over the place with no clear direction and important information was introduced a bit too late. Nevertheless, I would recommend this book if you're into a creepy, witchy atmosphere!

4.25 Stars. This book was weird in some of the best ways possible and I had a blast reading it. This is YA paranormal but to get technical it’s almost more magical realism with witches and at times almost borders on horror. I could see Clarke writing a horror book in the future and easily excelling at it. This looks to be Clarke's debut which is impressive if true. This is the first book in the series and I just hope the wait is not too long for the next.

Over the years I have found my love for YA steadily growing. I’ve come to realize there are about three different types of YA. There is YA that feels pretty young so that it is more for a young audience. Then there is the opposite where the YA book feels like it is written for grownups instead of teenagers. And lastly, where this book fits in, YA that makes you reminisce for your younger years. It almost feels good since it brings back feelings of a simpler time yet still filled with plenty of life defining angst. When I was a teenager, in the 90’s, teen movies had this huge boom. There were a million comedy and rom-com teen movies like Clueless, Can’t Hardly Wait, and 10 Things I Hate About You. But at the same time, there was also a rash of teen movies that were surprisingly inappropriate for us teenagers because they were filled with violence, sex or both. And yet these mostly R rated movies were marketed right to us teens and we ate them up like candy. Movies like Scream, Final Destination, I Know What You Did Last Summer, The Faculty, Wild Things, Jawbreaker, and one in particular that I watched way too much, The Craft. I loved that movie as a teen and this book reminded me of it. One of the main differences is that this book was better. This book was what I wish The Craft would have been. My 14 year-old self would have just loved this book to pieces and my 38 year-old self was pretty happy with it too.

Now I do have to mention that the writing style is very different. It’s not purple prose but it’s very descriptive. At first I was like what is this? After the first chapter or two it just clicked and became easy. It actually became so comfortable that I almost started to crave it, which is not normal because I don’t usually like overly descriptive styles... but I was hooked. So please don’t get discouraged in the beginning, give it a chance because it will eventually click and get much better.

I’m a character driven reader and that is what this book really is. If you are more of a plot driven reader, you probably will have some issues with this read. Everything in my paranormal loving heart wanted to give this book 5 stars but I could not because of the plot issues. It is just not strong enough in certain places and wanders at times. But, the characterization of this book was wonderful. It is first person so you become very connected with the main character Sideways, which is her name because she’s “not straight”. Not only do you become connected with her, but because of the overly descriptive writing style, you feel, see, hear, and even smell what she does. This psychic distance is so wonderfully close and is exactly why I love a well written first person story. While this is in first, this is a book with an ensemble cast. This story is about three other teenage girls too. What is really nice is that you feel like you connect and really know all of them, not just Sideways. That is hard to do in first but Clarke completely pulled it off, probably because this book is so character driven and overly descriptive. Yes, there are some plot issues here, but this is the first book in a series. For me this book was all about meeting, connecting and caring about the characters, and hopefully the next book(s) to come will be more plot driven.

The sexual diversity in this book was nice with lesbian, bisexual and het main characters. I don’t really think I can put a romance tag on this book, but there are wlw crushes and dates that go on. When it comes to the dates everything is very early stages and there is nothing more than a kiss or two. I’m rooting for a potential couple and I’m hoping another character finds some teenage love but I’ll have to see what book 2 holds.

I do have to mention a complaint that may seem a little petty. I hate the title! I get what it means from reading the book, but every time I look at it I read SPACE Gracers and I think oh this must be one of my new sci-fi books. Maybe I’m the only one in the world, but I cannot see this title without the word ‘space’ and if I just glanced at the cover, I would never know that this book held all this witchy goodness inside.

I can already tell by some of the early reviews that this book won’t be for everyone. As I already mentioned, if you are not a character driven reader you might struggle a bit. I have high hopes for the possibilities of book 2 including some of the plot bumps being ironed out. The magic system also needs more explanation, but what is there I really like so far. The writing style is also unusual to say the least, but I loved it. This book does end on a bit of a cliffhanger. To me it’s a palatable cliffy and not a pull your hair out cliffy. I want book 2 to come more just because I enjoyed this one so much. This book was not perfect, but it was everything I was hoping for and I’m a happy camper right now.

“People don’t punish boys who hurt girls, because people don’t care about girls.”

You hear that?? It’s the sound of me grabbing my microphone and screaming about how EVERYONE NEEDS TO READ THIS BOOK. The Scapegracers is an electrifying YA debut that features one lesbian witch, two explosive parties, and three badass popular girls. Put all that together with Witchcraft, morally grey girls, talking spell-books, and multiple queer/poc characters and you can see why this is a must read.

I am not lying when I say I ADORED just about everything about this book. The characters were phenomenal: both Sideways and, our trio- Jing, Daisy and Yates- were developed so well. There’s also multiple queer side characters- Sideways has two gay dads, and there’s a non-binary side character. All of each were brilliant additions to the stories and their characters never felt forced or flat. The plot was so interesting, I was intrigued from the beginning and after THAT ending, I NEED the sequel. Yes I’m aware this isn’t out until September 15th but still. The Scapegracers is such a good introduction to what I’ll imagine will be a heart pounding series.

Lets also discuss how Hannah Abigail Clarke both simultaneously highlights and destroys common negative female stereotypes. Sideways is completely different to Daisy, Jing and Yates, and if a man- or a YA author from the early 2000’s- had written this book- they’d have hated her. But not OUR GIRLS. They love Sideways just the way she is. Even when Sideways finds it hard to love herself.

“Don’t do that. Never do that. Don’t ever say your’re not beautiful, not ever, okay? Girls are just beautiful. That’s the way they are.”

No more mean popular girls or girl hate. We have moved past the need for girls hating on other girls. WE NEED MORE FEMALE FRIENDSHIPS LIKE THIS. Another aspect I loved was Daisy taking control and destroying the “dumb petty cheerleader” trope. Not only is she the fighter of the group but she does it all in heels and sometimes trainers because girls CAN LIKE BOTH.

My words can’t even describe how EPIC The Scapegracers truly is. The fact that in two days this book will be out there for teenage girls to read, makes me so happy. I highly recommend this book- especially if you like books centering on witches, girls, and some good old fashion foreshadowing on what’s to come.

Thank you to Erewhon Books and NetGalley for providing me with an excerpt in exchange of my honest review.

A few months ago, I heard of this book and it has found family and gay witches; literally what more could I ask for? A big part of this book is indeed the friendship/found family section which, if you are able to get into the actual plot (like Mr. Scratch plot to be specific) later than usual and have it be delayed because of the scenes where the girls are uplifting the others, uplifting Sideways and even trying their best to get Sideways a girlfriend, you will definitely want to get into this. Daisy, Yates and Jing all together were already a wonderful addition to this book but when they start getting closer with Sideways, they are clearly characters that would do anything for their friends. You know the "I would take a bullet for you" line? That's Daisy/Yates/Jing/Sideways.

Another addition related to this was Julien and Boris with Sideways. I loved how honest Sideways was with them, I found it refreshing to have a YA novel where one of the side plots wasn't the main character having to hide a huge part of them and having to lie to their parents/loved ones. Sideways is very honest about her own character to them and about her magic (also love the fact that magic and witches in this universe is pretty much universally accepted and it's not that big of a deal) with them, so much they encourage her with magic (like how they wanted to buy a full set of magic books for her). I can't tell you enough how much I loved these three when the other three girls weren't in focus.

I'll be real, I forgot about 40% of the plot at the end but also I'm tired as all hell so thats very much the cause but I am very interested in how the other books will go!! My last and final note is: gay witches!!!

Did not care for this book at all. Not sure what happened because I was excited to read it. The writing is just too odd for me.