First things first, I appreciated how diverse this book was. The main character identifies as a lesbian, another female character in her friend group identifies as bisexual, and another identifies as queer. The main character also has two fathers. I also enjoyed the atmosphere the book created. It’s set in a small, sleepy town where everyone knows one another, and being different isn’t so acceptable. I like that kind of spooky feeling when I am reading a book, especially one that includes witches. I appreciated the discussions about femininity and the way teenage girls are treated in society. How vital female friendships are for women, especially young women.

The stuff I didn’t care for: the writing style didn’t really mesh with me. The characters were very unlikeable and I found them to be pretty annoying, even the main character. The little jokes they shared with one another I didn’t find funny. I believe the female relationships in this book were supposed to seem a little off, similar to the female relationships in movies like Heathers and Mean Girls, but that’s not the kind of relationship I was looking for. I was hoping for something more wholesome since that’s what I enjoy reading the most. Since this was a character-driven book, not liking any of the characters made my experience while reading this book not really enjoyable. I also felt like the climax happened too quickly to be satisfying for me.

This may seem strange, but the three popular girls the main character becomes friends with gave off cult-like vibes for me so if you enjoy cults in books, you may want to pick this book up. I think this is a book many people will enjoy and relate to, I’m just not one of those people.

3.25/5

This book is queer as hell and I'm here for it. One thing I didn't like was how often it was expressed that someone was queer. It made it feel forced rather than authentic. With that put aside, I really enjoyed the storyline of badass chicks creating a coven. I adore all of the characters and sideway's dads are the cutest.

Have you ever read a book that you were like “what did I just read?” at the end of it, but it’s not in a bad way? That was me with this book.

Throughout reading this novel, I was like “what?” but by the end of it, so much had pieced together nicely, and now I am dying for book two! I need to know what happened!

I think some of my confusion was because the synopsis led me astray ever so slightly. I was expecting a novel about a lesbian witch who befriends some other witches and kicks some pathetic male arse and ends up smooching an awesome girl.

However, things weren’t quite like that.

Sideways, our main character, is a witch who just happens to be a lesbian. It isn’t a main focus of the story, which is awesome itself – more lesbian main characters whose storyline isn’t just about coming out, please. And while Sideways is attracted to another girl, there is pretty much zero romance in this novel. There’s far too much else going on. I also love this, too.

The three most popular, fierce, and scary girls from school pay Sideways $40 to do some magic at their Halloween party since Sideways is kind of known for being a witch, but people aren’t exactly sure if they believe.

The night of the party, Sideways does her magic, also meets a cute girl, but wakes up the next day with no idea why she had blacked out.

Enter some the creepy Chantry brothers who are witch hunters. In fact, their entire family are witch hunters, who want nothing more than to take a witch’s power, and subsequently her life, since witches can’t live without their magic.

I did expect the story to focus a little more on them, since it’s mentioned in the synopsis and all, but I’m also glad that it wasn’t a huge focus, too.

The main focus of the book was Sideways becoming friends with Jing, (Lila) Yates, and Daisy. Sideways hasn’t had real friends before, so she isn’t exactly sure how to have friends, but they fit together seamlessly.

I love that the friendship between the four girls was such a massive focus in the book – it made my little heart sing. It also sets things up nicely for book two, I think, too. And with what happened after the second Halloween party, I am so eager to find out what is going to happen next!

On the whole, I really enjoyed this book, and I will definitely be getting myself a copy because that cover is divine. I’m excited to see where book two takes us. I believe this is a trilogy, so I know I’m going to be left wanting more after the second book as well.

The Scapegracers follows Sideways Pike, a teenage lesbian girl that makes spells for money. With an atmosphere and a writing style that reminds of a mix of Mean Girls and some generic brand of Sabrina the Teenage Witch, we're slowly getting into a plot with a boy cursed, a girl and some witch hunters.

All of this may sound good but the execution is confusing and poor. We get bombarded by the L word on the summary and at the beginning but then it comes to nothing, really. So the inclusion of a lesbian witch main character ended up being less like some diversification and more like a pamphlet. The super forced romance at the very start of the story also didn't go anywhere and was mostly unbelievable.
Plus the beginning is like super basic: a lesbian whose parents are both male and she ends up being the target of a fake rumor that says she's a radical vegan who hates humans and specifically men so her personality has to be like a badass loner witch to be cool and kind of feared. And she learns magic from the Internet and from some mysterious volumes that appears from nowhere.

There is a lot -and I mean A LOT- of empty subplots. What I mean is that there are loads of scenes that add nothing to the general story, like telling the reader the whole plot -dialogues included- of a movie they go watch to the cinema, or extensive dialogues between characters the author puts too much emphasys for we to despise them but not really. Sparkle some random mysoginistic messages and slogans to make it more pro-feminist and there you have it.

If you're a fan of Riverdale, the TV series, and Thirteen Reasons Why, with a touch of teenage witchery, then this book would probably be for you. But if you're looking for better script and more logical plots maybe you should try reading another book.

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 legal agency of our own. But the three of us – the four of us, counting you – we’re powerful.

Every so often I come across a rare diamond in the rough among YA, and this year, that book is The Scapegracers. I would like to begin by thanking NetGalley and Erewhon. I received this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Part of me is still reeling. Part of me is still on a co-mingled high of genuine love for this book, and a post-read crash - a kind of mourning - now that it's finished. The Scapegracers is the sort of raw, dark, witchy read I would have loved - and desperately longed for - during my own teenage years. The magic in this book practically slithers off the page. It's the sort of magic that always held an allure for me; wild, dangerous, raw. It isn't pretty. Despite the giddiness that grips the cast of characters - and the reader - at times, it is still unmistakably seething with teeth and anger. Hannah Clarke's works crackle on the page. They've written a gorgeous book.

At it's heart, The Scapegracers is as much about embracing, even celebrating your differences and strengths, as it's about strong relationships among young women and the perpetual high school trope of being an outcast. There was a lot to love about this book, and it was a fun ride. It gave off very strong The Craft vibes without being derivative.

Writing quality/readability - 4/5 I really clicked with the writing style. Hannah Clarke's writing is gorgeous and evocative, and it wrung emotions out of me like a magician pulling silk scarves out of a top hat. The description - though limited - was well written and beautiful. In some cases, however, the book suffers from a lack of description. (As an example, we're never told what Sideways looks like, although we have a clear, if concise, picture of virtually everyone else.) Ms. Clarke has a writing tic that becomes immediately obvious, in that Sideways has a habit of licking/scraping/dragging her tongue along her teeth, cheek, and gums. This phrase, or some variant of it, appears often enough through the book to be noticeable, and unfortunately distracting. (20+ times, at last count.) Overall, though, the book is an easy, enjoyable read, and keeps you turning the pages.

Plot - 4.5/5 As mentioned previously, there are heavy The Craft vibes. As someone who loved The Craft, this is the opposite of a problem. However, the plot isn't infallible. Is the plot wholly original? No. It's your standard witches vs hunters trope common among most urban/high fantasy novels. The setting is the only key difference, in that respect, as it's set in high school. However, the plot is fresh and unique enough - and twisty enough - to keep you guessing, while being fun and engaging. Never trust a pretty girl.

Characterization - 5/5 The Scapegracers is one of those rare books where falling in love with the characters is, if not necessarily immediate or a matter of course, something that just happens. Sideways and Yates were immediately likable. Sideways because of her coarseness, pluck, and off-kilter, 'this is who I am, fuck you' attitude, and Yates because, well. Lila Yates is a ray of sunshine. I was not a fan of Jing or Daisy, but I respected the hell out of them. In a society where women are too often encourage to be quieter, softer - that strong emotions are unbecoming and embarrassing, and that angry women are practically an original sin, the way these two reveled in their strength and anger was inspiring and refreshing. In short, it's hard not to like everyone, even if you're not necessarily a fan of them.

World building - 3.5/5 This is one of the only areas where the novel stumbles. There were times where, as glittering and exciting as the world of The Scapegracers is, it felt lacking. There are glimmers of intrigue as far as the other covens, and even regarding the witch hunting Brothers Chantry, but none of this really goes anywhere or is really explained. Granted, that may be because this is the first book of a series, but the ambiguity of things like how witches came into their power (are they born or made?) covens and their roles, and the rise of the witch hunters was frustrating at times.

In general, though, I really liked this book. I'm already talking to all my friends about it, and I'm hungry to return to the world of the Scapegracers. Until then, this is a perfect introduction to the season of the witch.

I so wished I loved this book. It just wasn't for me. The main issue I had was with the writing, it just didn't grip me. The conversation bored me, and there were too many swear words on a page. The plot fell flat for me after 100 pages, and I would have loved to see more of the main character's life outside the cult, but it remained the main focus throughout the book. I did like the macabre atmosphere the book gave me, and that is the only reason for giving it 2 stars.

I'm going to admit that this wasn't my favorite book. I couldn't connect with the characters or the story. There were a few times that things would happen and take my interest, but then I would lose interest again. I'm not sure if this was the writing or just the story.

Okay so I talk about how much it bothers me when teenagers don't sound like teenagers so it feels super hypocritical to say I loved the voice and tone of The Scapegracers because it was decidedly not realistic, but hear me out: this book sounds the way teenagers think they sound. So it gets a pass because Sideways sounds the way I wish I sounded and escapism is fun so there.

I was cautious when starting Scapegracers because generally the books with likeable queer characters don't advertise it and this book is very "LOOK LESBIAN WITCH" in promotions. Before I continue, I'm not saying cis/het authors shouldn't be allowed to write queer protagonists, but you can tell when a queer-led book has a queer author. Loved Sideways. 11/10 oblivious gay. A queen.

Yeah, so is The Scapegracers a super fantastical story? No. Is it super realistic? Also no. Is it super fun?

Heck. Fricking. Yes.

The Scapegracers by Hannah Abigail Clarke begins when outcast queer witch Sideways Pike finds herself at a party thrown by the most popular girls at her school as the night’s entertainment. Ultimately, her powers trigger something in Jing, Yates and Daisy, connecting the four of them in ways that nobody could have anticipated.

My rating for this book - three out of five stars - ended up being lower than I thought it would be. There were so many things that I loved, things that made me want to rate it so much higher. Like strong girl friendships, girls who would do anything for one another, stereotypes being completely turned on their heads, visceral and raw magic, and the all around intensity of the story. I want to get into these things first before I talk about the things I didn’t enjoy.

First and foremost, I am a sucker for anything with strong female friendships. They are the most important thing on the face of the earth, in my opinion. The Scapegracers is full to the absolute brim with these, starting from the first chapter when the four main characters experience something that forms an instant and powerful bond between them. Second, worldbuilding! The way we learn about how magic works in this world is so good and interesting. There weren’t overly big monologues explaining it which I both loved and hated. Loved because word dumps are the worst. Hated because it made me feel lost at times which was most likely the whole point of it. The reader learns about magic right along with the girls! And the magic is something else completely. I could talk about it forever but I won’t because it’s something that you need to experience first hand. Then there are the stereotypes. Or rather, the lack of. Because this book takes what we know about the popular/mean girls and says “You know what? Fuck that” - almost violently and without hesitation.

This brings me to the two things - yes, only two - that I didn’t like about The Scapegracers which ended up bringing my rating down. Although I loved the way the author wrote the bodily reactions to magic, especially with Sideways in the first couple of chapters, there was something about the prose that was off-putting at times. I found myself skipping over chunks of pages because the internal dialogue or description felt pointless and it kind of threw off the pacing of everything. Hopefully, this is something that will be fixed before publishing because it definitely took away from the story at times. The last thing was the big reveal. I called it almost immediately, in the very first chapter. I wasn’t even a little bit surprised by it. I wish it had been a little less obvious from the beginning.

Overall, I think this book is worth the read. It has everything it promises - badass magic, lesbian witches, and strong female relationships in the shape of a new coven.

I ended up enjoying this book, but I found the beginning quite difficult to get through. I did eventually get invested in the characters, and I enjoyed the ending far more than the beginning.

An outcast witch is bonding with the three most popular girls in high school. They soon discover that magic can be both a good weapon of choice to get revenge on boys.

It’s hard for me to rate this book because I’ve found the all story and the characters very enjoyable and original, but I couldn’t be totally in line with the writing style.

I found it very pleasing to have more and more books that deals with the question of sorority between girls. The parallel with the coven is of course an easy way to talk about it, but I’m a 90’s kid so I’m always in for a good witch story. It’s even more interesting when you bring the topic of diversity. As a lesbian, Sideways is dealing with the reject of the society. As a strong and dark witch, she is the incarnation of what the patriarchal society has build during all the centuries to put women in.

Being an outcast is now a weapon. It’s a tale as old as time, when the reject one has decided to get revenge. But it’s getting more interesting when you put witchcraft in it. But unfortunately, I got lost during the book. I was completely hooked at the beginning: it was dark, a bit scary, gloomy but the plot and especially the pacing got lost in a mountain of slow and detailed monologues.

I enjoyed this book for its characters. Sideways was brilliant, Jin was relatable, and even the side characters such as Sideways’ dad were great. But unfortunately, the writing style was definitely not pleasing for me and it was more and more difficult for me to finish it the last 200 pages (and that’s long).

As a first novel, it’s not bad but it could have been better. The author tried to put everything she likes and loves about her characters, the magic, the relationships in her book and it was too much.

The Scapegracers
There’s so much to like about this book. You have Sideways, a typical teenage girl trying to navigate high school, lesbianism and witchcraft. She felt she was doing alright until she was hired by the school’s “cool clique” to perform magic at their Halloween party.

At this party, she enlists Yates, Jing and Daisy and the mysterious stranger Madeline who happened to be at the party to assist with her sigil.

After their spell works to some extent lots of things become apart: Magic is real, Sideways is going to have a hell of a lot of changes in her life and Jing, Yates and Daisy throw one hell of a party.

The next day two of the girls find Sideways passed out and unable to remember most things from the night before, causing her to spend the day with them retracing steps and cleaning what damage she did at Jing’s House. This is where the friendship begins.

The writer did a good job setting this friendship up. I found it interesting that Sideways was able to find out things from each girl that the other two who would have known them way longer didn’t know. It showed a level of trust they developed in that short space of time. They are all in their own right rough around the edges and soft and sensitive in some aspects. This gives each of them layers of personality which you want from characters in a book.

I liked how accepting they were of Sideways and her magic and the possibility that they, themselves might be magical in their own right.

I don’t know how I feel about the Chantry Boys. I feel like their short lived storyline took away from the overall story and it’s easy to see that all of it is leading up to something greater for future books which can be annoying because you don’t get to fully enjoy the book you’re currently reading. It would be nice to see conflict with them in the next book.

I have one word for Madeline Kline...comeuppance. That’s all I’m going to say about that!

I like how open Sideways is with her dads. It felt a bit unrealistic but at the same time I can see a teenager wanting that kind of relationship with their own parents. I would have loved to see a bit more parental figures on the trio’s part. It felt like they just did whatever they wanted without consequences and that cannot end well.

The Devil truly is in the details and I wish that story line was explored more. It was interesting to see Mr. Scratch try to help out Sideways as much as he did. He’s a funny addition to their little posse. Giving him the last line of the book asking a for clarification on a pumpkin-shaped cupcake reminded of the overall levity of the book.

All in all I enjoyed this book. Parts of it read like a Faberry fanfic and I at times found myself wanting to know if it was but I couldn’t put it down. I cannot help but think there must be a part two There needs to be a part two. I need more of these girls and their lives. I need it! (Shameless plea to the author to keep up the great work).


Would and will recommend to a friend.

3.5
LGBTQ book alert!  What's better than a book about witches?  A book about witches of diverse sexualities!  Thank you to NetGalley and Erewhon for sending me a copy to review.  I thought the pacing was a little off on this one some parts were bang on and had me engaged while other parts I had to trudge through to get to the next good part which was a bit disappointing.  I thought about DNFing this one a couple of times at first I had problems with the file on my reader words were just missing from the middle of the sentence, so I ended up having to read it on my computer which is not my favorite.  So really struggled from the beginning to get into the book I think if it hadn't been for all that it might have been a 4 star for me.  I'm probably going to pick up the next one because I'm invested in if a couple I think is going to happen will happen or not, also the ending was really grabbing. Pick it up on September 15th, 2020!
TW/CW explicit language, assault, violence, underage drinking

Will be cross-posted on Instagram

So first. GR description says 400 pages, but my e-arc only have 289 pages? I would curse so much and thats probably the reason why i dislike this book so much.

The main genre is LGBTQ+ but it just kinda be thr B-Plot for it. All I see is friendship and else. And I expected the romance would be so much in this because Sideways is finding her love interest. BUT NOOOO IT'S KINDA JUST A PINCH OF SALT.

By the way, one thing that I like is it's about witches and coven. I love that one. And honestly this book can be better than what I thought.

Oh, and all you see in the synopsis, is probably the entire book. In my opinion, at least.

Sorry if I sounded so harsh but this book pissed me off.

Thank you so much NetGalley for the e-arc ❤

The Scapegracers is a messy, deliciously grimy novel about witchcraft and finding your girl gang. For anyone who ever wished that The Craft was queer (and didn’t treat magic like a punishment), this is a book for you.

Teenage outcast Sideways Pike is dragged into the friendship group of three of the most popular girls at her high school – Jing, Daisy and Yates – after she performs magic for them at their house party. Magic is something Sideways has been practising for years, as has meeting pretty girls and trying not to have a nosebleed, but this party changes everything.

She meets a pretty girl, Madeline, who actually seems to like her, she finds herself with three new friends and, rather worryingly, discovers that witchhunters are still very much a thing in the 21st century.

Clarke’s writing is stunning and I wanted to take a bite out of it and let it dissolve on my tongue. I’ll admit that there were times when I felt like the writing got in the way of the story ever so slightly, every now and then there’d be a piece of writing that was beautiful but by the time I’d finished reading it I’d forget what the last character to speak had actually said. For the most part, though, this is a novel I found really easy to get through and Clarke’s writing was a delight.

Their real triumph in this novel is Sideways and her new coven. Sideways is so much fun and a far more realistic depiction of what someone who describes herself as a witch in high school would actually be treated like, compared to some of the other self-proclaimed witches we encounter in contemporary YA. The majority of people at her school think she’s weird and tend to stay far away from her, and I loved getting to know her. She’s built up an ‘I don’t care what you think’ wall but, when she befriends Jing, Daisy and Yates, we realise just how desperate for friends she’s been.

Speaking of friends, I love these three so much. I wasn’t sure what to think of them at first and I was slightly nervous Clarke would go down the route of Sideways realising who her real friends are after these popular girls use her and leave her, but that’s not what this story is at all. The Scapegracers completely ignores that tendency storytellers have to make popular girls the enemy and it’s so refreshing.

Yates is adorable and I love Jing, but I think my favourite of the girls might have to be Daisy. She’s intimidating, even threatening, but she will fight literally anyone for her friends and I love characters who love their friends.

The only real reason this novel didn’t quite end up being a 5 star read for me was because I could see where the plot was going from quite early on in the story. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing at all – if you correctly guess where an author’s going, it proves they’ve written their book in a way that you’ve been able to figure it out with them which is great – but it did mean I kept waiting for Sideways to make a realisation that I couldn’t help feeling she should have made quite a while before she did.

That aside, though, this story is a celebration of friendship which is all I want from my witch stories – especially when so many witch stories focus on romantic love rather than platonic love, which I personally find a little boring. I’ll definitely be picking up the next book in this series and I’m looking forward to seeing more of Sideways and her girls!

Perfectly dark and edgy with superb writing. Clarke brought her characters to life in a way that felt unique enough to grab my attention from the first page. I enjoyed The Scapegracers but started to lose interest halfway through, thankfully I was pulled back in and ended up loving it at the end

The chapters are too long, we get thrown in the middle of the action and nothing gets explained. I tried to tell the side characters apart but I just couldn't, and there were confusing signs as to which of them was queer. I feel like this story could've worked with a stronger base, seeing at least two or three chapters of the MC's family and school life before the magic appeared.
Also I'm not really sure how normal people see magic? This girl gets invited to a party to do flashy magic (it was said multiple times, in narration and dialogue, that it was ACTUAL DANGEROUS MAGIC and not some party trick) and succeeds, but then when someone confronts her about it the next day she and her friends insist it was just some trick of the light or something.
Overall it just frustrated it. I didn't understand a thing that was going on, and when I did I didn't care because I didn't recognize the characters. Every time I'd read someone's name it'd be as if I was reading it for the first time. And it's sad because the synopsis sounded right up my alley, but it has a pretty confusing beginning that I'm not willing to get through to get to the juicy bits

I received an advanced copy of The Scapegracers from Netgalley so that I could share my review with you!

Sideways Pike has been a bit of an outsider for nearly her whole life, as both a witch and a lesbian, so she isn’t sure what to expect when she gets asked to come to a Halloween party to do magic. The girls hosting the party are untouchably popular, and have never wanted anything to do with Sideways before now, but they think that she could bring a certain scare factor to their party that will keep people talking for months. When she gives the party girls a taste of her magic, a bond is formed between them, and soon they become a coven of their own. Things aren’t always easy for aspiring witches, however, and many forces seem to be out to steal their magic. The girls will need to stick together to survive the challenges in their path, but with their power and their spell book, the Scapegracers just might conquer the town!

You can get your copy of The Scapegracers on September 15th from Erewhon Books!

Though The Scapegracers is a longer book, I absolutely flew through it, because I couldn’t resist the story or the characters! This is Hannah Abigail Clarke’s debut novel, and I already am certain that they are an author I will need to watch in the future. The plot and style of magic left me desperate for more, and I cannot wait to read the follow up to The Scapegracers! This book is easily one of my top reads for the year, primarily because of the easily flowing writing style, and the irresistible interactions between the characters!

My Recommendation-
If you’ve been searching for a witchy read to spice up your reading, The Scapegracers is my number one recommendation! If you love books by Rin Chupeco, M K England, or Maggie Stiefvater, The Scapegracers should definitely be on your tbr!

While The Scapegracers has many merits I couldn't quite get into it. The magic was interesting and the characters were unique but the reading experience wasn't great.

The writing didn't really mesh well with me. It had an odd stuttering rhythm and seemed a bit dense and repetitive. Nothing inherently wrong with that it just wasn't for me.

Dnf @30%

This was so good! Like, does it have flaws? Was there repetitive word choice and a loose plot? Yeah, but I couldn't care yes. The characters are vivid and messy and FUN, the magic is painful and mysterious and angry, and it's filled to the brim with queer girls.

I feel like I want to describe this book by riffing on how Maggie Stiefvater describes her Raven Cycle books—Outcast girls! Scared girls! Angry Girls! Powerful girls! Collect them all! Hannah Abigail Clarke said "weird, angry high school girls are cool and valid" and then ran with that!

The writing was sometimes clunky; my one critique is just that it could use more editing, more polishing. But it was also beautiful, funny, relatable, and intense. For me, this book was just crammed full of deep friendship and righteous rage, and I've never read anything like it.