I really looked forward to reading this witchy novel. While I enjoyed the friendships between the women introduced here, I felt there was something missing. The ancient evil witch hunter was a nice touch as well. I was able to envision several aspects of the story, and I enjoy being able to do this when author's leave room for the reader's imagination.

Thank you, Netgalley, for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for a free and unbiased review.

VenCo, a front corporation for a CoVen (get it?) is a really fun gynergetic fantasy of what it would take to overwhelm the patriarchy and restore women to power.

Do you need something else to get one for this hijacked-by-jesus (who has a sly off-kilter cameo) sacred solstice holiday?

How about this: Lucky, our PoV character, is at a low ebb when we meet her...she's been struggling along, caring for her dementia-ridden paternal grandmother, scraping the money to survive, and now...the capitalist axe comes down, they're losing their home. Relatable, if in a grim way, to most all of us in or after middle age. Plot twist: It's now that Lucky discovers she's a witch, and the coven that's forming needs her...but not in Toronto, in New Orleans. The coven is forming to bring the world that Lucky's been angry with for most of her life, patriarchal racist exploitive horror that it is, to an end. She's got to assist the assembled women...including transfem Freya, explicitly accepted as a woman...in locating and assembling the spoons that'll generate the power they need to accomplish the task.

There are lots of names that don't always have solid characters attached, there is a notable holeyness to the plot, there is a powerful aura of wish fulfillment here. There is also an even-handed treatment of adversarial relationships. There is a demonization of Patriarchy, it's true, but not (to my surprise) of men.

The reason I gave it four stars is that this story was just plain fun to read. I wish it had been a wee tiny tidge tighter of plot. I'm not going to hold it up as a best of my reading year book. But I loved feeling so at home with Lucky, her deeply stressful life, and her middlescent discovery of her powers and her purpose. I thoroughly agree, in 2024, with the need to smash the Patriarchy and all its boosters and adherents. I was deeply gruntled by the transfem Freya simply...being...unremarkably one of the coven.

If you're going to be among the unenlightened, even the benighted, this coming Yule, bring this on your Kindle. You'll have an escape into a much nicer version of the world at hand, and a little spirit boost as the impending events of 2025 loom ever larger.

Cherie Dimaline’s VenCo is a spellbinding journey into a world where magic, mystery, and the resilience of women converge. Lucky St. James, a struggling Métis millennial, discovers a mysterious spoon that pulls her into a secret network of witches preparing to reclaim their power. With her feisty grandmother Stella by her side, Lucky embarks on a perilous road trip to New Orleans, chased by a relentless witch-hunter. Bursting with adventure, feminist energy, and dark humor, VenCo masterfully blends history, mythology, and Americana into a captivating tale of self-discovery and the enduring strength of chosen families. An absolute must-read! I had so much fun reading this novel.

If you want a good, witchy book about women and their strengths, this is it. If you want a villain you can really, truly despise, again, this is it. I've already recommended it to tons of people, and will continue to do so.

I hope the author writes more in this universe, because I would love to read more about all of the characters.

I love a story about a coven of witches but there was just something about this book that fell really flat for me. I wanted more? Or maybe less of what I was given? I'm not sure what it was but... man it didn't work.

A coven of witches bound together by magical spoons? Honestly say no more.

This book was exactly what I had hoped some other recent witchy books would be. There was so much diversity and representation in this book, not to include the female rage aspects that actually made sense. The book transported me straight into the pages and I was shocked to realize the world around me was still normal and mundane when I was brought back to the present.

This was not a perfect book, I did have problems with some characters and plot points, but this was certainly a fun time! I will be on the lookout for what this author writes next.

I decided to give this title a try, even though I don't read much fantasy, because I've heard such great things about this author's earlier works. Plus, I tend to enjoy a magical element in stories and thought a witch-y adventure story sounded fun. I liked the main character, Lucky, and her grandmother, Stella, and enjoyed the backstories for the women who they meet after Lucky is invited to join VenCo (aka a modern day coven).

While I don't mind a deliberately paced story, I think I was expecting something a little more action-packed, especially when Lucky and Stella embarked on their quest to find the missing spoon they need to join forces with the other VenCo members. I did wonder why at least one of the other VenCo members didn't tag along (maybe I missed the explanation) and thought that might have added an interesting angle to the road trip. To me, it read somewhat like a YA novel (or maybe a New Adult novel?), but it wasn't marketed as such. Maybe it was the fact that Lucky was young (and maybe closer to a Zoomer than a Millennial?)? Maybe it was the salty talk? I'm not normally bothered by salty talk, but I found it distracting at times and wondered if it might turn off other readers who might feel differently about the use of salty talk. I noticed it more in the earlier section of the book, so maybe it was just me being distracted as I read. I can't quite put my finger on it. Regardless, I did enjoy reading something a little different than I normally read and am glad to have finally had a chance to read this author's work.

Many thanks to William Morrow and the Book Club Girl Early Read program for providing a NetGalley copy of this novel! I always enjoy getting a chance to read a new-to-me author and now look forward to checking out some of this author's backlist.

A diverse group of modern witches must unite to find their seventh member before facing perilous threats in this captivating tale.

Lucky St. James, a young woman with a turbulent past, discovers a mysterious spoon that marks her as the penultimate member of a contemporary coven. Alongside her spirited grandmother, Stella, Lucky joins a diverse group of witches, each with their own unique background and struggles. Together, they embark on a quest to find the elusive seventh member, all while being pursued by a ruthless witch-hunter.

Dimaline's narrative is a propulsive journey filled with vivid detail and engaging characters. While the portrayal of gender roles may lean toward stark contrasts, the genuine affection for the irreverent witches shines through. With themes of family and empowerment, this novel offers a fast-paced and charming read that will leave readers eagerly turning pages until the very end.

Fully convinced Cherie Dimaline could publish a grocery list and I would thoroughly enjoy it. I loved this story involving witches and witch hunters! Great plot and characters.

Thank you to netgalley for providing an e-galley for review. This was a fun and exciting read. A group of witches has limited time to find each other to form a coven. The witches find Salem spoons to fully awaken their powers. While the witches are finding each other, a witch hunter is also on their trail, picking off older witches, trying to keep them from forming the coven. Witches from Salem to modern day

I loved following Lucky and her grandmother on their adventure, meeting so many interesting people and exploring such a wealth of history and magic. While the story was slow at times, the focus really lies with the characters and exploring the rich diversity of magical beliefs; each culture has their own structure and we get a taste of that through just a handful of characters.

This book has a promising premise, but it doesn't live up to it in the actual telling of the story. I kept with it, but it didn't keep my interest. It just wasn't the right book for me.

3.5 stars

Cherie Dimaline's latest novel is, for the most part, a fun, witchy tale of female empowerment and found family. But I only liked "VenCo" part of the time. Other times I didn't.

The story most held my interest when Lucky and Stella were with the coven. I enjoyed the backstories of the witches, as well as the interactions between the women. But when they split up to allow Lucky to go on her quest, my attention waned, and it just didn't make sense that the coven would allow Lucky to take up the task alone. Had the women stuck together throughout the story, it would've been a much stronger novel.

It's clear from the way Dimaline wraps up the book that there is more to come from the witches, as their work is far from over. I haven't decided whether I'll be back for the next installment or not -- it'll all depend whether the continuing story piques my interest.


My sincerest appreciation to Cherie Dimaline, William Morrow, and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All thoughts and opinions herein are my own.

I wish I could say I enjoyed my time reading this book but I would be lying.

I LOVED The Marrow Thieves by this author and was so excited to read a queer fantasy about a coven of diverse witches, an indigenous MC, and an important quest that takes us through Salem and New Orleans. Unfortunately I found it to be a slog. So much was happening but at the same time nothing was happening?? I was overwhelmed at times but but also bored - which isn't a combo I find in books very often.

I finished the book thinking that the author kind of chose the wrong part of the story to publish. This entire storyline is about the coven of witches finding each other and becoming an official coven. I think this was important context for the author to have in order to understand the characters fully, but I think if Dimaline had written about adventures the witches took after they became a coven it would've been much more interesting.

I will not venture to say that this book was bad (it wasn't - the writing flowed fine, the dialogue felt natural for the most part, everything made sense by the end), but it just didn't capture my attention.


*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review*

I've waited and waited to post this review because I reallyyyy wanted to like this eventually. I've finally decided that there is no hope for me and this book. The entire premise was so interesting to me. Witches operating in every day life plus a spontaneous road trip with a wacky grandma? Sounds like so much fun! But it was so so boring. The plot was lost underneath way too much writing and things that didn't matter. After sifting through all the information, I wasn't interested and was totally bored. By the time the plot picked up, the story had already lost me.... but i stuck with it. THEN the ending was so disappointing.

All in all, the bones were good but as is, I can't recommend.

There was so much potential here, but ultimately I think it tried to fit too much into a short page count so never felt more than surface level. While that’s not necessarily a bad thing, it wasn’t what I was in the mood for, so it was a bit of a letdown.

VenCo follows a coven of witches who need to find all of their members and unite in order to defeat the big bad patriarchy, in this case personified by Jay Christos. The main POV character is Lucky St. James, a Métis millennial down on her luck and trying to take care of her grandmother who seems to have dementia. I liked Lucky and Stella, and I really liked watching their relationship. I also appreciated hearing the backstories of the other coven members and how inclusive the coven was both in terms of race and trans femmes.

That being said, I am hit or miss on quest narratives in general and I think trying to incorporate all the stages of this quest and the backstories of every member of the coven made it hard to feel fully invested in any of the story. I wish Dimaline had fleshed out those elements and slowed the pace down, but I respect that that’s not the story she wanted to tell.

Overall, I thought this was a fun, witchy read that gives me the same vibes as Her Majesty's Royal Coven though I haven’t yet read that so I could be way off base.

An incredibly original concept and fascinating world-building; certainly a take on witches and witch hunters that feels fresh! While it takes a while to get its feet under it. VenCo is a wonderful novel that begs to be turned into a series.

I liked but didn't love this. I love the found family element and loved learning about the different witches. Honestly I wanted more time with the whole coven versus just with Lucky. I like Lucky, but I'm a character driven reader and really thrive on character interactions and there was so much time of Lucky & Stella on the road. The storytelling spends a lot of time building up the world and lots of descriptions of settings that I just wasn't that interested in. I wanted more coven interactions and found family goodness personally. But if you thrive on a quest or journey novel, this could totally be your thing. This felt slow to get going, but once we got going with the coven part I rather enjoyed this. I liked the overt feminist themes, it wasn't soft or particularly nuanced with it's theming, but sometimes it's fun having a more straightforward story. This does end in satisfying way though, it has the catharsis and wins you want/hope for. The ending of this also made it feel like the story could continue. Not in a' this story wasn't wrapped up' way, just in a 'this feels like a beginning of bigger story potentially' way. I think I would continue assuming it focuses on the whole coven not just Lucky. Lucky is easy to root for though, she is determined and resourceful and a bit snarky, and really loves and cares for her grandma Stella in a complicated way, which is sweet and relatable. This is a good book it just didn't 100% hit the mark for me personally, but I'd still recommend if it interests you.

While I was intrigued by the premise of this book, ultimately it wasn't for me. I tried to read it in print and listen on audio. I found the pace too slow and I didn't connect with any character. I lost interest at about 45% in and DNF'd.

I tried to read and finish this several times and in several formats, but I did not enjoy the story or pacing. I don't think the book is lacking, but I was not in the mood for the story.