I've had the pleasure of reading this book not just once, but twice, and both times I found myself completely engrossed in the story. What really stood out to me was the portrayal of the mature heroine who embarks on a journey of self-discovery to aid those she cares about most. It's so refreshing to see a character who's not afraid to embrace her own growth and transformation, especially later in life. This book really drives home the message that it's never too late to find yourself and make a difference in the lives of those around you.

The world-building in this book is absolutely top-notch. From the vivid descriptions to the intricate details, I was completely immersed in the richly imagined setting. It's clear that the author has put a lot of thought and care into crafting this world, and it definitely paid off. I can't wait to dive back into it and explore even more in future books in the series. If they're anything like this one, I know I'm in for a real treat!

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher/author for providing me with an ALC in exchange for my honest review.

OMG!!! This book was exactly what I wanted it to be! I loved it. I will make sure to check out other books by this author. When I requested this I was just intrigued by the concept of it and I loved how it turned out. This story had a great plot and if you have read this and enjoyed it, This was so much. It was such a great story. I would say give this one a try. I will continue to follow this author. Way to go to this author for not letting me down.

I highly enjoyed the narrator of the audiobook. Kept me listening.

If I'd written this review before I finished the entire series it would probably be a bit different than the review I'm writing now. I really enjoy books where the protagonist is a woman in middle to old ages, as we tend to become invisible as we age. From that perspective I really enjoyed Claire taking control of her own narrative, but the post-fight scenes where she popped right back to normal felt even more unrealistic than they are in urban fantasy with younger protagonists. I wish the author had figured out a way to make her a badass while still acknowledging the impact age has on the body. I don't want my older protagonists to be Mary Sues any more than I want that for younger protagonists.

Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC. This is my honest review.
I am all for books with magic and shapeshifters. I was not expecting our main character to be 60 years of age but I was against reading this book when I found out. This is something different than what I normally do. I read this book within a day and was excited that it was exactly what I was looking for. I recommend this book to those who want a different type of Chosen One storyline. It was super fun and lovely.

I thought it was fun and whimsical. The characters are relatable and this plot was hilarious and entertaining. I can't get enough of this series. It's addictive.

This novel was completely charming and the author's character development skills was on point, a true pleasure to read.

Becoming Crone is the first book in The Crone Wars series by Lydia M. Hawke. She's unabashedly gray and destined to save the world. Meet Claire. On her 60th birthday, she got a cranky gargoyle, an overprotective wolf-shifter, and a magical calling she never saw coming. It’s not quite the retirement plan she had in mind!

Becoming Crone is a good start to an urban fantasy series, and I really enjoyed the read. I liked Claire, who is struggling with a fairly resent divorce and what life might look like now that she does not really feel needed and has spent her whole life following the rules set on her by others and society. I thought her thoughts and concerns were very realistic, and I liked that readers get to learn all about the magic and legends of her world right along side her. I also liked getting to have a more mature heroine as the main character of the story, but I have to admit it bothered me more than a little when everyone (including Claire herself) kept referring to her as so old. Sixty is older than the typical chosen one we get to read about, but sixty is not decrepit. I am still a bit away from it, but I still think of sixty as older, but not old. Although, that was really my only sticking point with this book. I really enjoyed the read and will be keeping an eye out for the rest of the series.

Becoming Crone is an engaging and enjoyable urban fantasy read.

A fantastic tale of Paranormal Urban Fantasy with a touch of romance, featuring REAL women who aren't air headed 20-somethings. LOVE IT!!

🌟🌟🌟🌟
📚 - Adult Fantasy / Mythology / Urban Fantasy
📖 - 260 pages
I really enjoyed this book. I thought that the writing was funny and witty, and I think the main character is so relatable! And how often do you see MCs that are in their 60s?! You're never too old to figure out who you are and what you want to be.

The writing was clear and easy and this was a fun afternoon read. Will definitely be finishing the series.

Thank you to the publisher, IBPA, for providing me with an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review!

I'm so glad I came across this book. I've read plenty books about discovering you have magical powers, but having the protagonist be a 60-year-old woman is a great concept and very well-done. The world building and characters make this a really fun read.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to review this ARC. As someone entering middle age, I am excited to read this series debut about Claire, a 60-year-old woman coping with a divorce and aging and an intrusive daughter-in-law, all while trying to figure out whether her life has purpose. That is, until her grandchild gives her a pendant for her birthday that she can use as a magnifying glass. Actually magical, the pendant opens up a whole new world for meek Claire, who is destined to be not so meek after all. I enjoyed the cozy elements, the blend of folklore and magic, and especially the characters!

It's a good start for a new urban fantasy series and I loved the heroine who's over 50
I found it entertaining and well plotted. Want to read the next book.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

This book has everything it needs to make a great story but unfortunately it fell flat for me. The main character has just turned 60 and seems to come into magical power. Instead of rejecting her whole boring doormat life she wants to reject the new magic. She argues with everyone and complains about her age and body shape. She never can seem to get reading glasses to learn her new magic and just nothing ever goes right for her. She’s endangering her family, all because she doesn’t put much effort into learning about her new abilities. When her magic does work, it through no effort of her own. There were several issues the author brought up a lot , like garden gnomes and crows that weren’t really essential to the story. This could have been so good but it felt phoned in. I will not be reading another book if there is another in this series. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This novel is so charming and I love the author's character development skills, a true pleasure to read.

I wanted to love this book. It has everything I love. The magical world building and characters. And the most perfect thing is the main character is 60. Claire has been through a lot lately. As she has a birthday, she wonders if she will be alone the rest of her life and also thinks about her life. Then magick happens. Seems like I got to the halfway point quickly, yet nothing had really much happened. Mostly, the whole book is her whining and refusing to cooperate with everyone she has met in the new world. She insists on going back to her house. Well, just stay plain and boring and a mouse that lets people run over you. She even endangers the wolf shifter’s life. But no, she still doesn’t want to practice magic. And always when you are getting answers, it’s all shut down because no one will answer each other’s questions. It’s like pulling teeth out of a chicken. I may try the next one but for now I have lost patients.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this read.

Oooh! A heroine who is older and a power that only comes to you when you get older- I have been waiting for this book and it was a joy to read. This book is pretty much setup for the "Crone Wars" that are coming but as a "coming of age" book for a 60 year old woman, it is tops. I can't wait to read the next books in the series!

So happy to read a book with a feisty, unlikely heroine who is 60.! She has her doubts and fears, but ultimately pulls herself together to embrace her power.

Can't wait to read the next in this series.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this in exchange for my honest review.

Claire Emerson has lived an ordinary life. She married, had her son Paul, raised him, was cheated on by her husband, and is now a divorced grandmother. When she turns 60, she realises she needs a purpose, but the last thing she expected was for that purpose to be magick.

Becoming Crone is a Chosen One/Hero’s Journey Fantasy with a menopausal grandmother as the hero. Claire has no idea about her destiny, until crows arrive outside her house on the morning of her 60th birthday, and her grandson gives her a special pendant as a birthday present. But when she discovers a mysterious gate, leading to a house in the woods, she’s met by gargoyle Keven and wolf shifter Lucan, and discovers she really was supposed to have years of training under her belt before it got to that point.

With a lot of books, I find it’s the characters who can really make or break the reading experience. These ones definitely made it. This really feels like a coming-of-age novel, as Claire becomes more sure of herself and cares less about more mundane things as the novel goes on.

Although all Claire wants is to go home to her cat and family at first, she soon realises the danger she and her family are in, thanks to the Mages who are lurking around, desperately trying to get their hands on the pendant. She’s driven on by a desire to protect her loved ones, even if she doesn’t fully understand the situation.

It’s clear Hawke has crafted a whole life for Claire before we get to the start of the novel, and it shows from the first page. Claire is still trying to work through her emotions from the divorce, she finds her daughter-in-law a bit overbearing, dislikes her friend’s husband, and is close friends with her next-door neighbour. She reads as an older woman facing huge changes in her life, and she adores her grandson, even when he steals all her reading glasses.

There’s also Keven, the grouchy gargoyle who guards the house and sets about to train Lydia. Keven reads as a character who has put up with a lot, but is determined to complete tasks dutifully. Lucan is a wolf shifter, who serves as guardians to the crones. Between them, they quickly realise they have their work cut out for them when it comes to Claire, but it’s clear they truly care for her, too.

Hawke weaves in the fantasy tropes really well – there’s a nice amount of the things you usually see in YA, but transported to older character in a way that feels natural. Claire is still finding herself; she’s missed out on a lifetime of training; she’s looking for something outside her normal, everyday life. But she’s a character who has lived a life, who has a son, daughter-in-law and grandson to protect, and although her age never becomes an issue, there are moments where it does get in the way (as an example, she can’t read an important book because she’s left her reading glasses at home).

Claire really does make for a wonderful MC, and this story was an absolute joy to read. One of those times where you read the first book in the series and end up so very glad it is a series and you now have more to read.

Thank you to Michem Publishing for providing me this arc via NetGalley. Views remain my own.

What a wonderful start to a series! And a "chosen one" who isn't 16! Claire was a wonderful MC, even if some of her choices were questionable. The plot was great, and I liked the world building and the magical realism side of things. The side characters were fun and amusing, and I love the house, it sounds so charming both inside and out. Plus...it's bigger on the inside! Loved the Doctor Who reference. Overall, I loved this book, and can't wait to read more in the series!

Becoming Crone,
The Crone Wars Series Book One,
Lydia M. Hawke



Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre: Humour, Sci-fi and Fantasy, women's fiction


And yep, that outdated category once more. Its 2020, not 1820! men write romance, men read romance.....
I'm 60, I so wanted to love this story. There are so few older female leads, we just get left behind when we're really full of life. I liked it – a lot, I just didn't love it.
Claire is a great lead, but at times a bit too TSRL. She makes decisions because thats whats needed for the plot but in reality I don't think she would have take that path. There are a few times when her actions are either out of character or she's more stupid than I thought.....
I love the mix of magics, the house is wonderful ( in my heart I want that house!). And the gnomes, vicious little things but they made me laugh. I hate gnomes, and when I bought my last house there were loads of the little evil things lined up round the pond. A few drowned, a few got “accidentally” knocked over while grass cutting and I may have thrown the dog's ball at them a couple of times....

Its a decent start to a series, first books in a series have a hard task, but I did struggle to keep interested a few times. Hopefully as the series continues I'll get more invested. There's enough there for me to want to read the next book and see how that develops.

Stars: Three, a great premise but I struggled at times to keep interested.

ARC supplied by Netgalley and publishers