Slow paced coming of age story about family and magic. Would be very well suited for YA audience. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance reader copy.

Unfortunately I have to DNF this book as what I’ve read just doesn’t seem like I’m going to enjoy this. Hoping to give this another chance once it’s been fully published as the parts of this story I did read felt really choppy and disconnected. I found the parts I did read really confusing and hard to follow and I don’t know if that’s because it’s not been edited yet or not. Will definitely try this again once it’s been fully published and edited.

The first part of the book drags...it really should be edited down because the elements to set the second half in motion didn't need the build up. Which is where the story suffers, unfortunately. I could see where the Practical Magic influences are but there should be way less telling, more showing and far far less eye rolling. It's a cosy, witchy story for sure but not very compelling.

WHAT WE SACRIFICE FOR MAGIC by Andrea Jo DeWerd

This coming of age story explores the need for independence and individuality conflicting with the responsibilities of upholding familial obligations.

I loved the magical realism/world building. The magic and spells were not over done or too “woo woo”. I especially enjoyed the setting of 1968 Minnesota and the German/Dutch folklore (chants and spells) included throughout the story.

I also liked how *most* of the townspeople were open to the Watry family’s magical services and mutually benefited from it. It’s a nice change of pace from other novels where everyone hates the “scary” witches.

While pacing was a bit slow, overall this is a wonderful debut novel of love, sisterhood and family, free will, and individuality. I look forward to reading more from Andrea Jo DeWard in the future.


Rating: 4/5 ⭐️

Really sweet, cozy witch story. I would say it is more YA than anything. I enjoyed it and found its descriptive nature to be just perfect for autumn.

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

10 pages in but I can already tell it’s not going to be for me. It’s very telling over showing and the writing feels choppy, disconnected. We get a paragraph about Elizabeth making out with her bf and then the next one is info dumping about her family and their magic business?! Weird choice….

Based on other reviews, it seems to stay slow paced for the most part with pacing issues and continues with telling over showing. Also the narration style feels very YA when this is an adult book (I love YA but if I’m reading and adult book I expect an adult voice).

On paper this is the perfect book for me but in execution it’s severely lacking. If majority of the reviews mention things I know I don’t like I’m not going to force myself to continue especially if even the readers who pushed through say it’s meh or average, not worth the reading slump for me. Hopefully others will enjoy it more!

I'm sad to say this book really wasn't for me.

The first problem I had with this book from the start was that it repetitively decided to tell me 1968 instead of showing me. And from there I think it was downhill for me. I went in thinking this would be cool historical fantasy book with witches and magic, and I really had high hopes for the magic part. I did dnf this about 23 % in so I cannot be sure about the later pages, but what I read the magic was just really basic and there wasn't anything magical in it.

The book is basically for what I can tell a coming of age story, where a 18-year old Elizabeth is supposed to be her family's next matriarch and her grandmother (this really strict lady who is basically "the man" of the house) is teaching her everything she needs to know to achieve this role later. Elizabeth is supposed to marry her highschool boyfriend, start a family and be in the leading position in their family (magic)business. But she is jealous of her little sister who doesn't have to do all that and basically can do what she wants.

The second huge problem for me in this book was that it reads very young and ya. Based on the genres I was hoping for more mature narration and I think this kinda threw me off as well. The book was also in my opinion very boring and nothing major that would start the story properly happens in the first 23% I managed to read.

I'm super sad I didn't enjoy this book because based on the premise I thought I would really love it.

An interesting concept for a book--a family of witches helps a rural farming community, becoming revered but still seen as suspicious. The focus of the book is on the eldest daughter, Elisabeth, as she turns 18 and is poised to take over the reins from her grandmother, but it's the late 1960s and she decides to rebel against the course set for her life since childhood. I found Elisabeth rather tiresome and not very likeable, and honestly, only a couple of the characters were likeable. There was also a lot of repetition on what Elisabeth thought that got old. Overall, it was an interesting story, but one I know will not stick with me.

Thanks to Netgalley and Alcove Press for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

What We Sacrifice For Magic couldn't be a more perfect name for this magical coming of age novel. A commentary on familial obligation and self-discovery. It's time for Elisabeth to step up and take over as the lead witch in the family, but she fears she will have to give up her chances of ever being in love if she does. She believes that being the matriarch will bind her heart to her magic and leave no room for romance. Does she stay with her family and choose magic, or does she flee and choose herself over everything else? With a family show down of epic proportions Elisabeth worries that she has ruined her family's reputation and set into motion the unravelling of everything they have worked so hard for.

A great read for fans of Practical Magic and the soon to be released Strange Folk.

Remember that this is set in the 1960s and that Elisabeth is only 18. This is a coming of age story that might resonate more with the YA/NA crowd (or, admittedly with those who remember life in a small town in the 1960s). The witchy element is gentle- these aren't scary witches, they are helpful ones, Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Not a lot happens but it's a good read for a lazy day.

4/5!

What can i say …. I love me a witchy cozy read that also had a bit of action in it??

I loved how at first, it’s a “low-stakes-y” vibe where we are just following a family of witches who takes care of their small town Minnesota by suppling water charms for the drought and love charms for the high school girls. But, slowly, things don’t make sense to our MC, Elisabeth and uncovers the truth about her family and flees!

There were some moments where Elisabeth makes questionable decisions, making her unlikeable at times, but at the same time it’s what made her character seem so real!

Thank you to NetGalley & Alcove Press for allowing me to read this arc!

A witchy coming-of-age novel set in the 1960s? Sign. Me. Up. This debut by Andrea Jo DeWerd is charming, heartwarming and magical. The Watry-Ridder family are infamous in the small town of Friedrich, Minnesota. Farmers seek their water charms and teenagers plump for love spells, and the Watry-Ridder’s charms and spells have long served Friedrich. Eldest daughter Elisabeth is on the cusp of graduating high school and her grandmother Magda expects her to marry her ‘high school sweetheart’ and take over the family ‘business’. Soon, Elisabeth discovers that magic isn’t all she’s inherited: the more she digs, the less she understands.

I really enjoyed dipping into the world of Elisabeth Watry-Ridder this autumn. What We Sacrifice for Magic is the perfect pre-fall read! Elisabeth is a likeable heroine and I appreciated a warm, witty and realistic representation of an eldest daughter. Living up to familial expectations is a big theme in this novel, and it made a fantasy story feel real and human. Of course there’s plenty of self-discovery here and a splash of romance along the way: I’d say the romance is a bonus not a key theme, which I personally do prefer. Magda, the matriarchal grandmother, is beautifully realised and wonderfully unlikeable. I found this to be a balanced, fun and warming little fantasy that I’d easily recommend for a cosy and autumnal, spooky season read.

This book is exactly as promised, a charming witchy book with romance elements.

Things I loved:
The sisters! Their relationship felt very genuine and deep, with each eventually coming to an understanding.
The time period! It very much felt like I was in the 1960s with the language and the challenges the characters had to face.

I didn't really understand the romance. It felt very fleeting and unlikely to survive long term.

Overall, this is a very charming book and I highly recommend it for any lovers of cosy fantasy, historical fiction or readers in general.

This book is perfect for those who love a witchy vibe but with the lazy heat of summer instead of the crispness of spooky fall. At its heart What We Sacrifice For Magic is a tale of finding yourself and the bonds between generations of women and sisterhood. Plus the small Minnesotan town is as much a character and the Wattry-Ridder girls themselves, as it is infused in the feel and pacing of the novel.

* Thank you NetGalley and Alcove Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*

3 Stars. Felt "Meh"

This book may be listed as being in the wrong genera of adult historical fiction fantasy. This book reads more as Young adult due to the main character being newly 18 graduating from High School and trying to figure out who she is and what she wants in the future.

This is a coming of age book with family magic passed down the mothers side of the family following the females and the dark secret of what the price of this magic is.

To be completely honest this is just one of those books that made me feel "meh" the whole time and almost DNFed a few times due to how little happened. There were maybe 3 big events that happened but the rest was just a typical contemporary book following a teenager trying to figure out her life and own self away from the pressures of her small town and family that has her whole future planned out for her. Almost as if this was Practical Magic set at the pace of the sinking Titanic, lots of everyday life until few moments require magic.

Some other readers may love this. I just tend to like books with more risk and character growth.

Not bad just not my cup of tea.

I DNFed this book. The premise sounded fascinating but I got approximately 60 pages into the novel when I couldn't get any farther. I stopped reading and didn't reach for it again. Two stars because it was a great idea for a book.

The description had me excited and I am sure it had the potential to be amazing, but the writing style made this a very difficult read for me. The story felt choppy, lacking the natural flow I like in the books I read, which made it a chore to keep up with the story. I also wasn’t able to connect with the characters, which didn’t help my reading experience. Although I try not to, especially for ARCs, this was a DNF. This may be a great book for someone, but it was not the book for me.

3.5 ⭐️ The magic of sisterhood prevails in this coming of age book. The magic system is unique and the romance is budding.

Thank you to NetGalley for the e-read advanced copy.

This story follows Elisabeth, and is set in late 1960’s America. Elisabeth lives with her sister, parents and grandmother in the family house, where the women of the family have, for many years, provided a magical service for the town.

Elisabeth seems to have everything planned out for her, from the man she will marry to the fact that she - not her sister Mary - will take over the family business in the not too distant future. Despite this being an eventuality that everyone seems to have been working towards for years, Elisabeth decides to rebel - regardless of the consequences.

I found this to be an enjoyable read, however I didn’t really gel with the narrator so didn’t have much empathy. I also found it confusing that she suddenly decided to rebel against her destiny, and start asking questions about the family history, so randomly. There are definite Practical Magic vibes about this, so I would recommend it for fans of that.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book.

The comparisons to Practical Magic are apt, and I think if you go in looking for that vibe but adjust your expectations (there is, after all, only one Alice Hoffman!) you will not be disappointed! This is a story about witchy ancestral magic, handed down from mother to daughter for generations, but rather than New England, we get 1960s Minnesota for a setting. I loved it!
The main character, Elisabeth, has known her whole life that she was destined to be bound to her grandmother’s cedar chest and the magical secrets it holds. However, she is burdened by the knowledge that in the binding, she will lose her ability to love, because her heart will be consumed by the magic that keeps their town prosperous and productive. She longs to know what it would be like to have choices.
I thought What We Sacrifice for Magic was haunting and beautifully written. I began to wonder towards the end if a satisfactory conclusion was even possible. Guess what? It is! The ending was poignant, answering every question I had remaining with just enough mystery to keep me thinking about the possibilities for Elizabeth and her family.
This book is perfect for fall, and especially for fans of witchy fiction and magical realism.