I read "A Circle of Uncommon Witches" by Paige Crutcher on NetGalley. Doreen MacKinnon is a witch, from a long line of witches, who wants to find true love. But her family has been cursed and can not find love. Doreen frees Ambrose MacDonald, who has been held for centuries by her family. He was the one who placed the curse. Together they must learn to trust each other to free themselves. I enjoyed reading this book!

First, thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC and to read this book early.

I was so, SO pumped to read this book. I've been in a witchy mood, I've been deeply interested in women's centric stories (female friendship and familial relationships) and, of course, I love myself some romantasy. Throwing a little enemies to lovers and this was checking all the boxes for me.

Something about the execution, however was just not working for me for a number of reasons - so much so that I ended up DNFing the book. First, I felt the story was all over the place. We were thrust right into the story from the first page and the reader was expected to play a lot of catch-up (felt almost like this was a sequel and I was supposed to have some sort of understanding of this world I didn't possess). Now normally that is fine with me; I like when an author expects their audience to put in a little bit of work but there is always an assumption from the reader that things will get clairifed as the story progresses. There was none of that here. Because the plot felt disjointed from the start, the pacing of the story just felt off and I could never truly immerse myself in this world.

I, again, want to reiterate that I liked the premise of this book. A cursed family of witches? Doreen being the strongest must break the curse? A family that keeps secrets? A magical game/quest? This story has the opportunity to be so, so great and original - I just think the execution needed some help. I look forward to reading this book in its published form with the hope that some of the above critiques were addressed!

3.5 ⭐️
2 ❤️‍🔥

The teaser for this book sounded so exciting. I was thrilled when I received an eArc for it. A lot of information is dumped on you from the beginning without much context. I didn't feel I understood completely what was going on for quite some time, and I didn't understand the motivations for the way the aunts acted. But the adventure began once we got past this initial moment of being lost in the fog. I really enjoyed the magic used by Doreen and the way she could do things and learn throughout the book. I enjoyed how all the plotlines came together. I wish the book had been a bit longer so certain aspects could have been better detailed and worked toward building a more believable love story between Ambrose and Doreen. And I felt there was some unfinished business. It was an enjoyable read with a lot of history, magic, and some romance.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eArc.

For the MacKinnon family, the penalty for love is a curse that will shatter generations and allow the mostly female line to never know true love and to instead live half lives. For the MacDonald family who placed the curse while reeling from his lost love, the penalty is being trapped in another curse. So much heartbreak and pain should not be the result of love, even love betrayed. Doreen MacKinnon, the 13th generation of this cursed line, refuses to settle and as one of the strongest witches she decides to instead fight. She is a tough woman to take on the challenge of freeing a man destined to hate you but I enjoyed watching him return the favor. Like Doreen, the truth of Ambrose's plight surprised me as well. It was cruel and while the curse he placed was as well, his suffering was different. The book takes these 2 enemies on a journey to free both but leads to so much more. This book was different for me as it was a bit of an epic love story wrapped in magic. Our FMC and MMC must decide what they are willing to risk to break the curse and change the course of their lives. Through the book, loyalties are tested and we learn that not everyone in her family shares her strength to try to break the curse. Doreen truly felt like she lost so much, giving up boys/men she cared for, watching her cousin settle, not being part of the town and facing off against her family. A weaker woman couldn't have done but so it was good to see her strength rewarded with a man capable of loving her as she deserved. We also got a satisfying end to the family drama, family is most important so it would have hurt had that not been resolved. Overall, I would give this book 3.5 to 3.75 stars.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin for the opportunity to read this ARC.

2.5 ☆

i wanted to like this cause i always love the idea of a witchy book, but it really didn’t end up working for me. the plot and romance moved so fast, to the point where it became disorienting. i imagine this was supposed to be some sort of magical love story but Doreen and Ambrose didn’t have enough time to build up their relationship in any way, so it felt unbelievable and forced cause they weren’t that far off from being strangers to be honest. i did like some of the friendships and the parts with the trials but other than that, this really didn’t stick out to me and i was never invested in what the outcome of the curse they’re trying to break would be. the ending itself was abrupt too, it feel like there were chunks missing cause it didn’t flow the way it should’ve.

This was a mix of magic, destiny, and unexpected love!

Doreen is the latest in a long line of witches cursed to never find true love. Three hundred years ago, Ambrose MacDonald, a powerful witch, fell for a MacKinnon. When her family tore them apart, he retaliated with a curse, dooming generations of MacKinnon witches. Now, trapped in a storm of his own making, Ambrose is bitter and out for revenge.

They find themselves thrown into a series of magical trials that could change everything.

This book leans heavily into fantasy, with the romance feeling more like a subplot at times, but the magic, family history, and Scottish setting kept me hooked.

This is a great pick for anyone who loves a magical adventure. I can never resist a story set in Scotland!

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin for the ARC!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. I really enjoyed the storyline and the characters to an extent. I will start by saying the book begins very slow, I had a hard time pushing throw the first couple of chapters until it finally started to pick up. So I will say this is a slow burn all the way through. The characters story and the personalities are interesting. Doreen is a witch and a very powerful one at that but has been shunned in other terms from her family and does not know much about her powers or family background. Until she releases Ambrose a male witch who has been kept locked up for centuries by her own family and she starts to uncover what has happened to him and what her family has done.

4.5 stars

Brief overview:

Doreen has always known her family of witches was cursed, but as her impending doom gets closer, she decides to take it upon herself to break the curse with a little help.

My thoughts:

First off, the writing was absolutely beautiful. The characterization of the houses was so well done I actually had to pause while reading to take it in. On top of beautiful writing, A Circle of Uncommon Witches had great tension and build up, themes of grief and how one can choose to get lost in it or to overcome it, and of course some powerful women standing together. This book had action from the start and didn't stop until the final sentence. I honestly couldn't put it down!

Chapters are long and I’m not a huge fan of that. The first 30ish pages are a whirlwind. I wouldn’t say confusing, but it’s like whiplash. Like how did we get here so fast. It didn’t get better in terms of whiplash, At the halfway point I feel like there are so many plot issues. I’m having a hard time keeping up because the story really doesn’t seem to flow well. I really like the idea of this story and the description caught my attention but I feel like it’s just really falling short.
There’s nothing really gripping that has happened, no reason to be connected to the characters. I wanted to love this one but I don’t think it’s for me.

My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin. I'm voluntarily leaving a review, and all opinions are my own.

Genre: Adult Fantasy, Romantasy
Spice Level: Nothing until the end, and then it comes fast and is done in about 3 paragraphs
Language: Some swearing, including at least one f-bomb
Representation: Some gay side characters briefly portrayed
Format: 3rd Person point of view

Doreen's goal is to break the curse—yeah, that would be my goal too because I would want romantic love. That completely makes sense to me. And I love enemies to lovers romances. Ambrose having lived imprisoned for 300 years has a bit of an age gap with Doreen. I felt like they both experienced lust for each other, but I didn't click with it having a deeper love based on anything except going through the trial together. It's almost instalove; some will probably say it is. Romantasy readers might want more romance (and more on the page than the brief but vivid encounter).

The trials are a lot of fun. Each one is unique and feels like Doreen must dig deep to solve the problems. And the reason for them and how it works out is a little convoluted along with the witch who is behind the scenes. I really was fascinated with all of this, and it raises the rating. There are twists that I didn't see coming, and I think fantasy readers will really enjoy the trials and twists. The trials are more psychological than physical tests like one might see in an adventure novel. I hope that gives you a good idea.

There are some content warnings but the things mentioned are brief. I think most readers will be okay.

The family dynamic of witches is intense and interesting. Friendship between the cousins is wonderful. Despite my complaints about the primary romance, there is an interesting dissection of what it means to love another. I enjoyed the people figuring things out.

I had the opportunity to read an ARC of A Circle of Uncommon Witches by Paige Crutcher, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The pacing was steady throughout, but the final third picked up to an exciting, fast-paced conclusion that kept me hooked.

One of the highlights of this book was the character development. I especially loved Margot, a character whose personal journey of self-discovery and strength was compelling. Her growth added depth to the story and reinforced the book’s central themes of love, sacrifice, and choice.

The novel weaves together themes of witches, magic, familial struggles, and breaking curses, all wrapped in a multigenerational conflict reminiscent of the Hatfields and McCoys. It also raises an intriguing question: What is true love worth? Your dignity, your family, even your life?

Overall, this was a compelling read with strong character arcs and a rich magical world. If you enjoy stories about complex family dynamics, powerful women, and the cost of love, this book is worth picking up. And don’t worry—I kept this review spoiler-free!

The MacKinnon family has been cursed for centuries. Doreen must marry her true love before she turns thirty, or she will die. She will do anything to break the curse that Ambrose has placed on her family. Ambrose MacDonald, a male witch, has been imprisoned by the MacKinnon witches for three hundred years. When Doreen finds him, they will work together to free themselves from the curse.

I was very tempted to read this book. Scottish witches and a curse that has haunted a family for thirteen generations were the main reasons I picked it up. But most of the time I was disengaged from the story. It just didn't speak to me.

I did like the characters though. The two main characters had a very clear goal of breaking the spell. Doreen was a young and determined witch who was desperately trying to fight for her future. Ambrose was another likeable character who, despite being trapped in a spell for three hundred years, didn't lose faith.

I love a good journey through the underworld, and this book did it well. Doreen’s and Margot’s characters were also very compelling

This is the fourth book I've read by Paige Crutcher and all were about witches and magic, so I had to pick this one up when I saw it was available. I do like witch stories and she writes some good ones.

Description:
A witch generationally cursed to never find true love sets out to break the spell cast on her family, and must team up with the last person who wants to help her – the witch who set the curse in the first place.

Doreen MacKinnon is doomed to die of a broken heart - if she can’t break the centuries old curse placed on her family.

Three hundred years ago, Ambrose MacDonald, a powerful male witch, fell in love with a MacKinnon. And when the MacKinnon witches forbade him from seeing his love, by secretly hiding her away, he retaliated by cursing the family and its future generations to never find love. But it wasn’t without a cost. Now, Ambrose is imprisoned by those same witches, trapped in a tempest and doomed to outlive everyone he has ever loved.

But Doreen isn’t like the other MacKinnon witches. As the 13th generation of the MacKinnon line, Doreen is one of the most powerful witches in centuries… and one of the loneliest. So when she discovers where Ambrose has been trapped, she releases him to help her break the curse, once and for all. Ambrose agrees to help, but with his own vengeance. He plans to use her as bait to enact his revenge on her family.

Together, they enter a series of trials, which take them to a castle in Scotland, off a cliff, and into a world beyond their wildest dreams. As they work together, sparks start to fly, but soon Doreen must choose how far she is willing to go to break the curse, and what she's willing to sacrifice.

My Thoughts:
This feud between the MacDonalds and the MacKinnons went way too far with a mean curse put on the MacKinnon witches and then the MacKinnon witches trapped and caged Ambrose MacDonald. After three hundred years Ambrose was still caged and the MacKinnon witches still lived with the fact that they will never have true love. Doreen is a very powerful witch and I found her determination to be courageous. The book had me on edge several times as Doreen and Ambrose faced some dangerous situations on their journey to find a way to break the curse. Ambrose, of course, was not all in on breaking the curse since his family was the ones who created it in the first place. There is some romance in this story as well that was fun to follow and watch develop. I found the soul sucking witch very interesting - what a creepy being she was! Anyone who likes reading about witches and magic will enjoy this adventure.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin through Netgalley for an advance copy.

This book is an adventure from start to finish, full of magic, romance, and twists that kept me hooked. Doreen MacKinnon is cursed to die of a broken heart, and she’s determined to break that family curse, even if it means teaming up with the very witch who cast it. The dynamic between Doreen and Ambrose is fascinating—their relationship is complicated, filled with tension, and totally unpredictable. As they work together to break the curse, their chemistry builds, making their journey not just about magic but about figuring out who they really are and what they’re willing to sacrifice.

What really stands out is how Paige Crutcher weaves together adventure and romance with a touch of vengeance, taking Doreen and Ambrose on a wild ride through trials and emotional turmoil. The setting is rich and immersive, from the Scottish castle to the otherworldly realms, and it adds a beautiful depth to the story. This isn’t just a love story—it’s a journey about breaking generational curses, confronting the past, and figuring out how much you’re willing to risk for the kind of love that might just change everything. It’s a thrilling, emotional read, and if you love a good mix of magic, history, and romance, you’ll definitely want to pick this one up!

A Circle of Uncommon Witches is more than just an enemies-to-lovers story; it is a story of family bonds, standing up for what you believe in, love, and heartbreak. I think it also plays with the idea that what you want isn't always what you need or may not serve you in the way you'd hoped.

While I loved the concept of the book, I did have a few challenges while reading it. For me, the tone was a bit unclear when it came to determining if this was a lighthearted story or a serious one. This really distracted me for a good portion of the book. And on a more personal note, I also wasn't able to really feel hooked by the story; I'm not sure why because the characters, for the most part, were well-developed and things made sense.

If there were any characters or relationships, I just didn't understand, it was Doreen's aunts. At first they were normal, albeit meddling, aunts, but then they were evil? And then after that they were supportive. I just didn't think that the resolution at the end between the aunts and Ambrose, and even Doreen and Margot, made any sense - it felt very convenient.

Finally, I want to say thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

I cannot resist a witch-themed tale. Doreen McKinnon's family has been in a curse-bound war with the MacDonalds for four hundred years. As a member of the 13th generation of McKinnon witches, it is up to Doreen to break the curse. Doreen will have to pass a series of trials with the powerful male witch, Ambrose MacDonald at her side.

Honestly, this book held me in its grip, but I lost interest in the middle. I think it was when all the journals started popping up. For me as a reader, it dragged the plot down. Also, I am not a fan of insta-love as a trope and it was clear that was the direction that Doreen and Ambrose were headed. That aside, the characters were richly written and there were some great scenes as Doreen and Ambrose encountered different witches.

It just wasn't enough for me to rate it above a 2-star.






Expected Publication 25/02/25
Goodreads Review 19/02/25

*ARC received from NetGalley*

I really enjoyed this book. It was a fun and cozy witchy adventure. It did have a bit of a slow start, but once things really got going I didn't want to put it down. Their magic system was easy to understand and I liked how it combined originality with classic witch tropes (broomsticks). Overall, a quick and easy read with a good storyline.

I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC version of this text.

Oh man- I was SOLD with the premise of this book. Century old curse? Ancient generational family feuds? Enemies to Lovers? Sign me allllll up
Unfortunately, the story in the pages did not live up to the promise of the premise for me. The best word I can use is chaotic- it felt like I was reading book 2 in a duology. I felt plopped into a story where I did not understand the magic system or the relationship between characters. I did enjoy the main characters (Doreen, Margot and Ambrose) individually but they did not have much depth.
Huge promise but I was let down with this execution. 3/5 stars rounded up from 2.5.

I thought the synopsis of this sounded interesting, and I’d say it ended up being a middle of the road book for me.

This was a bit slow to start, but once the action got going, I got more into the story. I liked the lore that we were introduced to, but found some things harder to follow. I also think there could’ve been some more backstory to start off with to give more context to what was going on; it felt a little bit like I was dropped into the middle of a story.

Doreen was an interesting MC, and I enjoyed seeing her growth over the course of the book, and seeing her discover how powerful she was. The dynamic and banter between her and Ambrose was fun with the enemies to lovers part. I do wish I felt a little more chemistry between them, but this could just be a me problem.

I liked this book but it wasn’t a favorite for me. I would be interested in reading her other work.