A solid 3 star fantasy romance about witches. I didn't give it more stars because there was A LOT going on and was hard to follow at times. Some of the side characters and plots likely could have been cut out and the book would have flowed better.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A Circle of Uncommon Witches by Paige Crutcher is an enchanting and captivating fantasy that follows a group of witches with unique powers who come together to protect their secrets and navigate the challenges of their magical world. Crutcher's writing is immersive and filled with charm, blending mystery, magic, and strong character development. The plot is engaging, with plenty of twists and emotional depth, making it a perfect read for fans of magical realism and stories about female empowerment.

Okay so . . . A Circle of Uncommon Witches has lots of magic, folklore, and POVs. Maybe even too much? Fantasy is one of my favorite things but there was A LOT happening here.

Ancient families, curses, trials, ghost, gods, liars, tricksters, and other random beings and creatures. And the magic system was quite confusing. I will say there was such vivid imagery, and traipsing around Scotland with this band of characters was pretty fun. There are so many lovely quotes throughout and Doreen deserves the world. Parts or this kept me hooked and parts of this truly had me confused. Also for all the anti-insta lovers out there, this may not be for you. I don’t have a problem with it usually, but this one had me scratching my head a bit. Nevertheless, a fun book, just be prepared to ask yourself “wtf?” more than a few times.

*Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

A Circle of Uncommon Witches has a charming premise and a richly magical atmosphere, but it struggles with pacing and character depth. While Crutcher’s lyrical writing shines, some plot points feel underdeveloped, making it hard to stay fully invested.

Dive into a world of magic and romance as two unlikely enemies work to break a 300-year old curse before their very existence is eliminated. If you love a great paranormal adventure battling a creepy soul-sucking witch, then you need to check out A Circle of Uncommon Witches.

Doreen MacKinnon is a stubborn, impulsive, and courageous witch who aims to break a curse before she turns 30 or risk dying from a broken heart. The problem is she needs help from the one man responsible for the torment of her coven never being able to find true love. She did not think her journey would involve freeing a trapped witch, going against her family, stepping through a portal, and getting feelings for a man she should not trust with her life.

Ambrose MacDonald is the witch who cursed the MacKinnon witches who took his true love away. He’s mysterious, angry, and extremely resilient. I mean, this guy is trapped and tortured endlessly in a nightmarish time loop and still manages to keep his sanity. I found Ambrose captivating with his little smirks and natural protectiveness toward Doreen. The banter between them is fun and refreshing. It’s not just the typical good vs. evil vibe but a promising tension that keeps you on your toes.

Ms. Crutcher juggles an intricate plot and complex character development while creating a compelling story that keeps you hooked from start to finish.

If you’re looking for a blend of magical adventure, unexpected twists, and a little romance, give this one a shot.

Thank you to Ms. Crutcher for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.

firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc!

i hadn’t realized that i read the author’s debut novel until about halfway through this book 🫣

this was a fun romantasy full of witches and generational curses, with Scotsmen. i truly have a knack for reading scottish romances without knowing they’re set in scotland…

i also listened to the audio, and i really enjoyed the narrator!

I loved the concept of the book and the overall idea, but something about it didn't quite work for me personally. The pace of the story and romance felt too fast - almost disorienting, if that makes sense? When romances don't have enough build up of an emotional connection and time for small moments before the flourish of their relationship, it feels forced and unrealistic. I enjoyed some of the side characters moments, the trials, and the friendships, but aside from that, not much else. I never felt compelled to pick the book back up but was never put off by it either, I just felt neutral. I could live without knowing what happened next. The ending did not round out the book well either.

When witch Doreen learns she is doomed to either die by the age of 30 or marry for love, knowing the only way she could have someone fall in love with her would be to put a spell on him, she decides to break the hundreds years old curse to hopefully have her own choice in life. Full of grit and determination, she finds Ambrose, who has been cursed by her family hundreds of years ago, and releases him from the spell to help her break the spell they are all under. Fighting ghosts, magical creatures, and a very angry decided witch who wants their souls, they must work together to defeat her and break the spell. A cute fantasy story with a happy ending. Thanks to Netgalley and St Martin’s for an ARC of this novel; all opinions are yours own.

In A Circle of Uncommon Witches, Paige Crutcher takes readers on a magical journey through Scotland and the realms beyond. The novel begins with the rebellious Doreen MacKinnon, a 13th generation witch seeking to break a curse of her family. Three hundred years ago, Ambrose MacDonald, a powerful witch from a rival line, fell in love with Lenora MacKinnon, and when he was forbidden from seeing her, he cast a curse upon the entire MacKinnon clan, dooming them to choose loveless marriages or perish by the age of thirty. When Doreen realizes Ambrose has been held captive by the MacKinnons, she sets out to free him so he can help her end the curse. Together, they face epic trials that bring them face to face with their greatest fears.

While navigating foreign landscapes, dark magic, and vengeful ghosts, sparks begin to fly between Doreen and Ambrose. Their witty banter and sensual attraction to one another will keep readers interested in the outcome of the trials which can break the curse, allowing the MacKinnon women to fall in love and be loved. The book moves beyond romance, fully exploring the bonds of women and presenting fully rounded characters with positive and negative traits. The relationship between Doreen and her cousin Margot is of particular interest, informing the plot and themes from the beginning to the end.

In addition to providing readers with an engaging plot, Crutcher builds a world of magic, explaining how the families use oak trees to travel across space and time and seal their spells with maple syrup. If you enjoy witchy stories filled will full-fledged magic like Paige Crutcher’s What Became of Magic, pick up A Circle of Uncommon Witches. This is an atmospheric and entertaining read!

Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy of the book in exchange for a fair review.

This book is for everyone who loved Practical Magic as a little girl and wanted more of the idea of the cursed witches. Margot and Doreen are the 13th generation of witches cursed since their ancestor, Leonora MacKinnon, fell in love with Alistair MacDonald, who cursed Leonora's interfering family for interrupting their love. Like all MacKinnon witches before them, Margot and Doreen are forced to choose between placing a husband under their spell or dying by age 30. But Doreen sets out to break the spell - even if it means working with Alistair, whose anger has not improved over centuries.

Like with any story about witches, the core relationship has to be between the sisters. Doreen and Margot are cousins, but having been raised together means that they have become sisters for all purposes. I really enjoyed how they made different choices - Margot is married, while Doreen left the man her family had enthralled to love her, but the sisters have incredible empathy for each other and work to support each other and believe in each other. The book contrasts this with some understandable family conflict - when they only way for your family to survive and thrive is exploiting men, can there ever be a love with an equal power dynamic? I think by turning a common dilemma between men and women on its head, the book is really able to ask questions about power dynamics in a fascinating way..especially when the antagonist turns out to be someone who made a painful decision from a broken heart. "Broken hearts break hearts" is something a character says in the first chapter - it's as true in this novel as in the real world.

The relationship between Doreen and Alistair is beautiful, and very much like a fairy tale. I did wish we had gotten to see the two of them build their relationship a bit more, but I did appreciate that the women's relationships were always in the front of the story. I'd recommend this to anyone who loves Practical Magic or any of Alice Hoffman's other works.

I have been deep into dramione fanfiction for weeks now so it was hard to make time to get back to my arcs. I'm so glad that I finally did! It had all the fun witchy vibes, it reminded me a little of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches! There was a lot that I really enjoyed but I think I felt a bit of a disconnect with the characters and relationships. A lot and not enough was happening but it was still a very cute witchy book.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this gifted arc!

I enjoyed The Orphan Witch by Paige Crutcher, so I looked forward to reading this one.

It turns out I felt the exact same way about this book as I felt about The Orphan Witch.

I enjoy the books, even though I am confused at times. But magic should be confusing, right, that’s why it’s magic.

This book had a fairy tale quality to it, with a young, powerful witch trying to break an old curse. A curse that kept her line of witches from falling in love. To unlock the curse, she begins by releasing Ambrose MacDonald, a handsome male witch who set the curse originally.

Young powerful witch, handsome male witch … you can guess what happens.

They had to solve a bunch of trials, there were different POV’s, different settings, and it got confusing at times, but I still enjoyed it.

I love the cover. And i think for those who really enjoy fantasy and romance, they'll like this novel. Unfortunately, it just wasn't for me. The story felt disjointed and the characters fell flat.

Teetering between 2 and 3 stars. I took a lot of breaks while reading this because I just wasn’t drawn to it. I’d have other books come up and preferred them over this. The storyline in general was intriguing, but I feel like I got thrown in to a book with slim pickings for background information. There were a lot of random bursts of information I would find myself having to re read and wonder if I was supposed to understand what was going on. I still don’t understand the ending. Was it like… a hint at something? Or just an end?
I feel like the love story was very sudden. Like I don’t even really understand the timeline. I feel like the story happened over the span of 3 days but then all of a sudden she was like “I had a month and now I have days left…” like wait what? It was like they fell in love in 2 days with the slimmest character development and then the author was like don’t worry guys it’s actually been a month it’s more reasonable now 😅 anyways. Not my fav. It was fine. Probably a 2.75.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press publishing for this ARC!

In an attempt to break her familial curse, young but powerful witch Doreen Mackinnon frees Ambrose MacDonald — the witch who cast the curse after falling in love with Doreen’s ancestor — from imprisonment. To end the hex, Doreen will face grueling magical trials with Ambrose by her side, unaware of his continued desire for vengeance despite the sparks that start to fly between them.

I was really taken by the premise of this novel. Magical trials, feuding witch families, a centuries old love curse? It has all the components I enjoy in a fantasy story. The trials were inventive and the relationship between Doreen and her cousin Margot was a standout, but unfortunately, I felt like I was playing catch up for most of this book because of the pacing at the beginning. The narrative drops us directly into the action from page one and I didn’t feel like we were given enough context to fully grasp the parameters of the world. Because of this, I never quite understood the magic and how it manifested. We also didn’t get nearly enough of build up between Doreen and Ambrose and their connection felt too insta lust despite them journeying together.

The pacing remained quick throughout the entirety of the story which I did appreciate when Doreen and Ambrose faced the trials and their banter was quite humorous considering their centuries old age gap. This book was quick and cute but I wish there were about 100 more pages that set up the world building and love story a bit more. I still think this is a fun read for anyone who enjoys witchy romances and I especially got Practical Magic vibes from Doreen’s family dynamics!

Thank you St. Martin’s Press | St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3 stars

This book was pretty good but it left a lot of questions and no answers. Loved Doreen and Ambrose. Still didn’t like Stella at the end and what she did made no sense. This is my second book by this author. I liked this one better than the first but she really needs a more fleshed out story in both of them. Not sure if I will read anything else from her.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy in exchange for a review.

I love the premise of this book! Witches, a curse, and romance, oh my! I just didn't feel the connection to the characters I was hoping to. I felt the story jump around a bit, and felt a little lost a times. I would be interested in reading the author's other books though. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC.

I want to preface this review by saying I loved this book and 100% recommend it. Please read to the end before you judge harshly. I’ve been a huge fan of Paige Crutcher since I read The Orphan Witch in 2021. She became an auto-read author for me. I was lucky enough to receive an advanced copy of The Lost Witch and LOVED that one also. Then I received an advanced copy of What Became of Magic. I was really sad to report that that one didn’t catch me like her first two novels. I was worried some of the magic was gone, but hadn’t yet given up hope. Then I received an advanced copy of A Circle of Uncommon Witches. I was worried about what I might find and very happy to report that I was not disappointed!! There were a lot of characters to juggle, and I was a bit confused at the beginning, but once I got the characters all straight, it was easier to fall into the story. I loved being able to follow Margot and Ambrose’s adventure. I don’t want to give too much away, but I love the way the trails were presented for completion. It gave a genuine sort of feel to the story. There were a few things I’m still a bit confused on, but that could have just been me reading while slightly distracted. Overall I loved this story and to me it proves that Ms Crutcher has still got it! Can’t wait to see what’s next!

What a fantastic witchy romance! (One of my very favorite types of books!)
A Circle of Uncommon Witches captures your attention right from the start. I was immediately sucked in, and I was able to relate and came to care for each of the characters in their own way!
I love the curse aspect of this book, and each twist genuinely took me by surprise!

I felt like I could really relate to Doreen, who just wanted love at all costs.

"Broken hearts break hearts"
"I thought we were about to become besties" LOL

Bottom line, you need to read this book if you're into witches. It is captivating, has swoon-worthy romance, will have you laughing along, and you will be invested in the characters until that very LAST LINE (iykyk).

⭐️⭐️💫

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗱:
The basic idea of the book: I love a good witchy romance, that, paired with a family curse and some tension between our FMC and the man who cursed her entire family? I was sold before I even picked the book up.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆:
The execution.
I powered through the initial chaos, expecting the info dumping to end at some point so the plot and characters could develop… but it never did. The entire book was so convoluted, it was impossible to follow. The magic system, the journals, the family trees— there were too many things going on. I had to reread paragraphs, and even then I was still lost.

I truly hate posting negative reviews because I know how hard authors work on the novels we consume, but I feel the need to post this review because I read a similar one and thought “𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺,” and I did not. So, if you’re someone who wants a well-organized read with zero plot holes, this is not the book for you.

If you’re willing to overlook that, then cheers to you - I hope you love it. Because there were parts of this story I enjoyed, I just can’t get past the writing style.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗲𝘁:
✨ Practical Magic if the aunts were evil
🪄 A unique magic system
✨ Enemies to lovers
🪄 Cousins turned BFFs