I really liked this book! I'm saying 3.5 stars, rounding to 4. I loved the plot, the trials, the folklore, and the magic used by the MacKinnon witches. I think what would've made it better for me was more development on the relationship between Ambrose and Doreen. I loved their banter and the burn was slow, but then it was very anticlimatic. It would talk so much about their shared glances and personal feelings, but then skim over the fact that they slept bundled up together. I also really didn't like the aunts and couldn't believe how quick the relationship shifted at the end between Stell and Ambrose. It was a little unrealistic after everything that happened. At times I also found myself needing to reread and be like, what's going on? I had a hard time conceptualizing things in the underworld universe sometimes, but I think it was supposed to be disorienting. Overall, I thought it was a fun read and perfect for October!

A good witchy book to read for the Halloween season. Love a good curse that needs to be broken and throw in having to work with the enemy to break it seals the deal. The pacing of the story was a little off but overall a good story.

This book has a great premise and was overall an entertaining read. I liked the inception-esque setting and all the sensory details. Crutcher really paints a picture that put me right into the story with Dorren and Ambrose. I did like their romance and slight tension, but ultimately it left me wanting more. More banter, or angst, or something I can't quite put my finger on.

Overall I found it pretty easy to follow, although there were a few confusing lines that I had to stop and reread, and was still scratching my head a bit. However it didn't impede my understanding of the plot so I didn't find it to be that big of a deal. Nevertheless, I am still completely befuddled by the very end... I don't know if it is just me not getting it or if it was meant to be super ambiguous.

There were many elements of the plot that I thought were great, and others that I found lacking in execution, but overall I enjoyed this book. I would recommend it to anyone who likes plot-heavy urban fantasy witchy books, broody MMCs, and enemies-to-lovers. 3.5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for the eArc in exchange for my honest review. all opinions expressed are my own and are in no way influenced by outside sources.

I was probably in a snarky mood because the setup did not captivate me at first—A witch generationally cursed never to 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. But, snarkiness aside, I am always in the mood for witches and curses, and what the hell. Also, many reviews reassured me that this was not just a poofy romance with magic tossed in on the side.

So we do have a poofy romance with magic—which (despite my blackened heart) I actually found quite charming because it’s so nicely developed throughout—but we also have some lovely imagery, well-drawn characters, and enough trickery to make it interesting.

The main character is a modern witch in a family cursed by another witchy family. Basically, the curse means you can either pine away searching for love—which you’ll never find—until you die or you can enchant some poor sap into thinking he’s in love with you. There’s a ticking clock on this, too, and our main character is up against the deadline.

The witch who cast the spell is contained inside a magical prison, so our main character decides to bust him out and somehow convince him to reverse the spell and stop all this nonsense. I thought this was highly pragmatic of her. How pig-headed can he be, after all?

Now I am a sucker for an arrogant witch, so I’m on board from here. Obstacles abound and the course of true love and all that. Paige Crutcher does a lovely job of letting the story develop as things get dicey, dicier, and diciest.

The pace is a bit slow the beginning —but honestly, I wasn’t bored—just in a hurry to see where we were going. Stick with it because you’ll find some wonderful scenes and surprises along the way. Read the last chapter carefully for a last-minute jolt!

I have to mention the wonderfully dreamy/magical/wibblywobbly feeling throughout the book. Well done! It’s a witchy tale—perfect for a dark autumn night. I highly recommend it to curse fanciers, magic lovers, and enchantment enthusiasts.

Review to be updated soon. I started a review before I was ready to complete it. I will be back as soon as possible with my completed review and social links

I enjoyed the concept of a breaking generational curses, as well as setting out to forge your own path.

I found that the beginning of the book sets a lot of the ground work and foundation for the plot to truly take off. It can be a little slow for those who don’t like the building process. I personally love being able to have the entire backstory.

Doreen is determined to find true love, one of a kind, life shattering love, even if it kills her…which it could. Her family is cursed to never experience love, real love and that just won’t do for Doreen. Teaming up with an unlikely partner, she is set to break this cycle once and for all. The only thing that caused me some issues was the chemistry between the two main characters. It didn’t feel organic and natural to me. Towards the end of the book, there was a better flow but their interactions still caused me to fall in and out of the book.

Paige Crutcher is a great writer of witch stories! This book really reminds me of practical magic. It also was a very quick read. If you love witchy books and practical magic, this book is for you.

“A Circle of Uncommon Witches” offers an intriguing premise that immediately drew me in, but the execution didn’t quite live up to my expectations. The story of modern witches exploring their powers and connections is captivating, yet I found the narrative lacked the depth and magic that often elevates witchy tales. It felt like the plot was a little disjointed. While there were enjoyable moments, it didn’t leave the lasting impression I hoped for, making it a pleasant read but not a standout favorite.

***Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for gifting me an eARC copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really, really liked the premise of this book, but unfortunately I didn't feel like the narrative really delivered. I really did like the characters of Doreen and Ambrose, and I enjoyed their romance, but I felt that I needed more of their tension and chemistry to feel satisfied in their romance arc. I also found the plot a bit confusing and convoluted even as the ending was predictable. This really hampered my overall enjoyment of the book. I don' think was the one for me, unfortunately!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Paige Crutcher for providing this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for gifting me an E-ARC and giving me an opportunity to give an honest review for this book, to start I really liked to concept of the plot I enjoyed how the main character was true to herself and wanted to help herself and her family, I enjoyed the idea of the love interest being involved in the conflict but I do wish there was more chemistry between them it felt kind of forced somehow I would of liked more banter but overall I feel that this book is entertaining.

The MacKinnon family has been cursed for thirteen generations. Women are destined to never find true love and die if they reach thirty without marrying. Doreen is almost thirty but refuses to accept her fate. She finds the man who cursed the family, Ambrose MacDonald, and frees him from the stasis he’s lived in for three hundred years. They work together to free themselves from the curse.

I liked the concept of the story. A witch trying to break a generational curse should have been exciting. Unfortunately, the story plodded along in a slow and confusing manner. I enjoy books with people joining together and going on a journey, but found Doreen and Ambrose’s adventure boring. The banter between the two was humourless and uninspired.

My biggest issue with the book is that I had trouble connecting with the characters. Doreen felt bland and Ambrose felt unrealistic. He’s been imprisoned in a stasis for three hundred years but has no trouble interacting in the modern world? It just didn’t make sense.

Overall, this just wasn’t the book for me. I liked the witchy atmosphere, but felt the characters and plot were underwhelming.

A Circle of Uncommon Witches is an entertaining story about a cursed family of witches who can never find true love. When young Doreen discovers that her choice is to accept a life without ever knowing real love or die by the age of 30, she determines to find out why and how this happened to her family. After her cousin Margot settles for an enchanted lover, Doreen sets off on an investigation that leads her to the awful truth - an ancient feud between the MacKinnons and the MacDonalds. Ambrose MacDonald cursed the McKinnon women after they broke up his affair with Leonora McKinnon. In response they bound him and tortured him for hundreds of years, until Doreen sets him free. They set off together to end the curse and find the truth even if it means Ambrose will die in the end. But, as they travel through trials and alter-worlds of the witch who started it all, the truth turns out to be something very different from what anyone believed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Paige Crutcher for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

A Circle of Uncommon Witches is a delightful and surprising witchy story featuring romance and adventure in a quest to find truth and true love.
The characters are quirky and full of personality. The enemies-to-lovers plot provides outstanding moments of verbal sparring and tension. The plot took a little bit to really find its grove, but once it did it was is very enjoyable and engaging. Just when the reader thinks they may know where the story was going, Paige Crutcher takes them around a bend in the road to something completely unexpected.

A special thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

Thanks so much to Paige Crutcher and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin for the eARC of this. A great Spooky Season read. Cute fun quick read. took me a while to get into the story but overall was still good.

I DNF at 25%

The concept of this story was intriguing but unfortunately the writing didn’t really take the reader on a journey. I felt like I was just reading about what was happening to the characters and there was no context given about why I should care or the importance of the relationships. I felt like there was a lot of telling and nothing to make me feel immersed which made me quickly lose interest. This would have been more enjoyable with richer details.

This is a perfect October read - definitely borders more on fantasy but the witches and magic tie this story together.

Doreen is attempting to break the curse on her family that causes them not to find true love. The story follows her journey to break the curse.

Loved the familial bonds throughout. Only thing that wasn’t quite there for me was the chemistry between the two main characters. I bought in at the end but wish it would have built more throughout their trials.

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

The overall feel of this book was cute, fun, and similar to the kinds of books I normally like to read. However, some of the story development was lacking for me. I didn’t feel like I was really following as different pieces of the plot unfolded, and I could have used a bit more explanation of the backstory. It felt like the book was trying to do too much for how short it was. That being said, the characters were likable and I adored the cozy vibe! I’m always a sucker for a witchy romance.

A huge fan of what I like to call the practical magic trope (though not really a trope). It was so fun to read!

I loveeeee Paige’s writing! I’ve read all of her books and I love the witchy atmosphere she writes about. This one was a little slow in the middle but the story picked up! Recommend for sure!

This is a fun witchy read! The story follows Doreen as she seeks to free her family’s curse requiring she marry by age 30 or die. The plot was interesting but a little difficult to follow at times. I loved Doreen and Ambrose but didn’t feel particularly invested in their romance. It was slow to start and then extremely quick towards the end of the book. The trials and the underworld were unique and very interesting. Overall this is a solid spooky season read!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC given in exchange for my honest review!