I went into this one open minded and I enjoyed it. I loved Doreen and Ambrose’s relationship from the very beginning. The chemistry was there from the start. It was a journey this book and I had fun figuring out what was happening and learning the truth about the curse and everything. But it was a bit convoluted as well and the ending felt rushed. I would’ve liked another chapter or two. Overall, this was a good read and I’m glad I gave it a chance!

A Circle of Uncommon Witches by Paige Crutcher
Paranormal witch romance. Enemy / cursed lines, enemies to lovers troupe.
Doreen MacKinnon is a 13th generation witch from her family line, making her one of the most powerful in centuries, but also the most lonely. She is doomed to die of a broken heart from an old curse placed on her family. Doreen isn’t a witch to accept a predestined disaster and decides she is going to be the one to break the curse.
Doreen releases Ambrose MacDonald who has been trapped in a tempest and tortured for the past three hundred years. He agrees to help break the curse although he is more interested in vengeance against her family than helping. As the two work together, sparks start to fly but Doreen must keep her eye on the bottom line: ending the curse and saving her family. Even if it means heartbreak.

Complicated intertwined, multigenerational family lines made following the storyline seem to twist over and into itself more than once. I admired Doreen’s determination though the curse turned darker than I expected. A series of trials akin to life and death gave the story an unexpected hard edge.
3.5
I received a copy of this from NetGalley.

3.75⭐️💚✨ A witch generationally cursed to never find true love, and if they don’t marry by age 30 will perish…. I just love a witchy read any time of the year, and this one was an exciting, twisty, and action-packed one!

This book had so many things that I love in a witchy book - strong relationships, sisterhood, realizing one’s true potential and power, old family / generational curses, forbidden love, trials, misunderstood villains… etc! The list could go on! The romance was definitely on the back-burner of the plot, (which I find interesting as love is a major driving factor of the characters and plot), but I found it interesting enough that it didn’t need the romance to keep to going which I liked. There were ‘aha’ moments and moments where I found myself tearing up, but I also found myself getting confused every once in a while as I was reading which pulled me out of the story. Sometimes I felt as if there was too much jumping around, or things were a little too vague to keep track. The concept was great, and made for a generally good read, but for me personally could have been executed better somehow for a more engaging read as a whole.

Overall, I did enjoy this read! 💚💛

—

Overall Ratings:
Star: 3.75⭐️/5
Spice: 0.5🌶️/5
Emotion: 2💧/5

Tropes:
💚 Forced Proximity
💛 Forbidden Love
💚 Generational Curse
💛 Hidden Potential
💚 Sisterhood
💛 Trials
💚 Witty Banter
💛 Enemies to Lovers (kind of)
💚 Witches and magic

Quotes I loved:

💚“To be loved back, in kind, might be the truest form of magic that exists.”💚

💛“Love is like wildflowers, found in the most unlikely of places.”💛

💚”Tomorrow’s flowers bloom because of the seeds of today.”💚

—

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin Publishing for the opportunity to read this an an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I don’t know how she does it, but every single time I pick up a new book by this author, I am left wanting more immediately. I am so absorbed into the story from page one and I’m sorry to turn the last page. I want more. She just brings every single one of her books and her characters to life. I have never been disappointed with one of her books, and I will never I will never miss anything she publishes. Yes, she’s that good!!

"Witches are life flowers; the most potent ones don't think about their magic. They do not try to control or change or guide; they simply bloom."

Whenever there is a witchy book I immediately gravitate toward it. This was the first book that I have read by this author and I was pleasantly surprised how much I liked it. The Mackinnon witches are cursed to never find true love by a rivalry from three hundred years ago. Doreen is determined to break this curse so she can find love. She must team up with an unlikely person to help with this... the person that cursed her family.

Overall this was a really fun read. It had magic, dangerous journeys, and a little bit of romance that was really fun to watch unfold. I really enjoyed the trials and the clues that they had to endure to figure out how to overcome the cure. I am always a sucker for an enemies to lovers romance and this one was no exception.

A nice cozy low fantasy that is easy to digest, would love to see more from this author in the future

I decided not to finish at 33% into the book. While the premise interested me, I made it about 100 pages in and didn't feel hooked to keep going. The inclusion of the Queen of the Order of the Dead, the Queen's desire for Doreen's soul, and her being the gateway to the trials didn't really make much sense to me and instead felt chaotic when added to Doreen and Ambrose being on the run from Doreen's family.

I really loved the overall idea of the book and the imagery in it was lovely. It definitely gave Practical Magic vibes with the sisters and the aunts and their house, as well as the curse relating to love. I wish they had delved a little deeper into the characters and the relationship between Ambrose and Doreen. If the characters and the relationship had of been a little more fleshed out, I would have been more invested in them. I did love the lore, but again, it felt rushed over and underdeveloped. I would be interested in reading more from this universe, perhaps from Margot and Dean but I would hope there would be a little more yearning/romantic development/character development.

I truly wanted to love this, but the execution just wasn’t there. We were thrown into the story halfway through and never given a full explanation of what was going on. There needed to be a lot more world building, the pacing was too fast in some places and too slow in others, and as a result, the book felt disjointed. The romance had no buildup, or basis, and there was no chemistry between Ambrose and Doreen, so their relationship felt like it came out of nowhere. And lastly, the “trials” were barely even trials and were solved almost by accident.
📖
My rating: ⭐️⭐️
Spice level: 🌶️
📖
Read if you like:
▫️witches
▫️multi-generational curses
▫️enemies to lovers
▫️multi POV
📖
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Paige Crutcher, and NetGalley for the ARC. I received an advanced copy for free, and am leaving this review voluntarily.

I really wanted to love this one! This book started off strong with a gripping plot and interesting characters but around half way I lost interest in the story and just did not feel connected to the characters or what they were going through. The journal entries just felt a bit brisk in the book and kept taking me out of the story when they would pop up. Overall though a fun read that I definitely recommend looking into!

If you’re looking for a different angle on a witch romance you should give this book a try.
The story sucked me in immediately. Before I knew it I was halfway finished with the book. Doreen, although fiesty and independent, had the true heart of do no harm. Ambrose, although a bit bad in his own way, has some good left in him as well.
I won’t give away all the twists and turns of this book but I will say I would have loved for it to be even longer as I enjoyed the world and characters.
I received an ARC of this title. All opinions are my own.

Quick Summary: A very witchy tale of a romance

My Review: A Circle of Uncommon Witches by Paige Crutcher is a 2025 fantasy fiction novel.

About the Book: "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."

In My Own Words: A curse from long ago is broken by a powerful witch who uncovers her family's duplicity. In the process of liberating the source of the curse, she finds the very thing she wanted all along, and she frees one who contributed to the spell.

My Final Say: This story brilliantly marries the past and the present, by way of Doreen and Ambrose. It is highly entertaining and offers magic, adventure, and love.

Reasons I Liked This Book:
Entertaining
Whimsical
Great world building
Wonderful characters
Happily Ever After

Other: I think this story would be sensational as an audiobook. It would come alive, even more.

Rating: 4.5/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A
Re-read: Yes
Keeper: Yes
Favorites Shelf: Yes
Status/Level: 💛

Appreciation is extended to the author, to the publisher (St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin), and to NetGalley. Thank you for granting access to a digital ARC in exchange for an honest critique. The words I have shared are my own and have been submitted voluntarily. I am grateful for the opportunity to review this title.

I loved this book: it’s a fast-paced adventure fantasy romance. Give me witches and a quest any day!

Doreen is a seemingly normal woman, turning 30 soon and still trying to figure out her life. But she is also trying to break a generations-old curse that will see her dead by 30 if she doesn’t find love. The only thing is, her family’s curse means that others fall in love with them, but the women don’t fall in love. Feeling held back by her controlling family, she decides it’s time to break the curse once and for all.

Breaking the curse leads her to Ambrose, who’s been trapped by her family for centuries. He’s angry, handsome, and has a grudge to pick with her family. The two of them set off to break the curse, and end up in the underworld where the ancient witch, Ada, has her own reasons for hating both of their families.

The story is sweeping and dramatic and fast-paced. You’re thrown into the world and magic system and, like Doreen, have to hang on for the ride. I understand this may not be everyone’s favourite style, but I personally love this writing. It asks you to grab hold and trust the journey. The magical setting, based on Scotland, and the cast of characters of Doreen’s family of strong witches and Ada’s army of souls, are fantastical and lush.

This is a story about love. Not just romantic love, but familial love, sisterly love, and unconditional love. It asks us to look deeply into ourselves and identify what we need to do to open ourselves up to love and accept and give it freely.

I think the only love in the book I struggled with was Doreen and Ambrose. They are strong-willed characters, whom we don’t see a lot of facets of. They are focused on survival and the quest. And yet, they insta-fall in love. While I loved how their relationship bloomed once they were in love, I didn’t like the instant love trope here. I don’t think it did the characters and their journey justice, and that watching them learn to love would have been more apt with the book.

A Circle of Uncommon Witches has Starless Sea vibes and is perfect for fans of Erin Morgenstern, Marisha Pessl and Sangu Mandanna.

Thank you, St. Martin's Press @stmartinspress and St. Martin's Griffin, for both the physical and electronic copies of this book!

💫 A Circle of Uncommon Witches had everything that instantly hooked me. The story has powerful witches, feuding clans, generational curses, and an alternate universe filled with trials.

Doreen, a thirteenth-generation witch from a powerful bloodline, is determined to break the curse that prevents the women in her clan from finding true love. But in doing so, she breaks more than just family rules. She frees Ambrose, the very person who had cast the curse. Now, the two must journey together in search of a solution.💫

✨️The lore in this novel is so compelling. The alternate version of Scotland the author has created is immersive, and I could vividly picture the setting as I read. That said, the beginning was a bit of a struggle for me since the story jumps right in without much setup or a prologue. But as things unfold, everything starts coming together, and I just wish that there were easy transitions in the story to understand everything that was going on.

One of my favorite parts was the friendship between Doreen and Margot. Their friendship and love were the strong point of this story. The world-building, as I mentioned before, was excellent and a highlight of the book. While there is some angst between Doreen and Ambrose, the romance takes a backseat to the larger fantasy elements.✨️

🍃If you’re in the mood for a witchy story with trials, curses, and an immersive setting, definitely check this one out!🍃

A Circle of Uncommon Witches by Paige Crutcher was a fun and quirky read, but it didn’t fully live up to my expectations. The premise was intriguing—the trials, true love curse, enemies to lovers, and generational family dynamics—but the execution felt a bit uneven at times.

I enjoyed the world-building, especially the idea of a hidden society of witches, and the magical elements were unique and imaginative. The characters had potential, but I found myself struggling to connect with them at times. The protagonist, in particular, seemed a bit one-dimensional, and I was hoping for more character development throughout the story.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read, but not as captivating as I hoped. Fans of light, magical fiction might still enjoy it, but for me, it just didn’t hit all the right notes.

The MacKinnon witches are cursed and have been for centuries. They are doomed to never be able to fall in love. And if they do not enchant a mortal into falling in love with them by their 30th birthday, they die. So many of the MacKinnon clan has spelled a human or two in order to keep living. But it is not love and it is very lonely. Doreen MacKinnon decides she is breaking this curse once and for all and wakes Ambrose MacDonald, (he who cursed the MacKinnon clan) to find out how to break the curse. Doreen and Ambrose wind up in a series of trials on the Isle of Skye in order to break the curse and set free the souls of the entire MacKinnon line.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for this digital audio e-arc.*

I was really excited to read this book but unfortunately I struggled to stay interested in it. The first half was exciting but by the middle I found myself not being able to keep reading and when I had one chapter left I struggled to even finish it. The premise was good but there was almost too much going on with not enough world building to sustain it.

I enjoyed this book. It is a fun read that I would definitely recommend. I enjoyed all of the characters in this book. They mystery around the solving of the curse was fun to read. I did feel the ending was slightly rushed, but only slightly and I still enjoyed it a lot.

I will start by saying that overall it was a decent read. I think this author can write beautifully. So much so that I felt like this could have exceeded better as a historical romance. There was enchanting imagery and just the tone of the writing felt like a storybook. But then I realized it was set in modern times and the narrative felt disjointed to me.

The book started on an intriguing note, with a backstory about the MacKinnon curse, leading to Doreen taking immediate action. Even the initial romance aspects were promising, with Doreen and Ambrose’s back-and-forth. The mystery of the full truth of the curse was admittedly clever. But then suddenly too many things were happening in the plot. These characters were taken from one location to the next, with very little actually happening in these places. Not a lot of characterization happened as well, which made it harder to root for their romance. I was hoping for more Scottish roots too, but the characters really fell flat for me. There was a lot of dialogue between the characters, perhaps too much honestly, and the humour felt forced. Each character seemed to have an uncontrollable need to lace their comebacks thick with sarcasm, and it got annoying really fast.

But I think what really disappointed me was the romance 😅 While there was obviously an attraction and tension between Doreen and Ambrose, they had no meaningful connection. Doreen continued to save Ambrose and rather than engaging in deeper conversations, the sarcasm just hung onto every word they said to each other. Plus, the plot had them moving around so much, there wasn’t really even time for a heart-to-heart. Very unfortunate.

Thank-you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a chance to read this ARC!

𝐀𝐑𝐂: Thank you so much Netgalley
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️ ⭐️ - I love me some witches
𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: Tuesday, February 25, 2025

I just want to say a shout-out to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. I love anything and all things witches!

On top of witches when you throw in amazing lore and trials I'm 100% sold! This was such a fun read due to the fact that I love it when revenge plots never go as they should. I cannot wait to read more from this author!

This book has:
🌑Witches
🌑 Trials
🌑 Curse