Doreen is the thirteenth generation in her family of cursed witches. Generations ago they were cursed to never have someone truly love them, so by the age of 3o they either end up in one sided relationship or face death. Can Doreen along with Ambrose the witch her family has been torturing for decades over come the curse before her 30th birthday?

This was my first time reading one of Paige's books. I'm not sure if it's a common theme or just in this one, but I found the characters point of view jump around a lot never truly giving the entire story. There was a lot of long winded wind up and back story for an ending that seemed too quickly wrapped up.

I was very fortunate to get an arc of this. The premise and cober was interesting. Sadly, I couldn't get into it. Felt like it was lacking in some ways.

The plot of this book was very interesting and had a lot of potential but unfortunately the execution fell a bit flat. The book struggled with pacing with the beginning moving very fast but then dragging through the middle parts. It also as a fantasy lacked the typical world building one would expect and that made it hard to follow the magic. I definitely enjoyed parts of it and am interested to see what the author does next.

Doreen MacKinnon is the 13th generation of the MacKinnon witches making her very powerful. Her family has been cursed to never love and Doreen is intent on breaking the curse. 300 years ago, Ambrose MacDonald fell in love with a MacKinnon woman, but when he was forbidden from being with her, he created a curse against the MacKinnons. As a result, the witches trapped him in a tempest. Now, after freeing Ambrose, the two become reluctant partners to end the curse. Together they embark on a dark and complex quest filled with trials and traps. The story is part paranormal adventure and part enemies-to-lovers romance.

I enjoyed the author's writing style and the magical elements in the story. I wished the book was longer to allow the characters, backstories, and the magical system to be more fully flushed out. I wanted a better understanding of some character's motivations as well as an understanding of the magic and curse at play. Despite the story leaving me with questions, I found it engaging and the overarching message of love conquers all to be nice.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)

*A Circle of Uncommon Witches* by Paige Crutcher is a bewitching tale of love, vengeance, and the power of destiny. Doreen MacKinnon, a witch cursed to never find true love, is determined to break the centuries-old spell cast on her family. The twist? She must team up with Ambrose MacDonald, the very witch who cursed her bloodline in the first place. Their reluctant partnership forms the heart of this story, filled with tension, magic, and unexpected sparks.

Crutcher weaves a compelling narrative as Doreen and Ambrose embark on a journey that takes them through trials, ancient castles, and even into realms beyond imagination. The story's blend of adventure and romance keeps the reader hooked, especially as Doreen is forced to confront the sacrifices required to break the curse. The dynamic between the two leads is electric, and their evolving relationship adds depth to the plot. Though the story has its predictable moments, the rich setting and well-developed characters make it a delightful read for fans of magical romances with a dash of destiny.

“To be loved back, in kind, might be the truest form of magic that exists.”
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy of A Circle of Uncommon Witches!

I didn’t hate this, but I have to admit that I didn’t love it either. While the premise of this book seemed very fun, I have to admit that I was let down for a few reasons.

Firstly, I find that the story was all over the place and I felt thrust into it with very little explanation. The pacing could have also used some work, as some situations that could have used more time were glossed over, and some scenes were much too long.

Doreen and Ambrose were constantly getting on my nerves for whatever reason, and I just wasn’t rooting for them. I knew they would end up together, but things went from 0 to 100 with them very quickly - almost insta-love, which I don’t love.

Though this didn’t affect the reading experience for me, there were several typos in the last handful of chapters which were easy to catch.

All in all, a promising premise but a flawed execution in my opinion.

3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ rounded up to a 4!

The book had really good ideas for the plot, I would’ve appreciated more insight on the magic system and have the enemy’s to lovers not be so rushed. I would’ve like to have more “play” or banter between the two characters.

I felt like I was getting whip lash when I was reading it with how fast things were going!

The aspects I LOVE are the heavy family relationship vibes and detailed information about the past!

I received a copy of this from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you for this advanced copy of the book!

I really enjoyed the Practical Magic vibes at the start, and the forbidden love/Romeo-and-Juilet troupe. I found that the book began quickly, but then slowed down considerably a few chapters in. The pace slowing down drew me out of the book a bit. But I did love the mystery, sense of adventure, and magic in the book.

I was hooked on the mystery in this book with a sprinkle of romance. I couldn’t put this book down as I wanted to figure out how everything and everyone was connected to the curse. I also absolutely loved the setting in Scotland. I visited Scotland for the first time a couple years ago and am going back next year and I think this book captured the beauty of the country while weaving in magic that makes the country come alive! I will truly never be able to think of Old Man of Storr the same after reading this book!

Honestly the one thing this book left me wanting was more. Some parts of the book seemed to move so quickly and I would have loved for them to be developed further. I also liked the brief differing POVs but would have loved more of this especially from Stella’s perspective. We only got a brief glimpse of her perspective and after feeling like she was horrible the entire book I felt her perspective gave me a better understanding as to her motivations. There is so much that could have been developed there! I think that could be said for many of the characters as well as they all have so much potential to dig in deeper to their character development.

what a lovely and whimsical read. I personally love books like this. The characters were enchanting and lovely and the romance made me swoon. and was intrigued with the curses in this book. Loved every bit of this witchy story.

A Circle of Uncommon Witches
by Paige Crutcher
Pub Date: Feb 25 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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 motive: 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.

Paige Crutcher's A Circle of Uncommon Witches is a story of adventure, romance, and destiny, that asks: is true love worth the cost?

So, I loved the Honey Witch, and if you also loved the Honey Witch, then you are going to love this one too. Romance books with curses and witches are just top tier.

A Circle of Uncommon Witches by Paige Crutcher is a captivating tale of adventure, romance, and destiny that delves into the question of whether true love is worth the sacrifices made. The prose is exquisite, painting a vivid and enchanting picture that evokes the feeling of being lost in a dark fairytale. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and found it to be a compelling read. I wished it were a bit longer to avoid the rushed ending and allow for clearer explanations of certain elements. Crutcher's storytelling is mesmerizing and left me wanting more.

This felt more like an early draft than a final book but moved along quick enough.

The FMC and MMC romance was not believable at all. They were eternal family rivals and then a friendship was starting to form from their shared journey experience, and then immediately in love. I also found it really weird he loved her ancestor and briefly compared the two. I liked the friendship between the FMC and her cousin much more and even by the few details given I preferred the romance of the cousin and her husband. The aunts redemption in the end was also very forced and fell flat.

The story relied a lot on dialogue and the narrator explaining the situation and magic, which made what I was reading sound more like an outline. Although they were supposed to be traversing a nightmarish hellscape of trials, everything seemed quite easy and sequential.

I generally love witchy fiction but this left me more puzzled than anything. I think with some editing and more world building this could be much more compelling.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

3.25 ⭐️

I didn't hate it but I also didn't love it. When I read the synopsis I was definitely getting Practical Magic vibes and I felt like that would be the perfect book to kick off spooky season. The story itself was lovely but the overall pacing throughout the book felt off. It felt super slow in the beginning and then crazy rushed at the end. The writing of the curse itself felt a little confusing. And the romance itself felt a little instalovey at times.

That being said, there were some definite highlights! Doreen and Margots relationship was amazing. And even though the romance was a little bit off the slowburn was top notch.

While this book might not necessarily have been for me, I would definitely recommend it to the right reader and it's perfect for an autumn read.

"A Circle of Uncommon Witches" by Paige Crutcher is an enchanting tale that blends magic with mystery in a compelling way. Set in a small town where a coven of witches is deeply entwined with the community, the novel explores themes of friendship, power, and the balance between tradition and change. Crutcher’s writing is lush and immersive, vividly bringing the magical world to life while crafting engaging, well-developed characters. The plot is both intriguing and heartfelt, making it a captivating read for fans of fantasy and witchcraft.

The premise of this book is great. It starts off pretty fast I think - you’re immediately thrown into the “conflict” of the curse. I think what really threw me off was the romance between the main characters. It was kind of…enemies to lovers but also insta love? While I can definitely see the appeal to it for some, it personally wasn’t my favorite. But again, overall a good read.

I really liked this book. The whole book equates love with hope in a "love conquers all" message. The curse in the book focused on romantic love, but I loved Doreen and Margot's relationship and the love they have for each other as well. The writing is beautiful and the world-building was fantastic as well, eliciting something of a dark fairy tale set in Scotland.

The romance was very slow burn but felt rushed at the end. It's an enemies to lovers trope + forced proximity and that's definitely my vibe. I enjoyed watching the subtle softening of Doreen and Ambrose toward one another. At least, it was subtle until it wasn't and then it felt like the author was approaching her word limit for the story and had to rush the realization of their romance.

I liked that there were several morally gray characters with unknown ulterior motives and it kept me guessing the entire time who the ultimate baddie was. The way each of the potentials were written, I found myself feeling compassion for each of them and their stories, especially since they were all motivated by love and the grief that comes from the lack of it.

Honestly, it wasn't just the romance that was rushed at the end but the conflict resolution was rushed too. It seemed like up until about 94% we had a slow-pace that had me double checking to see if this was a planned series or a standalone, such was the lateness that things were resolved. I admit I found the curse itself was a bit confusing and the villain's motive wasn't really cleared up until the last 6% of the book (and still not 100% clearly, to me at least), plus the solution to the curse left me a bit muddled as well in its logistics. That said, I still very much enjoyed the ride.

At the end of the day, I really enjoyed the book and found it to be a compelling read. I wouldn't have minded it being a little longer so that the end didn't feel so rushed. It would have given the author more time to explain things more clearly, too.

I loved the premise of this story but the execution fell flat. The rules of magic here were especially hard to follow. Faced with each new obstacle, the characters would look around and say “Oh, I bet we need to use this random rock” and it would work. I kept looking back at pages thinking I’d skipped something.

However, the thing that bothered me the most was the forced insta-love between the main character, a young woman, and a man cursed many generations before. Their initial interactions reminded of a grumpy grandpa and his granddaughter. To fall in love later was just ewwww.

Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

LOVE LOVE LOVE!!

This book was so good! I genuinely couldn’t get enough of it!
The pace picked up so quickly!
So much happened in one book I feel like it would have been a great duology but is still a great stand alone!