The Coven Tendency
3/5 rating
Disclaimer: I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review—Thank you to Disney Publishing Worldwide and NetGalley.
This is a dark, atmospheric fever dream. Zoe Hana Mikuta's writing on obsession and madness is reminiscent of Shirley Jackson’s “We Have Always Lived in the Castle” and Ava Reid's “Juniper & Thorn.”

I was shocked to find out this was YA, as it is not only filled with death and gore—not that that is necessarily new in the YA genre, but it did take me by surprise—but the writing felt more fluid in terms of plot compared to other YA novels I have read.
I gave this novel a three-star rating instead of a five-star rating solely because I do not think I was entirely in the right headspace for this kind of novel.

After only having read a retelling from Zoe Hana Mikuta, this completely original concept was so interesting! The depth of the plot and the world sucked me in completely and kept me guessing. The concept of the Sanitorium is horrifying but also fascinating. The way she balanced the darkness of the novel with hope was truly masterful.

Thanks to NetGalley & Disney Publishing Worldwide for the early copy in exchange for an honest review. Sadly, I DNF'ed at 20% of the way through.

Wow, I was NOT vibing with this at all. The writing style was just not doing it for me--it's like a stream of consciousness and chaos rather than an actual plot with character development. It also felt very...edgy, for lack of a better term. It reminds me of the edgy 2000s scene era with how hardcore people were trying to be but weren't actually hardcore. Lots of mentions of blood, gore, guts, animal murder, etc.

The protagonist...from what I could gather...is a necromantic witch, so many of her thoughts lead to murder, death, and just general weirdness. Her twin sister is the same.

I'd like to explain what the plot was but I have absolutely no idea. The protagonist witch is stuck in a museum prison on display for rich people which sounds horrifying but she doesn't seem to care and just lives in the moment. I really like the concept and it would have been cool but I did not like the train of thought writing style.

Brilliantly dark and haunting. I can't say enough positive things about this book. I am just in awe. I honestly can't think about it.