I would like to thank Macmillan-Tor/Forge for providing me with a free electronic ARC of this book, via Netgalley. Although I required their approval, the decision to read this book is my choice and any reviews given are obligation free.

My current honest disclaimer: This is one of the DOZENS of books I read sometime last year and never got around to writing a review for. See my post about my year on the couch… Reading was a life saver, writing a review was not. So, apologies for the delay, but here we are. Oh, and I’m Neuro Divergent, so I can read something 10 years ago and chat to someone who has just read the same book and remember it as easily as they do. So my reviews from last year are still valid. Trust me. ;-)

‘Of Sorrow and Such’ was quite an interesting little short story. As a Pagan, I do like to read books about the fictional side of witchcraft and witches… but it has to be done well. They weren’t all sweetness and light, nor were they all darkness and evil. They were just people… who happened to have different skills and talents to other people. Add a little shapeshifter magic to the mix, and it was a very enjoyable read. So witchcraft was depicted well.

I liked the world created for this story. In the author’s note Ms Slatter states it’s the same world she created in some of her other books. This now makes me want to read her other work, as I really enjoyed the settings, her descriptive nature, and general world building skills.

The only real complaint I have about ‘Of Sorrow and Such’ is it was too short. ;-) I was enjoying it enough to have wanted to read more. Though, I’m not too sure if I would have enjoyed it as a full length novel, as the intense nature of events that occurred really suited the shorter length. If you tried to keep it that intense and compelling for a full length novel, I feel I would find it too high strung and eventually get bored.

To the book nerd side of things, the ARC I read was perfectly edited for Kindle. Not all ARC I receive have actually been formatted to work correctly as an eBook, this is acceptable for a pre-published ARC. But I got the feeling ‘Of Sorrow and Such’ was already finished and set for sale. So, no formatting issues, editing errors, or similar problems to be complained about by me. I mean, it has been a while and it might not have been PERFECTLY written… but I tend to remember any big clangers in a book, and don’t remember anything amiss with this book.

Would I recommend this book to others?

Yes I would. I do feel ‘Of Sorrow and Such’ was more a YA or NA genre than something for the “older” readers… I am 44, I still LOVE YA and NA genres when done well, so don’t think I’m dismissing it. I just feel that people who aren’t as keen on these genres might not enjoy the book as much.

So, I would recommend ‘Of Sorrow and Such’, but I would make mention to my belief of its genre “age groups”.

Lovers of the supernatural, witchy fantasy worlds, a touch of magic will all enjoy this book too.

Would I buy this book for myself?

I might… I mean, I enjoyed it enough to consider reading more of Ms Slatter’s work based in the same world. But would I go out of my way to buy them? No, I think I’d still be more inclined to seek them out in a library to see if I enjoyed her other books as much. There was nothing particularly WRONG with the story… I just have so many books and series right now, and don’t always have the budget for books, I’m getting rather picky about what I buy and what I borrow. Please note, as I’m passionate about keeping libraries free for all, wanting to seek an author in the library is a compliment in itself. If I didn’t like them, I wouldn’t seek to read more.

But not wanting to own a copy? The fault is totally mine, and not that of the quality of the book, or the skill of the author.

In summary: an entertaining short story of witchcraft, magic and then some.