Waking the Witch honestly feels like Rachel Burge reached into my head and found the things I wanted to read. Arthurian legends, witches, feminism? It felt perfect and I really enjoyed it as a result.
I loved the setting in this. It felt unsettling and creepy, in contrast to the reunion with her mum that Ivy has dreamed of for years, and it helped build an uncertainty around everything she is introduced to/discovers.
Maybe I’m used to Arthurian re-tellings that more often explore the Knights and King Arthur, so I was pleasantly surprised that this explored the women’s side of the story. I can safely say I was on the edge of my seat this entire book. I really enjoyed their story, and their reason to explore a shared pain - it felt sadly realistic.
After so long without a family, I liked the opportunity Ivy was handed to have one. It wasn’t the one that she (or I) expected, but it worked. I liked that it wasn’t perfect, and that, for so long, she felt like she was trying to squeeze herself into a mold that didn’t quite fit. It felt better that she had to embrace her own identity to make everything work.
I loved the setting in this. It felt unsettling and creepy, in contrast to the reunion with her mum that Ivy has dreamed of for years, and it helped build an uncertainty around everything she is introduced to/discovers.
Maybe I’m used to Arthurian re-tellings that more often explore the Knights and King Arthur, so I was pleasantly surprised that this explored the women’s side of the story. I can safely say I was on the edge of my seat this entire book. I really enjoyed their story, and their reason to explore a shared pain - it felt sadly realistic.
After so long without a family, I liked the opportunity Ivy was handed to have one. It wasn’t the one that she (or I) expected, but it worked. I liked that it wasn’t perfect, and that, for so long, she felt like she was trying to squeeze herself into a mold that didn’t quite fit. It felt better that she had to embrace her own identity to make everything work.