Reviews for The Witch's Daughter

The average rating for The Witch's Daughter based on 2 reviews is 2 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2011-11-27 00:00:00 Anthony CentrillaII I liked this book. I think it was well written and it moved along at a comfortable pace….like watching a movie that isn't too slow or too fast. It wasn't trying to be more than it seemed like it was meant to be…a feel good and entertaining book….not always sunny and bright…not always gloomy and dark…pleasantly imaginative and vividly told. These kinda books are underrated…I'm not saying they should be overrated either'but there is something very respectable about an author knowing how to tell their story with balance and not a hint of ego. If you're the kinda reader (be brutally honest with yourself'come oooon) that is teeming with ego yourself'don't bother with this book'haha. You'll no doubt find it droll and predictable…and you'll no doubt have it all figured out from the get go. Surely the lurking inferiority complex murmuring in your ear will whisper'"WE could write a better book!" My advice to such readers is to do with out this book and to write your own…then you won't be able to complain that you're too smart for it because let's face it'no one is smarter than you! =)) I never felt like the author was trying to impress me or convince me of anything…I didn't feel like I was asked to take on any certain feelings or pressured into being moved along with how certain aspects of the story were presented. I felt like I was simply being told a story and asked only to listen'if I wanted to. I don't like going into reading a book with the attitude of feeling like I am being intellectually challenged for the point of it or that I myself am challenging the writer to awe and inspire me…that's bullcrap and noooo fun. I like this rare feeling while reading a book because so often I feel manipulated by authors. Don't get me wrong'I can totally appreciate being guided by an author's words…and sometimes I am in the mood to be swept in whichever possible direction they've sought to carry me…there can be a relaxing quality in this too, if it is not overdone. This book was an easy and relaxing read for me…which let me just…be. The story itself was just like that too…it just was. Thanks Ms. Brackston! Well done! En core! Have you written anything else?? I'm gonna check it out right now…=)

Review # 2 was written on 2010-12-08 00:00:00 Marian Riley I was suckered into this book, despite the negative reviews, because the description sounded interesting and the cover caught my eye. Ugh, I should have listened to the reviews. Or, I wish the reviews had been more detailed as to why people didn't like the book. I'm going to try to be detailed. First things first, don't believe that description. It's sort of accurate, kinda, but it gave me the complete wrong impression. I was expecting to start out with her mother dead and then follow her as she learned magic from a sexy bad boy warlock. They'd have a falling out of some sort and she would start running and he'd chase her through the centuries. Sounds good, right? Yeah, that's so not what happens. It takes forever for her mother to die and then we don't watch Bess learn anything. All of her magic lessons are disappointingly glossed over. The part before her mother dies isn't so bad, though it is a lot longer than I was expecting. You learn about Bess and her family living in the dark ages (literally) and dealing with plague and poverty. Ok historical fiction, but nothing that particularly stood out for me. I really tried to work up sympathy for Bess, but I never connected with any of the characters well enough to feel more than an objective recognition of her horrible situation. The two other historical sections interested me less and had fewer historical details. I don't really understand why those two parts of her life were highlighted. What was so special about them? The scenes mentioned but never shown sounded more interesting than the ones that were actually described. These flashbacks were all written in the third person. I felt very disconnected to the main character. I think this would have worked better for me if it had been written in the first person. These historical flashbacks alternate with journal entries written by Bess in modern times. She talks about her growing relationship with Tegan. Tegan annoyed me. She didn't feel like a genuine teenager. Instead she felt more like an adult's forced and over the top attempt at sounding like a teenager. I also thought Bess was especially boring and pathetic in these parts. She was like a shadow of a person. All of her talk about not getting close to anyone kind of contradicted all of her flashbacks, too. Bess was a likable enough character in the beginning. As the story went on though, I found myself getting more and more frustrated with her. She turned into the type of character I spend most of my time screaming at and wishing she'd stop being such an idiot. In the final 100 pages of the book I just wanted Gideon to kill everyone, Bess included. There was one scene in the final flashback where I said to myself, "If she does X, I swear I'm not going to finish this book." It was such a stupid thing that was completely unnecessary. Well, she did it, but I did finish the book. I had only about 50 pages more to go. I couldn't stand not finishing the book after all that, so I skimmed the rest. And the promised romance? Ugh, no. The warlock is creepy. Not creepy like a good ghost story, but creepy like a rapist. Which is what he is. Bess observes him raping a girl in a crude and unnecessary scene. This should have been a big warning for her, and while she is repulsed, a few chapters later she's lusting after him herself. Um, yeah, I totally wasn't getting on board with that. Then there's another creepy Satan/demon/eeew sex scene that leads to Bess running from Gideon. Ok, so rape didn't scare her off but demon Satan sex did it? Whatever. Then Bess is raped in a really unnecessary and awkward scene. Did you see anything about this in the blurb? Because I sure didn't! There are more reasons I didn't like this book, but do you really need any more? I don't mind reading about sex in a book, but the way it was done here isn't my thing. I also think my inaccurate expectations may have affected my enjoyment. There's also a lot of the "rah rah female sisterhood" thing going on here, and I don't tend to like that. Originally posted at Small Review