Michael Gouker reviewed The Conjure Book by A. A. Attanasio
Review of 'The Conjure Book' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
This was quite pleasurable. I'm not really sure why I chose to read it with several hundred books on my to read list, but about a month ago I started it and promptly forgot. Today I found it again in the pile and a few hours later I'm sad it finished so quickly.
What's to like:
1. Wicca theme. It is drenched in the mood of the supernatural.
2. The faeries and gnomes were fun.
3. BEST of all: the seductive hook of dragging Jane in deeper each time she makes a choice. She becomes responsible.
4. I enjoyed the cat familiar and the fox villain.
5. I actually enjoyed the philosophical idea of multiple existences of now.
What's not to like:
1. Jane at 13 seems pretty naïve. That actually may be believable given her sheltered background.
2. The solutions to the problems are too close to the presentation …
This was quite pleasurable. I'm not really sure why I chose to read it with several hundred books on my to read list, but about a month ago I started it and promptly forgot. Today I found it again in the pile and a few hours later I'm sad it finished so quickly.
What's to like:
1. Wicca theme. It is drenched in the mood of the supernatural.
2. The faeries and gnomes were fun.
3. BEST of all: the seductive hook of dragging Jane in deeper each time she makes a choice. She becomes responsible.
4. I enjoyed the cat familiar and the fox villain.
5. I actually enjoyed the philosophical idea of multiple existences of now.
What's not to like:
1. Jane at 13 seems pretty naïve. That actually may be believable given her sheltered background.
2. The solutions to the problems are too close to the presentation of the problem.
3. I would have liked a more tragic end. It came off a little too well for the protagonist.
I finish every book I start and so when I found it was young adult fiction I was disappointed, but I vowed to make the best of it because maybe someday I'd like to try this genre too. I was hoping for some really horrific things to happen to Jane, but she (mostly) escaped injury. If I had written it her mom would be a brain-eating zombie that invades their house and eats her dad. Munch, munch... The End.
It's best I didn't write it. :-)