Unanswered Questions and a Rushed Ending
Book Eight of Steven Aitchison’s The Witches of Scotland series starts on shaky ground. We’re asked to believe that David’s parents who birthed him to be nearly as strong as he is, an elemental, and since he is destined for greatness, yet when they and others of significant power face Alicia, they fold almost instantly. It undermined their supposed strength and reinforced how far gone Alicia truly is... I had hoped her arc would be more pivotal, that she’d turn away from villainy and led the forces against Lord Fraser, a figure who better embodies patriarchal corruption. Instead, her pursuit ended in her just giving up and being left with no motivation a hollow and contradictory she’ll of her former self. It just two extremes that make it hard to believe as a reader.
Jessica continues to weigh the story down. Even in moments that should focus on David, like his discovery of the crystals, the final battle scenes, or when they find out about the Edinburgh Files (which she has already been working with eye roll on her lack of depth shining through once more). She manages to center it around herself and her ability for the dramatics, the energy vampire she is makes it difficult to enjoy scenes that should have belonged to David. By now, her character has become consistently insufferable.
“She would let whatever happened happen and took no part in the outcome…”
Alicia abandons her plan the moment Lord Fraser moves his forward at the Lake of Enlightenment, making the shift feel abrupt and unearned. Then, in the last 5% of the book, everything suddenly collides: storylines converge, characters align, and momentum spikes. While it was satisfying to finally see everyone on the same page, the sheer amount of story condensed into such a small portion of the book left little room for emotional connection.
Key questions remain frustratingly unanswered. David’s abandonment by his parents, for instance, is brushed aside with his newfound enlightenment and higher understanding. But the pain of being left behind for most of his life isn’t something most readers would simply “move past.” For me, that resolution felt incomplete, leaving a hole in the emotional payoff due to the lack of interaction between David and his parents.
The pacing also falters. The book struggled to balance swinging between long, distracting lists of study materials and spells to sudden bursts of chaotic, all-at-once action. While the ending does set up the next arc for a new series, I wish the journey had been more even along the way. Where the study materials and spells were a separate book or miniseries of stories of their creation that could be an additional book separate from the series. After investing so much into this world, I was left wanting more clarity, more resolution, and more depth than a few final chapters wrapping up this line of story. I feel this was a 3.6, but gave it a 4 as it leans more towards that territory with certain moments.