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Queen of the Witches
Sheenah is a high priestess and Director of the Witches' Liberation League. She lives in Shepherd's Bush with her huge feline familiar, Catty. Sheenah is keen to be elected to the post of Queen of the witches but she has an arch enemy and nemesis, Myra, Wiccan Mother of the South London Sisters.
- GenresFiction
192 pages, Paperback
First published February 4, 1993
18 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 4, 2012
There were some things I loved about this book, and quite a lot of things I hated.
I loved reading a book about witchcraft that accepted that it works, that accepted magic. The author conveyed how much a part of the character's lives their witchery was. However, I feel she over-egged the pudding considerably. The characters had no interests or hobbies outside of being witches, every exclamation had the name of a God or Goddess in it, every minor incidence in their lives was overshadowed by their witchy beliefs. It was funny to begin with, but soon got boring, and I was glad it was but a short book. On the plus side, it was obvious that the author had done her research.
On a similar note, I appreciated the way magic worked in the book, as for many witches it is indeed very real. However, the overblown results and the idea that a barely trained witch could attain the things the novice did in the book was ridiculous, speaking not as a witch, but as a reader who did not want to make massive leaps of faith in order to stay in the story. Also, I found it ridiculous that any Wiccan would call on Christ and the angels as the only magic pure enough to fight evil; that's insulting to Christians and Witches at the same time!
The characterisation was weak, too. I didn't feel I knew the characters at all, though I certainly had quite the laundry list of their star signs, correspondences, and the deities they worked with. It was hard to care that much about any of them though. They never "popped" for me.
The book isn't as bad as I'm making it sound. The language was intelligent, to the point of sounding too highbrow for the genre. There was humour aplenty and I laughed out loud many times.
In short, a good enough book for if you want a short, easy, amusing read, but if you're feeling analytical or want really good plotting and characterisation, this book will disappoint you.
I loved reading a book about witchcraft that accepted that it works, that accepted magic. The author conveyed how much a part of the character's lives their witchery was. However, I feel she over-egged the pudding considerably. The characters had no interests or hobbies outside of being witches, every exclamation had the name of a God or Goddess in it, every minor incidence in their lives was overshadowed by their witchy beliefs. It was funny to begin with, but soon got boring, and I was glad it was but a short book. On the plus side, it was obvious that the author had done her research.
On a similar note, I appreciated the way magic worked in the book, as for many witches it is indeed very real. However, the overblown results and the idea that a barely trained witch could attain the things the novice did in the book was ridiculous, speaking not as a witch, but as a reader who did not want to make massive leaps of faith in order to stay in the story. Also, I found it ridiculous that any Wiccan would call on Christ and the angels as the only magic pure enough to fight evil; that's insulting to Christians and Witches at the same time!
The characterisation was weak, too. I didn't feel I knew the characters at all, though I certainly had quite the laundry list of their star signs, correspondences, and the deities they worked with. It was hard to care that much about any of them though. They never "popped" for me.
The book isn't as bad as I'm making it sound. The language was intelligent, to the point of sounding too highbrow for the genre. There was humour aplenty and I laughed out loud many times.
In short, a good enough book for if you want a short, easy, amusing read, but if you're feeling analytical or want really good plotting and characterisation, this book will disappoint you.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 4, 2020
As a witch/ pagan, I felt like I ought to be offended by parts of this book, but honestly it was just too funny and I had to laugh. Yes, there are a lot of satirical send-ups of witchcraft and pagan culture, but at the same time, the book itself accepts the premise of magic as real, and the author takes her characters seriously even as they sometimes do silly things.
August 6, 2012
Comical harmless book with a magical Wiccan storyline!
June 18, 2021
I have read this book four or five times and it makes me laugh out loud every time. It’s like the “Cold Comfort Farm” of witchcraft. Clearly written by someone who knows about the Craft and yet added all sorts of fun details that are not historical. The characters are brilliant and according to someone I know who was on the Pagan scene in London in the 1980s, are caricatures of real people. So much fun.
February 1, 2021
Awful. Hoped it was going to be entertaining, got bored to tears instead. Gave up on book after about 30 pages. Gave book to best friend (with higher tolerance for bad writing/lack of plot), she couldn't finish it, either.
May 9, 2013
I read this book a number of years back and thoroughly enjoyed it. From the very human way "Sheena"'s eye make-up causes an allergic reaction, to the teenager experimenting with those love potions, it's a great read. There are many points at which I remember laughing out loud, and little non-PC social commentaries on everything - from vegans to owners of arcane knickknack shops. I love the way things turn out for the main heroine, the love-struck teenager. So true to life!
March 10, 2010
This was rubbish!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews