YA Buddy Readers' Corner ♥ discussion

A young witch emerges from a curse to find her world upended in this gripping fantasy of betrayal, vengeance, and self-discovery set in turn-of-the-century France.

For centuries, the vineyards at Château Renard have depended on the talent of their vine witches, whose spells help create the world-renowned wine of the Chanceaux Valley. Then the skill of divining harvests fell into ruin when sorcière Elena Boureanu was blindsided by a curse. Now, after breaking the spell that confined her to the shallows of a marshland and weakened her magic, Elena is struggling to return to her former life. And the vineyard she was destined to inherit is now in the possession of a handsome stranger.

Vigneron Jean-Paul Martel naively favors science over superstition, and he certainly doesn’t endorse the locals’ belief in witches. But Elena knows a hex when she sees one, and the vineyard is covered in them. To stay on and help the vines recover, she’ll have to hide her true identity, along with her plans for revenge against whoever stole seven winters of her life. And she won’t rest until she can defy the evil powers that are still a threat to herself, Jean-Paul, and the ancient vine-witch legacy in the rolling hills of the Chanceaux Valley.

7% - (view spoiler)[Ohh I like where this is heading. Our mc Elena broke off an engagement and she was turned into a toad. So she thinks her ex got someone to cast a spell on her and she's out for revenge. Yassss girl!

I love witches and if I could be one, I would without a doubt jump at the chance to be. I'm excited to see how she gets her revenge! (hide spoiler)]

43% - (view spoiler)[I can't believe that Elena had to tell Jean-Paul that she was a vine witch. How on earth did he not work it out before??? I hated the constant 'oh this strange thing happened but witches aren't real so there must be another explanation'. For such a smart man, he really is stupid!

But I'm kinda shipping Elena and Jean-Paul..

(hide spoiler)]

72% - (view spoiler)[Obviously Gerda killed Bastien. How did it take Elena take so long to realise that???

I hope she can save Jean-Paul!! (hide spoiler)]

Finished - (view spoiler)[Meh. I wanted this to be better. I really started losing interest after Elena was arrested. (hide spoiler)]

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Date changed. Restarting April 2nd 2020. Happy Reading ☺

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Checking in!

I've just started reading :)

Sweet! There was a point where I stopped at the second time I was reading this so I'm starting from there - Chapter 11 I think.

24%

(view spoiler)[ Okay I'm not feeling this yet. Getting a bit bored with it. Waiting for something to happen to keep me interested. It started off well but seemed to fizzle out fast. (hide spoiler)]

58%

(view spoiler)[ well now that she's been imprisoned it's getting a little better, but I'm still not a fan. I need more to happen. (hide spoiler)]

75%

(view spoiler)[ Okay now there is some action. I like the captured scenes and how the captor is slowly bleeding him. Will Elena get there in time to save him? (hide spoiler)]

Finished

(view spoiler)[ Okay no real surprise I didn't like it that much. I think it's the writing style it wasn't for me. I liked the Demon and the stuff around that but I spent most of the book wondering when it would end so I could read something else. It's a shame as I've been wanting to read it for awhile now. I hope you guys enjoy it more then I did. (hide spoiler)]

OMG you finished so fast! I'm sorry you didn't end up liking it as much. It's definitely not for everyone and does move kind of slow, but that seems to have worked for me lately so I've been okay with it.

I'm sorry we didn't catch up with you though!!

I'm reading quite slow because I'm also reading 5 more books at the time :D and a couple of manga series.

50%
I've read your reviews till 50% point and my view is a bit different.
(view spoiler)[
So far so good. I enjoy reading. Maybe those days I really needed something smooth and slow and with its own atmosphere.
I don't know why, but while reading I imagined a sunny hot summer (yeah I know there were mentions about frost and snow in the book, but still I imagine it really hot) France countryside, when you can smell sweetness of vinery in the air.
It's so special for me because I used to live in the vineyard for a couple of years. And now I live in the countryside (not vineyard, but still similar vibes).
Oh and also that smell of baked goods! Basically I don't eat bread or pastry, but I really enjoy the smell when my mom cooks bread every morning. So when I read about that d'Amore bakery, I could smell all the spices and pastry deliciousness.
So for now it's a 5-star read for me more for feelings than the actual story.
(hide spoiler)]

Finished
(view spoiler)[
It was a page-turner! After Elena escaped from the prison I couldn't put the book aside. Finished reading several minutes ago and decided to leave here all the impressions while still fresh.
The moment when they finally returned home was the sweetest and then the author added a bit of sadness when the truth about Elena's curse was revealed.
It was sad to know that her granny and beloved teacher was actually the one who initiated the curse :(
But overall exactly the book I needed. So sweet and tasty, loved it! 5 stars.
(hide spoiler)]

Oh wow okay I'll really need to catch up. Sorry about that. I'll try to really buckle down and finish this tomorrow. I have assignments to do today that I really need to get done before they are due.

It's ok and totally fine to read on your own pace :) enjoy!

I finally finished it last night I believe. I feel the same as I did the first time I read it, I would say.

(view spoiler)[I was really glad that Jean-Paul was able to realize that magic wasn't all bad, and even though it took him going through the Covenants for like an entire night before he could come to terms with what Elena showed him, it was nicer than him just being completely shut out. I'm also glad that the sequel is going to have more of Yvette! I liked her character and I'm curious to know more about her past. I mean, I loved Sidra too and I hope she makes an appearance, but it may be safer for her not to be in in the area at all since she was about to be executed. I was also super upset about Grand-Mere being involved in the curse! Like, Elena could have died as a toad and she would have never known the wiser?! And to know that Elena was cursed with a curse from her mother's own making?! That just seemed like the icing on the cake. (hide spoiler)]

Nice thoughts, I agree with all you've written.

I would love to read this. I hope its not too late.

@Cinthia It's not late, share your thoughts here and we can discuss it :)

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Date changed. Restarting October 24th 2020. Happy Reading ☺

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Should start this one tomorrow!

I might get to it today, but most likely tomorrow as well!

2%
(view spoiler)[Well......

That was horrifying and disgusting.

And I want to know more! (hide spoiler)]

21%
(view spoiler)[2 months?!!?!?
I usually don't like time skips, so I'm hoping this one is done well, I'm liking it! (hide spoiler)]

31%
(view spoiler)[This is exactly what I meant.

We don't see them for two months, and suddenly they have feelings for each other. It ends up feeling like insta-love, and that's something I don't love a lot.

I'm hoping it gets better, I'm really into the plot! (hide spoiler)]

100%
Finished a few days back, and honestly, I'm just disappointed.
(view spoiler)[I got bored two-three times when reading this. The romance was just not for me. I loved the explanations for magic, but I was just bored by the time this was over. (hide spoiler)]Hope you like it better than I did!

I am very sorry, but I don't think I am going to get to this one!

I am very sorry, but I don't think I am going to get to this one!

Trisha wrote: "31%
(view spoiler)[ It seems odd to skip for two months like that. Surely, there is a lot of story that could be told in that time? (hide spoiler)]

Trisha wrote: "100%
Finished a few days back, and honestly, I'm just disappointed.
[spoilers removed]Hope you like it better than I did!"

(view spoiler)[ That's a pity you didn't enjoy it. Sounds like it is poorly executed! (hide spoiler)]

Laura wrote: "I am very sorry, but I don't think I am going to get to this one!"

No problem, Laura :)

Laura wrote: "Trisha wrote: "31%
[spoilers removed]"

Exactly! I hated that

Laura wrote: "Trisha wrote: "100%
Finished a few days back, and honestly, I'm just disappointed.
[spoilers removed]Hope you like it better than I did!"

[spoilers removed]"

It was :(