The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion
FALL CHALLENGE 2023
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Group Reads Discussion - The Witches of Moonshyne Manor
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I would have prefered it to have been broken up into individual books to have gotten more into each character. There were a lot of side stories that were touched upon, but never really delved into that I was more invested in. Slow to start and get to the heart of the story.Have to want to live in their home.
Liked it, didn't love it.
I agree with Deborah, I liked it but didn't love it. It was good enough, and I really liked the ages of the characters. I am glad the author finally stopped alluding to the heist and actually showed us what happened. I know it's a standalone, but I would be interested in reading even more deeply about how they all came to live at the manor.
Mod
A slow start, but overall I quite enjoyed the book. I particularly appreciated the way the chapters focused on each woman‘s perspective of the same event. I think it allowed us to understand the dynamics between the characters better.Moni
Did not like it at all; the writing style is confusing and there were too many POVs. First 3 chapters were about each character waking up - quite redundant imo. Also did not appreciate there being a 'TikToker' as a character; felt that it took away from the plot.
IMO, this should have been the first book in a series. But it wasn't and, as a result, I think the author tried to cram way too much into this one. There were too many POVs and none of them really grabbed me. Because I never connected to any of the characters, I didn't really care about the social justice issues they were facing. And, after a while, I started to feel like the social issues were part of a dare or something. Author, to self: How many issues can I cram in here? Trans-rights? Check! Ageism? Check? Self love? Check! Older generation/younger generation disconnect? Check! Fighting against the patriarchy? Check! Check! Check! If the story had just stuck to five 80-year old witches fighting to save their home, I think I would have been all over it. But, in the end, I agree with Deborah and Kristina Marie -- I didn't hate it, but I certainly didn't love it.
This book is a bit problematic and can't say I enjoyed it or will necessarily recommend it to anyone. So many stereotypes and I think it was trying too hard to be funny or cool. It's too bad because the concept is so good and it could have been done some much better. I did like the description of the actual heist but that's about it.
I agree with most of what is said before me. I also had a hard time getting into the book and when I finally was into the story it felt rushed. Sometimes it was hard to see what POV would come and that made it confusing and it wouldn't been nesecarry at al!
pro's of the book
-age of the witches, I liked them being older
- I liked all the witches having their own kind of unique power
- I liked that there was a rage room
- I enjoyed the sisterhood.
Con's of this book
- too many POV
- it felt rushed at the end of the book
- lots of stereotypes going on.
- I hate that one of the first reviews here on goodreads is of the author itself. It feels icky way of getting the rating up. Off course you enjoy your own book, it would be really strange if you didn't or at least didn't pretend.
Kristen IAI really didn't care for this book. I think there was too much going on and I felt like there was a new agenda on every page. It feels like the author wanted to include a bit of every possible social issue into the book and not really take care with any of them. I think if she had focused in on a couple, it could have been a stronger story, or perhaps breaking this up into a series, as others have suggested. I liked the fact that the witches were in their 80s and the some of the witchy elements were fun, but there are other witch stories that are well written and are more responsible with how they handle social issues.
Sometimes, I'm inclined to think that maybe I missed something because I listened to the audio instead of reading with my eyes but I just don't think this story was for me, regardless of reading or listening.
Slow, slow, slow start to the book. I had difficulty keeping them apart for a good part of the book. I liked the premise but thought this was a missed opportunity. The part around the heist was the best written part of the book but it took a long time to get there. Not a terrible book but one that I won't remember for very long.
I don’t think audiobook was the best format for this book. As others have mentioned, I struggled to keep the characters straight right up to the end, and I did not find the plot very engaging. What I did like: the witchy ambiance; the feisty elderly characters, each with their own magical specialty; the old manor house; and the seasonal timeliness. Also loved the author's nod to the Salem witch trials with characters named Cotton Mather and John Hathorne, both prominent historical figures of the Salem witch trials era. Maybe there were other references that I missed. So, in agreement with others, I liked it OK, but didn’t love it.
If you go to the author’s website, there’s a Moonshyne Wordle.
kind of like many of the other comments here - i think it had potential - i loved the idea of elderly witches etc...but I felt like all the social commentary felt forced and was just added to be there - for me, it just didn't work.also, maybe i missed it - but I missed what specifically about the incident at Marcus resulted in Ruby ending up in jail for 30 years?? it was described as a Bonnie and Clyde, but I would have loved to hear more about the case etc (was it brad's macinations that could her the extended sentence etc...) - that for me was the huge plot gap.
Dee wrote: "kind of like many of the other comments here - i think it had potential - i loved the idea of elderly witches etc...but I felt like all the social commentary felt forced and was just added to be th..."It's because she killed a police officer while trying to protect Magnus.
but 30 years for that? it was manslaughter at best - its just not feasible (and yes I know typically death of a cop they'll up the ante) - unless they maybe took the felony murder on (felony being the theft - but they thought marcus had committed the theft not Ruby - and the death didn't occur during the actual commission of the felony but after the fact)
its just a plot hole that irks me
Enjoyed this more than others on this thread but may have been helped that I basically read in one sitting while on a very long flight. It kept me entertained enough. I enjoyed the quirky older ladies slightly set in their ways and hiding secrets. I would agree that the number of sub plots were a bit over ambitious trying to tick so many boxes of inclusion and left a few holes. The current issue of saving the manor, finding the money and then reliving the heist and subsequent fall out plus the whole Ruby storyline. It was a lot and while I enjoyed, it could have done more with less.
like others I didn't love this one. Too much going on, the stereotypes were too much and I just found the writing style jarring.Also: why did they wait until they were 80 to find a new person to train up, given all the mothering desires they apparently had.
Plus: how are they half a million in debt when Ivy had inherited the house clear and free?
For sisters who are supposedly super close there was a LOT of non-communication going on! I dislike non-communication between rational adults as the major plot driver!
Cat wrote: "Plus: how are they half a million in debt when Ivy had inherited the house clear and free?my guess - the debt came from the brewery that they owned/ran - plus even if you own the house, property taxes if not paid for many years could add up
@Dee, true. though property tax wouldn't be owed to the bank. lets also blame the extravagant parties and authorial need for a reason for the hazard, without actually making it coherent!
kind of like the whole why she was in jail - it just didn't work for me
Readerboard Name: Kathy PI agree that the book had some holes in the plot. How they got so deeply in debt was never really explained. Also I read the section where at Magnus's house twice and it still didn't make total sense to me.
I think I liked the idea of the book better than the actual book. I think there is a really good book around the idea of elderly witches defending their house, but this seemed to me to not quite live up to the idea.
I thought this was fun to read, but I understand the concerns about plot points and unexplained circumstances. I think I liked the premise so much --- being a 70 year old woman myself;) ---- that I just didn't worry about those failings as I read. This is the kind of book I read just for fun, and it fit the bill for me.
Like many of the other posters, I liked this one but I didn't love it. It had a lot going for it - the age of the protagonists, the found family aspect, the witchiness, the diversity of the characters were all great. But it also had a lot of issues for me. I think it would have been better as at least two books - one about the heist and events leading up to it, and then a second book about dealing with all of the fallout. This would have allowed more time to explore how the witches came together and how they came to the point of committing the heist, and the fallout could have been more thoroughly explored.
It would also have been nice to have more room so that all of the characters could have been more fleshed out. I also wanted the character and motivations of the "bad guys" to be less cartoonish. In that aspect especially it felt very much like an episode of Scooby Doo to me!
I didn't enjoy the book. Too many POV and too much repetition. I recognized the funny parts, but it just wasn't a good fit for me. It took me forever to finish this. It dragged and I just wanted it to end.
The requirement for task 20.10: You must participate in the book's discussion thread below with at least one post about the contents of the book or your reaction to the book after you have read the book.