Elle’s Reviews > The Trial of Magdalena Overmorrow > Status Update

There's some form of a plot starting to come together--maybe, can't guarantee it won't disappear or come to nothing like everything else so far. But even if we finally have something plot-worthy, over 60% into a novel is way too late for things to finally start having (potential) meaning and impact. I maintain this should have been the story of Magda's life; the letters from former clients are much more interesting.

Tribunal is the most interesting thing so far but that's because it's just random npc melodrama putting their cases to the court. I bet we never see any of those characters again. Maybe the pregnant lady, but I was tired of the misogynistic society setting before I even began reading, so I'm not excited by the two-dozenth example of that in play. I also think the prose is getting more boring as the novel continues.

Nothing BAD so far (apart from horrible arc kindle formatting) but nothing I like either. Prose is slightly offputting, MC has yet to engage me, the love interest... exists, plot is slow & nothing exciting so far, & the combining a "salem witchtrial" world with Korean "duke of the north" fantasy setting so far feels wishy-washy. Magda's life before this sounds more exciting than anything we're getting in the present.

Better than I expected. There's definitely a puritanical Salem feel, but combined with the hand-wavy fantasy of a duke-of-the-north Korean romantasy manhwa. Unfortunately the kindle arc has the WORST formatting errors I've ever seen (whole different chapters mixed together, repeating thru the novel), so I need to keep reaching for my tiiiiny phone to make sense of things in the netgalley app (won't load in browser).

The premise doesn't thrill me, I'm a bit over female oppression especially burn-the-witch types. But I have a physical copy of this book I can't skip (curse you IC & BrandoSando!), so might as well read the arc and see if I'm correct that it's not for me (and needs a new home) or if I'm wrong and this might surprise me.