Review: Interesting -- but it I thought it started too abruptly
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 19, 2013
My reading interests vary wildly.I like a little bit of everything.Still, in the grand scheme of things, my favorite genre is paranormal mysteries.I feel comfortable in the world - and I like characters that are a little out there.I don't know what I was expecting when I started reading `A Witch Without Magic,' by Larisa Walk, but I didn't exactly get what I bargained for.The book opens with a riot scene, where neighborhood witch Belladonna is being accused of being a Satanist by her rapidly aging neighbors. In quick fashion, you're introduced to Belladonna's house ghost and house caretaker (for lack of a better word) and the dark witch that is now plotting against her.I think the plot of `A Witch Without Magic' is solid. There's a story here, and it's one that should be told. The problem I have is that things are so rushed, you never get a chance to get a feel for the world Walk has created before it starts crumbling around you.I give Walk credit for opening the book when she did - it was a gutsy move - but it doesn't quite work. For me, I think I would have been more invested in the story if there had been a slower buildup - rather than opening in the midst of an explosion.I don't want to ruin too much of the story, but suffice it to say that Belladonna has suffered a "catastrophe," where she can no longer use the magic she generally relies on. In an attempt to stave off the dark witch that is trying to conquer her, she goes to the Otherworld to try and get a better handle on what's happening to her (and to fix it).The book is interesting - and the typos aren't egregious - so the storyline flows pretty well. Still, I didn't find any of the characters particularly engaging.The book does ask some bigger questions regarding Christianity and Wicca intermingling - which I wasn't exactly expecting. I have no problem with different religions, but I found the author's attempt to create a Christian witch a little baffling.Maybe I'm old school. I just think witches are more fun when you don't try to cage them with religious constraints - but that's just me.All-in-all, I think `A Witch Without Magic' is definitely worth a read - even if I wish certain things had been handled differently.