Ohana Reviews

Review- The Five Cursed Witches

Reviewer- kinalhariya
Book- The Five Cursed Witches: Volume 1- Zoe, the Witch of innocence.
Author- High_Priestess_Elena

Blurb:

Blurb is just perfect in my eyes. It gives off the right information for us to know what the story is about, while still managing to gain curiosity. It is written in a way that is easy on the eyes to read and understand. All the key words in the story (curse, witch hunter, mate) are used properly to gain the attraction of the readers. Looking forward to reading this story.

***
Loved the quote/Prophecy at the start.

Prologue:

I loved the child-like behaviour of the faerie in the start. However, I do feel that she might not be a child after all. The imagery of her covering everything into grass, trees and flowers was beautiful. And the fact she turned the witches hair into hay had me chuckling so hard.

Last part was the highlight for the beginning of the story. It leaves us wondering what will happen to Zoe when Faerie comes for her. Also the fact she knows she is going to be conceived beforehand makes it really interesting. Last line really left me hooked.

Prologue is brilliantly written, just look out for the minor error/suggestion pointed below:

1) I really want the golden apple. And a magical deal was struck. The price has to be paid.

~I feel there's no need for 'and' in the second sentence. It doesn't suit if we go by other sentences.

→ I really want the golden apple. A magical deal was struck, so the price has to be paid.

Moving towards the story,
The love & hate relationship she has with summer is nicely described. Given the curse, I guess she has no choice but to be fully covered.

Faerie's don't curse, but she is sure that she has been cursed by a Faerie. Nice mystery. Given this and the mix of prologue, I am guessing this is something to do with golden apple. Eager to know if my assumption is correct or not.

Eager to touch someone even if it wasn't a human, showed her desperation. This is penned down really well.

From being fourteen to hundred and two, I can't even imagine the trouble Zoe has gone through because of her curse and coven.

Zoe trying on the leaves clearly portrayed the hope she still carried within. Beautifully conveyed in her actions.

Beautiful first chapter. It really grabbed my attention and made me connect with the main lead. The last line was powerful and heartbreaking. It gave the chapter the final touch.

I wonder what might have happened for Zoe to lose her trust in Priestess and her friend. Interesting take.

The wine part was so hilarious and also relatable. People do comment based on labels rather than actual taste(in everything, not specifically wine)

The slight threat she gave to Zoe about her father. And the punishment for speaking for his daughter was dreadful. It showed off their character arcs perfectly.

The pretense of asking Zoe if she would help or not, when she didn't have any choice in reality, was shown well.

I loved the bond between Zoe and her father. The guilt, the love, the fear, everything connected to the heart.

Although hard, killing a villain would not make her heart bleed, it was portrayed well.

A child? I feel bad for both Zoe and the child for this fate.

The child's father was happy mentioning She🤔🤔...why do I think that Priestess was involved with him and killed them to hide her affair.(Just a speculation)

Men as inferior and slaves...Looks like witches have exactly opposite rules, compared to other species.

Packing her food that lasts for weeks. It is so relatable from the viewpoint of a parent.

It's amusing that the cafe owners know a part of her secret yet haven't gone spreading rumors about it everywhere. All the owners have seriously taken a liking to her.

The mystery of Librarian looking different to every person has gained my attention. He is quite a character too.

Knowing what to ask exactly is a task in itself. The eagerness in him showed that he definitely knows something about Zoe's condition. I wonder when she will find a perfect question for her to receive that information as an answer.

I already knew she was a witch hunter's mate through the blurb, but still the way it was showcased gripped my heart.

Even if Felix doesn't know, mate bond is pulling him towards her too.

The effect of matebond is well portrayed without even saying it.

The transition of her fear invading her mind suddenly, no matter what she was thinking seemed to come so naturally. A good job done here.

Being her mate, Felix might be able to withstand her touch. But to check it out is a huge risk, I don't think Zoe would dare to make it.

*****
Brilliant Characterization. The personalities, emotions of each and every character comes off nicely, making us connect with them. No matter how small of a screen space, every character has made their place.

World building is done perfectly. We can understand the new world easily without it overshadowing the main story. Descriptions are balanced and imagery is perfect.

Concept is interesting and it is written well too. There aren't any plot holes. Plot moves smoothly and in a proper pace. It is neither too fast nor too slow.

Writing style is awesome. It is easy to read and understand while still being complex on its own, making it enjoyable for all types of readers. Information is provided at proper intervals, and hasn't been bombarded at any single place.

Grammar
Commas are missing at a few places.

Typos:
Chapter three
1)The task I had would honestly be one of the easiest I had had.

Chapter four
Instead of hear, here is written.

Apart from these, the story was grammatically well-written.

Last words,
Loved the story. From characters to emotions to writing, everything is amazing. There are so many minor details in this story that have peaked my interest. It was an enjoyable read. It might take some time, but I am definitely going to read the complete story.