Fat Witch Summer
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3 months free
Fat Witch Summer
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Narrated by:
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Kelsey Navarro Foster
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James Anderson Foster
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By:
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Lizzy Ives
About this listen
Dumplin’ meets The Craft in this body-positive fantasy novel for fans of summer road trips, female friendship, and magic.
Sixteen-year-old Thrash doesn’t enchant eyeliner over her lids or clear her acne with magic. She is plus-size, but she doesn’t hate what she sees in the mirror—that’s the realm of her mother, Osmarra, a slim and elegant Glamour witch. When Thrash unexpectedly breaks a mirror with her mind, she discovers she has a knack for magic and will receive one of the three sanctioned Gifts: Glamour, Growth, or Sight. The only problem is that mothers choose the Gifts, and Osmarra is convinced that the Gift of Glamour will fix her daughter’s looks.
When Thrash fails to persuade Osmarra to accept her as she is, a trio of cool witches who call themselves The Lunes offer her an out. Their leader, fiery and charismatic Cresca, recruits Thrash for a road trip to New Salem University, where the girls plan to steal their own Gifts. As Thrash crosses the magical Thirteen States of America, Osmarra hot on her heels, she discovers bewitched diners, haunted tourist traps, and a secret about the Gifts that will change the Thirteen States forever.
©2022 Lizzy Ives (P)2023 Lizzy IvesListeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
“A fantasy that offers compelling worldbuilding and rich character arcs… Ives turns the coming-of-age road-trip trope on its magical head.” - Kirkus Reviews
Let's start with the good:
- The worldbuilding is really intriguing - it's set in an AU version of the United States, where magic is real and it has had a big impact on the development of the country.
- The cast of characters is really diverse - various body types, skin colours, ethnicities, and disabilities are all represented here, as well as having some queer characters.
- It's a typical coming-of-age style story, with believable conflict between parents and their teens, who are trying to express themselves and find their own ways in the world.
And now for the bits I struggled with:
- It was not quite what I was expecting. The title, cover, and description all led me to feel that this would be a fairly light-hearted, easy read - a story of friendship, body positivity, and a fun road trip. However the stakes are pretty high, with the characters quickly becoming like fugitives trying to escape those in power. This in and of itself isn't an issue, except for the fact I wasn't in the right headspace for this kind of read and I suspect that's why I struggled to really connect with it.
- The tension rises throughout the book, and yet the characters seemingly get off very easily with few consequences for either themselves or the world at large. It feels too quick and neat after the build up throughout the rest of the book, especially given they essentially set off a revolution.
All of this to say that I think this is a good book, with just a few things that could have made it even better. However I personally really struggled with it, hence my rating. I do think that others will love it, as is reflected within the other reviews (it seems people either love it, or have similar issues as I do). I'd like to see more from the author however, as I think she has the potential to really shine.
Not quite what I was expecting...
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