The Coven

By: Lizzie Fry

Narrated by: Rebecca Perfect

Let me repeat myself, so we can be very clear. Women are not the enemy. We must protect them from themselves, just as much as we must protect ourselves.

Imagine a world in which witchcraft is real. In which mothers hand down power to their daughters, power that is used harmlessly and peacefully.

Then imagine that the US president is a populist demagogue who decides that all witches must be imprisoned for their own safety, as well as the safety of those around them—creating a world in which to be female is one step away from being criminal....

As witches across the world are rounded up, one young woman discovers a power she did not know she had. It's a dangerous force, and it puts her on the top of the list in a global witch hunt.

But she—and the women around her—won't give in easily. Not while all of women's power is under threat.

The Coven is a dazzling global thriller that pays homage to the power and potential of women everywhere.

©2021 Lizzie Fry (P)2021 Hachette Audio UK

Good listen

This story will intrigue the listeners with great characters and suspense along with magic. My only minor criticism is that the narrator does not give the characters enough of a vocal range. However, with that said, the audience that listens to this story will not be disappointed.

9/10 Wands. A great listen

I really enjoyed the overall story. The author created a believable world with an interesting history I wish were explored more. This deals very much with religious inspired misogyny without turning into misandry, a rare feat, which is very much appreciated.

A fast paced book with a lot occurring in a short time it’s a book I plan to revisit often. I usually abhor stories about “the one” savior of all but this focused a bit more on supporting characters. It humanized the bad guys (except the archvillain), and showed some of the good guys did bad things. It touched on motivations of the groups and the dangers of mob, follower and tribal mentality. It takes an honest approach to how things could go when religion and politics combine. Magic was treated from a energy control viewpoint and implying it was a gift of divinity without saying it. No flying brooms or wards, no chants or spells, mostly focus and use of emotion for change to occur.

It had the unusual effect of a stand alone book in leaving me curious about knowing more about the world she crafted and hoping for a sequel.

I tried...

I wanted to finish this book, I really did. The narrator was fine. In fact, I would say that with what she was given she did a great job! But it's the story and the flat characters and the writing that I just couldn't stand it anymore.

There are a lot of highly rated reviews on this and other websites for this book and I was really looking forward to it. But I must say, don't be fooled by the description of this book. It is not fun or interesting at all. The world and the characters are flat stereotypes. The writing is repetitive in weird ways and sometimes steals famous tropes from other media (Star Wars, for example). For a book that promises feminism, it's a surprisingly anti-feminist book, sometimes in pretty shocking ways. And that's not the good shocking.