Review by Booklist Review
Lucky St. James' life hasn't lived up to her name. Her father disappeared when she was a baby, her mom died of cancer when she was eight, she's currently working a series of soul-crushing temp jobs, and she's the sole support for a grandmother suffering from dementia. Then Lucky finds a souvenir Salem-witch spoon in her basement, and her whole world turns upside down. Magic is real, actual witches burned at Salem, and not only is she a witch but she's supposed to help her coven usher in a new era, destroying the current patriarchal system dooming so many to hardship and violence. Through the various coven members and MacGuffin-hunting road trips we are shown a vibrantly diverse cross section of womanhood as well as folk beliefs and magical thought across the country. Can Lucky find the seventh witch, avoid immortal witch killer Jay Christos, and maintain a relationship with a grandmother who talks to long-dead relatives? Fans of magical realism and ladies getting stuff done will enjoy this ride.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Dimaline (Empire of Wild) underwhelms in this clunky feminist fantasy. Half-Métis Torontonian Lucky St. James is an underemployed, burned-out caregiver to her grandmother Stella. Then she finds a magical spoon, discovers she's a witch, and moves to Salem with Stella to join a fledgling coven. The coven will usher in a new era--but only if all seven magical spoons in existence can be found by other unknowing witches like Lucky before the Benandanti, a group of misogynist witch hunters, can find them first. Dimaline's trans-inclusive, BIPOC cast is admirable, but she works in their perspectives in the clunkiest way possible, interrupting the narrative at odd moments to give nearly every supporting character a POV section used to convey unwieldy backstory and describe prophetic dreams. Though this aspires to be literary fantasy--and indeed Dimaline's prose is strong--the plot feels oddly like a mid-'90s girl power YA fantasy and offers frustratingly shallow readings of both historical events and contemporary power structures. The main villain falls particularly flat: a member of the Benandanti pointedly named Jay Christos, who's only ever shown negging, sexually assaulting, and/or murdering everyone he meets; he's more cardboard cutout than character. All but Dimaline's most devoted fans can skip this one. Agent: Ron Eckel, CookeMcDermid Litarary. (Feb.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Lucky St. James is facing eviction in Toronto while caring for her grandmother, Stella, who's struggling with dementia. Her life changes when she finds a silver spoon, one of seven belonging to a coven of witches, masquerading as a company called VenCo who are destined to change the world. Lucky is the sixth to find her spoon. Now it's her job to locate the seventh spoon and the witch it's meant for before time runs out--and before she's caught by Jay, a powerful witch hunter motivated by a centuries-old grudge. As Lucky and Stella head to New Orleans in search of the spoon, they journey through an American landscape populated with wise women working against the oppressive forces of patriarchy and capitalism. The regionally based magic system values multicultural traditions, including Lucky's Métis Indigenous knowledge. The perspective shifts between a large cast, which limits the development of the secondary characters, but the strong through line of Lucky's familial relationship with Stella spurs her, and the novel, on. VERDICT Dimaline's latest adult work (after Empire of Wild) will appeal to readers looking for feminist tales of women hexing the patriarchy.--Erin Niederberger
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A coven of diverse modern-day witches must band together to discover their seventh and final member before they're hunted down. Lucky St. James' life has been anything but lucky. Born to the wildly iconoclastic and troubled Arnya, a member of Canada's Indigenous Métis people, Lucky was largely raised by her paternal grandmother, Stella, after her mother's early death and her father's disappearance "down an opioid drain hole." Now in her late 20s, she's trying to hold a job, manage Stella's increasing dementia, and stare down her and Stella's impending eviction from their Toronto apartment. Lucky's life seems impossible--and then she finds the spoon. Tiny, ornamental, adorned with a witch caricature and labeled SALEM, the spoon seems nothing more than a curio, but, unbeknownst to Lucky, it marks her as the sixth and penultimate member of a coven of contemporary witches who are about to change her life forever. Meena, the descendent of one of the original Salem witches; Wendy, an Anishinaabe woman who has outgrown reservation life; Morticia, a goth terrified of aging into suburban femininity; Lettie, a young Creole mother fleeing an abusive relationship; and Freya, a trans girl from a fundamentalist Christian family, are ready to welcome both Lucky and Stella into their unconventional family circle, but there's a catch. There's a seventh witch who must be located before the circle can be completed--but no one knows who she is, she could be anywhere in North America, and Lucky and Stella must find her within 17 days. As if this weren't enough pressure for the bemused but hopeful Lucky and her relentlessly sprightly grandma, there's the added wrinkle of Jay Christos, a ruthless member of the ancient witch-hunting brotherhood the Benandanti who is hot on their tail. A propulsive read full of intriguing detail, this novel is well written, engaging, and, more than anything, enjoyable. If the dichotomy between the feminine (good) and masculine (bad) is a bit stark, this is made up for by the genuine affection the reader will feel for Dimaline's irreverent, badass witches as they battle for the future of their family and the future of the world, one and the same in Dimaline's inclusive vision. Fast, fun, and full of charm(s). Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
