Publication Date: 7th March 2023
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Fantasy
3 Stars
One Liner: Entertaining but could have been a lot better
Savvy (Savannah) Wilde is a powerful witch working with the CRONE organization. Griffin is a top agent at the HUNTER organization that obviously works against CRONE. Since their identities are supposed to be secret, Savvy and Hunter end up in love.
Their wedding day ends up as a disaster when the truth comes out. But things have just gotten worse. Savvy and Griffin soon have a bounty on their heads, and maybe working together is the only way to stay alive.
The story comes from the MCs' limited third-person POVs. The narration moves back and forth between the present and the past.
If you haven’t guessed already, this is a witchy retelling of the movie Mr. & Mrs. Smith.
What I Like:
It’s a light read, and I mean really light; the kind of book you read with the grey cells turned off and go with the flow.
The writing is easy to read and has a decent pace. It is also easy to speed-read the book.
There are enough laughs and some roll-your-eyes kind of jokes that may or may not be funny. This depends on what the reader enjoys.
The premise is rather good as it tries a different take on the centuries-old war between witches and hunters. Having different animals and birds as familiars is a cool touch.
What Could Have Been Better for Me:
Well, I know rom-coms are supposed to be lighthearted and fun, but this one is a little too easy.
Insta-lust turned love isn’t explored. The world-building is sketchy. The climax is simple. The ending feels effortless (not in a good way).
The conflict is presented but never worked out in detail. The bits and pieces of the past (not MCs' past but the fights and deaths) mentioned aren’t talked about. Generational trauma, baggage, and hatred are solved with such ease, I wish for the same in real life.
World-building is a crucial part of fantasy work. It is necessary even in rom-com. This one sets the base but doesn’t explore it.
The characters are uni-dimensional. Some of the supporting characters show hints of being more but are underutilized. Even the main characters are more about their physical appearances. Calling the guy nerdy a dozen times isn’t going to be enough if we can’t see how he qualifies to be one (and no, a professor with fake glasses doesn’t automatically become a nerd).
I don’t mind steam in books. In fact, I do like reading well-written steamy scenes. But it shouldn’t come at the cost of character development. A good rom-com should do justice to both elements.
The villains are boring. Yeah, yeah, rom-com and all. But come on, at least give me villains I can despise. Give them some attitude, if nothing else.
To summarize, Mr. & Mrs. Witch is a decent entertainer that could have been a great book with a little more of everything (except steam). But it ends up as a time pass book. Read, review, and forget.
Thank you, NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and St. Martin's Griffin, for the eARC.
#NetGalley
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