H. A. Clarke

If you love the vibes of Jennifer's Body and The Craft, give this book a try.

Sideways is not your average queer outsider who feels drawn to magic. She finds herself invited to a party to try because of rumors circling the school around Sideway's affinity for magic. The night quickly takes a hard turn after Sideways blacks out at the end of the night.

Sideways finds herself trying to piece together the night with the high school's "mean girl" trio that have attached themselves to her. The way the girls interact in almost a fluid state of matter felt so true to the lines that rarely exist and the confusion that can come with that type of connection.

This story took me a few chapters to get hooked into but I am very much looking forward to what happens next. The humor was very much my style and I'm hoping to see more of Sideway's parents in the next books!… (lisätietoja)

3.75 stars

Sideways is at a party and “plays” a little bit with magic. Three other girls from school are willing, and they recruit one more from a neighbouring school. But it’s dangerous. Sideways is not sure what happened when she wakes up the next morning. One of the girls is missing, and they find her at the bottom of an empty pool with three dead deer arranged closeby. Despite the danger and not knowing exactly what happened or how, the girls love the attention they get out of it and want to do more with magic.

I mostly liked this, though none of the characters was terribly likable (except Sideways’ two dads). It is quite graphic at times, as well (this is just an fyi… graphic doesn’t usually bother me, and it didn’t this time). Also a lot of profanity, which I disliked more than the graphic-ness. And it doesn’t quite finish, so not sure how long the series is (or will be) or if there is just one sequel or if it’s a trilogy, but I’ll read the next one.… (lisätietoja)

Easy 4.5 stars, rounded up. I loved Scapegracers with all my queer, witchy wretched heart and I waited for its sequel to walk into my life again and finally succeeded. I adored this story. A perfect sequel for that odd little book about a teeny witch called Sideways, finding a coven of beautiful, brilliant and magic girls to hex abusive and hateful boys together with.

In the second part of the book Sideways Pike has had her soul stolen by Madeline, the girl that almost became her girlfriend, and tries to get it back while being kept alive by her covens book devil Mr. Scratch. Mr. Scratch before that, was book devil to the Honeyeaters, a coven hunted down and killed by Witch finders.

And yeah, the witch finders are still on scene, involved in that entire mess.

The relationship between Mr. Scratch and Sideways is beautifully detailed and a little horror in a good way. Sideways dissociates heavily and often, due to having lost her soul and Clarke manages to write these scenes horrifyingly beautiful.

While the first book wrote an ode to female friendship and to the beauty of girlhood in all its facets and how its okay to be all pink and glittery and popular and how it is okay not to be the second book brings in a component of generational relationships. The Scrapegracers are connected to the Honeyeaters through Mr.Scratch and inherit part of their spells but also their pain.

Genderqueerness comes into play as well in this book. Being strong and weak and magical, being vengeful and ragefilled and wanting blood. This book has it all.

The Scratch Daughters is witchy and beautiful and snatches your breath right fron your throat. Absolutely recommend

Also side note: I love Julia and Boris and I adore Shiloh and also they need a hug.… (lisätietoja)