Fat Witch Summer by Lizzy Ives

Fat Witch Summer by Lizzy Ives

My Rating: ★★★★

I received a copy from Sword and Rose Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

It’s usually a moment of excitement when someone first shows signs of possessing magic. For 16-year-old Thrash, it’s just another stressor in her life. She’s always dreamed about receiving the Gift of Sight, but she knows her mom, Osmarra, is obsessed with giving her the Gift of Glamour. It wouldn’t be that big of a deal if people could choose their own Gift, but everyone’s parents choose their Gift, and Osmarra is completely against Sight. Just as Thrash thinks she can live with being stuck with the Gift of Glamour, she’s offered the chance of a lifetime: run away with three witches from school with plans to steal their Gifts. Thrash thinks it’s a crazy idea, but when faced with Glamour, she’d rather take her chances than get stuck in a life she never asked for.

The title and cover of this book drew me in and I’m sure glad it did! We follow a group of teenage girls who are determined to take their lives into their own hands: Thrash, Em, Cresca, and Saki. Together, the three of them plan to break in and steal the Gifts they aren’t legally allowed to choose for themselves. Along the way, we see what each of them struggle with, their secrets, and how this crazy plan that has them flying by the seat of their pants teaches them to appreciate their abilities somewhere along the way.

One of the things I like about this book is that Thrash, the main character, is plus size and proud. Books primarily following plus size characters who aren’t an insulting depiction are hard to come by, and we’ve got Thrash, who is very proud of her appearance. If anything, she resents how her mom is so focused on appearances and how the Gift of Glamour will help her fit in… by appearing smaller than she is. We also have a well rounded cast of interesting and amazing characters with a few “bad guys” thrown into the mix. It really makes every character wonderful to follow!

I found this book to be funny and heartwarming. Sure, there’s some sad moments that tug on the heartstrings and are relatable at times, but it was fun and really supports the fact that believing in oneself makes a difference. There’s a nice cast of characters outside of the four we follow, and I do wish we saw a little more of some of those characters. For example, there’s a lot more to Osmarra’s familiar but we never get to see it.

My only complaint is that the book doesn’t seem to finish up some of the storylines. The main one being the plot about magic and what the Gifts can do. We’re supposed to believe that it’s a huge deal for Thrash to steal Glamour when there’s, ultimately, nothing to support that in the long run. It fizzles out by the end and it’s almost like the ending was to a different book. It’s so light and carefree when the entire magic system as the characters know it is being challenged and changed. I just wish this major plotline was better planned and executed because we get to the end and it’s almost like the high stakes were fake all along. I think that this will make much more sense if it turns out this is really a series opener. Otherwise, I’m just disappointed about that particular plotline nearly evaporating by the end.