In the contemporary fantasy landscape, stories of witches and curses abound, but few explore the generational weight of magical vendettas with the emotional depth Paige Crutcher attempts in A Circle of Uncommon Witches. This novel, following her previous works The Orphan Witch and The Lost Witch, continues Crutcher’s exploration of witchcraft while venturing deeper into the thorny territory of love, revenge, and the prices we pay for both.
The story centers on Doreen MacKinnon, a witch from a family cursed 300 years ago by Ambrose MacDonald after they separated him from his love, Lenora. The curse prevents any MacKinnon witch from finding true love—they must either enthrall someone (essentially bewitching them to fall in love), or die by age thirty. As Doreen approaches this deadline, she makes the desperate choice to free Ambrose from the prison where her family has kept him tortured for centuries, hoping he’ll help break the curse before it’s too late.
What follows is an adventure spanning worlds, time, and the very boundaries of life and death itself, as Doreen and Ambrose navigate complex magical trials while confronting the shadows of their intertwined family histories.
Strengths: Magic, Atmosphere, and Emotional Complexity
Evocative World-Building
Crutcher excels at crafting atmospheric settings that feel both anchored in reality and shimmering with otherworldliness. The rugged Scottish landscapes, ancient castles, and mystical forests create a richly textured backdrop against which the story unfolds. Particularly impressive is her depiction of the “prison world” created by Ada, the Queen of the Order of the Dead, where:
“The skies were ashen. Slate-gray clouds bordered by darkness, and just beyond them it faded into a white mist that blanketed the edge of the world.”
The author demonstrates a knack for sensory details that immerse readers in her magical environments, from the scent of clove and anise that accompanies powerful spells to the visual brilliance of magical light that “twinkling and bright, floated up from the earth, along with bits of water, sparks, and dirt.”
Intriguing Magical System
The novel presents a nuanced approach to witchcraft that feels both original and rooted in tradition. The concept of inherited magical abilities, family grimoires, and ancient trials creates a coherent magical framework. Particularly compelling is the idea of “mimic” magic, which allows Doreen to replicate any spell she sees performed, making her uniquely powerful among her line.
The notion that magic leaves traces in the land—that “When you create a spell in a place, the place keeps the memory of the spell”—adds depth to the worldbuilding, suggesting a living relationship between witches and their environments.
Complex Character Dynamics
At its heart, this is a story about relationships warped by power, fear, and vengeance. The romance between Doreen and Ambrose develops gradually and believably against the backdrop of their complicated family histories. Their progression from enemies to reluctant allies to something more follows an emotionally satisfying arc, with Crutcher effectively using their growing feelings to complicate the central conflict.
The relationship between Doreen and her cousin Margot offers some of the novel’s most genuine emotional moments, highlighting themes of loyalty and sacrifice. Their connection provides a heart-warming counterbalance to the darker aspects of the story:
“Margot could read her like the alphabet. Doreen blushed and pushed the hair from her face. ‘I’m here.'”
Weaknesses: Pacing, Clarity, and Convenience
Uneven Pacing
The novel’s structural rhythm struggles to maintain momentum throughout. After a promising start establishing the curse and Doreen’s quest, the middle sections—particularly once the characters enter the prison world—begin to meander. The trials themselves, while conceptually interesting, sometimes feel repetitive rather than progressively challenging.
The final confrontation with Ada arrives somewhat abruptly after lengthy setup, and resolves with surprising speed given the formidable nature of the antagonist built up throughout the narrative.
Convenient Plot Developments
Several critical plot turns rely on timely interventions or revelations that don’t always feel earned. The introduction of the “truth” about Lenora and Ambrose’s past relationship—that she had enthralled him rather than the other way around—feels like a convenient narrative shift rather than a revelation organically developed through the story.
Similarly, the ultimate resolution depends heavily on connections and magical abilities that are introduced without sufficient groundwork, leaving some readers feeling that victory comes too easily given the stakes established.
Clarity Issues in the Magical Rules
While the magic system in “A Circle of Uncommon Witches” has creative elements, the rules governing it sometimes shift to accommodate plot needs. The mechanics of the curse and how it might be broken change as the story progresses, from initially suggesting Ambrose must willingly release it to later suggesting a MacKinnon witch must fall in love with a MacDonald witch.
The prison world created by Ada likewise operates under inconsistent rules, with some abilities working differently than established. This occasional fuzziness in the magical parameters weakens the tension, as readers may wonder whether a new magical solution might conveniently appear when needed.
Character Development: Strengths and Missed Opportunities
Doreen’s Journey
Doreen stands as the novel’s most fully realized character, with a clear arc from isolated yearning to self-empowered determination. Her intelligence, compassion, and occasional stubbornness make her an engaging protagonist whose growth feels earned. Her struggle with the curse—particularly her refusal to enthrall someone as her cousin Margot did—establishes her moral framework early on and makes her later choices more meaningful.
Ambrose’s Incomplete Transformation
While Ambrose receives significant attention, his character development follows a more predictable trajectory. His transition from vengeance-seeking antagonist to reluctant ally to romantic interest hits familiar beats without quite achieving the emotional complexity his backstory might suggest. The revelation about his being enthralled by Lenora, while interesting, somewhat diminishes his agency in the larger narrative.
Supporting Cast Variations
The supporting characters vary widely in their effectiveness. Margot shines as Doreen’s loyal cousin, with enough personality and backstory to feel three-dimensional. Stella, Doreen’s aunt, transitions from antagonistic force to ally in ways that sometimes feel too neat given her earlier characterization.
Ada, as the primary antagonist, presents an intriguing concept—a being twisted by grief who steals souls to sustain herself—but never quite achieves the depth her backstory promises. Her motivations remain somewhat opaque despite extensive flashbacks and journal entries revealing her history.
Thematic Depth: Love, Choice, and Consequence
Despite its narrative unevenness, A Circle of Uncommon Witches successfully explores several meaningful themes:
- The nature of true love versus compulsion: Through the curse and its effects, the story thoughtfully examines what constitutes genuine love versus magical enthrallment.
- Intergenerational trauma: The curse persisting through thirteen generations effectively illustrates how past conflicts continue to shape present lives.
- The price of vengeance: Both Ambrose’s and Ada’s quests for revenge demonstrate how vengeance ultimately consumes those who pursue it.
- Choice and sacrifice: Margot’s willing transformation into stone to save Doreen and Ambrose highlights the novel’s emphasis on the power of choosing one’s own fate.
Prose and Dialogue: Lyrical but Occasionally Overwrought
Crutcher’s prose shines brightest in descriptive passages, where her evocative language brings magical elements to life:
“She was in love with a stupid stingray. As the thought settled, the path to the castle grew clearer in her mind.”
However, the dialogue occasionally feels stilted, particularly when characters explain magical concepts to each other. Some conversations serve primarily as information delivery systems rather than authentic exchanges between the characters.
The journal entries interspersed throughout the narrative offer interesting historical context but sometimes interrupt the main story’s momentum rather than enhancing it.
Final Assessment: A Flawed but Enchanting Addition to the Witch-lit Genre
A Circle of Uncommon Witches delivers an imaginative premise with moments of genuine emotional resonance, even as it struggles with pacing and narrative consistency. Fans of Deborah Harkness’s All Souls trilogy or Alice Hoffman’s Practical Magic series will find familiar elements repurposed in interesting ways, though Crutcher’s work lacks some of the narrative discipline of those influences.
Where the novel truly succeeds is in its exploration of love’s complexities—both its capacity to heal and to harm. The central question of whether true love is worth the cost receives no simple answer, which gives the story a welcome moral complexity.
For readers invested in character-driven witch narratives with romantic elements, the novel’s strengths may outweigh its structural weaknesses. Those seeking tight plotting and consistent worldbuilding might find themselves occasionally frustrated by the narrative conveniences.
Recommended for:
- Fans of romantic fantasy featuring witches and generational curses
- Readers who enjoy atmospheric Scottish settings
- Those who appreciate complex family dynamics in magical contexts
- Anyone drawn to stories about breaking cycles of vengeance and finding personal agency
Approach with caution if:
- Plot consistency and tight pacing are non-negotiable for your reading enjoyment
- You prefer magic systems with clearly defined rules that remain consistent
- Romantic subplots that develop amid life-threatening situations don’t appeal to you
Paige Crutcher continues to establish herself as a voice in contemporary witch fiction, and while A Circle of Uncommon Witches doesn’t fully realize its ambitious premise, it offers enough magic, heart, and atmospheric charm to warrant attention from fans of the genre.
