Sunday, August 22, 2021

Becoming Crone (The Crone Wars #1) by Lydia M. Hawke

A cover of Becoming Crone showing an older woman with shoulder-length silver hair in jeans and a long-sleeved blue top, her arms crossed over her chest. She's illuminated by white-blue light from behind. On her left, a large crow flies above her and there are many smaller ones in the air. There are fir trees in the background
Becoming Crone deserves 5 stars for getting me out of reading slump alone, because this year has not been my reading year at all, but this story managed to keep my interest.

Starting with a refreshing concept where the main protagonist is a 60 year-old grandma who suddenly comes into her power as a witch - or, a Crone and continuing with assembling a cast of mismatched, quirky characters (and a cat), it follows Claire through discovery and acceptance of her new reality without a boring moment, from funny to scary and heart-wrenching ones.

I very much appreciated the real, tangible stakes and consequences, from the magic's impact on the real world to inflicted injuries that do not magically disappear.

And with the way it ended and my trust in the author, I one-clicked the sequel pre-order without a second thought.