Shadow Witch (Witches of Hollow Cove, #1) by Kim Richardson

Shadow Witch (Witches of Hollow Cove, #1) Reviews

• 
  Dew

  Quippy
  
  I never understand why authors are more invested in having their characters word-vomit non-stop snark at the expense of writing a story. Even though she’s 29 and has been living in NYC for nearly a decade, Tessa would rather be sarcastic than actually do anything. She is never prepared, she can’t figure out her a$$ from her elbow, and she is reactive and rude in a way that makes the character come across as a recalcitrant teenager. The book has as much plot to the mystery as the average Scooby Doo episode. Tessa sees some kid across the street and 20 chapters of filler later the villain turns out to be the kid - who is possessed by a demon sorceress! Tada!
• 
  Elena Rodríguez

  2.5 (por las risas).
  
  “Entonces, ¿qué haces cuando un gran demonio del mundo de las tinieblas se abalanza sobre ti, con sus ojos brillantes?
  Levantas el culo y corres. Eso es lo que haces”.
  
  Yo pensaba que había leído libros ligeros. Sin embargo, ha sido llegar a esta novela y encontrarme en otro nivel. Eso sí, me lo he pasado en grande leyéndolo. Es lo que necesitaba y es lo que cuenta.
  Me lo he leído en español, pero no sé porque Goodreads no muestra la edición en este idioma porque aparentemente es de editorial.
  
  “Para el ojo humano, Hollow Cove era un pueblo costero más, con sus pintorescas tiendas y sus curiosos residentes. Para nosotros, era el lugar donde se veía a una ninfa sacando la basura, a una madre lobo regañando a sus hijos en el parque porque tirar de las alas de los duendes no era buena idea, donde los trolls atendían sus tabernas y elaboraban sus cervezas, y donde las brujas vendían sus pociones y hechizos”.
  
  ¿Qué puedo decir? Me pones fantasía urbana como está y a mí no hace falta que me lo digan dos veces que me lo voy acabar leyendo porque es uno de mis puntos débiles. Sin embargo, eso no significa que luego no le ponga una puntuación objetiva porque a pesar de que me haya entretenido este libro más de dos estrellas no le pondría.
  
  La narración es muy simple y roza lo absurdo. Los personajes planísimos y muy clichés. El argumento tres cuartos de lo mismo y los diálogos es mejor que te lo tomes a risa porque parecen sacados de una parodia de fantasía.
  
  -¡Esto no es divertido! ¡Haz algo! Soy demasiado guapo para morir.
  
  ***
  -Vale, así que el demonio grande y malo tiene unos cuantos trucos en el culo. Al menos tu puntería fue buena esta vez.
  
  A pesar de todo esto, lo voy a seguir recomendando. ¿Por qué? Porque te entretiene y pasas el rato. Se puede leer en menos de una tarde y te echas unas risas. ¿Además, a todo el mundo le apetece de vez en cuando atiborrarse, aunque sea un día comida rápida no? Es lo mismo. Al menos para mí.
  En espera que traduzcan el segundo.
  
  “Pero solo los estúpidos desafiarían a las brujas de Davenport”.
  
• 
  ♥Milica♥

  DNF @ 51%
  
  Some books try and succeed, others try and fail. This one isn't a total fail.
  
  The world building was the best part. I love the idea of a small community of nosy supernaturals living right under everyone's nose.
  
  And it started great too, but as soon as she arrived at her home, people jumped on her to get into the family business despite her not being equipped to handle it, and it went downhill from there.
  
  But at least we got Ronin. He's funny, and he said a Seamus Finnigan inspired line, which makes him even better.
  
  As for the other characters...hmm. I liked the aunts. Tessa and Marcus on the other hand...no. Marcus tries too hard to be broody, and Tessa is mean for no reason.
  
  But hey, it's free with Amazon Prime so feel free to check it out and make your own judgement.
• 
  Montzalee Wittmann

  Shadow Witch
  (Witches of Hollow Cove #1)
  by Kim Richardson
  This town has all kinds of witches and creatures but the bad ones have been blocked with wards. But the wards have been slowly being removed. Our witch of the story returns to the town to her aunt's after a bad breakup. She is now part of the team to protect the town.
  I liked the plot, concept, but wished the characters were better developed. I gave it 3 1/2 stars rounded up to 4.
• 
  ZoraYuna

  To the synopsis question: Are you ready for your next magical adventure? I answered yes and did not regret it.
  It was a dynamic story, with magic, lots of humor, good friendships and a feeling between Tessa and Marcus that leaves you wanting more.
• 
  Lori

  Not a fan, stopped at 92%
  
  Seems odd, stopping at 92%, but I couldn't read anymore. Limiting this review because I won't give spoilers. At first it was okay, but I just couldn't get into it. Then it kept having moments that weren't logical, things that, even in our "out there" stories, were too much. I kept reading because I hate giving up on a book. But finally I hit the spot where my brain said "Come on, that's just stupid!" and I was done.
  ✋🐺
• 
  Swalsk

  Called it.
• 
  Sam

  I only finished this book because I wanted to write a review on it.
  
  I was looking for guilty pleasure books to read in between the All Souls trilogy to give my brain a bit of a break, but this book couldn't even be a guilty pleasure for me.
  
  First, it's difficult to tell who the audience is supposed to be. Tessa is 29 years old, but the whole writing style feels very YA. She's extremely hot headed and will use any chance she can get to jump down Marcus's throat, all over a rude statement he made about her mother. It's a very odd reaction, given we're supposed to get the idea she's not close with her mother at all and is aware of her mother not being the most reliable person. This makes the enemies to lovers theme feel really forced, especially when Tessa makes comments about not knowing why Marcus hates her so much. I'm sure the whole assaulting him in their first encounter and being a complete bitch when he's around her really helps with that.
  
  Next, Tessa's aunts are part of the Merlin group who is supposed to protect Hollow Cove, but we don't see them do anything aside from looking at a blood splatter on the street and going "hmmm, yes, demons" and trying to protect their house from the Unseen. Because of this, we have no idea as readers what magic is supposed to look like through half of this book. Tessa barely knows anything about doing magic, and what training she's had in her life, we know nothing about. Yet, she's immediately thrown into missions involving killing demons, and she has to open a witch's handbook in the midst of battle to do spells. Even after all this, Tessa has the idea to start using power words, which can kill her if they're not used correctly, and this is just what she decides to use for the rest of the book.
  
  The dialogue in this book is so clunky, at times I found myself rolling my eyes wondering who actually speaks like these characters do. I believe the writer wanted Tessa to feel relatable, and as a result, Tessa has this need to add little quips after everything she encounters, and it is maddening. Her way of describing demons is ridiculous, and it makes me forget the original description of the demon. For example, the first demon she encounters is called a snake-bear, and she refers to it like this through the rest of the fight. There's also many instances of the dialogue being repetitive, such as Tessa referring to a demon as an SOB multiple times in the same fight.
  
  It almost feels like the writer just doesn't have variety in describing actions or characters, or she just thinks the readers are not very bright. I couldn't keep track of how many times we were reminded Ronin has the ability of speed because he is a vampire, but we are constantly reminded of this throughout the book.
  
  The characters in this book have no depth whatsoever. The only character who got a bit of a back-story was Ronin, and that was even lacking. Ronin is the only positive I can give the story. He was enjoyable, but he was still a victim of poor dialogue at times. Maybe if Richardson had focused less on Tessa's quips and more on interesting dialogue and a believable plot, this book could have been worth reading.
  
  The final confrontation with the sorceress, who is the main villain of this story, is abysmal. Tessa, after learning she can do power words decently, now thinks she can summon and control a demon. Okay, Tessa. Of course, with this plot, she is successful and can control the dragon the sorceress has been using. The rest of Tessa's companions actually ask her how they're going to deal with the sorceress, who is turning into a wooden structure...(I don't know, I was starting to lose the will to finish the book at this point). Tessa actually turns to them and says "What burns wood?", and they save the day.
  
  Overall, Richardson's writing style failed this book. What this story could have been is something I would enjoy reading. A witch who has returned home is recruited to a coven to protect her town from demons and dark witches. However, Tessa is extremely unlikable, which made me not care for her happiness or her safety. The plot does not make sense at all, and this book is just a hollow shell of a story with absolutely no depth and minimal world building.
  
  I definitely won't be finishing this series, and I won't be trying any of the other series by this writer.
• 
  Chrys Minter

  Another great read
  
  I'm enjoying the writing of Mrs. Richardson. She never disappoints no matter what I am reading from her series. I can't wait to escape into the next realm. Bags are packed.. where am I going next.
• 
  Berls

  This was okay, but not great. I think there's a decent amount of potential in the magical world, but there are inconsistencies, the characters are a little caricature-like, and I don't love the main character. On the flip side, I'm interested and since I have the next couple books for audio review, I'm going to keep reading and see if some of those elements don't work themselves out.
  
  The biggest problem is that I don't love the main character, Tessa. I like her okay and she says things sometimes that really make me laugh. But she also is super quick to anger and a bit over the top in her demonstrations of said anger. I think the dialogue is where things grate on me a little... maybe? And the fact that she's just come back home with supposedly very little magical training and is being thrust - successfully - into all these intense scenarios. It's a little over-the-top. Which is a good way to describe all the characters. They are all very extreme with like 1 trait that defines them.
  
  As for the magical world - it's neat. There's this community hidden from human view full of cast-offs from the magical community. And Tessa's family belongs to a magical agency - The Merlin Group - that protects the community. Only the community is under attack and her aunts are losing. So in comes Tessa, reeling from a bad breakup and not having been part of the community for over 5 years, untrained and... she's the leader? She's reading spell books on the fly and succeeding? And there's this giant problem with how power words are described. Tessa talks about how their super dangerous to use because there's no room for mistakes. You either use the words right and have this big sap on your power or use the words wrong and die. Within a couple chapters of her learning power words she tries to use them and says the wrong word, oh 4 or 5 times, and nothing happens. Um, that's not what you described.
  
  Anyway, I am going to continue and see if some of that doesn't soften. I am listening and I have to say the narration is also just okay. I don't know if it's a case of not great dialogue so your voices aren't great or the voices exacerbate the dialogue problem? The male voices are a little rough sounding. Not enough to make me stop and just read, but not making this narrator a favorite for me at this point.
• 
  Adricrisuruta

  I have enjoyed this book very much. I look forward to continue reading more.
  
  It has been an adventure full of many emotions. We have not been deprived of anything.
  
  A friendship forged in danger, a dangerous and arguably almost impossible attraction, demons, devilish girls, sorceresses and lots of magic.
  Laughter everywhere, an inconceivable shapeshifter (I still can't recover from the surprise I got when I read it) and even a sin-eating house.
  
  I can only hope for more such shocking stuff in the next books.
• 
  Abbie

  I remember years ago my daughter use to watch this show called Halloween Town…this book kind of reminded of of a grown up version of that movie.
  
  The main character is a young witch coming back home to take over the family business. She is not well trained, so I was confused on how she was stronger then the aunts who have obviously been around a lot longer and should know a thing or two. She was also too a bit too smart aleck, which did big me at times.
  Her “sidekick “ was too into himself, kind of put me off.
  
  The book was just okay.
• 
  ☕️Kimberly (Caffeinated Reviewer)

  Full RTC
• 
  Marta

  Nah, that word-vomit ain’t it.
• 
  Amanda

  2,5 ☆ /5 • Los personajes Mike, ¿qué clase de personalidad tienen?
  
  Hay doce libros de esto y no sé cómo voy a gestionarlo porque, en verdad, se lee súper rápido, pero es malo hasta decir basta. ¿Quiere decir esto que, de alguna retorcida forma, lo haya disfrutado? Pues lo suficiente como para hacer que lo termine. Pero llegado a cierto punto, era bastante obvio lo que pasaba.
  
  Lo peor de este libro (algo que a lo mejor con el tiempo mejora) es que tiene unos personajes que dan un poco de vergüenza ajena. Empezando por su protagonista, Tessa, que comienza siendo la pobrecita diseñadora gráfica cornuda que tiene que regresar a la casa de su infancia y, de repente, es una bruja badass mata demonios de tomo y lomo. Y eso que solo sabe hacer cuatro hechizos porque no ha estado practicando en años y, claramente, no se acuerda.
  
  El romance, por lo menos, es un slowburn con el que no me puedo meter mucho. Que todo el mundo sabe hacia donde se dirigen los tiros después de esta primera novela y, que, por supuesto, en el segundo libro se va a comer al señor que tanto ha odiado en este primero, peeeeeeero... la autora ha hecho lo posible por centrarse más en la historia principal que en el romance. Y yo se lo agradezco. Aunque, también os digo, llegados a este punto de leer este tipo de novelas me esperaba hot hot hot por todas partes y, os aviso, no ha pasado por lo que sea.
  
  El leído el libro en digital, traducido al español... uno raro porque al principio parecía muy de España y ha ido degenerando a una traducción más latina. Así que a la gente del otro lado del charco, si lo leéis por Kindle, sed pacientes porque llegará el momento en el que dejaréis de escuchar nuestros modismos españolitos. No me ha molestado, la verdad, simplemente es confuso llegado el momento.
  
  ¿Voy a seguir leyendo la saga? Pues no lo sé, no me ha parecido tan entretenida del todo. Pero voy a probar con la de Cazadora de Demonios, a ver si es tan mala o me parece que tiene algo más de chicha. Eso sí, esto puede considerarse un guilty pleasure muy sacado de los early 2000 cuando teníamos Charmed y las urban fantasies de brujas molaban.
  
  Ahora, pues como que una ha evolucionado como lectora y busca historias de brujas mejores. Pero nunca está de más, leer este tipo de novelas para no pensar. Se lleva un 5 pelado por el esfuerzo, y porque ha hecho que lo lea en menos de 24h. Cheers!
• 
  Marsha

  “Shadow Witch” is the first book that I’ve read and listen to (audio) from Kim Richardson. The storyline was clever but I must admit that I found the 29 year old heroine, Tessa, rather immature.
  
  Tessa had been living with her lawyer boyfriend in New York until he dumped her. Broke and alone she decides to go home to Hollow Cove where her three Aunts live among paranormals. They are witches and the town guardians. Like most small towns it has its share of gossips. No sooner than Tessa crosses over the bridge into town she runs into Martha, the town snoop. It seems Martha knows all about Tessa’s man troubles as well as her traveling mother who puts her father above all others.
  
  The aunts, Delores, Ruth and Beverly eagerly greet Tessa but they also rope her into joining the Merlin Group and helping protect the town. Tessa is over her head since she hasn’t used her magic in years but her first night in town finds her investigating the gruesome murder of one of the town’s werewolves. Before she can even begin to investigate she is faced with a hostile and angry Chief of Police named, Marcus. Of course he is sexy as sin but when he tells Tessa to leave town and insults her mother he finds himself blown 50 feet on his ass. Hello!
  
  Demons are infiltrating Hollow Cove by destroying the very wards Tessa’s aunts have installed to protect the town. When her aunts are fired from their jobs as town protectors and a group of rogue enforcers known as the Unseen are hired to replace them, Tessa is bound and determined to prove the worth of the Merlin group. Of course, first she has to teach the Unseen that they can come into town and try and take over her family’s house. Really now!
  
  This read is packed full of mysteries, surprises and action. I really did enjoy it. It was especially great to listen to on my 5 Hour dry home from my vacation. My only criticism is Tessa’s immaturity and constant bickering. Hopefully the next installment will clean this issue up. Definitely worth putting on your to read list.
• 
  Zaza

  Je comptais sur ce roman pour me sortir de ma sorte de panne de lecture, mais il n'a pas eu l'effet brûlée).escompté, si ce n'est que j'ai quand même réussi à le terminer, ce qui n'était pourtant pas gagné d'avance vu ma capacité à lire en ce moment. :/
  
  Voilà un urban fantasy avec des sorcières et toute une communauté vivant dans une petite ville du Maine, en retrait du monde. Tessa revient à Hollow Cove après une rupture, et son arrivée coïncide avec un moment où la survie même de la ville et de ses habitants est en jeu. Comme toutes les héroïnes d'urban fantasy, l'héroïne n'a pas sa langue dans sa poche et elle peut vite s'emporter (enfin surtout contre Marcus, le "chef" de la ville), tout en étant courageuse (voire un peu tête
  
  L'aventure est au rendez-vous, avec quelques passages crados et dantesques, c'est une lecture qui fait le job, mais j'avoue avoir trouvé que ça correspondrait sûrement plus à un public adolescent qu'à un lectorat d'urban fantasy.
• 
  Cheryl

  Not the best
  
  I was looking forward to a great witch story, however it just falls flat. It was like pulling teeth to read the book. Honestly I didn't finish I was just plain bored. This was suppose to be funny, etc. Umm I must of missed it all. It wasn't funny or interesting, nothing that pulls you in. Sorry!
• 
  Eden

  2022 bk 376. It had all the indications of a book I'd enjoy, but somehow it felt flat to me. I'm still trying to discern whether it was the book and its violence or the sadness I was feeling (a neighbor had committed suicide). So for now, I'm putting the book at 3 stars as it wasn't enough to lift me out of the doldrums, but not so poorly written to be lower on the scale. There were so many unanswered questions with not even hints that I'm not sure that the author was aware that she had so many open-ended situations.
• 
  Alayna Payton

  Not exactly my cup of tea.
  
  I realized reading this that I dont really like humor or comic relief moments in my books. I felt myself rolling my eyes a lot.
• 
  Cristina

  3’25✨
• 
  Amanda Thomson

  Nice easy read
  
  Nice interesting storyline with a good little love interest. Would have enjoyed a bit more character building and relationship exploration but I enjoyed the easy read
• 
  Toni

  4.5 stars
  
  This is the first book in the Witches of Hollow Cove series by Kim Richardson.
  
  This is the town where all the misunderstood supernatural folk come to live. This is a fun series that has a lot of appeal. She comes to town recruited into her Aunt’s Magical Detective Agency.
  
  In the beginning she gains the ire of the town Chief of Police, Marcus and does come to find a bit of common ground with him, but I am sure that there is more snark to come between these two.
  
  The mystery was easy to follow and I look forward to reading more and finding out just what Hollow Cove has to offer.
  
  Definitely pick this up if you are a paranormal magical cozy mystery lover.
  
  Read this book for free via my Kindle Unlimited subscription.
• 
  Stephanie Mills

  Pretty good
  
  Overall all this book was pretty good. In the beginning it was kind of slow And I almost lost interest. About halfway through it really picked up and I was hooked. At the end it seemed to just cut off and made you feel like the book was not finished. With that being said I do recommend this book if I could give it a 3.7 I would as it is closer to that.
• 
  Nancy

  Witches and Demons
  
  Awesome read,great characters and great storyline with lots of action and mystery,magic, crazy killer demons and sorcerer and the Davenport Witches and other supernaturals must defend their town loved it great read.
• 
  Erin Figueiredo

  Entertaining to the very end!
  
  This is a fantastic new magical series by the amazing author Kim Richardson. It’s laugh out loud funny with edge of your seat action and suspense that will keep you captivated and highly entertained from the very beginning to the very end.
  
  Tessa is back into her hometown due to a nasty breakup and is instantly forced back into the magical world she grew up in. Her Aunts have recruited her to become a part of the Merlin Group (a magical detective agency), investigating weird and strange events happening around their little town. Unfortunately, the town Chief Marcus has other plans for the Merlin Group.
  
  Tessa is a kickass, witty and very sassy witch, who doesn’t hold back her emotions. She will do anything to help her family. She delivers funny punch lines and sassy comebacks all while kicking demon ass! Tessa takes us on a heart racing adventure with lots of mystery, suspense, murder and mayhem.
  
  I absolutely love this new series and I can’t wait to see what happens to Tessa and her hilariously funny Aunts next.
  
• 
  bersabea giudice

  In quest'ultimo periodo ho una specie di blocco del lettore, ogni personaggio che leggo mi sta antipatico e una trama meno che perfetta mi infastidisce, penso di aver mollato almeno 2 libri che non se lo meritavano ( li recupererò in seguito ).
  Avevo bisogno di qualcosa che fosse leggero e scorrevole e magari con dei personaggi simpatici.
  Questa premessa è per dire che non so se avrei dato un punteggio così alto a questo libro se avessi avuto la mia normale condizione mentale, fatto sta che era proprio quello di cui avevo bisogno e l'ho apprezzato tanto.
  Tessa, la protagonista, mi è piaciuta , è una dura ma anche un pò imbranata.
  Abbiamo pure le tre zie streghe di Tessa. Ronin, il mezzo vampiro, che è uno spasso, fa battute a raffica. Marcus il capo super sexy della sicurezza di Hollow Cove e la meravigliosa casa magica dei Davemport.
  Un libro che scorre via in poche ore, che mi ha divertito ed intrattenuta. Non potevo chiedere niente di più. Leggerò sicuramente il secondo volume.
  
• 
  Laura Haskell

  Lovely cover...
  
  Just wish the content matched. I have a rule, if I roll my eyes more than three times per chapter, it's a fail. At times I caught myself rolling my eyes more than three times per paragraph. The characters are one dimensional, the dialogue was at times just creepy, the situations jumped the shark on a regular basis and for a "shadow witch" she was brutally unprepared and ignorant.
  Even her relationships are stupid, built on the most idiotic premise, and shallow. They would jump into over the top and ludicrous situations and miraculously fix it all.
  I am so glad I just borrowed this book to test the series before I bought it and hunkered down with a new series to digest.
  
  If you're looking for a new series to fall in love? You might want to look elsewhere. Even as much as we're expected to suspend disbelief, no one ever said you should just go brain dead altogether.