Review: Sorceress

Sorceress is the third and final book in Claudia Gray's Spellcaster trilogy. This continues the story of one small town on the brink of the apocalypse, and the group of friends trying to save it. Nadia is a witch, working with the evil Elizabeth to undermine her plans. Mateo, a boy whose family is cursed to predict the future and go insane because of it, is in love with Nadia. Silver haired Verlaine is cursed to never be loved, but she commits herself to her friends and their fight. Since this is the last book, there will be some spoilers, be forewarned!

I enjoyed the first two books in this trilogy, Spellcaster and Steadfast, but Sorceress is by far the best installment. There is so much that happens in this final book: Nadia learning from Elizabeth, lots of betrayal, and two simultaneously final battles. All the while, Captive's Sound is falling apart as Elizabeth builds her bridge to the One Beneath.

I appreciated the (what felt like to me) more traditional representation of witchcraft - only women, books of spells, intense secrecy. I especially enjoyed how spells are performed through memories, a very nice world building touch. Elizabeth was an amazing villain, with her eerie nature and cruel disposition. My favorite character, however, was Verlaine. I might be in the minority here, but I prefer Verlaine to Nadia, whom at times I found vexing. But Verlaine, with her vintage clothes and journalistic aspirations, brought so much depth and brilliance to this series. My heart broke for her at times, and there was no pairing I shipped harder in this trilogy than Verlaine and Asa. Yep, even more than Nadia and Mateo! The demon Asa could truly see Verlaine, immune to the curse, and their relationship was honestly the high point of this book for me.

My issues with Sorceress, besides some character things I never really got into, dealt with this "final battle." I was surprised at how quickly it was over. Their goal is to defeat the devil, so one would expect it to not be handled quite so...easily? It felt a bit anticlimactic. That being said, I still enjoyed Sorceress and would recommend the Spellcaster trilogy to anyone who enjoys YA fantasy that features witches.

If you've read this trilogy or are interested in picking it up, here are some recommendations for similar series to check out:

• The Lynburn Legacy trilogy by Sarah Rees Brennan
• The Mara Dyer trilogy by Michelle Hodkin
• Shades of London trilogy by Maureen Johnson

Goodreads rating: 3.5 / 5

What are some of your favorite books about witches? Let me know in the comments!

A copy of this book was sent to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.