It says "coven" right on the cover. But for some reason my brain had me thinking this book is about vampires?? I will not under any circumstances reveal how far into the book I was before realizing "hey, this book has no vampires, only witches". My dodo brain aside, this was a pleasant read. Very "eff the patriarchy" 👏🏼

4 Stars

*Assemble the coven. Hex the patriarchy.*


Having read Empire of Wild and found it unique and interesting, I was excited to see Dimaline’s newest book was about feminist witches.

Unlike her name, Lucky has never had much good luck in her life. After a life of hardship, Lucky struggles to take care of herself and her aging grandmother. A Métis millennial working a dead-end job and about to be evicted from her apartment, things look bleak – until she finds a magical spoon that shows she is destined to be part of a coven destined to bring in a new era. But there is an evil witch-hunter who will go to any lengths to stop the coven from assembling.

As with Empire of Wild, Venco showed off Dimaline’s vivid but sometimes strange writing style. It took me some time to get used to the first time, but with Venco I had a better idea of what to expect. Her writing is a unique and kind of weird combination of lyrical descriptions, odd similes, and random bits vulgarity. The plot also jumped around a lot with many flashbacks to each of the characters’ backgrounds. It’s a writing style that won’t work for everyone.

The story is character-driven and slow-burn. The flashback sections did slow down the story though they fleshed out the characters. I will also mention that this story leaned more towards Magical Realism that Urban Fantasy, so if you are expecting big magical battles or anything like that, then you will be disappointed. The magic is almost more of a metaphor for women’s suppressed power. Venco is a lot like The Once and Future Witches in a modern setting.

The large truth is this: what we really are is a fire that can burn down the system that holds us. That holds you and Stella. That keeps you small and struggling.

One of the disappointing things about Venco is that it falls into the trap of portraying all men as bad. The only men in this book that weren’t bad were either children or gay. I’m all for powerful witches taking down the patriarchy, but reducing good and evil to gender is small-minded.

He was kept alive and motivated by a singular purpose—to keep the witches from assembling, to keep the old guard safe and prosperous and male. But this witch—the bitch in Salem, of all obvious places—had gotten further than he’d expected, and he would not fail.

Venco did have a lot of awesome empowerment for women, but it isn’t a light story. All of the characters have trauma in their backgrounds. Most of that trauma is not detailed too graphically, but it is present. There are some very evident consent issues. The main villain used his powers to seduce anyone in his way and was emotionally abusive as well. It was, needless to say, very icky. I get that the point was the point – to make him heinous, depraved, and believing that he had the right to take whatever he wants from people.

What I did love about Venco was how supportive the women were towards each other. The titular Venco is a company run by the witches that not only supported women's careers but also talked about valuing women who were caretakers of children or elderly family members. I loved that the whole thing was about uplifting women regardless of their chosen role and not forcing one notion of how women should live. Some people’s idea of feminism preaches that women need to reject motherhood and only live life one certain way. Dimaline showcases a series of strong women each living their own version of their best life. This book is also stuffed full of diverse characters of many differences of age, race, and sexuality. Venco showed that it is never too late to change paths in life.

I loved that the novel had chapter titles: “The Liar, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” and “Hex the Patriarchy.” I wish more adult books had chapter titles instead of just boring numbered chapters. There were also little details I enjoyed such as the women in the coven always having pockets in their clothing.

Venco was slow burn and a little anticlimactic. But it if you want a feminist story focusing on diverse characters, give this one a try.


RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 4 Stars
Writing Style: 4 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 4 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 3 Stars
Level of Captivation: 4 Stars
Originality: 3 Stars

It was good, but I really liked the theme and premise so I wanted it to be better.