Title: The babysitters coven.
Author: Kate Williams.
Format: Paperback.
Publisher: Delacorte press.
Page count: 355.
Release day: September 17th 2019.
Genre: YA, fantasy, paranormal.
Rating: 2 stars.
What is it about? (Summary from GoodReads)
Adventures in Babysitting meets Buffy the Vampire
Slayer in this funny, action-packed novel about a coven of witchy
babysitters who realize their calling to protect the innocent and save the
world from an onslaught of evil.
Seventeen-year-old Esme Pearl has a babysitters
club. She knows it’s kinda lame, but what else is she supposed to do? Get a
job? Gross. Besides, Esme likes babysitting, and she’s good at it.
And lately Esme needs all the cash she can get,
because it seems like destruction follows her wherever she goes. Let’s just say
she owes some people a new tree.
Enter Cassandra Heaven. She’s Instagram-model
hot, dresses like she found her clothes in a dumpster, and has a rebellious
streak as gnarly as the cafeteria food. So why is Cassandra willing to do
anything, even take on a potty-training two-year-old, to join Esme’s
babysitters club?
The answer lies in a mysterious note Cassandra’s
mother left her: “Find the babysitters. Love, Mom.”
Turns out, Esme and Cassandra have more in
common than they think, and they’re about to discover what being a babysitter
really means: a heroic lineage of superpowers, magic rituals, and saving the
innocent from seriously terrifying evil. And all before the parents get home.
My thoughts:
I expected this to be more magical realism than fantasy. But it was definitely a fantasy book taking place in ‘our world’.
In the first half, not much was happening. We got introduced to the characters and to the babysitters club, but that was about it for the first 200 pages. The magic was introduced but very slightly and it was not a very big deal.
And then in the second half, this whole other world get introduced, and new characters, and this whole secret thing (which I don’t want to say in case it is a spoiler).
So the pacing between the two halves was very different from each other. And I think because the first half was so slow, and tbh quit boring, I didn’t really care that much about the second half.
I feel the magic part was explained very rushed, which made it all a bit vague.
Basically this book felt a bit all over the place. As if the author couldn’t choose what to tell, and decided to tell everything. There were some references to movies/shows/actors I didn’t, because it was before ‘my time’. But more current things were nerdy?! There were demons, but only shortly. She randomly found out she had some magic, but wasn’t really surprised by it at all. Also her relation with her dad was weird, I didn’t really understand it, but maybe that was just me.
Something that just really annoys me is when abbreviations like AF/TBH/IDK are used in writing.. I understand it when we read text messages, even in talking I’m okay with it, but in just normal text it annoys me. I mean when I’m thinking I never think TBH I just think the whole words?!
I think it is clear I won’t continue with this series..
So disappointing when a book just doesn’t work for you. thanks for the review.
Lynn 😀
Thanks! It is!
Im sorry to hear that you didn’t connect enjoy this. I do use phrases like ‘IDK’ in comments sometimes but I wouldn’t put I in fiction – it annoys me when it turns up there too. I actually get annoyed by text talk in general besides the odd abbreviation like the one mentioned above and ‘TBH’ it drives me mad when people spell words like ‘wateva’ just to cut out a few letters /: anyway I hope you enjoy your next book more.
I think IDK in comments is not so weird, I do it as well haha! But reading it as if someone is saying it is weird!
Sometimes it takes me forever what someone means with abbreviations
In comments & texts its quicker; actually saying it takes longer so why would anyone?
Me too; I just look at some and struggle to figure it out /:
I’m sorry you didn’t love this one. Honestly, I don’t think I have seen a glowing review of it so I will definitely stay away. I also hate when acronyms like IDK are used in the prose or speech. No one says those out loud, they are for texting… so strange.
Great review!
Yeah I haven’t seen many good things either!
Thanks!
I also didn’t like this book as much as I had hoped to. I thought it was going to be a little bit more badass but it was anything but that. I definitely agree with you that the second half felt very rushed.
Yeah definitely exepcted more badass vibes!
It was a full out DNF for me. I really disliked this book and it was one of my most anticipated. I totally agree with everything you said. Honestly, it just wasn’t good and what the hell was with the abbreviations. No one talks like that!
Yeah I’m actually surprised I didn’t dnf it.. I guess because it was not that long..
Ugh those abbreviations were the worst!
I read this and gave it two stars as well. It really wasn’t what I thought it would be.
Yeah I think that was my main problem as well!