Review of ‘Black Candle Women’

I expected to like Black Candle Women more than I did. Unfortunately, the characters drove me away from the novel, Victoria especially, rather than drawing me in.

Unlikable Characters

Victoria was everything I hate in a character, to put it bluntly. Victoria has a career as a therapist, setting up shop in her house with her sister working the front desk. Before her daughter was born, the man she loved was involved in a car crash. It turns out Augusta incurred her mother-in-law’s wrath by running off with her son and stealing her “grimoire,” so to speak.

She cursed Augusta and her blood, saying that any man they loved would die. Augusta’s husband died, and so did Victoria’s partner.

Since then, Victoria has become adamant that the curse is real. Her solution? She locks herself away from society and keeps her daughter away, too.

Victoria is the worst. She is a helicopter mom who doesn’t let her daughter spread her wings. She wants her to go from home to school and ignore her dreams. She wants her to take over her practice, never mind that it’s not what Nicki wants; she doesn’t care; she thinks the best way to keep her safe is by not letting her live.

I hated Victoria; unfortunately, she took up the bulk of Black Candle Women because she was my least favorite character. Not only does she want to keep her daughter isolated, she wants to keep her sister isolated as well.

Victoria is self-righteous and just downright awful.

Poor Characterization

As for Nicki, this was a character that needed more…well, everything.

Nicki’s POV lacked passion, a voice, and a personality. Everything about her point of view is hollow. It makes sense, given that her mother does not let her build up an identity, but we, readers, should feel some connection to her other than pity. But considering she lacks personality and sounds very monotonous, it is hard to connect to her.

Augusta and Willow were the two best characters. Flawed but relatable and rich with personality. However, it felt like each of their storylines was overshadowed by Victoria’s domineering presence. Augusta doesn’t even have much dialogue, considering she suffered a stroke before the events of Black Candle Women. But her narrative, how she views the world and recounts her past, gives the reader something worthwhile to read.

Final Thoughts

Black Candle Women does offer up an exciting story. However, the episodic structure and poor characterization made the book feel more like a daytime soap opera than anything worthwhile.

• Writing Quality : 5/10
• Character Development : 4/10
• "Couldn't Put It Down"-ness : 3/10
• Intellectual Depth: 5/10
• Originality: 7/10
• Overall Rating: 1.2 out of 5.

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About the Author

Cynthia Bujnicki graduated from Emerson College with a BA in Writing, Literature and Publishing. She has always loved to read since she was a child. A contributing writer for YA Fantasy Addicts, she is also the Editor-in-Chief for Cyn's Workshop. She lives in sunny South Florida with her husband, son and daughter and their two cats.