Review of The Seer's Curse

[Gerry Steen]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Seer's Curse" by A.K. Nikole.]

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3 out of 5 stars

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Are you a teenager, young adult, or older person who is young in spirit? Do you enjoy romantic stories that give more emphasis to the emotional and moral aspects of love than the physical descriptions of lust? Do magic, Gaelic witch traditions, herbal remedies, midwifery, and greenhouse gardening interest you? If you answered yes to these questions, The Seer’s Curse by A. K. Nikole is a good book for you.

This is a story about a girl named Perrone whose father is the town’s keeper. Keepers have the task of finding witches and jailing them. Just before she turns 17, Perrone discovers that she may be a witch, and this possibility could change her life forever, bring disgrace to her father and family, and put her in harm’s way. She also learns that she is part of a family curse that condemns the people in her land to ongoing cold weather. The Oak King, who provides the warmer spring and summer seasons, will be overthrown by his brother, the Holly King, who is responsible for the miserably cold fall and winter seasons for the next 300 years. Destiny pulls Perrone into a world where she is a seer, has magical powers, healing powers, and a superior knowledge of botany.

Perrone, her daughter, granddaughter, great-granddaughter, and great-great-granddaughter must fulfill the same prophecy while maintaining pure bloodlines to allow the Oak King’s return. Until then, she must create and promote greenhouse gardening so that the people in her community can survive. Additionally, all of the matriarchs must marry and bear children with Elian men chosen by their fathers to keep the bloodlines pure.

These arranged marriages can be seen as being oppressive, but each woman has the choice to opt out if they do not like the mate that is chosen for them. The author emphasizes the importance of consent, respectful courtship, reciprocal empathy between the couple, and love over lust. The viewpoints of the women and their mates are presented by alternating their first-person narration in each chapter and through the use of dialogue.

This story is about a community of witches that is doing its best to survive the curse of the Holly King. The young seers of this family and their potential husbands must adhere to destiny and marriage rituals that safeguard them from the Holly King’s desire to destroy their pure bloodlines.

I enjoyed the explanations of the uses for different herbs and the procedures used by midwives to help distressed mothers giving birth. I liked the emphasis given to the utility of greenhouses in solving problematic climate conditions. I commend the author for drawing a parallel between the necessity of respect shared by lovers and the importance of controlling magic—harm is avoided in both cases.

I found the courtship before each marriage to be repetitive. The five generations of women pretty much had the same thoughts. Their potential husbands did too—I found this to be monotonous. Additionally, the story would benefit from a round of professional editing—I came across many grammar errors.

For the reasons stated above, I gave this book a rating of 3 out of 5 stars.

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The Seer's Curse
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[Onyemuwa-dave]

The premise of witches, an "Oak King," and a multi-generational curse sounds incredibly intriguing, and I appreciate how it emphasizes emotional love over lust. However, despite the unique world-building and the focus on "Gaelic witch traditions," witch stories aren't really my cup of tea. Thanks for such a thorough review.

[Nelvin Babirye]

The Premise about the witches sounds interesting ,I love the way is detailed about emotions. This is definitely a must read.

[Maria Cristina Boniel]

I love magic stories, but they are always connected to witches, which is why I usually avoid reading them. However, this story is somewhat interesting because it offers a different perspective on how witches are portrayed—especially the girl Perrone. I don’t know how she handles it, knowing what her father would do to witches.thanks for the review

[Seetha E]

Magic, healing, and greenhouse gardening are centered around topics relevant to modern-day issues concerning consent, respectful courtship, and climate. I am curious to find out how Perrone takes charge in this context after learning of new realities about herself. Sounds like an engaging read, although I noted the repetitive nature of the portions you mentioned. Thank you for your comprehensive review.

[Creole]

"The Seer's Curse" is a book that has caught my attention. It provides valuable insights into the world of herb gardening and its therapeutic potential, a subject that I find intriguing. I'm particularly invested in Perrone and her family's journey, and I'm looking forward to their success in breaking the curse and restoring healing to their community. Thanks for your helpful insights into the book. I hope the author will act on them.

[Magdalyne chebet]

"The Seer’s Curse sounds like a fascinating story about love, magic, and legacy across generations. I’m definitely interested in reading it. Great job on such a clear and insightful review. Thank you @Gerry Steen

[NetMassimo]

I'm young in spirit. Romance is not my thing, but stories of witches can be funny. The biggest problem is that this story doesn't seem very exciting, and that's a turn-off together with the many errors. Thank you for your honest review!

[Priya Murugesan]

The plot sounds unique and I am interested in reading about Perrone. You have provided a detailed and interesting review as always, Gerry!

[Stephen Christopher 1]

This genre isn't one I get drawn to often; however, your review and the inclusion of witchcraft have me interested. Thanks for the honesty about the monotony and all the errors.

[Maggie Johnson 2]

Witchcraft and greenhouse gardening sounds like an interesting combination. I'm not sure I could handle the repetitiveness of the courtships though. Thanks for your honest review!

[Shirley Ann Riddern Labzentis]

Nice review! The book sounds like it would be something that I would enjoy. However, the many editing errors put me off. It must have been difficult for a father who captures and jails witches to find that his own daughter is one. Or maybe he didn't find out. Interesting!

[Macel A]

Nice review. I'm always interested in any book that has romance, curses and magical abilities. I'm rooting for Perrone and her descendants be successful in getting the Oak King.

[Kibet Hillary]

My curiosity is piqued to know what Perrone's father did as the town's keeper when he discovered that his daughter had magical powers. The community's way of life sounds really interesting and I would like to know more. Many thanks for the review, @Gerry Steen.

[Laney K]

This seems like an interesting premise, but the repetition and errors mean I probably wouldn't enjoy this book too much.