I have no idea what to make of The Corner Store Witch by HD Lynn. If this should be taken seriously or as a parody or both. I do know that the title and cover, both of which make this sound fantastic, were completely misleading. There is no witch, only a girl who gets tangled up in some mystical mess, and she certainly doesn’t seem as well-versed or confident in her abilities as the girl on the cover. I cringed as ‘nerd’ pop culture mentions littered the first few pages and then again at the reactions of the girls at a random man landing in the shop.
The entire book seemed to be a parody of urban fantasy tropes and geek culture, and if it was, then I could understand it a bit better. Having girls at the center, especially non-white girls that were smart and educated, thrust in a medieval-esque adventure seems to be a twist on everything. Especially when the demon oni seem to be surprised and disgusted? at seeing a dark skinned girl. Considering they’re demons and from a different realm, it doesn’t make sense UNLESS it is a parody of the fact that racists like to say people of color can’t play certain fantasy characters because they are “obviously white” or whatever other nonsense they spout.
But then, it takes itself seriously at other times and I wonder, is this for real? Am I supposed to take this seriously, as an actual urban fantasy novel? It’s just too much, too over the top. Though it was under 200 pages, I honestly struggled to finish it. The only reason it got two stars was because I was a) able to finish it and b) it might work as parody.
Sorry to say but I think The Corner Store Witch by HD Lynn is going to have to be a pass from me.
