From the award-winning author of The Marrow Thieves (2017) comes a novel about queer community, survival, and joy—with a twist. Cherie Dimaline’s VenCo (2023) is a compelling story about the (super)natural powers of women.
VenCo follows orphan Lucky St. James, the daughter of a bad-ass Métis woman living with her grandmother, Stella, in Toronto. When Lucky discovers that the two of them are about to be forced out of their apartment—one of the only stable homes Lucky has ever known—the pressure to keep herself and Stella safe only mounts. But one night, as she does laundry in the dark basement of their building, she feels and irresistible pull. Finding a hidden passage, she discovers a silver spoon with a story-book witch carved into it and five letters, spelling SALEM.
Lucky’s discovery causes her to embark on a universe-altering journey through magic, witches, covens, and—troublingly—witch hunters. Meena Good is one of the most powerful witches in North America, and Lucky’s discovery of her spoon alerts Meena to her presence. Meena has been tasked with bringing together seven witches and seven spoons to form a coven that will restore women’s powers—with the help of the international corporation, VenCo, which works to place exceptionally powerful women in positions of public and governmental influence. However, there are also actors working against them, including the immortal Jay Christos, a witch hunter committed to keeping women from their power. As the women—Lucky and Stella included—race to find the final witch, they must try to outrun and outmaneuver Jay at every turn.
I wanted to like this one a lot more than I did. I loved the representation in this book—a queer community of witches with powers and a magical corporation backing them? Count me in!—but the lack of complexity in the plot fell flat for me. I wanted more from the maiden, mother, and crone, and given the punchy way this book starts, I was excited. But the longer I read on, the less complex this book seemed to get. While we have a thorough portrait of Lucky’s character, the other witch characters don’t have as much substance, although what we do hear of them is intriguing. It was heartening to read a book about a network of women succeeding against all odds, but I hoped for more intensity overall. In fact, the most compelling/intense portion of the book were Jay’s chapters—he left me with more questions and confusion that kept me reading!
A winning point of VenCo for me was the final third, where all of the plot’s strings were tied off. I loved Lucky’s final moments of embracing her power and self-acceptance, and the resolution to the whole novel was exciting. In the end, this was a three-star read for me: I loved the beginning and the ending, but the middle coupled with the lack of complexity in the plot and characters left me wanting more.
Please add VenCo to your TBR on Goodreads and follow Cherie Dimaline on Instagram.
Content Warnings: violence, transphobia, abuse, death.
Rachel Friars received her doctorate in English Literature Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada in 2024. Her current research centers on neo-Victorianism and lesbian literature and history. Her work has been published with journals such as Studies in the Novel, The Journal of Neo-Victorian Studies, Queer Studies in Media and Popular Culture, and The Palgrave Handbook of neo-Victorianism.
You can find Rachel on X @RachelMFriars or on Goodreads @Rachel Friars.
