Reviews

Casting A Spell: A Zodiac Magic Novel by Pe Kavanagh

ynait's review against another edition

DNF 4%

charliadams's review

emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

When I started reading this, I was not sure how I was going to like it. It was not quite what I thought it would be. It turns out I ended up enjoying it. The tempo was great. It did not slow in any areas. The characters were well written, and I liked all of them. This felt more like a romance more than paranormal, but it worked for this story.

What I liked about Libra was she was not your typical character you read in a paranormal genre, or at least the ones I have read. She is a single parent and someone who is on the short side (like around 5’2) I love her perspective of family and how it never faltered throughout the story. I cannot wait to see where her character goes if this story continues.

Ash is your typical military character. He keeps his work and personal life separate. One of his rules: not to fall for the target. He is the leader of this government special ops team. And he is working on his last mission. But he soon realizes something is not right. On another note, Ash can also have a gooey center. A side he does not share too often.

There are two groups that are very well written and help move the characters and story forward. Ash’s team and Libra’s cousins. I loved Libra’s cousins. They felt more like sisters than cousins. They were always by her side when something goes wrong and tells her how it was going to be. Ash’s team were people he could trust and had previous work experience with all but one. He trusts them as much as he could while still getting off that “family” feel.

In this world, witches are to register on a registry list. Currently, witches are not legally obligated to do this, but they remain in the shadows, regardless. Once put on the list, the life of the witch can change. This happened to Libra, when her ex-husband discovered her secret. Once he convinced her, she started getting looks and left her job. 

I enjoyed this story. The author did a good job mixing all the elements and giving it a good balance. There was a point towards the end, though, where I got confused and thought maybe a chapter in between that area could have helped.

I would defiantly recommend this story to those who like romance, paranormal romance, and family. 

*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, and this is my honest opinion. 

You can find this and other reviews on my website:

https://www.charliadamswriter.com

a_devine_read's review

4.0

Libra is a witch, but she doesn’t use her powers. It seems her life has been turned upside down since her ex husband made her register as a witch. Now she likes with a stereotype and people are afraid of her.
Ash has been hired to act as security for her. No one knows who hired him nor why. He’s been watching from afar but when he gets close to her, he can’t stay away.
Opinion
This is a great start to a promising series. The two MCs are perfect for each other, even if they can’t see it. The supporting characters offer promises of more great reads in the series.
I loved the concepts of witchcraft in this series.
*making individuals register as magical
*being able to control an element (each witch has a different element, Libra’s is air)
*awesome ideas for spells they have (healing spell, protecting spell)
Overall, this was a great read and I look forward to more in the series.
Thanks to the author, P.E. Kavanagh, for providing me with an ARC of this book.