Reviews

"The Witch is Back" is engaging and enjoyable. It tells the story of a witch, Emma, who has always felt less than, never more so than when her contractual betrothed and chosen BFF Bastian abandoned her seven years earlier. Bastian is now back and seems to think he and Emma can just pick up where they left off. Emma tries to convince herself that she is not interested but she has never fully let go of her feelings for Bastian. And Bastian has always cared for Emma but needs her help now to save his mother.

The plot of this book was more intricate than I expected. As a lawyer, I loved all of the contractual shenanigans, even as far-fetched as they were. The romance was a little slow-paced and like many romance stories, many of the issues between the couple could have been resolved with just a bit more communication. Though to be fair, there is also a silencing hex involved.

I wish Emma had grown a backbone a bit sooner and grown even more of one overall. I did like how Bastian just wasn't there for her horrible mother. Overall, I recommend, especially if a reader is a fan of paranormal romance. Solid writing. 4 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complementary ARC of this book. The opinions herein are my own.

domtheknight's review against another edition

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The girl is too much of a pushover and the mom is too evil and the dude is not worth it

eventyrlys's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This gets 4 stars for enjoyment, but downgraded because there was a particular aspect of the writing that started to drive me crazy. The author was obsessed with comparison, as though they'd once read that comparison could give flavor to writing and turned it up to 11. It honestly became distracted. His eyes were blue. As blue as the azure sky over the ocean. He was tall, like a skyscraper over a field. And on and on. So unnecessary. Otherwise the plot was fine and the characters were interesting, although the villains tended towards flat and simplistic. But for a witchy rom-com it was fine.

I do think that the ending left something to be desired.

She ends the engagement, but there's not really any explanation for the magical effects of doing so. Did he know right away? Did their tattoos disappear? Also, are those tattoos normally permanent? Do people just walk around with intensely person words about their relationship on display? It's kinda weird and not well-explained. And I was really hoping for more explanation on her mother's magic-siphoning abilities. Is that why Emmaline's magic is so weak - because her mother has been siphoning it away as punishment her whole life? Is it a situation where your magic recovers after being siphoned, like going for a run and then needing a day to recover? It's basically dropped as a plot point and never adequately explained. I don't know if it's something that will be addressed in later books, but I hope so?

read_nap_repeat's review against another edition

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hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

tjduyvo's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

faraway84z's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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