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A review by cozycritiques
Spells Trouble by Kristin Cast, P.C. Cast
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
“Her life was about to change, in an amazing and magical way, but still. Change was big. Change was difficult. And Hunter wasn’t sure if she was ready.”
- Spells Trouble
Thank you, NetGalley and Wednesday Books, for the ARC.
Tropes: Witches, Paganism, Chosen One, Twins, Coming of Age
Representation: LGBTQ+ (Lesbian)
Spice Scale: 🌶🌶 (This may be surprising for YA. I explain in my review.)
CW: Death, Grief, Violence, Blood, Sexual Content, Toxic Relationship, Bullying
When I was a teenager, I fell in love with The House of Night Series, so, when I saw that P.C and Kristin Cast were coming out with a new series focused on witches, I knew I had to read it.
The thing I liked most about Spells Trouble is the world-building. Now, anyone who’s studied the Salem Witch Trials knows that the women accused of witchcraft were not “actual” witches, but in the case of Spells Trouble, at least one was: Sarah Goode. And that’s where this book starts. The prologue opens with her imprisonment and subsequent escape using magic. As someone who both read and was in a production of The Crucible in high school, I loved this nod to historical events.
The magic system seemed to be heavily inspired by modern Wicca, paganism, and witchcraft. The way the Casts describe spell work and the Goode girl’s connection to magic felt very real to me. It was well thought out and well researched, and it made reading it really enjoyable.
There was only one real warning I have. It’s a bit of a spoiler, but there’s a surprisingly in-detail sex scene in the middle of the book. It wasn’t terribly graphic, but this is marketed as a young adult book, and the characters are teenagers. So as an adult reading it, I felt uncomfortable. It especially didn’t help that Mercy’s boyfriend is misogynistic, and I spent more time than I would have liked waiting to find out if she would end up kicking him to the curb.
- Spells Trouble
Thank you, NetGalley and Wednesday Books, for the ARC.
Tropes: Witches, Paganism, Chosen One, Twins, Coming of Age
Representation: LGBTQ+ (Lesbian)
Spice Scale: 🌶🌶 (This may be surprising for YA. I explain in my review.)
CW: Death, Grief, Violence, Blood, Sexual Content, Toxic Relationship, Bullying
When I was a teenager, I fell in love with The House of Night Series, so, when I saw that P.C and Kristin Cast were coming out with a new series focused on witches, I knew I had to read it.
The thing I liked most about Spells Trouble is the world-building. Now, anyone who’s studied the Salem Witch Trials knows that the women accused of witchcraft were not “actual” witches, but in the case of Spells Trouble, at least one was: Sarah Goode. And that’s where this book starts. The prologue opens with her imprisonment and subsequent escape using magic. As someone who both read and was in a production of The Crucible in high school, I loved this nod to historical events.
The magic system seemed to be heavily inspired by modern Wicca, paganism, and witchcraft. The way the Casts describe spell work and the Goode girl’s connection to magic felt very real to me. It was well thought out and well researched, and it made reading it really enjoyable.
There was only one real warning I have. It’s a bit of a spoiler, but there’s a surprisingly in-detail sex scene in the middle of the book. It wasn’t terribly graphic, but this is marketed as a young adult book, and the characters are teenagers. So as an adult reading it, I felt uncomfortable. It especially didn’t help that Mercy’s boyfriend is misogynistic, and I spent more time than I would have liked waiting to find out if she would end up kicking him to the curb.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Bullying