A review by bzliz
Go Hex Yourself by Jessica Clare

funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is a cute fun witchy read perfect for light fantasy romcom lovers. It has fanfic vibes for sure but I’m not a Star Wars/Reylo fan so I wasn’t distracted or bothered by that. 

Reggie takes a job that she thinks is assisting Ben’s Aunt Dru, who she believes is a fake witch. Ben tries to scare her off because he’s  a grumpy and brooding loner but she sticks around and eventually learns magic is real after being temporarily turned into a cat. She begins her job proper as Dru’s familiar- a magical conduit and sort of apprentice- and she occasionally assists Ben also. They’re attracted to other but, again, he’s a brooding loner and she’s a little too cute and perky. After the tension boils over, Reggie plans to leave but Aunt Dru gets cursed and she has to work together with Ben to find out who cursed her and break the spell so Dru doesn’t die. 

It’s not very spicy (there’s 3 major scenes but some minor discussions and feelings throughout) but I did like the playful “enemies” to lovers banter between Reggie and Ben. It loses some points from me because one of the spicy scenes takes place in the bottom of a well which is a little too silly for me to take seriously. Other tropes include grumpy/sunshine and forced proximity. We also have a kooky meddling old lady which is fun. 

I did call the twist at the end but it wasn’t very challenging to pick up in those hints. 

Content warnings:
Blood (on page):
used throughout as part of magic casting, none as a result of violence but it’s hard to avoid if you’re squeamish about mentions of blood.

Sexual content (on page):
discussions and mentions of genitalia and arousal throughout, 3 major sex scenes including dirty talk, manual sex and penetrative sex.

Abandonment (on/off page):
Ben’s parents left him alone pretty much from birth and visited him once or twice a year max until he killed them.

Animal death (off page):
Rare mentions of animal sacrifices relating to magic casting. No such sacrifices happen on or off page in this story and none of the animals in the story are harmed.

Child abuse (off page):
Reggie’s parents financially take advantage of her. Their neglect of her as a child led to her tendency to obsessively clean and organize. They take out credit cards in her name and con her out of her savings.

Death of parent (off page):
Ben kills his parents after his mother causes a breakout of the plague and lets a hundred thousand people die because she was feeling petty. He did this to give them a kinder, swift death compared to others who were planning to put her as a witch so she’d be burned at the stake.

Suicide (off page):
one of Ben’s corporate clients felt guilty about running people’s lives using Ben’s magic and he kills himself. Ben has feelings of guilt and doubt about his chosen career after that.
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