Back in a Spell (The Witches of Thistle Grove)

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But seeing Gareth and Nina work through it together and come out the other side as two members of a family that will hopefully redeem itself was amazing. I knew going in that it was the start to a duology, it’s Egyptian-inspired fantasy, and it’s taken a bit to get the second book going. I did think the pairing a little odd, and their started far too magical, but, watching them together just made me happy.

I have completely fallen in love with this world filled with witches and I honestly want a lot more books in it! I loved that they had their own personalities and I always felt the hint of a greater complexity to them. The characters were so true to themselves, there was some great character growth, there were amazing strides taken, and it all came together spectacularly. Some positives: I still like Lana’s writing a lot, the audiobook narration was enjoyable, the setting is very fun, the law stuff is well-done (you can tell Lana is an actual lawyer lol), I love a good magical bond, and the magic stuff in general keeps things interesting and fun. No one really seemed interested in actually doing anything outside of Malak and Nehal, and I so wish we had gotten Malak’s perspective, because I think there’s a lot that goes on in her head.

The Blackmoore’s tend to keep to themselves and don’t interact with the rest of the town’s witches as much as the other family. Morty does say that they default to ‘he’ at the bar and at home for various reasons, which makes total sense; many nonbinary folks have to navigate a certain degree of fluidity depending on their comfort and safety levels in various situations. I love that queer witches are having their day in this series, but I really hope future books in the series have the same balance as Payback's a Witch.

I will definitely go back and catch up on book two, as well as continue the series when the next one is out.But when Morty begins developing magical powers-something that usually only happens to committed romantic partners once they officially join a founding family-at the same time as Nina’s own magic surges beyond her control, Nina must manage Morty’s rude awakening to the hidden magical world, uncover its cause, and face the intensity of their own burgeoning connection. But between Morty’s representation and the lackluster character arcs and plot resolutions, I can’t recommend Back in a Spell, and I will not be continuing with the Witches of Thistle Grove series. The bond between Nina and Morty allows them to experience the other’s emotions, which amplifies their connection and also makes the bedroom scenes sublimely hot. Trying to get back into the dating scene, Nina decides to accept a date with the most unlikely person she can find on a dating app, which happens to be Morty Gutierrez. But worst of all I fear, was the performative nature of writing Morty as non binary for a few beginning chapters, only then to completely disregard it for the rest of the book.