The whole having certain witchy powers background could’ve been developed / thought out a bit better (world building) but I genuinely enjoyed the cozy/dark queer witch romance aspect of it :)

Das perfekte queere Hexen Buch für den Herbst. Eine große Prise Magie und Liebe. Thistle Grove ist eine wundervolle magische Kleinstadt. Ich habe mich sofort wohl gefühlt in der Geschichte. Die Rivalitäten unter den verschiedenen Gründerfamilien war gut umgesetzt und sehr authentisch. Emmy Harlow als Protagonistin konnte mich überzeugen. Sie muss sich mit ihrer Vergangenheit auseinandersetzen und herausfinden, was sie von ihrem Leben möchte. Und um manche Textpassagen in ihren Worten zu beschreiben: they hit home a little too close. Talia Avramov hingegen war die perfekte Love Interest. Selbstbewusst, flirty und tiefgründig (hoffnungslos romantisch) hat sie auch mich verzaubern können. Die Spannung und Leidenschaft zwischen den beiden war durchgehend spürbar und sehr herzerwärmend. Für alle queeren Menschen, die nach einer süßen und magischen RomCom suchen, ist dieses Buch bestens geeignet. Ich kann es euch sehr ans Herz legen!

2,75

Unfortunately, this book was a disappointment. The idea for the story is great, with really awesome elements - witchcraft, setting a halloweenish, witchy town, a magical tournament and a queer lovestory with two bi women - however, it is told in the most boring way possible :( At the beginning, I really liked the writing style, you get that perfect halloween/fall vibe and the protagonist tells the story in fun, witty way, with lots of puns that made me smile. Unfortunately, it runs very flat the longer the story proceeds. At 200 pages I was so bored that I pretty much had to force myself to continue reading. The more I got to know the protagonist, the less I liked her or rooted for her - honestly, it was plain dislike by two thirds of the book and disdain for supposedly "big bagagge" which was nothing more that a pathetic teenage heartbreak from nearly 10 years ago and letting the opinion of man define her selfworth - uuugh! Moreover I just didn't feel the lovestory. The two ladies were hot for each other, but to me there was no chemistry or deep connection beyond that.

So, I love witches, but have yet to come upon a really good witchy romance I guess. For once, I actually cared about the magic and plot here. The pact among the three women was fun, so was the competition and séance. I mean, how cool is a séance. The writing was good too. The author knows how to build atmosphere and there were none of the typical romance phrases I tend to roll my eyes at usually. But the characters and their relationships fell flat for me. Emmy says she has a life and friends in Chicago, but all we ever get to see about that is a mention of how good 15$ Chicago cocktails are. Not once is there mention that's someone checks up on her, or she on them for that matter. Then we have a childhood best friend that accuses her of basically ghosting her and then gets over it just because, her parents she hasn't seen in ages, but they're fine with it too. Her apparently family tradition loving cousin doesn't even get dialogue until the very end. And while we're on dialogue, it wasn't great either. A lot of clichés, no depth. The "third act conflict" felt fabricated and immature too, like the author decided they need to fight over dumb shit now, so the romance has obstacles, too, just because that's what romances do. That fight was way too serious for one this early in a relationship, the expectations both parts had for each other were out of proportion. Like, one make out session interrupted by ghosts and one fade-to-black sex scene in, and you're being mad at each other for not abandoning an entire life to be together? Are you for real? You're both the overly attached girlfriend meme. Didn't buy it. I would have preferred the climactic moment of the novel to be just the last challenge in the magic competition they were participating in, giving the romance more room to grow.