I don’t know what to tell you about this one - it’s just, not good, and quite frankly I don’t know how it ever made it to publication. Not only is it essentially a flat out rip off of the authors’ previous House of Night series (almost the exact same magic system, very similar characters, characters using the same language & catch phrases), it’s filled with slow pacing, clunky dialogue (‘Girlfrieeeeend, those jeans slay!’ - teenagers simply don’t talk like this), basically no plot, and tonnes of sexism and slut shaming, including an unnecessary and worrying sex scene.

I was hoping for a fun, cheesy YA magic story, but instead got what read as badly written house of night x the chilling adventures of Sabrina fanfiction- honestly, after almost 10 years since the last house of night book I expected better writing and better morals, but apparently not.

I love the story of the Salem Witch Trials and that portion of our history. I find it very interesting and intriguing. However, this book did not hold my attention. I just wanted to be done. The weird sex scene in the middle totally threw me for a loop. It was so out of place. I didn't care about the characters at all.

This wasn't for me. It reminded me so much of the books I loved between ages 11-14, but the voice our characters had definitely read like an adult talking like a teen.

I was instantly intrigued by the prologue of this book, but sadly, that is where my interest ended as well. I honestly felt like this story has been told. First their mom dies a horrible death, then they have to avenge her death and save the world. It just felt really underwhelming and cliche, and I had a really hard time trying to finish the book. Some of the conversations between characters were really odd and somewhat felt forced. The writing was decent enough, but the story just fell flat for me.

I was so excited to read this book from my two favorite authors. Sadly that excitement ended after the prologue. The Prologue was so amazing but when the actual story started it was just so overwhelming with the witchy terms and feel that I felt it overpowered anything about the story. Within 13 pages this book goes from familiars and an old witchy vibe (which was fabulous) to the present day witch town where a girl mentions her tarot cards, the moon, and a bunch of other witchy themes. It was so overpowering that I just couldn't get past it.

Now a little about me. Ive been pagan for 20+ years. I love the witchy!! But this one was just so overpowering with it. I wish the authors would have taken the time to really introduce you to the world that they had created before piling on all of this dumping of the witchy.

I absolutely loved the sisterhood in this book! Being a librarian and mother, I am pretty excited to recommend this book to my daughter and young readers at my library.
Mercy & Hunter are sister witches, dealing with the horrific death of their mother, and having just turned 16, claiming their powers and pledging to their personal god/goddess.
I really over the writing style and characters. I could not recommend this book enough!

Great author great writing great book. Makes me want to read more from these authors. Would be great for readers that are young adults and adults alike

Witches, five gates to other worldly realms of hell, and the best teenage drama/angst. PC and Kristen Cast do it again! They write witchy stories so, so well. This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2021 and it was better than I ever could have imagined. I was swept away before chapter one even ended. I love that Hunter and Mercy are twins, I find that a really Interesting trope. I absolutely LOVE the family familiar cat, and their friends Emily and Jax. The mythological aspect, and a bit of history of the witches of Salem all added an extra spice to the story that was very palatable. I cannot wait for the next book!

The story didn't feel very original. Their mother dying at the beginning (even if you didn't read the synopsis) is so predictable. I'm sure I've read this story before. For most of the story, I was bored and didn't feel invested in the characters or what happened to their town.

Something that was very odd was that the story reads like a middle grade, or at least like a young adult book targeted to younger teens. But then, the random creepy sex scenes. Kirk felt so pointless and unnecessary! I just did not care about anything that happened between him and Mercy. In general, the sexual scenes and discussions with their mom just felt out of the blue and out of place.

Xena was wacky but fun, though the way she called people "kitten" in every other sentence became old and repetitive after a while.

Unfortunately, this book felt like one big cliche, though readers who enjoy witches and mysteries may find it enjoyable.

I was excited for this one as I love the House of Night series. I liked the characters but it felt like it was missing something. I will happily read the next in the series and hopefully it will get back the House of Night spark I am missing. It is only the beginning of the new series and it definitely has potential!

This was okay. I felt it to be a little more juvenile than I was expecting. I do love the authors and most of what they put out. But for me, this was a miss.

I wanted to like this book. I loved everything these two have written in the past. However, This book fell short on a lot of levels. There was a great plot and story line. I just couldn't get into it. The Characters fell flat for me. The story skipped around and felt like parts was taken out. There was a sex scene I would not let my kid under 18 read so calling this a middle school book is a bit much. The story started slow with so much going on with one girl I had to go back and look to see if I missed the word twin. Good foundation, and not all was bad. Just wasn't what I expected. Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this book.

I have been a fan of P.C and Kristen Cast since their "House Of Night" series and i'll probably always will be.
They have a writing style that is just so "magical" in a way that brings the story to life ad you feel like you are the character(s).

Now with that all said i will say this book was so good i loved how they incorporated the Myths (Norse, Greek, Hindu, Japanese ad Egyptian) and turned it into tree's that are gates that protect the town.

If you loved the "house of night" series or if you didn't i still will say please pick this book up you won't be disappointed.

Strong Female's ✓
Mythology✓
Witches✓
You won't be ale to put it down ✓

A lot of build up for the series was in this book and it felt like some of the events were rushed or characters not quite fully developed. Still a good read, but I’m not itching for the next in the series.

**I received an earc of this book from NetGalley and the Publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own**

This book had a lot of potential, but unfortunately it fell flat for me. We begin with a little history of Sarah Goode actually being a witch and escaping her death in Salem and fleeing to safety. That’s was an amazing hook, but after that the plot honestly wasn’t as exciting.

We have twin witches who on their birthday must choose the goodness they are to worship or practice magic under and what type of magic they will do. Something doesn’t go right which results in the death of their mother.

The girls along with their aunt must work together to find out what happened and stop it from happening again.

I felt like this story had a lot of potential elements working in its favor but they were either rushed or not flushed out. The romance was also a subplot that included a steamy scene that really didn’t make sense. Overall I’d be interested to see where this story goes, but I’m not rushing to the next book either.

This writing duo has been one that I've always enjoyed, and I thought they did a great job with this book! I really enjoyed the characters. With the backdrop of the Salem Witch Trials, these twins have quite the family history! I loved that Mercy and Hunter already know about their history and their witchy-ways. I liked that this story wasn't one so much of discovery, it was more of development and strengthening of what they already have. I thought this read a bit young, I know it's YA, but I would have liked this to age up just a bit. Other than that, this was a solid read that I really enjoyed!

This is perfect for YA readers that enjoy witches and fantasy!

I was provided a gifted copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

I have mixed feelings on this one. It started out really interesting, but then fell flat. The characters changed and got petty and childish. There's no real ending making me think there will be more to this series. There was a very graphic sex scene, which is out of place, and really could have been a fade to black or idk less detailed. I just really think this one could have used more planning and better execution.

I have to say reading another book from PC Cast was extremely exciting. I’ve read all of the House of Night books when I was in high school and Spells Trouble brought me so much joy. As a twin I felt the same connection as Hunter and Mercy. I loved all of the spooky and witchy vibes! I enjoyed the fast pacing of the book and all of the characters. Thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read Spells Trouble! I will definitely be purchasing a physical copy for my classroom.

Spells Trouble was an enjoyable book. Maybe not my favorite by this duo but I feel it will definitely appeal to the young adult crowd. I thought the characters were well written and the premise of the book was a nice change. I just can’t put my finger on what made this just ok for me and not great. I will look forward to the next installment.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for the opportunity to read this book.

I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and were not affected by the free copy.

I so badly wanted to love this book, but I just didn't. I loved the House of Night series and the mother-daughter writing duo, but this book fell flat for me. The premise of the book was intriguing: Sarah Goode and her daughter escape Salem during the infamous Witch Trials, travel across the country, found a town, and become Gatekeepers to protect the world from the Underworld. Twins Mercy and Hunter are ready to join their ancestors as Gatekeepers, when all hell breaks loose (literally.)

Sadly, that's where I lost all interest. The pacing was extremely awkward-racing forward, yet nothing was happening. I wish there was more world building. Sometimes, jumping ahead 300+ years works. Here, it felt like we left off at the most interesting part of Sarah's story, to getting dropped right in the middle of all of the drama, with none of the explanation.

I felt nothing for either main character, and sadly, they almost seemed interchangeable. I was way more interested in a couple of the side characters than I ever was in the main girls.

The writing style was not well done. It read simple and young, but the but the content was definitely not.

All in all, this book fell far below my expectations. Granted, my expectations were high, but even if they hadn't been, I still would have been disappointed. I don't know if I'll continue on in the series.