I don’t believe I was the targeted audience for this one. It seemed really Young YA and the pacing was slow.

*Will be posted August 10th

I requested this book from NetGalley because I was hoping to give the Cast duo another try. My first experience with their writing was with their House of night series (which wasn't initially too bad but it lost me halfway through). I was hoping to enjoy the book since I love anything with witches and magic, but I was ultimately disappointed.

I ended up quitting the book around 15% through. I wanted to read at least a quarter of the way through but I couldn't bring myself to do it. The dialogue overall was pretty bad, but it was the most cringey when the twins were speaking to their mother. They made comments about her breasts looking good and then the mother spent a very long time teasing one of them about their boyfriend. There were comments like making sure condoms "make their way onto Kirk's penis", asking if she remembered where the "clitoris" is, and about how she should thank her mother for "multiple orgasms" that ran in the family. I get that they were going for an open relationship with their mother but it was just... too much. I mean, it was about three chapters of comments like this that just kept beating me down. It was just so awkward and weird.

What really made me stop reading, however, was the massive amount of info dumping in the following chapter. With the excuse of running a ritual, the authors proceeded to spend an entire chapter bombarding me with information. Everything from the history of their ancestors to the way their magic worked and what each element of the ritual represented.

Overall, without getting too far into the book I was already very bored. I felt like the plot hadn't gone anywhere but I still needed to somehow remember every little detail she dumped on me because I didn't know what might actually end up being important. I would have liked it better if it was spread out instead of just thrown at me all at once. Overall, this book just wasn't for me and I think I'll stay far away from anything P.C. and Kristen Cast from now on.

This book was a surprise and not in a good way. I thought it would be a witchy magical book but instead it was- vulgar- almost… not really my style but I know people who would love it!

While this book did not wow me, I do see that it has potential to be a decent series. I felt that the characters were likable, as well as the story, but given the short length, it almost felt rushed or like it was simply a set up for a series. I would be interested in seeing where the story goes in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an e-ARC of the book in exchange for a review.

I apologize but I simply cannot finish this book at this time. It is due to the news of the day and having a lot more on my plate than I originally thought. I will happily read whatever else the author publishes.

Oh my gosh. This book was so bad. The dialogue was like it was written by someone who hadn't actually ever met a teenager from America before. No American teen says things like sodding, bloody hell, bollocks, etc. Also the gratuitous way too detailed sex scene - um, no thanks. The plot was all over the place also

First off I have read many P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast books and enjoyed them all. This one… not so much.

The pacing of this book was extremely slow. A decent bit happened in the first chapter and then I felt like nothing happened from that point on. I wish the magic was more prominent in this book. As it was the magic was a very small element. This was more of a teen family drama. It also deals with depression and loss which would have been fine if there was more going on as well.

Unfortunately this book was not for me. Every time I put this book down, I was dreading picking it back up again.

Sadly, I DNF’d this book. I wanted to love this and found the premise exciting, but the twin sisters felt too similar as far as POV in different chapters. I couldn’t get invested in the storyline because I couldn’t get a grasp on the main characters. Not for me, but could see others loving this one.

Twin witch sisters, Hunter and Mercy Goode, live in Goodeville. They're ancestors founded and have lived in Goodeville reading back to the witch trials of the 1600's. The witches keep the town safe. The twins don't actually learns what that means and what's at stake until the night they turn 17.

Their mother is brutally murdered by a mythological creature trying to enter their realm from one of the sacred trees. These trees border the town and the twins must become the next Gatekeepers because they are the only remaining Goode witches. Their mother is only the first in a string of brutal murdered an he the twins must figure out who the murderer is while trying to keep the town safe. Each twin begins to question the choices of one another. They must find a way to stay together and balanced in order to keep the creatures at bay.

#Spells Trouble is a fun novel. #By authors # P. C. Cast and # Kristin Cast. This is the first book in the Sisters of Salem trilogy. I love the description line:
Double double, twins spell trouble. As their ancestors have done before them, it's time for the twins to learn what it means to be Gatekeepers.......
Thank you for the advance copy,
#Netgalley, # P. C. Cast, #Kristin Cast and # St. Martin's Press 💜🐾🐾

Authors P. C. Cast and Kristin Cast are not new to me since I've read their previous series House of Night when I was much younger. I remember quite liking it and so naturally I was interested in their new project. Although the synopsis sounded interesting, the execution not so much.

The book follows twin sisters - Hunter and Mercy - who are gatekeepers to different underworlds and portals. While they are twins, that doesn't mean they have to sound completely the same. I found that there was little to no difference in the character of these two sisters, I couldn't tell them apart which didn't help in the long run since the story is told from both POVs. A lot of the time it was hard to distinguish which sister's POV are we following. Not to mention that this doesn't bode well for the story itself since the main characters sound completely the same and there is little diversity in their character.

House of Night, their first series, was published somewhere around the year 2007 and I feel like their writing style got stuck in that period because this just wasn't really good. Just those dialogues alone were often time unnatural and cringe-sounding. Last but not least, I feel like the authors would rather tell the readers what's happening rather than show them which doesn't do much for the story.

Overall this was quite a disappointment.

I wanted to love this book so much! I adore witches, the cover is beautiful, the synopsis is great. But sadly it felt stale, I just couldn't get into it.

I tried over and over, and DNF every single time around 30%.

The characters just didn't come alive for me, and I didn't feel a pull to find out what happened to them and their story. Unfortunately it wasn't for me.

As someone who loved the House of Night series growing up, I had high hopes for this new series by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast. While I thought the premise was really interesting, I struggled to connect with the characters as they seemed to be geared more towards the current generation of young adults (and I will never stop loving my young adult novels). However, I loved the inclusion of mythology aspects to strengthen the story and provide a stronger background. I am also always a fan of witches, romance, and mystery. I think I will still give the next book in this series a shot to see if it comes together, there were a lot of plot pieces and I am curious to see where they go in book two.

If you are a fan of their previous works, young adult fantasy, paranormal mysteries, witches, and romance - you will likely enjoy this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I had high hopes for this, since I recall loving the HoN series in my younger days. Unfortunately, the Casts' writing style has not matured with their success and I found it lacking. The premise is interesting though so I will definitely be tuning in for the sequel!

This book was entertaining but I didn't love it. I found myself easily setting it aside, and my mind wandered to other things going on in my life. This could be a me-thing and I could have not been in the mood for it at the time, but I didn't find myself enjoying the writing itself and they may have contributed. A bit too much telling and far too simplistic in phrasing. Their writing style has certainly changed since House of Night (a series I gave up on at book 5), but I was too reminded of their writing style then and I wasn't a fan then and I'm still not.

Hunter and Mercy Goode are twin teenage witches in their town of Goodeville, which was founded by their ancestor. The girls are gatekeepers to the portals of the underworlds of ancient and mythological lands. However, when their mother’s death begins a string of murders in their town, the sister witches must do something to stop the demon who is threatening their town. Mercy and Hunter must accept their legacy as protectors of Goodeville or risk ruining it forever.

I went into this book blind and I was completely surprised by what it was about. I didn’t expect the mythological aspects. There were creatures and gods from Greek, Norse, and Egyptian mythology mentioned. It was an unusual blend of the modern world with these ancient stories.

There was an awkward subplot about Mercy’s terrible boyfriend. It involved a “slut-shaming” incident which didn’t really add to the story. That part felt out of place and could have been replaced with something that wasn’t so controversial since it didn’t move the plot forward.

My favourite part of this story was Xena, the Goode family’s cat. She surprised them by transforming into a person after their mother died. Even though she became a human, she still had cat behaviours and called everyone “kitten.” She was adorable and funny.

Spells Trouble is an original modern witch story.

Thank you Wednesday Books for providing a copy of this book.

Spells Trouble

Sisters of Salem

By: P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

St. Martin’s Press

Wednesday Books

Publish Date 25 May 2021

Teens and YA

100 Book ReviewsProfessional Reader

I would like to first thank both St. Martin and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Good Reads Synopsis:

Double double, twins spell trouble…

Hunter and Mercy Goode are twin witches, direct descendants of the founder of their town of Goodeville. As their ancestors have done before them, it is now time for the twins to learn what it means to be Gatekeepers–the protectors of the Gates to different underworlds, ancient portals between their world and realms where mythology rules and nightmares come to life.

When their mother becomes the first victim in a string of murders, the devastated sisters vow to avenge her death. But it will take more than magic to rein in the ancient mythological monsters who’ve infected their peaceful town.

Now Hunter and Mercy must come together and accept their destiny or risk being separated for good.

Book Review:

I really enjoyed this book. I gave it 4 stars. I like the family and friendships that this book has and how everyone really comes together. I also like how the story opens with a little bit of history of the family and how the town came to be.

This story is about magic and how the girls learn to help each other along with the town. They may not get along all the time because they are siblings and that is normal but in the end they do what is needed to get the job done.

Spells Trouble was a painful read. I always feel bad writing a bad review of a book, because I acknowledge and respect the author(s) efforts in creating a story. But I also feel honesty is the best way to review a title.

I absolutely love to read Young Adult books, so a certain level of immaturity is to be expected with dialogue and actions of characters. Spells Trouble just felt too much so, in particular when it came to dialogue. Maybe it was an attempt at appealing more towards Gen Z? It just felt forced and not natural at all.

This book was a little bit of a slow start for me, but it soon picked up and I was hooked. The detail and accurate information used about deities and parts of witches was very appealing. I can’t wait for the next book.

When mom Abigail Goode and her twin girls, Mercy and Hunter, were performing a Ritual at the base of the Norse apple tree, a demon attempted a break from the Underworld. In the fight that ensues, Abigail sacrifices herself so her girls could live but the fight is far from over. This story has lots of magical action and contains romance and a bit of steam ending in a cliffhanger. Very highly recommended.

I received an advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.