Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me the opportunity to review this title

A really good book though it was slow paced in my opinion. Still very interesting and well executed though!! Overall, solid 3 star read. Though I did get bored during reading it during some points. Just not for me.

This book was fun but seemed much more simplistic than the House of Night world created by the same authors. While I found the story interesting, I'm not highly invested in the remainder of this series and probably won't be seeking out the next book. The characters were fun but felt pretty one-dimensional. This first book does have a defined story arc but also doesn't feel substantive enough to be a novel by itself because SO many questions are left unanswered. All in all, it was an easy read that explored some magical ideas in an interesting way. 3/5 stars. I received this book free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Spells Trouble is the first of a new trilogy by P.C. and Kristin Cast, authors of many popular fantasy novels. In this new series, twins Mercy and Hunter are on the cusp of their 18th birthday. At midnight they must complete a ritual with their mother and aunt to choose the type of witchcraft they want to practice as well as strenghten the apple tree that guards the Norse gate to the underworld, following a long line of witches descended from the first Goode to escape hanging in Salem Massachusetts and found the village of Goodeville, Illinois. Then their mother becomes the first in a series of grisly murders. The twins investigate and vow to avenge her death. Mythical creatures have been unleashed and the sisters must work together to protect their town and rid of the monsters that threaten their survival. This was a fun read, very well-written. Fans of the rebooted Sabrina the Teenage Witch will love this series. I appreciate the chance to read the ARC and I look forward to the next installment.

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley #netgalley

Wonderful story it took me a little bit to get into it but once I did I couldn't put it down the main character really resonated with me.

Didn’t make much of an impression

I would like to thank P. C. and Kristin Cast, St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was . . . fine. Honestly I’m struggling to remember the story; it didn’t make much of an impression. It wasn’t horrible, but I didn’t at all find it compelling, either. Opening the novel with stupid teenagers partying was annoying and boring, and I struggled to care about . . . shit, what were their names. *looks up* Hunter and Mercy. I liked the cat/human Xena, though, she was awesome. The plot and witch lore was interesting, but when it started roping in more and more mythology I grew exasperated. It’s like what P. C. really wants to write about is Greek mythology, as she’s done for decades, but is struggling to find a way to make it fresh. Or just to come up with a good new idea. . . . Lol, I’m trying to think of things to say, but I have such apathy for this book that the only thought that comes to mind is “blah.” I got neither the impression that it was good nor the impression it was bad. It just was.

The first installment in the Salem Sister's series left little to be desired, unfortunately. I really wanted to enjoy this book, but it really failed to pull me in. I'm usually one that loves a good supernatural plot, but I found it to be extremely juvenile.

I found it really hard to connect with either of the main characters in the book. Mercy was Ms. Popular and Hunter just hated the world and was a recluse. To me, this was the cliche of the century when it comes to "witch twins", or twins at all. Definitely not a unique trope.

While the cover is absolutely stunning (and probably a reason I would have picked it up, to begin with), it was a disappointing read. It was hard to stay focused because it was on the more youthful end of YA (except for the random sex scene, what was that?!)

Spells Trouble failed to pull me in as a reader. Perhaps part of that is because it felt more on the juvenile end of YA, which is usually totally fine, but how the author's handled non-white cultures made me very uncomfortable. It felt a bit white savior, which is never a good thing, but even more problematic when writing for children and YA. Additionally, the dialogue was not compelling and the overall writing felt very sloppy. Overall, I was disappointed by this book.

This book has an intriguing plot. The author did a great job building up tension and leading up to the insisting incident at the beginning of the book. Although it didn’t feel like an entirely unique story, there were elements that added new twists to similar books in the genre. The romantic subplots of the twins created a nice variety of pacing.

The characters in this book fell flat for me. Each character seemed to fall into archetypes that I’ve seen many times before: the bookish twin and the party twin, the girly best friend, the “cool” mom. As such, their dialogue felt stiff and I had difficulty connect to both the main and supporting characters.

It took a while to settle into the place for this novel. While the book is clearly set in the modern-day mid-west, the magic rules were unclear for the first quarter of the story. For example, it was vague whether or not others in this town were aware of the Goode’s family’s magic and how the magic functions in this world.

Spells Trouble is the first book in the Salem Sister’s series. The plot was interesting and enjoyable, but I struggled to connect to the characters and settings. If you’re a big fan of twin stories or teen witches stories, this is a great book for you!

I love these authors and absolutely loved their House of Night series, so I was really looking forward to reading this book. The cover of the book was so eye-catching and I liked the title of the book.

Unfortunately, the book fell flat for me. Maybe my expectations were too high because I'm familiar with their work. I was disappointed with this book. I wanted so badly to like Mercy and Hunter, but they were quite dull. The book started off great and was still a good read until the mom died, because that's when it felt like the pacing changed entirely. I appreciate the depth that the authors were trying to create to explore each teen's grief and ways of handling things. It just felt like the remaining chapters really dragged and I realized I was mostly hopeful for more scenes with the cat in it because that character was the most interesting.

I think this has promise for young adult readers. As a teacher reading this, debating whether or not to adopt it for classroom use, I am on the fence. First off this book was kind of boring and cheesy. BUT cheesy works for younger readers. I somehow find Shadow and Bone eye-rollingly cheesy so it is what it is. However, while it is designed for younger audiences, out of nowhere the authors hit you with a sex scene....

Ummmmm....ok.

Unfortunately this has a sort of identity crisis that makes it hard to read. I do teach high school so if a student wanted to read it I don't see them having a huge issue with it, but I found it a bit wonky overall in its style.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Review

A truly mesmerizing and haunting fantasy and supernatural YA series comes to life in a one-of-a-kind way, blending history and culture with mythology and the true concept of family. The family dynamics of the Goode sisters are engaging, to say the least, highlighting their differences as the two sisters who have always been close find themselves lost and drifting apart off and on throughout the narrative after the brutal loss of their mother. The history of Sarah Goode from the infamous Salem Witch Trials and tying her story into that of her descendants was an inspired choice for story and character growth, which helped elevate this story.

What was the biggest draw for me as a reader was the incredible attention to detail both historically and mythologically, not only exploring the impact and culture of the Salem Witch Trials to a fantasy setting, but incorporating ancient gods and goddesses and mythological creatures from not just single mythology, but multiple mythologies. From bloodthirsty Norse monsters to ancient and sometimes even obscure goddesses of Greek origin made this narrative feel larger than life, while the balance came from the intricate relationship between the sisters, as well as their relationships with their friends as well.

The Verdict

An entertaining, shocking, and haunting YA fantasy and paranormal read, authors P.C. and Kristin Cast’s “Spells Trouble” is a must-read novel for YA fans this summer! A perfect blend of mythology, history, and family dynamics, the shocking final moments of this narrative will leave readers anxious to get a glimpse into the next book of this series. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!

I loved the House of Night series, so I had high hopes for this book but it fell flat. I just couldn’t seem to like Hunter and Mercy. I liked the cat more than the main characters. The plot was ok, but I think it would have been more enjoyable if it was focused on their descendant, Sarah.

I enjoyed the prologue and I felt like my attention was instantly grabbed. I also enjoyed all of the witchy history intertwined with fiction! I think making Hunter and Mercy descendants of Sarah Goode was super cool because she was an actual person accused of witchcraft in Salem.

So there was a lot of potential after reading the prologue, but unfortunately the rest of the story kind of fell flat for me. I didn’t love the writing and I really couldn’t tell the difference between the twin’s narration. The dialog felt like a 2000s teen movie and teens don’t talk like the characters in the book. It felt pretty outdated.

I also think the topic of sex was handled very strange. I don’t mind sex positive YA but there were some uncomfortable comments about sex surrounding the mother (for example the mother assumes the size of her daughter's 16 year old boyfriend's d*ck). The sex talk felt out of place for a book that read more like a middle grade series and it was an odd choice for a mother-daughter author duo to include so many sexual comments between mother and daughters.

Some people may enjoy this story but unfortunately it wasn't for me. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

A really good book though it was slow paced in my opinion. Still very interesting and well executed though!! Overall, solid 3 star read. Though I did get bored during reading it during some points. Just not for me.

The cover of Spells Trouble really got me and I was totally in from the prologue. I kinda felt a bit of Practical Magic with a single mom and twins. I loved the family togetherness, the witchiness and a crazy familiar cat. The twins were well developed and interesting, it was easy to see them as two separate people. The town history and the death of their mother set for great story, I honestly really enjoyed the heartache. The witchy adventure to save the city and the sexual identify part of the book. What I struggled with was the Greek mythology running through the book. It felt so disconnected from the Salem vibes. I love the idea of the gates, but the “monsters” was just off to me. I think I would have given four stars if that was different. I am excited to continue on with the series and see what happens with Hunter.

This was such a fantastic Witchy read!! I really enjoyed the relationship (and sibling struggle of said relationship) of Hunter and Mag. It felt real and relatable!! The intimate scene was a bit much for a ya novel in my opinion but it wasn't a lengthy one at least.

Overall, a highly recommended read!! I can't wait for the next one!

I received this as an eARC to for free in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martain's Press for giving me access.

We have a sisterly bond filled with love and bickering, as it should be. P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast weave a wonderful story darkness and magic and the balance it needs. I enjoyed the history of the Salem witch trials that were interwoven into the story.

I will say, I was not prepared for a certain, and very descriptive, steamy scene. Maybe not exactly YA appropriate.

Perfect for fans of Charmed.

Spells Trouble takes place in the town of Goodeville founded by Sarah Goode an accused Salem witch. For generations Sarah's direct descendants have been the guardians of the gates of the underworld's. Hunter and Mercy are twin witches who are going to be learning how to guard these portals when their mother is killed by a mythological creature trying to escape. As the sisters come together to solve a string of murders they are forced to learn how to cope with the loss of their mom but also the loss of their teacher.

This story had my attention at the mention of Salem witches but throw in some creepy trees and ancient mythology and I'm sold. Since this is the first book in a trilogy there is a heavy focus on setting up the location and magic system. I found Mercy to be a bit annoying and Hunter to be the far more likeable Goode sibling. I would however classify this book more on the YA/NA level because of a scene that as a bit more spicy than I was expecting. I'm interested to see where this series goes.

This was an interesting read. I enjoyed so much of it and other parts, not so much. Some parts just felt forced and not believable (mainly the teenage interactions). HOWEVER, the story itself was enthralling. I love a good magic story that also includes mythology. I haven’t read one like this in ages. Twin sister witches with a familiar that is a descendant from Bast. Gates to five mythology worlds that are on the brink of opening and causing mayhem. Murder, gods, magic, love, betrayal, friendship, grief, happiness, and so much more. It was a very solid read.

I feel like if you've ever read the Casts' other works, you're going to know exactly where this book is going. I really loved their House of Night series (I even have a quote tattoo from that series) and while it definitely had some issues I thought I'd read this new series because surely they've progressed since then. I'm not so sure about that. This book really did read like the first HoN book but with two MCs instead of one.

But let's talk non-comparison things, shall we? Firstly, 98% of this book reads like a lower age YA book. No difficult terms, regular life things, totally normal, a bit whimsy, could possibly even be MG. The other 2%? Explicit sex scene. It was so far out of left field. And y'all, I read adult romance novels, so I'm not against the sex part. And realistically, I know that 16 y/o's are having sex. I get it. But it didn't fit with the tone of this book at all. It was just like normal, normal, normal, graphically detailed sex scene, normal, normal, normal. And honestly what's worse is it didn't even fit with the character motivation. Like, There was no character progression to even make sense of why it happened other than as a plot device that just didn't take off.

The magic system is interesting, I did like that aspect of it. I like that it's all about intention and stating what you want. But ya know, rolling back into comparison things, it's similar to their HoN magic system in that it does deal a lot with Wiccan rituals. Which I mean, they're witches, I get it but it's just, two different worlds with pretty similar magic systems.

The plot meanders like nobody's business. As long as this book is, SOMETHING should have happened but it was just like, meh. I was bored. And there were no real plot twists or surprises. Zero.

Honestly, I may have judged this book harshly. If this had been someone's debut I probably would have rated it higher. But as long as these two women have been in the business? This felt lazy and just a recycled version of a story they've already told, repackaged into a new way to make money.