It took me forever to finish this one and that’s because I didn’t want to DNF it. Maybe I should have though.

This felt very middle grade ish. I would normally not have an issue with that but then we throw in a very detailed sex scene. Which ew. Why are we doing this? Yes sex is normal but we don’t need it to be so detailed. What is the purpose of it?

The crazy part is the prologue was so good. The rest of the book did not live up to that. I want to the story to that.

Maybe I’ll give the next one a chance, I still don’t know.

"Spells Trouble" is such a good Halloween read/listen. It was fast-paced and kept me on the edge of my seat. The narrator did an excellent job portraying the characters and conveying their emotions. She made the characters feel alive and made sure to show you how they were feeling. She gave a wide array of emotions and I cried and angered with the characters.
The story was really emotional. There was so much going on I genuinely felt the girls needed a break. It was a cacophony of grief, love, jealousy, and relief, among other emotions. I think Cast and Cast did a wonderful job in righting the story. Sister love, love lost, finding out the reality of the people around you. I can see people relating to the slice of life portions, and maybe even the magic.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this copy of SPELLS OF TROUBLE. Reviews has been posed on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

I had high hopes for this to be a fantastic witchy read. This wasn’t a fault of the book but a personal fault. The book read very young to me and yes I know it’s supposed to be YA. I realized while I tried to re-read these authors previous work (HoN series) that I just don’t vibe with their writing styles as I’ve gotten older.

A captivating witchy tale with dynamic characters. I loved the narrator selected for this book, she truly brought the story to life.

Loved the idea. Terrible execution. There are so many betterYA books that provide a more cohesive story and character development.

I really enjoyed this book. It was fast-paced and kept me on my toes. I thought the concept was unique and unpredictable. There were some great characters and some really horrible characters.

I enjoyed the sibling rivalry that comes out between Mercy and Hunter. Mercy is naive and always looks for the good in people whereas Hunter is much more skeptical of those around her. I think this helps to balance them out but it also causes some rift between the two of them.

The two of them go through some pretty tough times and are thrown into trying to save the town with only the help of their friends and familiar Xena. Xena was probably my favorite and felt very feline for sure!

I thought the audiobook was well developed and enjoyed the narration. I definitely recommend this and can't wait to read Omens Bite!

I struggled with this book from the beginning just could not get into it but I didn’t give up and I was so glad I stuck it out. Loved the ending.

The House of Night books hold a special place in my heart. A beloved group of students were reading them and they decided to share Marked with me. I was hooked.

I haven't read anything else by the Casts in over a decade, but I was excited when I saw they had a new trilogy out. I became even more excited when I received a digital ARC, and then the ARC for the audiobook read by the incomparable Cassandra Campbell. Perhaps because I came with such high expectations, the book was disappointing. I was barely engaged. I am still going to pick up the second book to see if it improves, but this is a book I wish I had bailed on.

2/5⭐ to Spells Trouble by P.C. & Kristin Cast. Thank you very much to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for an audio egalley to review. Although I was able to finish this book thanks to the audiobook that was decently engaging, this unfortunately was in my least favourite books of the year. I remember it being magical and witchy, following twin sisters after something happens to their mother but beyond that I'm hard-press to remember. I also found it hard to distinguish between the two sisters, which takes me out of a dual POV story. I'm hopeful it will find its audience, but that doesn't include me.

I had high hopes for this one as a fan of paranormal themes, but the story fell flat for me. I felt no connection with the characters, but would have enjoyed more background story on Sarah Goode in the 17th century.

Perhaps this book would have worked better for me as an ebook instead of an audiobook.

Fantastic narration with Spells Trouble by Cast, so if you're going to try this one, I recommend the audiobook.

For me, it missed the mark a bit - functioning like two distinct books. But, I am hoping that the later books in the series will be stronger.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

Story rating: 2/5 stars
Audiobook narration: 4/5 stars

This story had such promise with that prologue! I loved stepping back in time with Sarah Goody and her daughter as she's accused of witchcraft. It felt magical and gave this story such a good start. The story grabs you and immediately makes you care about the single mother trying to save herself and her daughter. The female narrator did a great job throughout going from past to present and each character. However, the story changes to present day and the point of view is between twins Hunter and Mercy. The story then becomes less engaging with very juvenile language and forced, odd dialogue. Hunter and Mercy were lacking personality other than the good twin/bad twin trope. Basically, it was hard to care for either character. There was also an open door sexual scene between a main character and the unlikable boyfriend character that was completely unnecessary. It was only done to cause drama and no real plot progression. There was absolutely no chemistry between the characters before or during the scene which made it very awkward and disconnected to listen to. Overall, the prologue was a great start and the plot had so much promise with magical worlds. However, the unlikable main characters, awful dialogue, and unnecessary disconnected sex scene unfortunately made this one a miss.

My phone broke and I wasn't able to listen to this audiobook. I couldn't download it again on my new phone, I'm so sorry for not being able to review this audiobook like I wanted to.

I have to say I am a huge fan of the authors but I was disappointed with the start of this series. It started off really slow and was disjointed. The point of views and kept jumping back and forward in time which was initially confusing.

I do have to say after re-listening multiple times it's grown on me and I feel my original feedback was harsh.

Over time the story does get better and more cohesive but I still didn't enjoy it as much as I had hoped. But I think its because it varies so differently from other books P. C. Cast has written. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

It sets up nicely for the next book so I'm hoping it picks up and flows better. Overall I believe I will at least try the next book to see where the story goes.

The whole overall plot was really interesting. The authors are incredibly talented and I love their books.

I also had a bit of trouble connecting to the characters so I'm hoping with deeper development as the story goes forward that will change. I really want a deeper investment in them and I feel it will come as the series develops.

Overall the story arc has potential and I'd love to see where it leads. I also sometimes forget these books are YA so ky original judgement was overly critical and I'm giving this much deeper thought.

In the town of Goodeville, the Gatekeepers have long held the forces of darkness at bay. Safeguarding mysterious ancient portals, these Gatekeepers protect their town, and life itself, from malevolent beings that lurk on the other side of the Gates, waiting for any opportunity to make their way through and mete out destruction. Hunter and Mercy Goode are up-and-coming Gatekeepers who have a destiny to carry on in their ancestors' footsteps. That's easier said than done when a breach at the Gates unleashes death upon their town, and their mother is mutilated by the denizens from beyond. Mercy and Hunter have no time to waste, for their town, and their very lives, are bound by what happens at the Gates.

The trouble begins right away when this magical story begins, as another Goode, Sarah, escapes from Salem! That part really hooked my interest, and this being a magical story with sisters at its core made it even better. The magic system is a bit vague, but the abilities are flashy, useful, and powerful, so I had fun with it all the same. Hunter and Mercy go through a lot of loss, so it's great to see that they have support from their familiar, Xena, and their friends in town. The story constrains itself somewhat by crafting dialogue and situations toward young adults, and then including a sex scene that was somewhat graphic for a YA novel. This may not bother all readers, but it's definitely not PG, and it might seem childish in other places, which creates a conflict in its targeted tone.

I listened to the audiobook version while enjoying the story, and the audiobook was mostly excellent. Some parts with Mercy and Hunter felt a bit over-acted, and others felt somewhat whiny, but I felt that was more the narrator's interpretation than the dialogue itself. This story is the first in the Sisters of Salem series, so I imagine that some of the unresolved story threads will be tied up in the forthcoming sequel, Omens Bite. There were a few hiccups along the way for me, but this story Spells Trouble, and I'm invested in whatever happens next for Hunter and Mercy. Recommended for readers who love a magical story with sisters who are down to fight the darkness that surrounds them, who enjoy interesting magical systems, and who believe that destiny can provide purpose without defining who you are.

3.5 ⭐

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* i was really hoping to instantly love this book but it took me several chapters to start getting into it, felt a little drawn out at times but it is the first in a series so i assume that is the reason, would read future books in this series

I went into this book expecting a fun witchy adventure. I saw they got to pick different gods to power their magic and that got me even more excited. However about half way through I realized this was mostly a teen drama with just elements of witchcraft. I really would have stopped reading but I wanted to know who the actual bad guy was and what they were doing to mess with the trees, spoiler alert you never find out.
This book was just all over the place and I don't think the two authors sat down and had a solid plan for this. We had high school jock boyfriend drama, a passing mention of a queer character, a random intensely described sex scene, and many more randomly put together plot points. Also I'm not against sex in a ya but it was literally one multi page scene and never anywhere else in the book, like pick a lane. Also while I enjoyed the many discussions about grief it was very weird they spent so much time on it while their town was in trouble. And how come the twins only got like one day to grieve and their friend had multiple chapters devoted to it.
Overall this was very weird and had little to do with the premise of the book. There is no satisfying ending but I don't care enough to read any more.

I received an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of the audiobook as a book seller.

PC & Kristen Cast have been on my favourite writers list for quite sometime. I tend to read a lot of mystery / thrillers and true crime, so every once and a while I throw a Teen / YA book in to lighten my mood.

The story follows two twin sisters as they turn 16, and they must declare their magical specialty, and dedicate themselves to a god. The sisters are decedents of Sarah Goode (of the Salem Witch Trials fame), and are charged with keeping 5 gates closed to protect earth from demons and other magical enemies.

During their ceremony something goes horribly wrong, and rather then maintaining the gates, they have to seal them back up, and find a magical creature who has escaped and is murdering towns people.

Its an easy read, but also one that is so well written that all of the characters and surroundings were easy to imagine while reading along.

I find the Cast's are also really good as writing a supporting character in their books that I always have an infinity for. In this series, it is 100% Zena! I will say no more about this character, other then to say you mush read the book :)

Note, this is the beginning of a series, not a stand alone. I cannot wait for the rest to be published!

Written by P. C. Cast, this book follows twin witches, starting on the night they are to get their power from their respective gods, whom they have chosen. They come from a long line of witches, dating back to the Salem Witch Trials.

Y’all, I really, really wanted to enjoy this book. I used to read P.C. Cast when I was in high school, and they have a werewolf series that I really enjoy (and wish had a different ending).

But I could not get into this book. The writing was fine, and the first chapter had me interested, until we met all the other teenagers and I just… it was another teenage witch story, nothing about it really stood out.

The writing was good, the characters had depth, and if you are looking for a witch novel that has a different spin on magic and where it comes from, give this a try.

If you are looking for a unique story, maybe you’ll have more luck than I did.

I was given a copy of the audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion.