I had really high hopes for this. It started off super strong and then lost me when Mercy decided she was suddenly the strong twin and knew what was best for Hunter. I would have liked to have seen more of what happened with Sarah and her daughter but we are immediately taken to present time. What I did like about the book was the characters for the most part, aside from Mercy. What confused me was at the beinging their friend Emily said that the party doesn't start until Mag got there making it sound like she was the most popular girl in school, which later in the story doesn't seem to be the case anymore? I am not really sure.... The narrator was fantastic! She kept a steady pace and it was easy enough to just go on with my day and listen to a book being read to me. I am not sure if I am really invested enough to read the second book but only time will tell. Thank you NetGalley for the e audio version.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'll admit that I was pretty excited to dive into Spells Trouble. So it pretty much kills me inside to say that I didn't really like this one. I had so many expectations and they ended up being way too high to begin with. So that's on me, unfortunately.

In it, you will meet Hunter and Mercy. They are twin witches which was pretty cool to me. That's pretty much the only thing I liked about these two if I'm being honest. I tried to find something else but they just really frustrated me throughout the entire book.

Then when we dove into little revenge/avenge moments, I was thinking 'yay - it's finally getting interesting' but then that feeling went away pretty quickly. I think my favorite part was the epilogue. Mostly because it gave me hope that the sequel could be better. Or maybe even redeem this entire book for me. Not a whole lot of hope.. just a teeny tiny bit.

In the end, I was excited to dive into something that just left me completely disappointed. Maybe the next one will be a good one. Maybe not. I'm willing to find that out for myself.

Plot
Mercy and Hunter Goode are witches but not just any witches, they're twin witches. It's their birthday and as all their ancestors previously did, they need to be Gatekeepers which are the protectors of some gates to other worlds. It's now time to celebrate their birthday with their mom and they go through a ritual they always do but this time something happens. When they lose their mom, the twins (still grieving), decide to take up the case for themselves and help solve the string of murders that have been happening all around town as well as their moms. But to solve this case it will take more than magic. It will take courage, love, and what we come to learn as acceptance.
The twins dive straight into the case and start doing research when they learn about Mythological ancient monsters. And turns out a creature has been roaming their town disguised as a person, whom they know very well as the Sheriff.
Now Hunter and Mercy fight together with friends and enemies to bring back their peaceful town.

Hunter
She's my favorite character by far! I connected with her so much and loved that she was gay. I also loved how she tries so much to be strong for her sister and even if she doesn't show it a lot, is grieving! ❤️❤️

Mercy
I dislike her very much. Mercy is not very good to her sister. As much as she loves her sister Hunter is usually the one always looking out for her, Mercy does nothing in return! She didn't even acknowledge that Hunter was probably grieving in her own way, she let Hunter take away all the pain for her but she did nothing to help her in return! Instead, she goes ahead and tells her how her god is causing all this trouble and reflects all that negativity on Hunter's sexuality!!! The ending of this book made me dislike Mercy even more. She's just so selfish and self-indulgent!

Jax
I love how he was so supportive of Hunter and cared for so much! I truly believe that in all this chaos and all the things that are going on he was more of a friend than her own sister ever was. We just need more strong friendships with no romance, you know? And he really made that happen! But I still can't shake the feeling that he might like her? Maybe it's all the your-best-friend-loves-you trope's I've read so much about in almost every book (the hunger games, city of bones, e.t.c)

Emily
She was an awesome friend and I loved how she took care of her family and loved them so very much but was also there for her friends. Even when she was also going through the death of her own father she really did it come out as a strong loving character :)

Overall
I had really high expectations going into this because I love witches and Salem, and if you're going to name a book series The Sisters of Salem you better make sure that book is good! Thankfully this book was really fun and enjoyable and I loved it. Even though my expectations were off the roof this was a really enjoyable read. I loved the LGBTQ aspect of this book and how it all came together with the grief and mystery. This book was really one of wide genres and I loved that it also contained Greek / Roman mythology and connected to the witches to it! So I really loved the overall Worldbuilding and the characters (not Mercy) I also really enjoyed that this book showed me side of the villain as well, even as I was disgusted by what he was doing I really enjoyed him. Let's be honest, who doesn't love a bad guy with a sad backstory?

A special thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for sending me an arc for an honest review!!

~Till Next Time!
📚 Ꮢҽαԃ σ⨍⨍ ɾҽαԃҽɾട! 📚

I loved House of Night and was excited to see that P.C. Cast and Kirstin Cast were back with a new series, Sisters of Salem. The prologue drew me in because it took place during the Salem Witch Trials.

Hunter and Mercy Goode are twins that couldn't be more opposite. They are witches that are direct descendants of the founder of their town. When their mother dies during a ritual they perform on the night of their 16th birthday, they realize that they need to save the town as more deaths happen.

I was confused by a few things in this book. In the beginning it seemed like everyone knew the Goode's were witches, but by the end it seemed like not even the twins best friends knew. I also was confused by the abrupt sex described as well as some sexual conversations. It felt unnecessary and didn't add to the plot for me.

An issue I had with this was that Hunter being a lesbian chose her to choose a god versus a goddess. And that this decision was the reason for the demise of innocent people. I felt like it reinforces the stereotype that being outside the norm in terms of sexuality (or honestly any life choices) isn't great.

As far as narration goes, I thought that Cassandra Campbell sounded older than 16, but I found it easy to discern Hunter from Mercy and was able to speed up the audio to listen to this.

I did enjoy that Spells Trouble was mysterious, suspenseful, and ended on a cliffhanger. I enjoyed the premise and am curious to see where this series goes next.

Spells Trouble:

This is a very YA book. There was some YA that I can read and love. There are other YA I can read and then I feel ancient, like my parents when they discovered what “The Facebook” was. It read almost middle grade to me, but then we have drinking and “dancing like a stripper” so now we’re in the YA part? I just felt old.

I loved their relationship as sisters as it was just realistic. While I won’t be having the same kind of conversations with my kids as their mother had with them, it was good to see their dynamic in play as well.

I did think it was such a cool angle that the girls already knew their past and history and it wasn’t a story of them figuring out they were witches and what was going to happen. They were confident in their task and knew what was at stake.

Overall, I really loved the premise and the prologue and was so excited to get into Spells Trouble! However, it just kind of fell flat. I don’t know if it was because the writing felt so young, or because the beginning started strong and drifted away, but it just wasn’t as amazing I had hoped it would be. Definitely check this out if you do enjoy a younger YA read.

Thank you so much Tor/Wednesday for the gifted copy.

3.5 ⭐

Spells Trouble follows twin witches, Hunter and Mercy Goode. They are direct descendants of the found of the town they live in called Goodeville. All of their ancestors have served as Gatekeepers of the town. Gatekeepers are the protectors of the Gates to different underworlds. They are ancient portals between our world and the realms where mythology rules and nightmares are true.

Just as the girls are learning to take on their new role as Gatekeepers, their mother is murdered. She is just the first in a string of murders. The twins are devastated and vow to avenge their mother's death. They must find the ancient mythological monsters who have been set free in their once peaceful town.

The beginning of this book dragged a little for me and there were a few things I wish were more sussed out, but I look forward to continuing on with the series and following along with the Goode twins!

The beginning of a new paranormal series by the Cast team draws the listener is immediately into high school drama--with some stereotypical characters and events more appealing to YA audiences than adults. Things slow down a bit with an extraordinary amount of ritual, as the twins prepare to celebrate their 16th birthday, but becoming full fledged witches brings new challenges, as well as sorrow and loss. The girls are more priestesses than practitioners. Elements of worship and ceremony added to ordinary adolescent angst dilute the real tragedies and dangers as well as slow down the action. I had problems with the historical setup, ie a lone British woman, even a powerful witch, finding her way from coastal Massachusetts to central Illinois in 1692 to found a multicultural community built on international mythologies. With the world building in place and the twins becoming women, the series still shows some promise. Cassandra Campbell does a fine job of narration, distinguishing the characters with subtlety, helping build suspense, and moving the plot steadily forward.

I wanted to read this book, but enjoyed it so much more listening to it. I loved the voice and the book just came to life better through audio than I could have read it.

P.C. and Kristin Cast wrote one of my favorite series ever, House of Night. When I saw they were releasing a new fantasy series I knew I had to read it. With that said, I was hoping to love this one more than I actually did. It's also quite possible that I didn't enjoy this one as much since I'm not part of the target audience.

Hunter and Mercy are polar opposite 16 year old twin witches that are faced with the task of saving the town after a ritual goes wrong.

The biggest issue I had with this novel, was that it was perceived that a character's sexuality is what led her to choose a god or goddess outside of the norm that ultimately caused the deaths of innocent people and put the entire town at risk. I felt like this gave a negative feel to the last half of the book. Why was it relevant for Hunter's sexuality to even be brought up at that time? Why was it so hard for Mercy to believe that Hunter chose to worship the God solely because that's who she felt drawn the most to? I felt like this situation alone, albeit small, can unnecessarily negatively impact the readers who are also struggling with their sexuality. I also really didn't understand why Mercy's boyfriend all of a sudden completely flipped out on the girls toward the end. It seemed really out of character than from his other appearances.

In regards to the narration, I feel like Cassandra Campbell may not have been the best fit. I've listened to several books narrated by her and she always does a wonderful job. This however was a YA novel with 16 year old main characters and I don't think her voice quite fit.

Trying to end on a positive note, I really liked that this book was about witches rather than the normal YA paranormal and the overall premise was great. There was an explicit scene that would keep me from recommending this book to younger teens but other than that, I would have really enjoyed this book as a high schooler. I know what powerful magic PC & Kristin Cast can create with their novels and am really looking forward to reading more in this series.

Thank you, Macmillan and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this novel.
•
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️(3)/5

Firstly, the narrator is incredible and has a great voice for audiobooks!

This story is wonderful, sad, complex, and full of familial love. Twin witches that need to save their world from monsters from different realms of power?! Sign me up! Norse, Egyptian, Hindu, Greek, Japanese gates that needed to be fixed and closed again to keep the "Oogly-Boogly's" away from the world. Hunter and Mercy must work together starting on their shared 16th birthday to seal the gates or risk being separated.

I loved this so much! It was full of magic and just had the greatest weaved story!

This book was just ok for me. A lot of the same fantasy ideas bundled together. There was also a sex scene that was a bit too much, in my opinion, for a YA read.

Spells Trouble is a fun witch story that seems to be a better fit for younger readers. I liked the plot and the characters but thought the details were a bit lacking as well as any complicated aspects to the story. The world building is nice and the magic was thought out and fun. The story did come off as flat and one dimensional at times and that reduced my connection, I did like the main ideas of the story and think this series will have interesting places to go. I think younger readers, middle grade and young adults will enjoy this story and I think it is a fun adventure for many readers.

I would have liked to feel a better connection to the characters and their plight but I just didn't. I also think (as I listened to the audiobook and didn't read this story) that the narrator was not to my enjoyment and that might have impacted my full enjoyment. I thought the narrator "tried too hard" and over exaggerated the different voices and roll and the story came off a bit cheesy because of that. That said, however, I will be reading this story again in book form and I think that might make the difference for me in star rating.

Spells Trouble was an ok read for me. I adore P.C. Cast’s writing, so I was super excited to receive the galley of this. It just wasn’t quite there. I enjoyed the sister bond and the premise of the story. The “voice” just felt a bit all over the place to me. It felt like they went from being incredibly mature 16-year olds (like old souls), to incredibly childish 16-year olds, to just a normal teenager. I will give a warning for parents of younger readers there is one explicit scene, so you may want to talk to your kiddo if you haven’t yet. (Although if they’re reading this, they probably know!) Overall, this was an ok read but a bit forgettable.

This book’s premise was amazing but unfortunately for me, I didn’t love the execution.

While I understand these are teen characters and they will act like dumb teens, it just felt even more unrealistic because both Hunter and Mercy were usually super wise and read older quite often. It was a bit weird when they would go from smart/mature to super childish in the span of a couple pages.

Also they both seemed to move past their mom’s death way too quickly. For newly 16 year olds who only had their mom their entire lives, they really went from mourning to totally okay way too fast.

Spells Trouble is about twin witches in their teens, finally reaching the age where they can dedicate themselves to their chosen goddess and declare their magical specialty.

Under their mother’s tutelage, they have learned their roles as descendants of their hometown’s first witch, but they still have much to learn. They don’t understand just how ill-prepared they are until their Mother dies, a monster slips into their world, and the two fledgling witches are left trying to deal with their grief and protect their world alone.

It’s a story of family, heartbreak, and sacrifice, with mature content and complex relationships. It also has LGBTQ content

While the book ends with a satisfying ending, the epilogue adds reveals the lack of a resolution and hints at a sequel. It also tears the twins apart with enough force to leave the reader breathless.

This audiobook is narrated by the talented Cassandra Campbell, who does an incredible job bringing the main characters to life.

3 1/2 stars....

Spells Trouble had all the ingredients to be a great book. Unfortunately, for me, it fell short. It wasn't a bad read. However, I felt like it had potential to be much more. In my opinion, there was a significant amount of time spent on unnecessary details. There was also a great deal of inner dialogue with Hunter and Mercy. Some of that helps the reader understand their feelings and impressions. However, too much of it can become somewhat redundant Because of this, I thought the story felt drawn out without enough activity to keep my attention. I believe sometimes the first book in a series can be challenging. Many times a lot of effort goes into world building and I'm hoping that is the case with this series.

I did enjoy the relationship between Hunter, Mercy and their friends. I also think the premise behind this story is a good one and I believe the next book in the series has promise. I look forward to seeing where these authors take Hunter and Mercy's story.

In addition, I both listened to the audiobook and read the ebook. The narration for the audiobook was good. She gave the story a solid flow and helped the listener easily differentiate between the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

++Goode Witches Spells Trouble!++


I've seen reviews of many readers not enjoy "Spells Trouble" by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast, but I'm here to tell you I had the opposite reading experience. I was lucky to get the ARC of this in audiobook format and I highly recommend you indulge in the story of the Goode Twins.

The story follows the Goode Twins, Hunter and Mercy, who happen to be direct descendants of the founder of their town, Goodeville. We learn that they are responsible for being the 'Gate keepers' and protectors to the different underworlds. Being a witch comes with many complications; aside from only telling those they trust that they are witches and are able to do the unthinkable, they must also be the protectors of their town.

At the start of the story, Hunter and Mercy experience an unimaginable loss. With this loss, a string of murders begins in the town of Goodeville, which leads to more questions than answers. It becomes a vow between the Goode sisters to find and avenge the death of their beloved. What they don't know is that the murderer escaped through one of the portals they were responsible for,

'Spells Trouble' is an adventure of finding the truth and being able to handle the responsibilities that follow. Hunter and Mercy go through a string of events to discover who the murderer is and why the town of Goodeville is being overrun by evil. I highly recommend those who are into witchcraft, friendship, and mystery to pick up this book.

Before you ask - There is minimal smut; one scene to be exact if my memory serves me right. But the banter between the characters is enjoyable. I loved the murder mystery aspect of this story. Did I mention there is a talking cat? No? Well.....now I did.

I would definitely categorize this as YA. I loved P.C. Cast's 'House of Night' series, so if you enjoy their writing style, then this is definitely highly recommended.

I read most of the House of Night series as a teenager and was excited to see the first installment of PC Cast's new series! I thought it was a little less dark than the other series, but still really enjoyed it! It gave me Sabrina the Teenager vibes! The narrator was engaging and kept me listening to this book! Excited to listen to the second book when it comes out :)

Thank you MacMillan Audio for the ALC. All opinions are my own.

I am normally not a fantasy fan, but I received the ALC of Spells Trouble from MacMillan and I thought I would give it a whirl. I was immediately enticed by this story, as the prologue is anchored around the Salem Witch Trials. This fact alone made my history-loving heart extremely happy. I continued listening, because the world created in a small town in Illinois was intriguing with its witchcraft and mysterious deaths.

Twins Hunter and Mercy could not be more opposite. Hunter is quiet and reserved. Mercy is loud and popular. On the eve of their 16th birthday, with their mother in tow, attend a sacred ceremony, only to be interrupted by something from the underworld bursting out and killing their mother. As more people turn up dead, the twins must use their witchcraft to stop the killings and put their world back how it's supposed to be.

I was really invested in the plot and wanted to know who was killing the townspeople and how Hunter and Mercy could fix everything at only 16. While I am normally not a fan of fantasy and witchcraft, these two characters were super fun and I enjoyed how their personalities balanced each other out. The quirky cast of secondary characters were also a treat. I enjoyed the mystery, the suspense, and the small nods to Illinois geography. Ending on a cliffhanger, I am definitely looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

Cassandra Campbell was an excellent narrator that nailed the different personalities and voices of all the characters. Running just shy of 11 hours, I did speed the narration up to about 2.3 speed for most of the book and sped it up quicker toward the end, because I just wanted to know what was going to happen.

There were a few things that caused me to knock the book down a star. First, the book did feel a tad long, especially at the end when they were trying to get to the ritual that would save their town. I understand it was done to build suspense, but it could have been shorter. There were points where I was questioning just how much people knew about the witchcraft of the sisters and their ancestors. At times, I felt like it was a common fact, but then at other times, I felt like it was a secret. Finally, there was some on page sex and frank sexual discussions that I felt were a tad unnecessary. I don't feel like it moved the story along, even though it was used to eventually show a short-coming in a character. This is the one thing that is keeping me from recommending this book to my 8th grade readers where I teach.

Spells trouble by P.C. and Kristin Cast is the story of twin sisters, who happen to be from a very long and powerful line of witches. Their ancestor founded the town they reside in, Goodeville and have been protecting the town as Gatekeepers ever since.

This was such a great, witchy read. There is some very strong language and sexual stuff so this is a book for someone a tad older but if you've read the authors works before then you know what to expect.

I flew through this book on one sitting(about 3 hours) and now I have to wait a year for the next book so I am sad but very glad I got a chance to read the book early.

RATING:
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5