4.25⭐️
Mazzy and Nora dabble in witchcraft, but after performing a spell late one night, they discover a body on the beach. Which leads to more bodies, and being almost possessed by a spirit, a cult of evil people, and more weird than either knows what to do with.
If you’ve ever read A Good Girls Gide to Murder and wished it had magic involved, this is your book.
I’m so glad I saw this on a marketing email from NetGalley and read it! I wasn’t really sure where the story was going, I was trying hard to not figure out the ending and just be along for the journey. While some of it was a bit juvenile (this is NA) it fits for the age the mc’s are and honestly the feelings 18 year olds have about life, love, and that their parents just don’t understand them!

Witchcraft, dark magic, ancient cults, and Cape Cod...oh my! To any fan of the occult, this is a must read. What happens when two teenage witches-in-training cast a spell on a moonlit night? Chaos. How far will they go to rid themselves of nefarious ghosts and uncover the wicked truth behind a local occult legend? This is a fast-paced tale laced with visions, possessions, and the necessity to extinguish the evil that surrounds them. I would highly recommend to any reader who covets with wickedness and possibilities of the supernatural.

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review

a spell to wake the dead was an exciting and eerie ya thriller. i loved how the story was centred around this friendship trio and i wish we got to see more of them just being friends.

the last 30% of the story was easily the best part. the author did a really great job with pacing here, and as a reader i felt compelled to continue reading as the danger loomed closer.

the romance was as a pleasant subplot, although i do wish elliot was more developed as a character.

overall it was a great read!

I did not finish this due to some lgbt content. I'm sure it's a good book otherwise, but I couldn't finish it.

This was so good. From start to finish, it’s fast paced and filled full of a plot I love. Two witches find a body and stumble into something far worse than they could have imagined. The characters are really great and the story was amazing.

Thanks to NetGalley for the copy of this ARC. This will be out in August of 2025. Make sure to add it to your TBR!

I didn't even know Nicole Lesperance was coming out with a new book and imagine my surprise when it was up on NetGalley, it was going to be witchy and I was preapproved to read it! I downloaded and devoured this book in a single day. Although the pacing was a bit slow and funky at times, the characters, the depth of the story and the plot itself made up for the pacing. The book immediately jumps into Mazzy and Nora and their friend Elliot finding a washed up body on the beach while they are practicing a spell under the full moon. They quickly get caught up in the dead woman and even allow her spirit in to communicate with them. Quickly more bodies turn up as Nora is drawn to finding them and the friends begin to realize how deep into the darkness they have gotten. This book was tense, it was suspenseful, it was graphic. I enjoyed the characters and the eerie setting on Cape Cod. The story dabbles in witchcraft, the occult and feels like a true witchy horror novel. I think readers who enjoy supernatural horror are going to love this one!

Starts out slow but gains intensity with each chapter. Mazzy, the main character and her bestie, Nora, are two witches novice witches. Mazzy idolizes her friend's ability but underestimates her own latent powers. The girls are drawn to Mayflower beach on Cape Cod and not so accidentally stumble on a very dead woman whose hands have been cut off. The narrative gains momentum from this moment as the dead woman begin to exert her presence and desperate needs by gaining a foothold in Nora's mind. Over the course of time the girls are drawn to other bodies and even more intense experiences to the point where Nora, in particular, becomes possessed. Over the course of the story more people are drawn in and the girls come under scrutiny by the local police and other 'mystics.' The intensity of the action, as the reader approaches the conclusion, reaches a crescendo with their very lives on the line.

I enjoyed the book more as I got further into the book. As I approached the end of the story it was as though I couldn't read the paragraphs fast enough. My main criticism focuses on the cast of characters beyond the girls. I would have liked to see them fleshed out more with greater impact on the storyline.

I tend to take issue with the pacing of YA novels but this one draws you in so deeply that you don't even notice it's been fifty pages. It's a quick read like most YA is for an adult, but the pacing is perfect so I suspect a young reader would fly through it too. This is definitely upper YA because of the violence in it, but the pacing never once felt like it was too fast or that the girls were jumping to conclusions that were not backed by evidence. I also loved that even though 2 of our 3 main protagonists were girls, with one crushing heavily on the male member of the trio, love wasn't the main focus or even a major side focus. If it happened at all it was along the way and only a. sentence or two before you were right back in the action. The girls sisterhood and willingness to protect each other was top priority right along with solving the mystery of the murders in their Cape Cod community. Even if you aren't a YA person, but you like paranormal mysteries, this book is a must read!

Spooky little novella. I finished it in only a few hours. Was pretty good. I’d say it’s definitely YA occult so take that as you will. Be sure you don’t mind your teenagers reading about witches and dark magic.
I enjoyed it as an adult. Was a creepy good time.

I really enjoyed the eerie atmosphere, this book had me hooked since the beginning.

I loved reading about Mazzy and Nora, witchy teenagers, as well as their friend Elliott and the dangerous path they found themselves on after discovering a body on the beach and trying to solve her murder. Using divination and spellwork, and a whispering voice guiding them to more.

It was fast paced, I finished it in a day.