Paisley Hallistar is a young witch and a late bloomer. Coming from an exceptionally gifted family, she possesses unpredictable magic. Thus, she is surprised when she receives an acceptance letter to the prestigious Weatherstone College. Unfortunately, upon arriving on campus, she discovers that she has enemies, and as time goes on, dark magic seems to target her constantly.

I enjoyed this story. The witchy, dark academia vibes filled with magic, secrets, and monsters kept me hooked. However, despite its intrigue, the pacing was slow, and by the end, I felt we had barely scratched the surface. Many questions remained unanswered, and I didn’t understand why Logan Kingston, who is meant to be both her enemy and love interest, rarely made an appearance.

Overall, this was an entertaining read, and I plan to continue with this series because I’m interested to see how the story develops.

Dark academia vibes with a magical school setting—think Harry Potter but with family rivalries and secrets that could literally change everything for Paisley. It definitely reads like YA, and I flew through it really quickly.

Was the writing a little too simple and straightforward? Maybe. But honestly, I didn’t mind it—I don’t expect every book to be super literary to enjoy the story. This one also has a nice touch of slow-burn romance, which I loved.

The ending leaves so many questions, and I just know the next book is going to be explosive. Overall, this was a breezy fantasy read that kept me hooked and left me wanting more.

✨ Overall Rating 5/5
📈 Plot 5/5
🖊️ Writing 5/5
👤 Characters 5/5
⚖️ Interpersonal Relationships 4/5
🗺️ World Building 5/5
🔥 Spice 2/5
😭 Emotional Damage 2/5
🤩 Entertainment 5/5

🖤 Dark Fantasy
🖤 Dark Academia
🖤 Childhood friends to enemies to lovers
🖤 Slow Burn
🖤 “Who did this to you?”
🖤 Elemental magic…and more
🖤 Likeable FMC
🖤 Broody MMC
🖤 Witches and Warlocks
🖤 “Fuck it”
🖤 Family rivalry
🖤 Monsters, Demons, Dark Magic?
💔 Cliffhanger

This conversation had me cackling:

He’s legitimately terrifying.”
“The warlocks who fuck the best always are. It’s like riding a rollercoaster that’s never had a safety check. You have no idea whats going to happen, but it’s always thrilling.”


Please read the trigger warnings. Your mental health matters.


Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the arc!

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing and Netgalley for the #gifted ARC.

This is the Witches and Warlocks version of Maxton Hall, set in a Magical Academia setting. There's an enemies/rivals-to-lovers vibe going because of a long-standing family feud and blood bond with an evil father.

The magic is interesting and Pailey's family is warm and protective. The pacing of the story was good but I wanted more from the romance. I wanted more building and yearning and less we hate each other, but "my magic is pulling me to you'.

I feel like we didn't get a lot of answers and left with more questions in the end.

I'm curious about book 2.

Romance Content: 3 Open-door scenes

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5 (rounded up to 5)
🌶️🌶️/5

Thank you NetGalley, Jaymin Eve, and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an eARC of Spellcaster.

To fight a monster, I'll need a monster.

Spellcaster by Jaymin Eve is an enemies-to-lovers romantasy that kept you hooked with with steamy heat, high stakes, and fast-pacing.

Think of Spellcaster as Harry Potter x Fourth Wing x Zodiac Academy (from what I've heard about ZA because I haven't read that series yet). This book also reminds me of the Bewitched series in certain aspects but has a different plot!

Paisley Hallistar, our FMC, gets accepted into Weatherstone College – a prestigious Witch and Warlock college in the United States. However, unlike her parents and four older siblings her magic seems lackluster with a lack of an affinity. Witches and warlocks in the world of Spellcaster, obtains their magic once they hit the age of 22, but it varies from witch/warlock on when it does manifest or how it manifests.

There there's the enigmatic Logan Kingston – the Spellcaster love interest and enemy of Paisley. Logan is the epitome of mysterious and broody and Paisley thinks that he has it out to get her due to their parents' blood feud.

But when Paisley begins to attract danger and monsters, she must turn to Logan for his aid.

Now onto my thoughts!!! This book from the first page got me absolutely HOOKED! I absolutely loved this! Eve's way of writing, at least in my opinion, made this a very easy read to follow along and understand the world in which Spellcaster takes place. I will say it is more of a paranormal romance, again in my opinion, than a romantasy.

I absolutely loved this book and I needed book two yesterday! Although, I loved this book, I did only give it 4.5⭐️s. It didn't quite meet my expectations in certain parts but it didn't change my view tremendously and I thought it was a very enjoyable read. Although there is an INTENSE and EXTREME amount of tension between Paisley and Logan, I did feel like the chemistry kind of lacked. I also felt like certain sentences were repetitive, but again the repetitiveness didn't take away from the story for me. I wish that we saw more interactions with Paisley and Logan than what there was but I'm hoping that Eve writes a book two and we can see it then!

The ending actually had me SHOCKED and my jaw was dropped! When I got to the last page I was baffled and I was soooo upset that it was over.

I love the characters and though they were hilarious and although there were monsters plaguing the college and attacking our FMC, there was still humor through out it.

I really do hope we can see more of Paisley and Logan and I hope we have more answers in the next book because I definitely am left with more questions than answers after finishing it!

✨Magic College Dark Academia
🖤Who did this to you?
✨Enemies to lovers
🖤Slow burn
✨Elemental magic
🖤Family rivalry
✨Childhood friends to ????
🖤"Fuck it" moments
✨Consent is sexy
🖤Monsters
✨Unknown powers
🖤Memory loss
✨Witches & Warlocks

1.5 rounded up because of my love of Willa and ber Abcurse brothers.

The cover is really pretty.

That’s about it, really. The only reason I did not DNF’d it is because I thought this was a standalone and I would get some answers. How ironic to have a heroine complain about cliffhangers when the first installment literally stops just before we could get any kind of anything?

This felt like a waste of time and at this point, i kind of feel cheated and more annoyed than anything.

Having previously read and loved some of Jaymin Eve’s novels i expected better. The writing, the dialogues, the chemistry, the characterization and the world building gave me nothing; by the end of the book, i knew more about everybody’s appearance and Paisley’s wardrobe than the world itself.

Now i just want to forget about this altogether.

3.5 stars! Spellcaster was the perfect book to kick off fall and cozy season reading. I loved the witchy college and dark academia vibes. Think Zodiac Academy x Fourth Wing, but more of a paranormal romance instead of romantasy.

In terms of plot, the mystery element with monsters and secrets made this book stand out—versus if it were solely a romance. The beginning hooked me immediately, though the pacing slowed down a lot towards the middle of the book.

I was a bit frustrated with the ending because I felt like nothing was revealed and had even more questions than answers. I'm guessing all of said questions would be answered in sequels, but I'd have liked more of an explanation. Like why are Logan and Paisley drawn to each other, what really happened between their parents, etc.?

The romance wasn't my favorite either. It wasn't exactly insta love, but I didn't feel their romantic chemistry. Logan kept alluding to his and Paisley's deep connection stemming from childhood, but that wasn't explored further. I wish more of that connection was shown on page. But still an entertaining read for fall!

Thank you so much to HTP Books for sending me an ARC of Spellcaster. As always, my reviews are one hundred percent voluntary and all opinions are my own :)

I loved this book! Some of the world building kind of threw me out of the book. I think this can happen sometimes with urban fantasy, especially when referencing current trends or topics that are currently popular in today’s society so that is my biggest critique. Overall, the story was solid and I loved how fast paced the plot moved. The romance did feel a little fast at times, but overall I really loved watching it unfold.

This book grabbed me by the throat and whispered in my ear.
Jaymin Eve doesn't just write magic--- she makes you believe in it, the way it slips beneath your skin and pulls at your heart until you're both enchanted and ruined.

The world-building is lush and darkly whimsical, threaded with danger and desire. The characters feel alive in that infuriating way where you want to throttle them one page, then pledge your soul to them the next.
The tension? Spellbinding.
The romance? A delicious aches between destiny and disaster.

This isn't light-and-fluffy witchcraft-- it's feral magic, sharp with teeth and dripping with temptation. And I loved every second of being devoured by it.

2.5 stars rounded up to a 3 because I finished the book so fast so that was at least worth something.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
This one disappointed me a bit. The FMC was a 22 year old but acted more like she was in high school to be honest.
There was plenty of intrigue from the plot and interesting world that the author created, but I found that I didn’t like how the human world and witch world meshed together. It felt cheesy whenever something human was brought up, and I haven’t felt that issue in other books I’ve read that deal in both the human and magical realms together.
The “romance” in this book wasn’t actually romance. The FMC spends all her time trying to convince herself why she hates the MMC when all it would take is one conversation (that frustratingly NEVER TOOK PLACE) to fix the frustration of both the FMC and us readers. I never felt any romance from either character, but there was plenty of lust (and definitely a fierce protectiveness and possessiveness from the MMC) and confusion of feelings between the two.
I’m not sure if I’ll read the second one yet. The cliffhanger definitely put me on edge wanting more answers, but I just felt disconnected from all the other parts of the story.
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars.

While Spellcaster presents an intriguing magical, dark academia premise, the execution ultimately falls short of its potential. Eve builds a world with creative magical elements, but both the worldbuilding and character development lack the depth needed to make this story truly captivating.

The magic system initially drew me in with its unique approach (elemental, nature, necromancy, or all of the above as part of the magic system? sign me up), but as the story progressed, the the explanations felt inadequate. Paisley’s journey follows predictable patterns without offering the emotional resonance or stakes that would make her struggles compelling.

The writing style itself is straightforward but lacks the polish and distinctive voice that would elevate this from a merely adequate read to something memorable. Dialogue often feels functional rather than revealing character, and descriptive passages rarely create a vivid sense of place.

I really enjoyed Paisley’s family, but they didn’t play a huge role in the story, other than to randomly pop up as a reminder that her siblings are also at school with her. Their appearances often felt like a convenient way to worldbuild rather than serving any actual plot value.

That said, there are glimpses of potential in the series' overarching plot. While I'm not rushing to continue with the next installment, I might pick it up eventually if reviews suggest significant improvement. For now, Spellcaster remains a forgettable entry in the fantasy genre that fails to distinguish itself in a crowded field.

I hate giving less than positive reviews for ARC reads which is why I'm very selective in which ARCs I even apply to. I only like to read books I enjoy. This book just fell so flat for me that I ended up DNF. I have even read Jaymin's other books so thought this was a good fit but the dialogue just immediately pulled me out of the story. Dialogue that falls flat is such a turn off on a book for me. In this case, Paisley does not feel like 22 years old. Her character sounds far closer to 13-14 so I struggled to get invested in her story. The sibling relationship felt weird to me as well.

I do think this book would appeal to those that enjoy dark academia and upper YA or NA books.

“Magic blooms when you’re ready to step forth, and I won’t ignore the call.”

I had such a great time with this book and completely ate it up! I’m pretty sure that I applied for an ARC through NetGalley because I like the cover, but I will definitely be recommending this book to my fellow readers! I feel like it is incredibly rare that I am SAT from the first page, but that was truly how I felt with this story. I love that we are introduced to the story in a very high-stakes moment, but then rather than continuing the story from there, we go back in time six months to see what brought us there.

The story has an academy setting that feels like grown-up Harry Potter, but without the Zootopia vibes of Zodiac Academy. We get to spend time both in class and socializing outside of class, making the academy setting feel more believable to me as a reader.

We encounter warlocks and witches that specialize in different types of magic. Our main character, Paisley, is just figuring her stuff out. She is smart and capable, but doesn’t really have an idea of where she falls amongst her fellow witches and warlocks. Paisley comes from a big family and we get the chance to meet her four older brothers and sisters and learn a little bit about them. We also get to see Paisley for a tight-knit group of girlfriends. I feel like it is rare that authors combine the aspect of true family with found family, but I love that Paisley has both. Our side characters are also easy to connect to and root for and I’m looking forward to seeing more of them in the next book.

We have a dark, broody, and tatted MMC. While I enjoy Logan‘s character, I do think that we are missing a lot of the getting to know him piece of the story. That doesn’t feel like an oversight from the author, and I do believe that we’re going to get to know him more in the next book.

Some tropes/content specifics you’ll find:
- he trains her
- found family
- spicy scenes
- magic (elemental and more spiritual)
- witches and warlocks
- star-crossed lovers (you could argue enemies to lovers, but I wouldn’t call it that)
- academy setting
- animal familiars

*this book was more of a 4.25 for me than a true 4

In a word -
Elemental magic
Witchcraft
Dark academia / magic college
Family legacy

I'm gonna start by saying ... I ate this up. I flew threw this one within a couple sessions and liked it enough to (maybe) read the 2nd. That being said, it kinda reminded me of 2010s paranormal fantasy romances. Some of the content/characters were very surface level, the dialogue was cringey, and the "bad guy" literally only ever helped the FMC? BUT the premise (magic college, witch legacy) is cool. So, it's a mix of good and bad, but it's enjoyable 🤷‍♀️

Thank you to HTP for the DRC!

𝖘𝖕𝖊𝖑𝖑𝖈𝖆𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖇𝖞 𝖏𝖆𝖞𝖒𝖎𝖓 𝖊𝖛𝖊

🗓️Release date September 23rd

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing & Jaymin Eve for the opportunity to read the ARC of Spellcaster!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

“Where’s Jaymin? DOOOOONNTTTT CARE, where’s Jaymin?” 😏

GURL, I need book two. Like immediately, how can you leave me on the precipice like that. 😭😫😂🤣

This had literally everything I loved bundled into one book.

Read if you love
🪴Slowburn Romance
🔥Who hurt you?”
🌊Enemies to Lovers
🌑Elemental Magic
🧙🏼‍♀️Witches & Warlocks
🏫Dark Academia
🌬️”Fk it” moments

“𝙋𝙖𝙞𝙨𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄’𝙡𝙡 𝙠𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙢𝙚”

At the moment, I literally feel like Paisley and her hatred for cliffhangers. 🤣

Like I have a feeling I know what’s going on with Logan, and Paisley. I can’t wait to continue their story. Definitely add this to your fall TBR, this story is perfect for witchy season. 🍂

This is going to be the next big romantasy sensation, mark my words. There is a lot to love here: the magic is interesting, the dark academia vibes are strong and fun, and it's enemies to lovers (but actually enemies to lovers, not just rivals). There is fast-burn tension here, but a slow-burn in terms of the actual romance between the FMC and MMC. In fact, we really don't know too much about Logan's actual feelings about Paisley at the end of book one. We obviously have some idea, but there is a lot to look forward to in the rest of the series.

I also loved that this was a relatively shorter read - I feel like so many romantasy books these days are 500+ pages long, and are such a commitment to read. This was not that, clocking in at just under 350 pages, which kept the pacing fast and made every moment count. The writing was good, I felt like the plot was interesting, and the characters were vibrant and fun.

My two biggest issues here: I have a strange issue with modern language being used in romantasy novels, and this book had a looot of that. Which is okay, but that's just a personal preference for me, and slang being used excessively takes me out of the plot. Second, there are kind of an insane amount of characters here. It is hard to keep track of all of them - and some make an appearance for a couple of pages and then are never heard of again. For a book this short, it takes up unnecessary space in the plot to me.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be picking up the rest of the books in the series when they come out! (Beware that this ends on a major cliffhanger). Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and the author for the eARC!

Finished this and this is the dark academia I have been wanting to see more of. Paisley and Logan were believable characters and I was just so happy to see actual ACADEMIA in my fantasy dark academia. Their chemistry was great, the pacing worked and I had fun!

Thank you to Harlequin and netgalley for the opportunity to read in advance.

This was another first for this author for me, I truly enjoyed it. It did give me a very like that dark academia. I have never read zodiak Academy, but I definitely seen that it compared to that. I'm more of a Harry Potter fan, and it did give that like magical school. Feel the magic system is very intricate and a lot. But towards the end I feel like I kind of got it. I did like Paisley and Logan's characters. I definitely. Think that I will be buying this book.I did enjoy it, and I think it's going to do well with the masses.

Such a good book! Sucked me in right from the beginning and had me not wanting to put it down.

This story follows 22-year-old witch Paisley, as she begins her study at the top magic school in the world, Weatherstone College. She’s a late bloomer in her powers so, while this first book spans her first year at the college, she spends most of her time trying to unlock her magic. She’s also trying to avoid the gorgeous, and super powerful spellcaster, Logan Kingston who may or may not be out to kill her thanks to their families’ blood feud.

This super fun dark-academia romance is perfect for fans of Zodiac Academy or Harry Potter. It’s got tension and spice, an engaging storyline, dark magic and demons, and leaves you with a what-the-actual-eff cliffhanger at the end. I will absolutely be devouring any other books in this series the moment they come out.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for the e-arc of this book! I have had it pre-ordered on Amazon ever since I saw those gorgeous edges show up, so I was thrilled to be able to read this early!

I want to start by saying that normally, academia books aren't something I read very often. So this may color my review slightly, as personally I find they lack the world building I like to see in my fantasy reads.
As such, I did wish we saw a bit more world building and character development out of Spellcaster, but I get the feeling we'll see more of that in the next book, if the cliffhanger at the end is any indication.

That said, I was positively hooked and flew through the book in just a few days. The storyline has just enough intrigue to make me crave more! (Shout out to the cliffhanger and those letters of Paisely's grandma's). I cannot wait to get my hands on the next installment