** spoiler alert ** 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 (yes, SIX stars. I make the rules now.)

Witches. Necromancers. Gothic-ass magic university. CHAOS.
This book ate me whole and I did not ask it to stop.

From the very first chapter, I was hooked. The setting? A Victorian/Gothic revival dream. The vibe? Dark academia meets magical mess meets “WHO HURT YOU?” The school itself was founded by two necromancer witches (iconic behavior), and the coven runs everything, from your magical career path to your social status. Basically, magic LinkedIn.

Our girl Paisley? She’s a spellcaster, one of the rare few who can touch every magical affinity (air, fire, water, earth, metal) plus necromancy… maybe 👀 Her powers have been lurking in the shadows, only showing up when Logan (her former bestie turned nemesis turned 😏) is around. Coincidence? I THINK NOT.

Logan is giving ultimate protective golden retriever vibes in a grumpy shell. The man literally:
• avenges her after she gets jumped by the resident weasel
• gives her his sweater (instant husband rights)
• pulls her out of a magical drowning

And the tension between them??? Off. The. Charts. Like, we finally get physical resolution, but emotionally? These two are still doing emotional jiu-jitsu with each other and I love it.

The politics in this coven-run world are shady af. Rafael Kingston (Logan’s dad) is THE WORST. His beef with the Hallisters (Paisley’s fam) is giving deeply misplaced rage and I know there’s more to the mystery of his wife’s death. Demon witches are in the mix, and I’m not okay.

Also, that ending? RUDE. “I have to tell you something”—and then BAM, book ends. Sir. That is emotional violence.

Paisley’s inner monologue had me legit crying with laughter. She’s chaotic, relatable, and smart, and I’m fully obsessed with her and her whole fam.

💥 Final thoughts:
• Gothic magic college ✔
• Enemies to lovers ✔
• Necromancy ✔
• Dreamy sex scenes ✔
• Corrupt elders I want to punch ✔
• Ending that ruined my life ✔

I need book two immediately or I might start hexing people.

edited from initial 4.25 rating after sitting with it

3.5 stars

Listen… if you're disappointed, I'm too.

(There may be spoilers in this depending on what you consider a spoiler; read on at your own risk.)

I was SO excited when I got approved for this arc! I’ve been on a Jaymin Eve kick and couldn't wait to dive in, but honestly, what a let down :/

The story takes place over about 10 months, and somehow nothing happened??? The friendships felt flat, the family was well developed, but every other relationship kinda just went surface level at best, and that was it. I was trying to describe her friends to my husband, and one of them was so inconsequential that I told him, “She's the blonde one”.

And don't get me wrong, Logan mfing Kingston CARRIED for me! That man made me a simp! Ugh, I love him already, but why, WHY did we only get like 7 scenes with him??? and most of them were like two sentences in a hallway! I wanted more of them interacting!!

Also, omg, the constantly getting interrupted at points of clarification and then NEVER REVISITING it was driving me nuts!!! Also, the ending??? No. Just no. Actually, pmo with that, but ok.

Now you may be thinking, Wow, you clearly didn't like it. Why did you give it 3.5 stars? I actually DID like it! I enjoyed it, and truly, the fmc and mmc relationship (or lack thereof??) really carried for me. The premise is super interesting, and I’m excited to see what happens, but it feels like Jaymin’s writing took a bomb on this one. Hopefully it's a little speed bump, and the next one will be much better, but I just wanted more from this all around.

Note: NetGalley Advanced Reader Copy Review - Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing, MIRA Imprint, and HarperCollins Publishing.

Follow 22 year old Paisley Hallistar as she goes through her freshman year at the magical college of Weatherstone. She has just manifested her power but it’s more than a little finicky.

Between having a powerful legacy family to live up to, an attractive but mysterious Spellcaster who’s feuding with her family, and the emergence of monsters, Paisley has a lot to figure out.

This was a very fun and quick read. If you love Romantasy books set in an academic setting with a bit of enemies to lovers vibe then this is a good one to add to your list.

If you are looking for an in depth plot and mature story line though this is probably not for you. The characters are all early-mid 20’s and there’s also a few spicy scenes. However if you were to remove those scenes then this story and writing could just as easily be about freshmen in high school as college.

⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

“I’ll kill anyone that takes her from me.”

Did the story keep my attention? Yes.
But was it anything special? No.

This story is told in 1st person, from the main female character’s view, Paisley. She is 22 years old. She is the youngest of 5 children. Her family is known for being strong witches and warlocks as well as being overly smart, attractive, and well, they just scream perfection. And then there’s Paisley. She describes herself as good-looking but by the way she describes the unnatural beauty of others leads the reader to believe that she is not as “perfect” as her family and friends….
She struggles with finding her powers, therefore she’s not a strong witch either. At least, comparable to her family. However, she was accepted into a prestigious magic school. A school where all her siblings attend and where her father is a professor. She assumes that her acceptance is due to her name and not her magical ability.
Her character was difficult to connect with. She came off as more like a horny teenager than an adult. She didn’t develop much even after certain events unfold.
Her relationship with her friends was odd. I believe since there was a lot of telling and not showing, the friendships seemed unnatural, fake, and rushed. Not to mention, again, high school-like.
Her relationship with the main male character, Logan, was even more forced. This was due to the author wanting their history to be a mystery. Since we’re left with subtle hints of their background and Logan’s presence being very limited, their relationship and his character seemed out of place. I understand it added to the whole “enemies to lovers” trope but did it really…..?? I mean, we all already know, the know…RIGHT?
The story, the relationships, the magic system, just everything seemed like a bunch of puzzle pieces forced together that left plot holes and confusion.
The plot twist in the end, however, that I didn’t expect! The ending will be the reasoning I read the next book.


*disclaimer: my darkness and spice rating might not be the same for you. Please do your own research before reading*

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you, Harlequin Trade Publishing for this opportunity 💕

I wasn’t sure how to feel about this book until we were almost half way through. I really didn’t love Paisley as the FMC but I loved the rest of her family and all of the other side characters, aka Logan, so I kept reading. It felt like this story was things just happening to Paisley over and over and over again. But I had to keep reading to find out WHY the things were happening. Thr cliffhanger got me so I will definitely be reading the next book. I need more Logan though.

5/5 stars! I absolutely loved this book and could not put it down. I finished reading it in one sitting. I was hooked from the very first chapter. Spellcaster is book one in a new series and I can’t wait for book two. Especially after reading the cliffhanger. Spellcaster is releasing September 23, 2025. Thank you to Jaymin Eve, Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing.

Book: Spellcaster
Series: Untitled
Author: Jaymin Eve
Completed Series: No, ARC
# of Books in Series: No Idea
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Format: eBook
Thank you to #Netgalley for this arc eBook!
First Thoughts/Summary:
Well, hello cliffhanger. Thanks for leaving me hanging!

Storyline/Plot:
This book sucked me in! I’ve been craving a good academia book and this one did not disappoint. I love the way the education system is set up and how the covens develop its youth. I love how you could feel the love between Paisley and her family. It's rare that you see that kind of love in these books. The story was on the darker side, but nothing crazy. The magical classes were fun to read about, too. I love a good girl squad of strong, smart women, and Eve didn’t let me down. All in all, you should really add this one to your TBR list!

Favorite Characters:
Trevor is my favorite. He has cocky big brother but touch my little sister and I’ll end you vibes. He’s funny and caring and wild. I found myself smiling every time he popped up in the book

Spice:
It’s mainly a lot of tension, with some dreaming thrown in. You will get two detailed scenes, and they are great; I just wish there were more.

Triggers:
Death, Gore, Fear of drowning, bullying (minor and not to the main character)

5 stars 🌟 I love Jaymin Eve and I will read anything she writes! Spellcaster has easy to follow world building and fast-paced. I cannot wait for book 2!

What to expect:
- slow burn romance
- enemies to lovers
- spicy
- dark academia college setting

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC. All opinions are my own 🫶🏼

I love this book! It’s about a magical school and a guy and a girl who grew up together, but we’re separated because of a tragedy. At first it gives you enemies to lovers vibes. There’s a lot of secrets and we don’t get all the answers. The ending was nuts. I think this is a really unique world and book I loved it. I haven’t really read anything that gave me like zodiac academy vibes in a long time and this gave me that.! Must read I can’t recommend it enough. I honestly can’t wait to read the next book.

This book is not getting the hype it deserves! I have not heard one person mention it! But I thought it was great. The story was fast paced and fun. It’s not as action packed as fourth wing but I’d say if you enjoyed fourth wing for the romantasy vibes and like cozy reads then you will definitely enjoy this.

✨ 3 Star Review for Spellcaster by Jaymin Eve ✨

Okay, so Spellcaster and I had a bit of a rocky start. Think “first day at witch college and immediately bumping into your magical nemesis” vibes. There’s a lot of info crammed into this first book — world-building, lore, magical rules, family feuds — and while I get that it’s setting the stage for something bigger, it did make it a little hard for me to fully click in with the characters or feel super swept away by the story. I spent most of the book feeling like I was just about to fall in love with it… but never quite got there.

That said, the potential is all over the place. The spicy tension? Definitely there. The vibes? Dark academia meets chaotic elemental magic, yes please. The ending finally got its claws in me, and I’m honestly kind of excited to see what book two brings now that the groundwork is done and dusted.

So if you love your magic schools with a side of angst, enemies-to-lovers energy, and unpredictable power surges, this might be your jam. I’m hoping the next one brings the heat — and the heart — now that the spell has officially been cast. 🖤✨

This was such an amazing book. I really enjoyed the fmc when she finally found her footing and took control I was so excited.

In the end, this was an okay read. I feel it had a lot of potential to be more and overall left a lot to be explored and developed in the world building and characterization. By the conclusion it really left me wanting more from the story and fell a little flat. The pacing was a bit off, fast in spots and slow in others. The school year pacing was weird, as it felt like nothing actually happened except for right at the beginning.
I was really hoping for more from this story.

Oh my god!! This freaking book was a 10/10 read! I absolutely loved everything about it! I was such an addictive story. I was sucked in by chapter one, the story was easy to follow and I honestly loved the characters. The cliffhanger at the end is KILLING me I need book 2 right now!!

Rating: 5 🌟
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
✨ Dark Academia
✨ Magic College
✨ Witches & Warlocks
✨ Elemental Magic
✨ Enemies (kinda? Maybe?) to Lovers
✨ Slow Burn

I have read other books by Jaymin Eve and have loved them, but this one fell flat for me.

It felt like there was no plot. Yes, the FMC is struggling with her powers and not being able to find an affinity, while also being in the middle of a family feud, but what else? There isn’t any action or mystery to this book. It’s a character driven book, which normally I don’t mind, but I couldn’t find myself immersed or pulled into this book like I have found myself with other books by Jaymin Eve.

This was a difficult book for me to review because there were parts of this book - like the overall plot - that I really enjoyed. But then there were elements - like the dialogue - that I didn’t. Dialogue is usually my favorite part of a book and I have to make myself not skip ahead over the details just to get to the dialogue. But the conversations in this book just didn’t always feel natural to me, And were sometimes even a little cringey. and that would take me out of the story. The plot was good enough, however, that I’m definitely still interested in what comes next. I’ll most likely give this series another shot when book 2 comes out.
My rating is 3.5⭐️ rounded up to 4 here

Witchy colleges are my weakness! Sign me tf up nowwwwwww! Like all witchy books the beginning is heavy on dialogue but once we got into the 2nd part it was firing on all cylinders. This is a cozy fast paced read and that ending, omg when is book 2 coming ?!??

Is Jaymin Eve writes it, I'll read it.
I really enjoyed Spellcaster and you need to go in reading it more as a cosy fantasy than an action packed storyline which is what I was anticipating. While the overall book is fast paced and takes place in roughly a year, I feel like it was also slow at points because it did not go into enough depth. The characters are in their mid 20's at a magical college but did read like high schoolers at times (but maybe that is also how I acted in college too). This book was enjoyable and I predicted some of the twists early on but I am looking forward to seeing how the rest of the story plays out.

Thank you so much to Jaymin Eve, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and NetGalley for the ARC!

Paisley Hallistar is the youngest of a family of witches and warlocks, all who have gone/are going to the magical Weatherstone College. When the son of her father's enemy transfers to Weatherstone, danger begins following Paisley around. She has to figure out why her magic isn't manifesting, as well as who is conjuring monsters to plague the school. 

It was a typical girl going to a magical school book, but I still mostly enjoyed it. The first person pov wasn't too obnoxious and the main character was likeable. The story was paced decently and kept me engaged.
It did start to get a little boring halfway. The plot lacked originality and the conversations and relationships felt a bit pointless at times. It left on a bit of a cliffhanger, and overall felt like not enough happened for a full arc of a book.

I rated it 3.25/5 rounded down to 3.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC!

I enjoyed the pacing, the storyline, and the close family ties. The FMC was thoughtful who seemed to stay in trouble. You get to see her growth in this book. The MMC, is a typical bad boy that every girl wants to be with. I think I’m ready for book 2 already and this is my first time reading from this author.