Spellcaster was instantly intriguing and brimming with all the anticipation I could want. I love a good dark academia novel and this one certainly scratched that particular itch. The mystery surrounding the attacks on the school, combined with the tension surrounding the resident Spellcaster contributed to an ambiance that was wholly unique and immersive. I was immediately drawn in to the world and the setting, and was also captivated by Paisleys character. It was apparent from the beginning that there was more to her than met the eye, but even expecting the unexpected, I was completely caught off-guard by the end. I fully believe that if the pacing had been a bit more consistent and there was a bit more editing surrounding the dialogue, this would have easily been a five star read for me. Some of the writing felt forced and/or cheesy, especially during the interactions Paisley had with her friends, and took away from the experience. Despite this however, Spellcaster brought to light more questions than it answered and left me desperate for answers. I absolutely can't wait to get my hands on the next book.

Spellcaster pulled me in instantly with the opening scene where Paisley is sprinting through Weatherstone’s shadowy corridors with magic sparking in her palm while a monster chases her. Logan Kingston appears out of nowhere to save her and the whole moment is so cinematic I could see it play out in my head. That first chapter set the tone for the rest of the book with its mix of danger, magic, and simmering tension.

The setting feels like a goth chic magical academy where every hallway hides something cursed. The romance is slow burn perfection with that enemies to lovers spark that has you kicking your feet one moment and glaring at Logan for being infuriating the next. Paisley’s unpredictable magic is as chaotic as her personality and Logan’s dark mysterious vibe makes every scene between them feel electric. The side characters bring that found family warmth that balances the darker moments and makes you wish you could hang out with them after class.

Four stars because this felt like a gothic fairytale tossed into a whirlwind of romance and danger. It is messy in the best way and left me desperate for book two. If you want witch academies, elemental magic, monsters under the moonlight, and a love interest who both rescues you and ruins your life, Spellcaster will be your next obsession.

As much as I was intrigued with this book, especially given my love for the show Wednesday and the Mortal Instruments series, I just couldn't get into this one. Not for me.

I was really keen to read this book, the cover is absolutely gorgeous and the premise was right up my alley: Dark academia, witches, university setting and magic. Unfortunately, Spellcaster is not for me.

This is my first book by this author, and I am sure there is a place for Spellcaster for romantasy fans, or rather, romance fans with a little bit of fantasy.

Rated 3 stars. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC ebook.

Arc Review!!

Tropes: slow-burn enemies-to-lovers, dark academia, witches/warlocks with elemental magic, monster attacks

This book was honestly incredible from start to finish. While it took a little bit for the action to ramp up, it did not hinder the story in any way and I enjoyed leaving a bit of the book to world-building. You follow a witch named Paisley as she learns more about her magic at weatherstone college all while trying to avoid an enemy of her family. But, monsters start to attack and it seems like they are after her specifically with the only way to kill them by one person....Logan Kingston aka her enemy.

Thank you so much NetGalley for the e-ARC! I really enjoyed this book and after that ending, I need the next one right now!

My benchmark for a book is when I don't want it to end and I can't wait for the sequel. "Spellcaster" is my best book of my summer.

Edgy with a side of sisterhood mixed into a cauldron of suspense and magic. This is a grownup "Hogwarts", definitely a cross over book due to its sexual encounters. If you're fascinated by magic and want to spend freshman year with a very entertaining group of characters, "Spellcaster" should be on your TBR list.

4.5 STARS

I loved the characters and the cozy academia setting in Spellcaster by Jaymin Eve—it instantly put me in the mood for fall. The relationships were fun, the banter was engaging, and honestly, I just want to pack my bags and move into Weatherstone Academy.

The only reason this isn’t a 5-star read for me is that some sections felt a bit unpolished, with occasional whiplash from one scene to the next. Still, the charm, atmosphere, and plot completely hooked me. I’ve already recommended it to several friends for release day because I know they’ll be just as obsessed as I am.

I truly hope Jaymin Eve is as passionate about releasing a sequel as Haley is in this story, because it feels entirely unfair that I can’t have book two right now. This gave me major Fourth Wing meets A Discovery of Witches vibes, and I LOVE it. Honestly, this would make an amazing adaptation.

At first I was not sure about this book because it was reading a little more younger than I was anticipating. The first half of this book I do feel like could have been condensed down some, as it was more about Paisley and the friendships she was building. Which we love to see friendship but some of it just didn’t bring anything necessary to the story.

I did push through and found myself to enjoy the second half a bit more. While the story did still drag for me some parts, I felt like the dialogue improved.

The mystery of this book is what kept me turning the pages. And I did enjoy seeing the chemistry between brewing between Paisley and Logan.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a gifted ARC.

2.75

thank you to MIRA books for the e-ARC.

I really wanted to like this one, especially with that gorgeous cover. and I think I would have liked it back in middle school, when I was reading pnr on quizzila and wattpad. and that’s not a dig towards those authors or this one, but my tastes have changed, and there are tropes of the genre that I no longer enjoy.

I also think this should have been set in high school (but without the sex) because everything about the setting—teachers as party chaperones, uniforms, etc—and the characters’ maturity levels were giving high school rather than college. but maybe that’s what new adult is shooting for? idk. but the character attitudes felt very juvenile in a way that I don’t love when I’m also reading them getting it on.
the plot is a fairly straightforward one: girl goes to magic school as an underdog and finds out she’s super powerful, her family’s enemy is super dreamy and plays hot and cold, and monsters abound. I’ve read this story before many a time (and enjoyed it many a time! again, not a dig). but I think I’ve tired of ones that don’t have something new to say.

if you haven’t tired on this, it’s not a bad starter one, with less of the icky consent politics of past entries and some more modern pop culture references. but for me, the Mary-Sue-isms and the digressions about reading romance books and the steamy dreams and the using “witch”/“wizard” as epithets weren’t what I was looking for

Entertaining and fun!
Spellcaster brings us a witchy book brought into the present day with college exams, girl gangs, and boy drama!
As our main character embarks on her first college semester, she soon finds out she is completely unprepared. There are too many things she doesn’t know or isn’t ready for, but how much of that is in her control?
With covens, finals, and monsters to worry about, our cast of characters have their hands full with adventure and mischief.
I enjoyed reading Spellcaster, but I did feel like it real slightly young for me (excluding the adult content). I would normally rank it 3.5, but I’m rounding up to 4 stars.

Spellcaster is the start of what I hope is an epic series.

The author has built and interesting world - easy enough to follow and not too many terms to remember. I found the FMC interesting and likable. I appreciated that the characters are 22+ years old. Paisley's family and friends are all fun - I wonder if they'll get their own stories. Lots of questions being brought up that aren't addressed (mainly the bloodoath, the death of Logan's mom, Paisley's mom and grandma).

This doesn't get 5 stars, just because I felt that some of the story was a bit repetitive. I also did not like that, despite repeated warnings and promises, the FMC would go off by herself. Additionally, I found the clues to the villain a little too obvious. Maybe the author is planning a big switcharoo on us and these are all red herrings, but for now I felt it was telegraphed too easily.

Overall, I will definitely want to read more of this!

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Jaymin Eve is an incredible author she wrote my favorite shifter series so when I saw this it was a no brainer. I really loved the characters however one note I would have is this is not what I would call enemies to lovers in a traditional sense it feels more like a reluctant relationship to lovers. The story pulled me in and I am so excited to read the next book in this series to see more on where the story goes! What an incredible read

Spellcaster is a cozy dive into dark academia with a magical twist. Paisley, a late-blooming witch, arrives at the prestigious Weatherstone College wondering where she fits in especially when her magical affinity remains elusive.

Paisley might be a late-blooming witch, but she’s quick to stumble into rivalries, forbidden spells, and a handsome spellcaster she’s absolutely not supposed to trust.

The opening prologue drew me IN so quickly. Who doesn’t love a “who did this to you” but coming from your ENEMY? This book is perfect for lovers of dark academia, slow burn romance, elemental magic and enemies to lovers.

Call my a glutton for punishment because these unfinished series are KILLING ME 😂 I need book two asap. Logan is officially on my ever growing list of book boyfriends. You all cannot miss this

I went into Spellcaster expecting a darker, more intense dark academia vibe, and while the premise has all the right ingredients—witch college, family feud, unpredictable magic—the tone felt a lot younger than I expected. Even though the characters are in their twenties, some of the drama and banter read more like YA, which made it harder for me to connect. I think I’ve just aged out of this kind of dynamic, so that’s definitely on me.

What kept me reading was the magic system and the setting. Weatherstone itself is intriguing, and I liked the unpredictability of the magic—it added an undercurrent of danger even in slower scenes. While this one didn’t fully click for me, I think readers who want a lighter, more school-focused take on dark academia with a softer slow burn will enjoy it more

What words can I use to describe this book? Well it started off as a banger and kept me going from the first page to the last page! I have never read a book by this author, and now she is going on my auto-buy author list! This was one of my MOST ANTICIPATED reads for 2025 and it did not disappoint! It is definitely one of my top reads of 2025!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. The cover is gorgeous, the sprayed edges are on point, and the description reeled me in. Firstly the good, overall I had a good time. The magic and world building was incredibly digestible and fun. The side characters felt fleshed out and realistic. There is some good tension building between the main character and her morally grey (DUH) love interest. I know others have mentioned the pacing but I really enjoyed it. The author was mindful to set the scene and baddies and then fully introduce the love interest.

I struggled a little with the characters ages. In this magical world they go to their version of college in their twenties. Hoooray for a MC who is not 18 or just turning 18, but unfortunately they still often read like teens in high school. It wasn't a big knock for me, but was a bit of a disappointment.

Overall I enjoyed it and am confident I will read follow up work. 3.5 rounded to a 4.

This was a solid intro to the series. You follow Paisley as she enters Weatherstone College for witches and warlocks and learns about her specific magic. Logan (a family enemy) will also be attending this year and she is told to stay away from him, but she is constantly drawn to him and he is constantly saving her. She is torn on what to do and discovers some hidden secrets during her stay at the college.

I REALLY loved the dynamic between Paisley and Logan and I hope we get so much more of that in the next book. Those dreams ❤️. I love all the found family and friendships and I love that Paisley is going to school with her brothers and sisters and so we get to see her family vibes as well.

I thought the pacing was great. Anytime I stopped reading, I wanted to get back into it to see what happened next. I was a little confused by the ending and it does end on a cliff hanger, but I am excited to see where book 2 takes us! I will definitely be picking it up once it is out.

This is for you if you enjoy
✨Witches and warlocks
✨Elemental magic + spell casters + necromancers
✨Academy setting
✨Enemy families
✨Monsters and dark magic
✨Enemies to lovers
✨Secrets
✨Strong family bonds
✨Found family and great friendships
✨Spicy time 🌶️

Thank you so much to Harlequin Trade Publishing for this eARC. All opinions are my own.

3.5 stars (rounded up to 4)

Spellcaster was a fun read with all the dark academia and magical college vibes I love. The magic system was cool and there was just enough mystery to keep me hooked.

The romance had a great forbidden feel, but calling it “enemies to lovers” felt like a stretch. It read more like a slow-burn with tension and secrecy, which I didn’t mind. I just wish Logan had been on the page a bit more. I also found myself wanting a deeper emotional connection between the characters. Some of the family dynamics and friendships felt surface level. The relationship between Paisley and her friends, in particular, felt more like high school than college.

My biggest frustration was finishing the book feeling like nothing had really been answered. There are so many interesting plot threads, but not a lot of resolution, which made the ending feel more like a pause than a conclusion.

That said, it definitely kept my interest the whole way through so I’ll probably continue on just to see where everything leads.

Thank you htp and netgalley for an advanced reader copy of this title!

If you're a fan of the 50 Shades series and magical fantasy, this book is for you! Well written with perfect pacing, the slow burn enemies to lovers plot will leave you wanting more! Can't wait for the next one! Jaymin Eve, please hurry up!