The storybuilding was chefs kiss in this book. I loved the main characters, all so different and distinct in their personalities! Was a little slow at first but seeing as the story unfold and things connect throughout the book was AMAZING! such a great read.

the hard thing about arcs is that you have to wait EVEN longer for a sequel 🥲

this book is IT. I can’t remember the last time I read a book that had me kicking my feet throughout it, and instantly wanting the next book out asap. This book had everything I needed, and didn’t leave me feeling as though it was missing a single thing. If I could give it more than five stars, I would. Recommending this to my book club as soon as it releases.

Spellcaster follows the life of Paisley Hallistar, the youngest in a family of witches, who begins her freshman year at Weatherstone College, an elite college for witches and warlocks. Another new student is Logan, who she used to be friends with as kids, before tragedy struck, severing the ties between their families. The book follows her through her first year as a student, where she attends classes, makes friends, spends time with her (lovable) siblings, and tries not to be killed by the mysterious monsters that pop up to wreak havoc whenever possible. Oh, and trying to figure out if Logan is her ‘best friend’ (his words), or the one who wants her dead.

The relationships and friendships established in this book have me YEARNING to continue reading Paisley’s story. The ending is a cliffhanger of ALL cliffhangers. What about her best friend? Logan? Her parents? Her older sisters? I absolutely cannot WAIT for this to be released and for the world to eat it up.

Mysterious and Intriguing

Paisley has just come into her magic and was invited to the prestigious Weatherstone Academy. She’s struggling to find her affinity and avoid her family enemy, Logan Kingston. Unfortunately for Paisley she needs Logan’s help to access her magic. Things get really complicated when monsters start showing up and terrorizing the school. How is she supposed to avoid Logan when he’s the only one able to protect her from the monsters?

This book was everything I wanted it to be: mysterious happenings, broody morally grey man, spunky heroine, and a fabulous cast of side characters. I love the push and pull between Paisley and Logan that leaves us wondering what is happening between the two of them. The friends and family in this are fabulous. I really enjoyed that we didn’t have a broken and alone FMC for once. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can’t wait until the next one comes out!

I really wanted to love this book more than I did. Loved the college setting and the characters had a lot of potential. What I dislike is that it read more YA than new adult. It made it hard to really stay in the story.

I love this cover; the colors are everything. The tropes list is right up my alley and I was not disappointed. It is not very hard to get into and follows a formulaic potline.

Overall, I enjoyed this fast-paced magical academy mystery and my first Jaymin Eve book. And I’m left wanting more — it did sort of feel like one big set-up for a series though, as opposed to a story that’s satisfying in its own right.

Spellcaster did read a little young for NA, but I had a good time. The pace kept me in it, with only the occasional cringey word/phrase pulling me out, like “stalkcaster” or “witch out”.

Paisley is likeable as the main character, as are her close-knit family and newfound college friends. I wanted more Logan and more romance in general. But again, I’m assuming we’ll get answers and more relationship growth in the next book.

If Book 2 was already available, I would happily continue binge reading!

Thanks to NetGalley & Harlequin Trade Publishing | MIRA for access to the ARC!

#Spellcaster #NetGalley

Spellcaster is a thrilling and captivating start to a new magical series that hooks you from the very first page. Paisley, a young witch about to attend a prestigious magical college, struggles with one major problem: she has no idea what her magical affinity is. In a world where every witch has a specific power, her uncertainty feels like a heavy burden—especially considering her family’s complicated history with another powerful family, the Kingstons. The son of Paisley’s family’s sworn enemy, Logan, transfers to the school, seemingly with one goal in mind—Paisley. Their forbidden, enemies-to-lovers romance is a deliciously slow burn, filled with tension, passion, and the constant reminder that their relationship is off-limits. It’s clear from the start that this romance will be complicated, and I loved every moment of their push-and-pull dynamic.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and cannot wait for the next in the series! Paisley was so relatable and likable. She made a few decisions that had me questioning her thought process, but she was one of the more resonant FMC's I have read about recently. When it comes to the romance, I do wish there had been more communication between her and Logan; the whole "we are starting a conversation, then get interrupted and never discuss it" scenario is a bit overdone. I was hoping the whole time for a little more between them, just to deepen their connection/relationship.

Jaymin Eve did a fabulous job of hooking in the reader with witty banter and connectable moments. There were a few times the descriptions felt a little too 'tell not show' and Paisley's choice of so many curse words felt out of place, but they did not take away from all of the overall likability of the book. The plot twist at the end was a bit predictable, but I'm still excited to see what's in store for the next book! I look forward to reading some of her other books!

I would like to thank NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Jaymin Eve for giving me access to the e-ARC.

To be honest, I'd buy this book simply because the cover is gorgeous.
I thought this was overall a good read. Pretty quick paced and easy to follow.
I think this book would be great for someone that is wanting to dip their toes in the genre.
I liked the magic system and I thought the themes were well executed. There were a couple times I cringed at the wording just because I felt it was cheesy. I am a sucker for dark academia and enemies to lovers so regardless of the cringe; I still enjoyed it,.

I really wanted to love this book. It has all the makings of an amazing story. I loved the setting, the storyline, the characters, but there were a few places that it fell flat for me.
I loved the idea of a witch not blooming into her full powers yet and being able to see her grow and learn. I also absolutely ate UP the fact that she’s falling for her family’s enemies son… love that. The college is such an interesting setting and I enjoyed learning more about it along with Paisley through her classes.
However,
most of the characters are written as if they’re all 17-18 but are actually said to be 22+. There were so many small modern day terms that kinda gave me the ick (ie; bestie, wifey)… there are also some plot holes that seem more fitting for a YA story. Lastly, some parts of the book were overly detailed while other events were just kind of skimped over?
This book has SO much potential but just wasn’t *quite* there for me.

4 Stars — Loved it, with just a few bumps!

Okay, this was such a fun read! If you’re into magical schools, slow burn tension, and mysterious pasts, this one’s for you. The vibe gave me major Zodiac Academy meets cozy mystery feels, dark and twisty but still warm somehow? The worldbuilding totally pulled me in, and I flew through the pages trying to figure out Logan and Paisley’s deal (I’m dying to know what went down in their childhood). That said, some parts felt a little too obvious (the big twist didn’t really twist), and I did wish Paisley asked way more questions instead of jumping to conclusions about Logan. Still, I was hooked and already need book two like yesterday. Definitely recommend if you’re craving some magic, drama, and a moody book boyfriend.

I literally devoured this in one day, at work...which says a lot. This is my first book by Jaymin Eve but I enjoyed it. Good amount of spice and consent and that is always sexy. Highly recommend.

This was a really fun and entertaining story. I loved the magical academic vibes. This gave Harry Potter, but for adults and with dark enemies-to-lovers vibes. I was thoroughly entertained from start to finish. Something about the dark broody, almost bully romance, gets me every time. He hates her but is constantly saving her, and I loved every second of it. I'm very intrigued to find out what's going on all the secrets, and that cliffhanger has me definitely wanting more.

First off all the book itself is gorgeous. While not the best thing I’ve read, it was still fun. It was definitely fast paced.

Wow! This book was great. Magic system was great, loved the school vibes, and loved all the family vibes. The banter was bantering. The big mystery is still unsolved and I have so many questions. For sure going to be wanting for the rest of this story.

Ok, I REALLY wanted to love this one, the cover and edges are absolutely stunning and the plot sounds exactly like my type of read, but there’s just something about the writing style that I don’t jive with. I’m sure this book will find it’s audience and will be widely loved by said audience, unfortunately it just wasn’t me.

This is an ARC review. I want to thank Jaymin Eve and Harlequin Trade Publishing for allowing me the chance to read this book ahead of release day! First I’d like to say no no no! How dare it end like this!! My heart can’t take the wait of answering all the million of questions I have about what happened and is going to happen! This book is such a good fantasy book with the slow-burn romance I crave. I truly enjoyed the writing style and the characters as a whole. The central piece that family no matter how separated apart they are will always have each others back is just everything. Paisley and Logan’s love story (if we can even call it that since they never expressed more than lust to each other) is a slow one with the knowledge that Paisley has no recollection of Logan but Logan absolutely remembers his Precious. The plot twists truly were unexpected. I CANNOT wait for the 2nd book now!

I didn't hate it, I just didn't like it much.

My previous read felt like a new adult story was being told as YA. Spellcaster felt like a YA story being told as new adult. The main character and her friends all seemed younger than the 22 they were supposed to be. And other than being horny, the main character doesn't have much of a personality.

Some of the dialogue was cringe. The main character and the love interest have maybe ten pages together. Other than Logan being hot and tattooed, and the son of her father's enemy (with no real explain why the families hate each other), we know nothing about him. Pretty much nothing happens the entire book, and we get no answers for the sake of a cliffy.

“In the doorway stood my enemy.
But tonight I needed him.
To fight a monster, I needed a monster.”

Do you ever read a dedication and know right off the bat that a book is going to rock your world? Spellcaster instantly hooked its claws into me from the first page. Jaymin Eve's Shadow Beast Shifters series is one of my favorite series, so I couldn’t wait to dive into this new series. Her writing is addictive and enticing, effectively building steamy tension between the MCs while weaving a magically realistic story.

The magic system is detailed with four distinct affinities:
- Elementals (controlling air, water, metal, fire, or earth)
- Nature Sprites (bonding with animal familiars)
- Necromancers (communicating with spirits)
- Spellcasters (the rarest and most powerful)

Imagine joining a coven! It’s literally my dream to have magic and be in a coven. In this power-driven society, the strength of a coven directly impacts career opportunities and financial security. The FMC, Paisley, is refreshingly relatable with her self-deprecating humor and feelings of being an outsider and not good enough to be at Weatherstone (the most prestigious magical college in America).

Spellcaster intricately weaves a tale of power, connections, and alliances, where the dynamics of family and rivalry shape the destinies of its characters. I felt like this was the adult version of Harry Potter, but with an added twist of possessive and passionate relationships among mates. I loved every second of the nostalgic feelings it brought on and can’t wait to read more of this world.

𝓣𝓻𝓸𝓹𝓮𝓼 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓥𝓲𝓫𝓮𝓼:
🪄 Dark Academia
✨ Slow Burn
🪄 Enemies to Lovers
✨ ‘Who Hurt You?’
🪄 Elemental Magic
✨ "F* c k it" Moments
🪄 Consent is Sexy
✨ Fast-Paced
🪄 High Stakes
✨ Magical Creatures
🪄 Found Family
✨ Mates
🪄 Witches & Warlocks & Covens
✨ Fated Mates
🪄 Magical Realism
✨ Spicy Dreams


Thank you Jaymin, NetGalley, & HTP Canary Street Press for this advanced copy.

A witchy college, dark magic, suspense, and a "dangerous" Warlock MMC? Yes, please! I genuinely enjoyed and was invested in the story, not only the magical mystery side of it but the enemies-to-lovers romance with Pais and Logan as well. I feel like I don't always read enough witchy books but this one hit the spot overall. The ending left me anxiously awaiting Book 2!

Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC!
✨
Spellcaster follows our FMC’s (Paisley) freshman year at the most prestigious witch college, Weatherstone. While there, Paisley meets our MMC who she has a history with that she cannot remember. Dark things start happening around the college, and monsters start appearing. It is up to Paisley to help determine who is creating these monsters and to stop them.
✨
Nothing. Happened. I really wanted to like this book based on its premise, but unfortunately it just did not do it for me. Our FMC is always either whiny or horny. We learn virtually nothing of our MMC even tho he is supposed to be a pivotal point in the book. The book was so slowly paced that it unfortunately made what could have been an interesting story quite boring. The magic system felt like something out of a Disney channel show, just very predictable with no interesting spins.
✨
Tropes:
^found family
^protective MMC
^grumpy x sunshine

Review also posted in Goodreads & TikTok