I highly recommend this adorable series! It's inclusive, humorous, and perfect for the middle school age group.

The diabetic main character and her service dog absolutely stole my heart, and the magic system is quirky and unique. Can't wait to see what's next for this brave girl!

This one is a sequel to Clare Edge's "Accidental Demons", in which we met thirteen-year-old Bernadette (Ber), a blood witch whose magic is triggered by pricking your finger and releasing a drop of blood - and, coincidentally, a recently diagnosed type one diabetic who is still learning to navigate her disease and, well, not conjure demons every time she tests. The two parts are tightly connected, so I highly recommend checking out this cycle starting with "Accidental Demons". This series is everything you could want in an upper-middle-grade/lower YA [*] cozy urban fantasy, combining a fun magical adventure with a discussion of the oh-so-real and often disturbing things a contemporary teen might encounter.

[*] you know, that liminal age category that doesn't have a generally established name: things like dating, first period, and body image are already relevant (unlike in much of middle grade), but high school GPAs and college applications aren't yet (unlike in much of contemporary YA).

The following will contain spoilers for the first book.

"Mixing Magics" picks up right where we left Ber in the first book: she now has new friends from other magical traditions, including the mind mage Cai, whom she's dating. She also now has a blood-sugar-sniffing dog, which makes her life a lot easier with those accidental conjurings. But she's missing both her grandmother and Fin, who disappeared into the demon dimension during the confrontation with the other coven's rogue witches. Worse, it seems that no one else in the family really cares about helping Grandma Orla return, so now it's up to Ber and her friends to solve the mystery.

I really liked that towards the end of "Accidental Demons" we learned about other magical traditions and met some of the other magical kids in Ber's town, and we get to see more of their friendships and collaborations in this part! Not always effective collaborations, it should be noted, which is inevitable when people come from different secretive traditions and were raised to be suspicious of each other. And it feels like this magical world is way bigger behind the scenes - I would love to learn more about it if Edge ever writes another installment! Cai and his mind magic - Ber is a little too eager to use his magical abilities as a master key to her life's problems - but we also get a little bit of the difficulty of living with constant knowledge - if not the exact thoughts, then at least the general moods of everyone around you, and how overwhelming that can be. And we may or may not get a major revelation about Cai near the end that would change their shared discovery of the world in interesting ways - I really wonder if that means there will be more installments to come.

Publication date November 11, 2025

In the meantime, I look forward to whatever Edge is going to publish - a darker YA title has been announced for 2026.

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with an eARC through NetGalley. The opinion above is my own.

I've been in love with the concept of Ber and her magic since Accidental Demons, the first book in the series, and I've been excited for the sequel. Edge does such a great job of infusing humor and heart into the story, making it appeal to all ages, even if it's directed at middle grade readers. (As a parent who still reads with her middle grader sometimes, that's huge!) I also love the effortlessly inclusive representation, which is needed at that age.

Just as clever and charming as the first book--highly recommend! Edge builds on the characters, magic, and world, while still keeping our attention with new adventure and high stakes as Ber searches for answers and Grandma Orla!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the e-ARC of Mixing Magics!
3.5 / 5 ⭐

“I love her with my entire heart, and probably some other organs too.”

Mixing Magics is a sequel, but I picked up the ARC without reading the first book by mistake; I still found it easy to follow. At its heart, Mixing Magics is a middle grade coming of age story centered around Ber, our thirteen year old protagonist who was recently diagnosed with diabetes. It's also a story about blood witches, demon realms, missing loved ones, and finding out what happens when you have “profound and irrevocable faith” in your own power. A cute read - I’ll need to go back and read the first one!

A super fun follow-up to Accidental Demons. This book expands on the magic and the world, and provides a compelling adventure for Ber and her friends. A very solid middle grade read!

This book was a cute, action packed novel about a witch and coming into power. Mixing Magics is a very open novel with plenty of representation accross all types of people.

Perfect for Young Adults to read as well.

This is the second book in a series so make sure to read the first one before heading into this one.

This was a fun read! The author does such a good job at giving this book a magical fantasy vibe. Its also fast paced so you will find yourself reading one page after another and submerged in the story. It's a very inclusive storyline. Very good read! I will say the ending felt a bit rushed or so but overall it was a very satisfying story!!! Loved it!

Mixing Magics is a fun and fast-paced fantasy with a unique take on spellcraft and alchemy. The worldbuilding is vibrant, filled with quirky rules of magic that feel both fresh and grounded. I especially enjoyed the dynamic between the two main characters—one methodical, the other chaotic—which made for a great opposites-attract friendship (or something more 👀?).

The pacing was solid, and the plot had just enough twists to keep me turning pages. I do wish there had been a bit more depth to some of the side characters, and the ending felt slightly rushed, but overall it was a really enjoyable read. Perfect for fans of Scholomance-style magical academies or Carry On-esque magical chaos.

Looking forward to the sequel—because that cliffhanger? Not okay. 😅

This book is really cute and very inclusive. It is a great read for a preteen or as a family read. The FMC is a witch that has diabetes and a service dog that helps her regulate her insulin. This book shows what it is like to lose a family member and control your powers. This book could have a huge impact on anyone that reads it. I absolutely love how it is written. There are so many fun characters and just the style of writing itself flows beautiful. As a teacher I can see this having a major impact on any child that is newly identified with diabetes or has been struggling with it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy.

First thing to know is this book is a sequel, so grab Accidental Demons first - you won't regret it!

Another cute adventure for Ber, Cai, and their friends and assorted pets (and demons!). A direct follow-up on the first book, Ber is seeking answers to the riddle left behind that will reveal how to save her Grandmother Orla and Fin. Sometimes riddles cause more problems than they give answers.

While there are plenty of magic hijinks, there's also a good foundation of disability awareness and LGBT+ characters. All topics are more than approachable for older middle grade readers and pre-teens while still being an enjoyable read for older readers.

I adore this series and am very happy to have stumbled across it and am crossing my fingers for more books. The characters are relatable and their actions are understandable, even if they don't always make the wisest choices. The book wraps up the plot, but leaves plenty of opportunities for future adventures.

Highly recommended!

I am so in love with this series. It's both heartfelt and extremely funny, just the right amount of emotional, and so completely magical.

I would actually rate the book at 3.5 stars, but that does not appear to be an option on this platform. To be completely transparent, my review may be impacted by the fact that I’m jumping into the second book of a series when I haven’t read the first…especially if this is intended to be a trilogy since second books notoriously seem to feel more like filler that forces the overall plot along, rather than serving as an actual, self contained story. However, in the case of Mixing Magics, there was just SO MUCH going on in the story that I had a hard time really getting INTO it and feeling settled with all the elements that Bernadette is trying to keep track of.

Don’t get me wrong, it was a fun read, and life is rarely just a neat, easily digestible story, which this did a great job of illustrating. I found that the various types of magic and the way the structures within each type of magics and the way they relate to one another felt fresh. Not to mention that anything about Ireland/Irish culture is something I will give a shot, no matter what. However, as previously stated, the sheer amount of STUFF happening made me feel pulled all over the place in a way that made it hard to ever settle in.

This is such a cute inclusive book, perfect for preteens.

I would highly recommend this book for a family read.

The FMC is a witch with diabetes and a service dog to help regulate her insulin. She is struggling with the loss of her grandma and learning how to control her powers. This speaks on individuality, emotions, losses, and growth.

This book reminds me of so many fun lovable characters and I would love it to be a series that my children could read and grow with.

This was a cute sequel. I liked book one a lot better, but this expands on new relationships and has the same representation from the first book that I loved