Wow. This book put me on a broomstick and flew me to a magical school. Agatha willow brings the beauty and magic that meets whimsy in this beautiful sapphic story about two women who get a second chance at love. The characters are complex and lovable you find yourself rooting for even the grumpy old professor that gives “get off my lawn” vibes. And boy I was not expecting this book to be spicy but wow oh wow did it leave me yearning to not be alone in the middle of the night. It has the perfect amount of spice sprinkled through where it doesn’t overpower the story or the characters and it genuenly inhanced it in the best way possible. Highly recommend

Such a cute, cozy and magical read! I love getting to know the characters and watching as they become more confident and fall in love with what they do (and in some cases each other). It was great to see how relationships can change as your place in life and who you thought you were changes within the book. It was also such a cute cozy atmosphere!

I was bouncing off the writing style — tell, tell, and tell some more in a way that feels very YA in the lack of depth and bland straightforwardness of its writing — and feeling zero character or chemistry from the two characters. At 28% if I’m already looking around for something else to read or something else to do rather than read a book … the book isn’t working for me in the first place.

There’s no sense of personality to either Character A or Character B. Bryn has no personality, Agatha is blandly perfect and kind. I have no idea what either character looks like other than the book cover, which … is odd. Bryn being hired as a teacher for a few months with no accreditation seems rather ridiculous, to me, when Agatha — already not thriving at this position with people wanting to be rid of her — is risking that same position simply because the plot told her to.

This isn’t a school, it’s a cozy fantasy of Bryn, unappreciated as a student, suddenly being the big, brave, brilliant writer coming back to prove she’s better than everyone else and get the girl — who is no more than a perfect, personality-less doll — all so she can feel better about herself. For some people this book may work; for me, it’s a little cringy and a lot boring.

I’m sorry, this is a solid pass from me. I don’t recommend it. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC.

Spellfire was a charming and lighthearted read, perfect for a casual, low stakes, palate cleansing read. It didn't get too deep into world building or explain its magic system in detail, but it was still a fun read. Despite knowing each other in high school and having a crush on each other, the main characters reunited as adults and fell for each other all over again. There is an element of insta-love, and it does get a bit spicy. Overall, it was an entertaining read.

Spellfire is a charming, romantic, and magical read that blends second-chance romance with an enchanting fantasy setting. Luna thought she had left Grimoire Academy – and all its memories – behind. That is, until news arrives of her beloved Professor Herringbone’s passing, along with the surprising gift of her treasured spellbook collection.

The last person Luna expects – or wants – to see is Amelia, her old high school crush and the Academy’s new headmistress. But Amelia needs Luna’s rare expertise to save the Academy, and soon Luna finds herself reluctantly stepping into the role of teacher.

As they work together to protect the school’s future, old feelings resurface, tangled with years of distance and unspoken words. Willow weaves a sweet, slow-burn sapphic romance through a backdrop of magical academia, nostalgic friendships, and the irresistible pull of returning to where it all began.

With warmth, wit, and just enough spellcraft to make you believe, Spellfire is a delightful read about rekindled love, second chances, and finding magic where you least expect it.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

A fun and spicy sapphic romance between two teachers at a supernatural school, featuring great representation and lovable characters!

I was drawn to this book by the incredible cover by Leni Kauffman, despite the fact that cosy or overly cutesy romance isn't my favourite. That being said, I still had a good time with this one! The main characters were all very sweet, and I found Bryn's narration fun and engaging. The rep was also good with a mainly gender non-conforming and queer cast of characters. The magical school setting was fun, and I enjoyed reading about Bryn's ideas for the school and journey as a teacher almost as much as the romance between Bryn and Amelia! I liked how intertwined the plot at the school was with the romance, as it made the book feel well-paced and kept all plot lines interesting.

However, there were some weaker parts of the book as well, especially the world-building. The relationship between the magical world and the normal world was really unclear, and the different magical species felt ridiculously underdeveloped, especially considering that the main character being a siren was supposed to be a big part of her character. I also found the magic system quite confusing, and the fact that pretty basic spells were seemingly JUST being invented made it feel like the magic world of this book had just popped into existence moments before the book began.

Overall, despite the weak world-building, this was a very sweet book with lots of cute and cosy elements that were fun to read. However, for me, just being sweet and fun isn't quite enough to make a book stand out, or for me to rate this any higher than 3 stars. If you're a massive fan of cosy sapphic romance, however, you might enjoy this a lot! I would say that I've seen a few reviews with people DNFing early on, and I would personally recommend sticking it out a little further as it's a relatively easy and fast-paced read and I think it definitely picks up after the first few chapters!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with this eARC in return for my honest review.

I get the whole idea behind this book, but something about it just didn’t hit the mark for me.
It was a sweet sapphic romance set in a cosy fantasy world but it was a bit boring at times.
A lot of ‘will they won’t they’, and as much as I liked the two main characters, the writing style just wasn’t for me.

This is a cosy, sapphic witch romance, which sounds right up my alley.

Bryn, a witch-turned-unexpected-professor, must balance her new teaching role, her writing career, and rekindled feelings for her old crush, Amelia. While I enjoyed the relationship, the romance felt pretty rushed to me? I couldn't really feel their connection.

The setting was a bit too vague for my liking, and it had this constant "slice of life" feel to it, even though we have different plot points throughout the story.

Overall, it's not bad and works as a palate cleanser, but I expected more.

Bryn comes back to her come back to Grimoire Academy after the death after her favorite spells teacher has passed away to retrieve a spell book willed to her. When she returns to the academy she finds that her childhood crush Amelia is the new headmistress of the academy. Shocked not only by that but that Amelia actually remembers her, Amelia needs another teacher at the academy for the spells class. How can Bryn say no to her childhood crush?

Will Bryn be able to keep the childhood crush to her self and not be let down like before or will this reconnect be just what is needed for a connect to insue?
Thank you NetGalley for the Arc!

DNF'd at 25%. It's unfortunate that I did not vibe with this book since the concept seems so cute! The book feels a lot younger than I imagined from the description. A 23 year old hired as headmistress at a school where she is now all of her former teachers' boss? In what world? This one, apparently.

The book felt very much like a stream of consciousness with little editing. The author's vocabulary seems quite limited and there is a severe overuse of parenthetical statements throughout which, in my opinon, leaves the book nearly unreadable. The pacing is off and I found the characters to be unlikeable caricatures of who they could be. There's just a serious lack of maturity to both the characters and the writing that just does not fit with the description of the book.

Spellfire is a lighthearted, cosy sapphic romance between two teachers at a magic school. It is a fantasy due to the setting, and there are hints at an interesting world with separation and prejudice between different magical groups, such as witches, demons and sirens etc. but the focus is quite narrow on what's going on at the school so there isn't much world building. I would've loved to learn a bit more about the magic system. Our protagonist Bryn is an expert in spells, wrote a spellbook and ends up teaching spells to students, but surprisingly we get very little explanation of how magic works in this universe.

The story is low stakes throughout, and definitely for readers who want a pleasant, easy, romance-heavy read. The couple go from first kiss, to sex, to "I love you" in record time, but there is a history of unrequited love and teenage crushes between them, which makes the studden spark more believable.

I think this would've been a 4 star, fun romance read for me if it weren't for my difficulty connecting with the writing style. It felt a little stilted and hard to sink into, especially at the beginning. But I still had an enjoyable time reading this story once I got into it, and I think it could really hit the spot for readers craving low stakes, sweet but sexy sapphic romance with a hint of magic.

As someone who loves queer Cosy Witchy books, I was dissapointes that I did not love this more. I found that these characters did not feel original or authentic. The writing felt clunky and rambling throughout with too many unhelpful details and not enough that would be helpful to distinguish where this story was set or what the characters look like. I thought the concept was cute but could've used a lot more fine tuning and character development.

This book really wasn't for me falling flat on many levels. I found the style of writing difficult to follow at times and it seemed a little drawn out in places. I was slightly confused as to the location of the witch school in Grimoire as it had undertones of being in the UK (a bit Harry Potter like) but also being firmly set in the US. Quite a sweet naive plot on parts as Bryn and Amelia find their love for each other but at odds with the somewhat raunchy spicy sex scenes. Interesting characters and I particularly took to silent Circe.

When Bryn Delmar left the Grimoire Academy she had no intention of returning, but when she learns that  her favourite teacher, the wonderfully named Professor Herringbone, has died and she is mentioned in her will - well, what's a witch to do? Of course, the fact that her teenage crush Amelia Hexford is now the headmistress made things just a bit awkward, especially as those feelings might be about to return, hotter and heavier than ever!  Now a published author, Bryn, is supposed to be researching and writing, but the Academy is in trouble, and when Amelia asks for her help, how can she say no?

I was able to read an advanced copy of this thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Avon Books UK, but the opinions expressed are my own. This is a quick read, it's spicy in places, the magic is fun, and the fact that Bryn doesn't excel at everything she does made her more likeable. Not my usual reading fare, although I do enjoy a lot of middle grade magic led stories, I'm definitely glad I gave this a try.

Spellfire by Agatha Willow is a sapphic witchy story following Bryn, a witch from a family of sirens, who comes into possession of her old professor’s library after her passing. Little did Bryn know that her high school crush, Amelia, is now the headmistress and is desperately looking for a new teacher for Grimoire Academy’s spellcasting classes to take over after the loss of the beloved professor. Bryn is thrust into the role of professor, trying to navigate waiting for her editor to ask for the outline of her second spellcasting novel, helping Amelia keep her job as headmistress despite the governor’s board wanting to replace her, and her feelings for Amelia that truly never left.

Unfortunately for me, this fell flat in a lot of places. I found myself pretty lost in terms of settings, never knowing where exactly the book was taking place, besides the fact that Bryn lives in Denver. I enjoyed a lot of the inner monologue, which if you aren’t a fan of, I would not recommend this book, but I felt that the inner monologue might have taken away from some opportunities to really lay more groundwork for other characters and the rest of the story. There were a couple of different plot lines going with Bryn’s writing, adjusting to becoming a professor, the romance between her and Amelia, and ultimately deciding whether she wanted to be a teacher or not, I wish it was just a little clearer as to which one was the main plot so Bryn’s story felt more linear rather than everywhere all at once.

I’m also not the biggest fan of insta love. While I know that Amelia and Bryn have known each other for years, it still felt like one day they confessed, had sex, and then confessed their love for each other in the span of a few days. However, that being said, I do like their dynamic together, how they are always willing to discuss boundaries with each other so they are both happy and comfortable in their blossoming relationship. The queer and nonbinary representation, as well as the ADHD representation, were wonderful to read. I do hope that this story receives all of its flowers for being so well-cast!

Thank you to Avon UK and NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a very cosy sapphic romance about two witches who, rather begrudgingly, become teachers at their former magical academy.

This was a very sweet read; however, I found the pacing a little jarring. Although Amelia and Brynn's chemistry was adorable, their love story felt rushed. Declarations of love were made very early on and their third act breakup felt juvenile and unnecessary.

This book is surprisingly spicy although; despite being written perfectly, the sex scenes seemed a bit out of place compared to how sweet the rest of the book was. Don't get me wrong, they were incredibly hot and I loved reading them... it just felt like I was reading two completely different books at times.

The stakes were very low which I didn't really mind, although I did find my attention beginning to wander slightly from time to time. There just wasn't enough to keep me hooked. The school, characters and magic system didn't have enough depth to feel like a fully formed world full of magical creatures each with their own customs and communities. They all felt like an idea that was briefly touched on throughout.

Magic and spice, what more could a reader want.

Spellfire is one of those feel-good stories that tugs at all the right emotions.

A great mix of lust and angst, combined with a quirky cast of characters that you really want to be friends with.

There's some great female energy coming from within the pages.

Strength and resilience shine through and I was left feeling brilliantly positive by the end.

Sweet, spicy and funny romantasy. I love the setting with magic. I love the characters. Both FMC are very funny and witty. A lovely read!

A beautifully written cosy sapphic romance, perfect for autumn reading! I thought the characters lacked a little depth but overall I enjoyed my time with this, the writing was captivating and well paced!

I was excited about a queer witch romance but these characters felt forced to me. The romance didn’t seem organic and their shared history did not create the tension that I assumed it would. I liked the content well enough but was disappointed in the romance.