I LOVED this so much. Exactly the kind of urban fantasy that I always crave. Julia Bianco sure knows how to get you invested, I was on the EDGE of my seat for this!

A special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you love Leigh Bardugo like me, then you will love this one! This book had me hooked from the start. The way magic is so raw in this book coupled with the urban fantasy setting had me transfixed. This book was so haunting and perfect!!

I devoured Witch Season — it’s dark, magical, and impossible to put down. Julia Bianco has created a gritty, immersive world where coven politics, dangerous magic, and hidden secrets make every chapter pulse with tension. I loved Katherine as a strong, complex protagonist navigating a world where nothing is simple and every choice has a cost.

The enemies-to-something-more dynamic between Katherine and Silas added just the right amount of tension and intrigue without overshadowing the plot. While a few sections felt heavy with world-building, it never lost momentum, and the stakes kept me hooked until the last page.

If you love dark urban fantasy with magic, mystery, and morally grey characters, this is an addictive read that will stick with you long after you finish. ✨

A witchy urban fantasy with high stakes action and an enemy to lovers romance that will have you flipping the pages for more! Cannot believe this was a debut! Wow! Cannot wait to see what else Julia Bianco puts out next!

Thank you NetGalley, and St. Martin’s Press for the Advanced Reader’s Copy of Witch Season by Julia Bianco. This debut novel is to be published on June 30, 2026.

Wow! This was a magical debut and I can’t wait to read the sequel. The concept for the witches’ magic between settled and unsettled and how the covens operate was beyond original. Essentially, the individual covens are a part of a union and you either follow the rules or suffer the consequences.

Katherine is the second in command of Aestas, the coven in Los Angeles. What starts as a drug investigation morphs into her rescuing a young teen with unsettled magic. And then all hell breaks loose and head office has to get involved. Some mistakes are made, unknowingly, but do get resolved in a round-a-bout way. There is so much that could be said plot-wise but it is all so complex, it’s just better to read it for yourselves.

There is so much depth to Katherine as the main lead and you do learn a lot about her as it relates from her past to the present day. You could say the same for Sylvia, the leader of the coven. The chemistry between Katherine and Silas is fire, literally! I look forward to seeing that continue in the second book. Silas is from the head coven and it the only son to the leaders of Noctis.

Even the side characters are well written and fun. Personally, I hope we get more from Fiona and Tess.

This was an absolute five star read and a thrilling debut by Julia Bianco.