In a witty urban fantasy for fans of The Devil Wears Prada, a hapless barista becomes embroiled in a world of business, backstabbing, and . . . the occult?
As a twenty-three-year-old college dropout, Clark Crane has nothing to show for himself but three dead-end jobs. So when he becomes the unlikely intern for enigmatic celebrity Charisma Saintly and her “coven” of personal assistants, he’s prepared to do whatever it takes to succeed. Only, he has no idea who—or what—Charisma really is . . .
Clark runs headfirst into this new world of midnight rituals, deadly rivalries, and notes passed furtively between Charisma and her VIP clientele. Soon, a mysterious maid warns him to “get out now,” while he still can, but romance is budding with someone he met on the job. Clark isn’t sure what to do or who to believe. After all, he’s told a million girls would kill to be in his position.
But when he witnesses Charisma firing one of her assistants by murder and magic, Clark knows one thing’s his boss can be a real witch! It seems no one just quits her glamorous web. Will Clark unravel the coven’s secrets and survive to tell the tale, or will he become the next victim in a cutthroat game of witchcraft and ambition?
The first book in A. T. Napoli’s Bitchcraft series, The Witch’s Assistant is a story about finding one’s self in a world where magic is all around—and finding love in unexpected places.
Super fun and fast read! I think I read it in less than two days! Hooks you right at the beginning and pulls you along for the ride right up until the surprising end! You really root for Clark and you can tell the author really loves New York, it’s beautifully written. The insider look at a very cool and elite industry is so fascinating! Even with the obvious fictional elements added it felt like being a part of the cool kids club. Can’t wait for the next one to see more of this witchy world A.T. Napoli is building!!! 😻😻😻
Is witchcraft real? Are there practising witches in this world? Is that why the mysterious new job that Clark has found himself employed to do is, well, so mysterious?
Clark knows a few things for certain. He has very weird and vivid dreams. He is a College drop out. He doesn't use his first name. He has an okay job and an okay apartment. Oh and he is always, without fail, on time. He is in fact usually early. And so it is incredibly irksome to be invited to a job interview and still be waiting, 30 minutes later. Then, when the interviewer, or maybe we should call her, interrogator arrives she grills him before leaving him even more at a loss than when he heard about the possibility of the internship.
After all, he has never heard of Charisma Saintly. Nor is he a woman. Those two facts he knows very well and so he wonders why he has been asked to interview for the role when they want someone who knows who Charisma is and is a woman...
And from there the mysteries deepen. Clark's involvement with the (are they) witches, deepens. He is about to discover a lot more about himself, learn how to stand up for himself, find love, find a cat - okay well maybe the cat finds him, and get himself deep into something he really knows nothing about.
A bizarrely witty urban fantasy. A barista, his boyfriend, his cat, his family, a coven of witches. It all adds up to a bizarre but engaging book 1 in a new series which could, quite simply, go anywhere next!.
I received a free copy of this book via Podium Team and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Merged review:
Is witchcraft real? Are there practising witches in this world? Is that why the mysterious new job that Clark has found himself employed to do is, well, so mysterious?
Clark knows a few things for certain. He has very weird and vivid dreams. He is a College drop out. He doesn't use his first name. He has an okay job and an okay apartment. Oh and he is always, without fail, on time. He is in fact usually early. And so it is incredibly irksome to be invited to a job interview and still be waiting, 30 minutes later. Then, when the interviewer, or maybe we should call her, interrogator arrives she grills him before leaving him even more at a loss than when he heard about the possibility of the internship.
After all, he has never heard of Charisma Saintly. Nor is he a woman. Those two facts he knows very well and so he wonders why he has been asked to interview for the role when they want someone who knows who Charisma is and is a woman...
And from there the mysteries deepen. Clark's involvement with the (are they) witches, deepens. He is about to discover a lot more about himself, learn how to stand up for himself, find love, find a cat - okay well maybe the cat finds him, and get himself deep into something he really knows nothing about.
A bizarrely witty urban fantasy. A barista, his boyfriend, his cat, his family, a coven of witches. It all adds up to a bizarre but engaging book 1 in a new series which could, quite simply, go anywhere next!.
I received a free copy of this book via Podium Team and am voluntarily leaving a review.
So excited to wish A T Napoli a successful launch into the witchy-bitchy rom-com that we all need. Clark is all of us at heart as so many of us are trying to find our voice and path in NYC! It’s the Devil Wears Prada, The Witches of Eastwick, and Red White and Royal Blue concoction of a book! This book with leave you gagging for more! Could not be more proud of A T Napoli!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
3.5 ✨ I don’t know what I expected going into it, but I was simultaneously more than satisfied and left wanting. And as much as this confuses me, I still mostly enjoyed the reading experience. First things first, though: I feel like Clark and his cutie pie of a love interest are great LGBTQ+ representation. <3
In the beginning, it was so easy to relate to Clark. Struggling and in his 20s? Check. Working without earning much? Check. Feeling inadequate with no idea where life is going to lead him? Check. However, even though we were so aligned, Clark and I grew further and further apart the longer the story went on.
While Charisma—or mostly Monica—was Mirandaing Clark around, and he was getting nowhere after months of working without seeing a single cent, he had no reason to stay. The biggest problem with it was that he knew there was no reason to stay. Way later, after countless pages of struggling even more, we finally established reasons why he didn’t quit when he still could, but I wish we had seen something earlier. If he had been working towards a goal, we could’ve rooted for him. Or if he had gotten so involved earlier that he couldn’t leave because he had seen too much, it would’ve made more sense. It just felt weird for him to be there without a real reason or any conviction in his work.
Additionally, it felt like, for the longest time, there was nothing happening. At 30%, I was still waiting for some sort of development so I could determine in which direction the plot would lead.
That said, I do love the attitude of the coven. Like, “If we have a man around here, he better be quiet.” And it’s funny at times because, of course, a coven of witches would be very feminist and matriarchal. But at times, it almost felt like a critique of feminism because it was so over the top.
In the end, we get an interesting turn in Clark’s intrinsic motivation. It makes him a bit of a sus narrator and character because he really had to endure a lot. If we had gotten hints of this earlier and connected that with his motivation to keep working his ass off, I would’ve loved it so much.
All in all, it took me a long time to really embrace the story and Clark as a main character. I feel a bit disappointed by it not being 100% for me, but I know that other people are going to love it and completely disagree with the points that made me struggle a bit.
I received a free copy of this book via Podium Team and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The Witch’s Assistant: A Supernatural Romantic Comedy by A. T. Napoli is labeled an urban fantasy in the blurb and it is that and more. Its protagonist, Clark, is a college dropout looking for a break from his dead-end jobs. He finds that and more in his unpaid internship for Charisma Saintly. He interacts with his new coworkers, all of whom are female, even if he can’t see what the internship is preparing him for. This is one book where the readers will guess what is going on with Clark before Clark realizes it himself. Clark is a likable character who is not only moving up in the world, but finds a romantic interest along the way, who is an even more likable character. There is an interesting dichotomy between the mostly unlikable people Clark works with in Manhattan and the mostly likable people he knows back in Queens and Brooklyn. Anyone who has worked a high-powered career in Manhattan will be able to relate to much in the book, even with the addition of magic. While the book does not end on a cliff-hanger, Clark begins to accept himself. I received a free copy of this book via Podium Team and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I loved reading about Clark and his journey in this urban fantasy! Clark finds himself at a job interview for the impressive Charisma Saintly, but soon realizes the internship is not what it seems. He is working for a coven of witches and must survive as a junior as the only man….👠
I thought Clark was a very likeable and realistic character. He is just trying to make it in NYC and looking for the best opportunity. I won’t add in any spoilers so you’ll have to read to find out what happens to Clark! I loved the LGBTQ+ rep in this book and learning about the assistants and their work was really intriguing. I can’t wait to read future books by this author as this one really pulled me in! 🔮