What do you think?
Rate this book
Caldryn Parliament #2
Hexes Fly
The Spring Ball on the first Saturday of Caldryn Parliament’s Spring Term is a night of glamour and power.
However, this year the witch clans are feuding, and when rival clans trade curses in the ballroom non-magical bystanders are the victims.
As people transform into animals, burst into unwilling song, or fall into magical slumber Vanda Kavanagh, the Warden of Caldryn Parliament, is suspicious.
The witches claim they never intended to hurt anyone, and Vanda believes them. So, who is using the witches as a stalkinghorse for their own agenda, and what is it that they hope to achieve?
Most importantly, why can’t the witches undo their own hexes?
If the spells aren’t broken by the next full moon the curses will be permanent.
However, this year the witch clans are feuding, and when rival clans trade curses in the ballroom non-magical bystanders are the victims.
As people transform into animals, burst into unwilling song, or fall into magical slumber Vanda Kavanagh, the Warden of Caldryn Parliament, is suspicious.
The witches claim they never intended to hurt anyone, and Vanda believes them. So, who is using the witches as a stalkinghorse for their own agenda, and what is it that they hope to achieve?
Most importantly, why can’t the witches undo their own hexes?
If the spells aren’t broken by the next full moon the curses will be permanent.
347 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 26, 2025
322 people are currently reading
89 people want to read
About the author
Jenny Schwartz
110 books565 followersAustralian science fiction and fantasy author.
Avid reader.
Jenny Schwartz has a degree in sociology and history, and a lifelong fascination with understanding people. Her character-driven science fiction and fantasy novels explore other worlds and how people navigate strange situations and complicated emotions, while retaining their sense of self. Her plots are twisty and unexpected.
***
I've curated my bookshelf to share books which I hope readers of Caldryn Parliament will enjoy. With the older books, please be aware that they are a product of their times and read with care.
Avid reader.
Jenny Schwartz has a degree in sociology and history, and a lifelong fascination with understanding people. Her character-driven science fiction and fantasy novels explore other worlds and how people navigate strange situations and complicated emotions, while retaining their sense of self. Her plots are twisty and unexpected.
***
I've curated my bookshelf to share books which I hope readers of Caldryn Parliament will enjoy. With the older books, please be aware that they are a product of their times and read with care.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
December 4, 2025
I am going to keep this review pretty brief (EDIT TO ADD: ha, I did not keep this review AT ALL brief), because I think I want to do a re-read of book 1 and this one right away. There's a lot of intricate plotting in the book, which I very much enjoy, but I gobble it down so fast that I appreciate a re-read to catch more of the details.
So what I'll give as a first impression is that this book comes across as a little dry, because it's doing a lot of work setting up the characters. Our FMC, Vanda, is still putting the pieces of her team together while trying to pick apart the complex relationships and politics around her. So this book is almost entirely her thought process and legwork on that stuff. Interestingly, in this book she loses a lot of her team, rather than adding to it. I think the key there is what Justus said to her: don't define yourself by the team you lead (because the team she stepped into as Warden was utter garbage). So Vanda had a lot of self-reflection to do to decide how she wanted to define herself. And now she has to change her team accordingly.
That said, while I did enjoy all that, it was odd to have her be largely tangential to the plot. She was an observer of the situation with the hexes and their resolution, and we observed with her. She did not contribute to the solution at all, aside from deciding that she was NOT going to solve it -
For my part, I feel like everyone angsted overly much about not hurting the people who cast the hexes. They are all college students at minimum - we're told the youngest is 20, and the oldest late 20s, so, not children - who were raised by powerful witch families that left them feeling untouchable. These selfish dipshits thought they could attack people at a political gathering, "prank" them, and suffer no consequences. When it became clear that killing the casters would end the curses, there was way too much protesting of that option imo. If those curses became permanent, it would effectively end the lives of the innocent people they cursed. I don't care if these spoiled morons didn't intend that, they are responsible for the results and they deserve the consequences from those results. If the choice is between the lives of the innocent victims being ended by the curse, or the lives of the casters being ended, they should have executed the casters.
But it really pushes my buttons that these privileged dipshits really felt like they should be able to shrug and say they didn't mean it to be that bad, and have no consequences. Maybe because the world is falling apart right now, precisely because of people just like that. People are responsible for their actions, even if they didn't intend the results, no matter how rich and privileged their families are.
Last thing to mention... I really hope this book is the beginning of a deeper relationship between Justus and Vanda.
Re-read Dec 2025
After finishing book 3, I started a re-read of the series. It was really fun to read this one, in particular, given the events of book 3. I don't have much to add to my original review, though. Even on re-read, the spoiled dipshits being sheltered from the consequences of their actions was seriously infuriating. The shitty collapse of societal norms that is happening in our world right now can be nearly entirely laid at the feet of rich dickheads who believe they're above the law, and that the rest of us are just peons so harm to us counts for nothing. I do get that death was a bridge too far as punishment, unless it was a choice between their lives and the lives of the people these assholes victimized. But I think they should have been either jailed as terrorists (because that's what they did, it was an act of terrorism at a government event - the first fucking person they targeted was the president, for goodness sake! In the real world, they'd have been shot in the face as soon as they finished casting the curse), or had their magic stripped from them, because people that spoiled and amoral shouldn't be trusted with magic. In the same way that a violent criminal is stripped of the right to own a gun in our world, these monsters should have been stripped of the right to wield magic.
So what I'll give as a first impression is that this book comes across as a little dry, because it's doing a lot of work setting up the characters. Our FMC, Vanda, is still putting the pieces of her team together while trying to pick apart the complex relationships and politics around her. So this book is almost entirely her thought process and legwork on that stuff. Interestingly, in this book she loses a lot of her team, rather than adding to it. I think the key there is what Justus said to her: don't define yourself by the team you lead (because the team she stepped into as Warden was utter garbage). So Vanda had a lot of self-reflection to do to decide how she wanted to define herself. And now she has to change her team accordingly.
That said, while I did enjoy all that, it was odd to have her be largely tangential to the plot. She was an observer of the situation with the hexes and their resolution, and we observed with her. She did not contribute to the solution at all, aside from deciding that she was NOT going to solve it -
For my part, I feel like everyone angsted overly much about not hurting the people who cast the hexes. They are all college students at minimum - we're told the youngest is 20, and the oldest late 20s, so, not children - who were raised by powerful witch families that left them feeling untouchable. These selfish dipshits thought they could attack people at a political gathering, "prank" them, and suffer no consequences. When it became clear that killing the casters would end the curses, there was way too much protesting of that option imo. If those curses became permanent, it would effectively end the lives of the innocent people they cursed. I don't care if these spoiled morons didn't intend that, they are responsible for the results and they deserve the consequences from those results. If the choice is between the lives of the innocent victims being ended by the curse, or the lives of the casters being ended, they should have executed the casters.
But it really pushes my buttons that these privileged dipshits really felt like they should be able to shrug and say they didn't mean it to be that bad, and have no consequences. Maybe because the world is falling apart right now, precisely because of people just like that. People are responsible for their actions, even if they didn't intend the results, no matter how rich and privileged their families are.
Last thing to mention... I really hope this book is the beginning of a deeper relationship between Justus and Vanda.
Re-read Dec 2025
After finishing book 3, I started a re-read of the series. It was really fun to read this one, in particular, given the events of book 3. I don't have much to add to my original review, though. Even on re-read, the spoiled dipshits being sheltered from the consequences of their actions was seriously infuriating. The shitty collapse of societal norms that is happening in our world right now can be nearly entirely laid at the feet of rich dickheads who believe they're above the law, and that the rest of us are just peons so harm to us counts for nothing. I do get that death was a bridge too far as punishment, unless it was a choice between their lives and the lives of the people these assholes victimized. But I think they should have been either jailed as terrorists (because that's what they did, it was an act of terrorism at a government event - the first fucking person they targeted was the president, for goodness sake! In the real world, they'd have been shot in the face as soon as they finished casting the curse), or had their magic stripped from them, because people that spoiled and amoral shouldn't be trusted with magic. In the same way that a violent criminal is stripped of the right to own a gun in our world, these monsters should have been stripped of the right to wield magic.
September 16, 2025
Terrific second book in a wonderful SF-fantasy trilogy
This book does not stand alone. In fact, this trilogy is basically a serialized novel. I typically don't like to read any of the books in a situation like that until all three of the books have been released. However, when I started reading the first book, I couldn't put it down, and the moment I finished it, I raced right into this second book. I enjoyed it just as much. Everything I said in my rave review of the first book is also true for this one. I enjoyed every aspect of this novel: the wonderful FMC, Vanda, her admirable coterie of allies, especially Giddy, her gremlin friend, and the excellent world-building. I also appreciated the forward progress made in the extremely slow-burn romance subplot.
I like this series so much, in fact, the moment the third book is released in November, 2025, I'm going to reread the first two before I read it. I also look forward to when, hopefully, someday, the author releases this series an audiobook format so I can purchase it.
Finally, I have to say that I'm extremely impressed with the covers for these books. If anyone knows what the artistic style is that the illustrator has used, I would be fascinated to hear what it is called.
This book does not stand alone. In fact, this trilogy is basically a serialized novel. I typically don't like to read any of the books in a situation like that until all three of the books have been released. However, when I started reading the first book, I couldn't put it down, and the moment I finished it, I raced right into this second book. I enjoyed it just as much. Everything I said in my rave review of the first book is also true for this one. I enjoyed every aspect of this novel: the wonderful FMC, Vanda, her admirable coterie of allies, especially Giddy, her gremlin friend, and the excellent world-building. I also appreciated the forward progress made in the extremely slow-burn romance subplot.
I like this series so much, in fact, the moment the third book is released in November, 2025, I'm going to reread the first two before I read it. I also look forward to when, hopefully, someday, the author releases this series an audiobook format so I can purchase it.
Finally, I have to say that I'm extremely impressed with the covers for these books. If anyone knows what the artistic style is that the illustrator has used, I would be fascinated to hear what it is called.
July 28, 2025
absolutely amazing
Rating: 5 ⭐️✨
Jenny Schwartz’s Caldryn Parliament series is one of those series where the books just get more brilliant and more highly complex as the series progresses. The writing, the incredible characters, and this labyrinthine storytelling is beyond amazing.
For those readers who dislike cliffhangers, yes, this book, Hexes Fly, ends on a cliffhanger. FYI.
Also there’s really no romance. Just a fantastic science fiction thriller, multiple magical mysteries, a cast of incredibly powerful multidimensional characters, and enough hidden political agents and agendas for a number of galaxies.
It all starts with Vanda Kavanagh, the Warden of Caldryn Parliament, who is still defining how she will handle the job of Warden while rebuilding it and restoring the Wards and stabilizing the situation that her predecessors have undermined.
There’s no way to go about describing the complexities and depths of world politics here that Schwartz has and continues to craft. Utterly brilliant. Contains science fiction, magical systems, mythology and more. And it all works perfectly alongside political and military power dynamics.
To follow this character of Vanda in her journey, the reader must absolutely start with the first book and continue reading forward. But the path is full of action, but never at the expense of forgetting about the human factor. Here it’s two young people who have to face the consequences of their actions and find their way forward. A moving and powerful element of this book.
The only drawback? Waiting until the next book is released.
This is an absolute dream of a book and a new must read for me. Highly recommended!
Cover by Jenny Schwartz . I adore these covers!
Caldryn Parliament:
Stars Die #1
Hexes Fly #2
Rogues Lie #3 - Nov 29,2025
Rating: 5 ⭐️✨
Jenny Schwartz’s Caldryn Parliament series is one of those series where the books just get more brilliant and more highly complex as the series progresses. The writing, the incredible characters, and this labyrinthine storytelling is beyond amazing.
For those readers who dislike cliffhangers, yes, this book, Hexes Fly, ends on a cliffhanger. FYI.
Also there’s really no romance. Just a fantastic science fiction thriller, multiple magical mysteries, a cast of incredibly powerful multidimensional characters, and enough hidden political agents and agendas for a number of galaxies.
It all starts with Vanda Kavanagh, the Warden of Caldryn Parliament, who is still defining how she will handle the job of Warden while rebuilding it and restoring the Wards and stabilizing the situation that her predecessors have undermined.
There’s no way to go about describing the complexities and depths of world politics here that Schwartz has and continues to craft. Utterly brilliant. Contains science fiction, magical systems, mythology and more. And it all works perfectly alongside political and military power dynamics.
To follow this character of Vanda in her journey, the reader must absolutely start with the first book and continue reading forward. But the path is full of action, but never at the expense of forgetting about the human factor. Here it’s two young people who have to face the consequences of their actions and find their way forward. A moving and powerful element of this book.
The only drawback? Waiting until the next book is released.
This is an absolute dream of a book and a new must read for me. Highly recommended!
Cover by Jenny Schwartz . I adore these covers!
Caldryn Parliament:
Stars Die #1
Hexes Fly #2
Rogues Lie #3 - Nov 29,2025
July 30, 2025
Surpassing Heart…
I’ve been sitting here for a few moments trying to gather my thoughts to form a coherent response to this book’s effect on me…
I’ve been gobbling stories for nearly 60 years, greedy for the wealth of imagination, knowledge, honesty, and generosity that I have almost always found in tales penned by the authors who write like giants - like Jenny Schwartz.
I was PROFOUNDLY moved by this book.
If you look for courage, decency, and a bottomless well of compassion & understanding in the stories and authors you choose to read, you’ll find that in the incredible magic that this author pours out in every book she writes, but exponentially displayed in this story.
Despite the length of this review (or perhaps the length demonstrates it), I feel so very lost for words to describe the beautiful humanity she showed (captured) here.
I find her Fantasy books included for free in my Kindle Unlimited membership, but I buy every one of them anyway. This is my very small way to show the gratitude I feel for the gift and hours of grace & hope her stories give me, and I reread them constantly.
I’ve been sitting here for a few moments trying to gather my thoughts to form a coherent response to this book’s effect on me…
I’ve been gobbling stories for nearly 60 years, greedy for the wealth of imagination, knowledge, honesty, and generosity that I have almost always found in tales penned by the authors who write like giants - like Jenny Schwartz.
I was PROFOUNDLY moved by this book.
If you look for courage, decency, and a bottomless well of compassion & understanding in the stories and authors you choose to read, you’ll find that in the incredible magic that this author pours out in every book she writes, but exponentially displayed in this story.
Despite the length of this review (or perhaps the length demonstrates it), I feel so very lost for words to describe the beautiful humanity she showed (captured) here.
I find her Fantasy books included for free in my Kindle Unlimited membership, but I buy every one of them anyway. This is my very small way to show the gratitude I feel for the gift and hours of grace & hope her stories give me, and I reread them constantly.
July 26, 2025
excellent read with truly enjoyable characters
As always Ms Schwartz has created a world, characters and storyline that draws you in, keeps you interested, entertained and feeling good at the same time. Her characters are not gratuitously offering angst, self doubt or even self loathing before finally accepting their fate of heroism. They are more accessibly human and self-maturingly purposeful in finding their value driven objectives and beliefs. I read quite a lot in this and other similar genres and have learned to skim over parts that tax my patience, intelligence or principles in order to have more to read. I can happily say such has not been necessary at all when reading books by Jenny Schwartz and I am extremely glad to see that she intends to write five more books in this series even if it is torturous having to wait for the next ones.
Happily I don’t mind rereading her other books while waiting.
As always Ms Schwartz has created a world, characters and storyline that draws you in, keeps you interested, entertained and feeling good at the same time. Her characters are not gratuitously offering angst, self doubt or even self loathing before finally accepting their fate of heroism. They are more accessibly human and self-maturingly purposeful in finding their value driven objectives and beliefs. I read quite a lot in this and other similar genres and have learned to skim over parts that tax my patience, intelligence or principles in order to have more to read. I can happily say such has not been necessary at all when reading books by Jenny Schwartz and I am extremely glad to see that she intends to write five more books in this series even if it is torturous having to wait for the next ones.
Happily I don’t mind rereading her other books while waiting.
July 29, 2025
Great ideas but preachy
Loved the Deputy series and the Houses series - and some others. But this one has interesting ideas but the author seems to be preaching her ideas rather than a great back-and-forth dialogue. Only finished this one cause it’s a fairly easy read but a definite disappointment. The ideas are so complex and there’s no real character development. Most of the book is an attempt to explain very complex ideas in a rough quick form. Needs work.
Loved the Deputy series and the Houses series - and some others. But this one has interesting ideas but the author seems to be preaching her ideas rather than a great back-and-forth dialogue. Only finished this one cause it’s a fairly easy read but a definite disappointment. The ideas are so complex and there’s no real character development. Most of the book is an attempt to explain very complex ideas in a rough quick form. Needs work.
July 30, 2025
a great book
I love this author, her catalog is on my list of comfort books that I come back to again and again when I can’t find anything else I want to read. This new series is definitely added to that list. Great characters, good plot. I love the way we have an over arching plot going on with a smaller sub plot unique to this book. Slow burn and no cliffhangers. Love it.
I love this author, her catalog is on my list of comfort books that I come back to again and again when I can’t find anything else I want to read. This new series is definitely added to that list. Great characters, good plot. I love the way we have an over arching plot going on with a smaller sub plot unique to this book. Slow burn and no cliffhangers. Love it.
July 28, 2025
Wow!
So....I just finished Hexes Fly, and....oh, my! Giddy is awesome and funny and loveable. Vanda is finding herself. Justus is a surprise. Bad things happen, and a price must be paid. Lives are changed. Two characters find redemption and help. Vanda's found family both shrinks and grows. The story is enthralling and thrilling and surprising and touching. November is so far away!
So....I just finished Hexes Fly, and....oh, my! Giddy is awesome and funny and loveable. Vanda is finding herself. Justus is a surprise. Bad things happen, and a price must be paid. Lives are changed. Two characters find redemption and help. Vanda's found family both shrinks and grows. The story is enthralling and thrilling and surprising and touching. November is so far away!
July 29, 2025
Amazing book 2
Surpassed my expectations, and they were pretty high. The character building and depth of personalities is fantastic. I don't want to say anything specific since there's so many pieces to the story lines I'd hate to ruin it for anyone. Great addition to the series and excited for book 3!
Surpassed my expectations, and they were pretty high. The character building and depth of personalities is fantastic. I don't want to say anything specific since there's so many pieces to the story lines I'd hate to ruin it for anyone. Great addition to the series and excited for book 3!
August 30, 2025
This one wasn't quite as good as the first, but I enjoyed the character's observations on the nature of government, leadership, and people. The magic system is interesting and I'm invested in the characters. Looking forward to the next book!
July 30, 2025
Riveting reading
Intriguing storyline that satisfies those who like multiple characters and plots with some depth. I'm also shipping Vanda and Justus.
Intriguing storyline that satisfies those who like multiple characters and plots with some depth. I'm also shipping Vanda and Justus.
August 18, 2025
I adored the first novel in this series - Stars Die - but struggled more with Hexes Fly and that's largely down to the pacing. In terms of characterisations, world building and (eventual) narrative, this is still strong and the writing is of high quality, but the pacing made it a bit of a chore particularly to begin with.
The blurb is all about a witch clan feud that leads to curses and non-magicals hit by them at a ball with interesting and potential long-term consequences. And once we actually got to that bit of the story, the narrative starts to get moving. The problem is, it's about half way through the novel before that actually happens. The first half of the book is scene setting and Vanda settling into her Warden role more securely, introducing a new apprentice and his disastrous background and the follow through with the rest of her warden team. It's incredibly slow and meandering.
Parts of it are interesting, don't get me wrong. But a lot of time is spent on it and there's a sense that several of the characters so painstakingly introduced probably aren't going to be permanent anyway. In between the scene and character setting, you have a lot of introspection which continues long after the main narrative finally gets started; again, some of it interesting, particularly the bits that were relevant for the world-building, but there was too much of it for the pacing to hold strong.
I enjoyed the main narrative once it finally kicked off, with the mystery behind both who was ultimately responsible for the curses if the young witches had been set up and how they were going to reverse the curses. The push pull of Vanda and the other main authorities was well done, particularly as Vanda comes to realise just how much power she might actually have. I will admit, I found the finale and reveal rather rushed and whilst there were hints at the motivations for some of it, other bits came out of the left field. It felt like more set-up could have been done, particularly if the mystery elements had been pushed earlier in the novel and some of the extraneous stuff cut to make space for it.
All in all, this is well written and I still love the characters and the ideas behind it, but it was nowhere near as strong as the first novel in the series which kept tight pacing throughout whilst also building the world and characters. I am still very interested to see where the author goes with this though as there's a diamond at the heart of this and the author's writing is more than good enough to carry it, even with the pacing issues.
The blurb is all about a witch clan feud that leads to curses and non-magicals hit by them at a ball with interesting and potential long-term consequences. And once we actually got to that bit of the story, the narrative starts to get moving. The problem is, it's about half way through the novel before that actually happens. The first half of the book is scene setting and Vanda settling into her Warden role more securely, introducing a new apprentice and his disastrous background and the follow through with the rest of her warden team. It's incredibly slow and meandering.
Parts of it are interesting, don't get me wrong. But a lot of time is spent on it and there's a sense that several of the characters so painstakingly introduced probably aren't going to be permanent anyway. In between the scene and character setting, you have a lot of introspection which continues long after the main narrative finally gets started; again, some of it interesting, particularly the bits that were relevant for the world-building, but there was too much of it for the pacing to hold strong.
I enjoyed the main narrative once it finally kicked off, with the mystery behind both who was ultimately responsible for the curses if the young witches had been set up and how they were going to reverse the curses. The push pull of Vanda and the other main authorities was well done, particularly as Vanda comes to realise just how much power she might actually have. I will admit, I found the finale and reveal rather rushed and whilst there were hints at the motivations for some of it, other bits came out of the left field. It felt like more set-up could have been done, particularly if the mystery elements had been pushed earlier in the novel and some of the extraneous stuff cut to make space for it.
All in all, this is well written and I still love the characters and the ideas behind it, but it was nowhere near as strong as the first novel in the series which kept tight pacing throughout whilst also building the world and characters. I am still very interested to see where the author goes with this though as there's a diamond at the heart of this and the author's writing is more than good enough to carry it, even with the pacing issues.
July 28, 2025
An enjoyable sequel to "Stars Die". The author continues to walk a fine and interesting line by making the protagonist politically savvy - not in a manipulative sense, but in the sense of understanding that success requires working with other people who have their own agendas and priorities. (The Parliament is only successful to the extent that it can make this happen on a large scale.)
"Hexes Fly" is something of a middle book (in case it being book two in a trilogy didn't give this away). There is a largely-self-contained plot: A bunch of young magicians cast what they think are prank hexes, not realizing that they have been deluded into using nastier curses. Two add narrative pressure, only a few days remain before the curses become permanent.
In keeping with the political theme, the protagonist does *not* pull a rabbit out of a hat to solve the problem. In fact, she has a potential rabbit, and potential allies have been hinting strongly that she should leave her rabbits in their hat and let the experts work the problem.
There is minimal progress in the larger story, beyond growing evidence that something nasty is looming in the backgroound. That would be book three, which is due towards the end of 2025.
"Hexes Fly" is something of a middle book (in case it being book two in a trilogy didn't give this away). There is a largely-self-contained plot: A bunch of young magicians cast what they think are prank hexes, not realizing that they have been deluded into using nastier curses. Two add narrative pressure, only a few days remain before the curses become permanent.
In keeping with the political theme, the protagonist does *not* pull a rabbit out of a hat to solve the problem. In fact, she has a potential rabbit, and potential allies have been hinting strongly that she should leave her rabbits in their hat and let the experts work the problem.
There is minimal progress in the larger story, beyond growing evidence that something nasty is looming in the backgroound. That would be book three, which is due towards the end of 2025.
July 26, 2025
Wonderful sequel to Stars Die.
It so nice to be able to whole-heartedly recommend a book for all ages that is interesting and intriguing, yet has some moments of lyrical poetic beauty.
This is in the Golden Age Mystery Tradition, and while there is no murder, the inexperience of Caldryn Parliament Warden Vanda, is a definite disadvantage when witches feud at the Parliamentary Ball. The mystery for Vanda is in the Parliamentary Wards themselves this time.
Vanda is one of the best wardkeepers in the Realm, but chooses to protect the secrets of the Parliamentary Wards and be underestimated. I really like the way she explains her talent to Justus:
"The wards here are like a dance. The most beautiful dance... I can dip into them anytime and become part of the pattern of protection and hope. The magic flowing through the wards isn't intoxicating. It is soul-shaking. It feels like it was always there, a part of me that had been waiting to wake up."
Highly Recommended.
It so nice to be able to whole-heartedly recommend a book for all ages that is interesting and intriguing, yet has some moments of lyrical poetic beauty.
This is in the Golden Age Mystery Tradition, and while there is no murder, the inexperience of Caldryn Parliament Warden Vanda, is a definite disadvantage when witches feud at the Parliamentary Ball. The mystery for Vanda is in the Parliamentary Wards themselves this time.
Vanda is one of the best wardkeepers in the Realm, but chooses to protect the secrets of the Parliamentary Wards and be underestimated. I really like the way she explains her talent to Justus:
"The wards here are like a dance. The most beautiful dance... I can dip into them anytime and become part of the pattern of protection and hope. The magic flowing through the wards isn't intoxicating. It is soul-shaking. It feels like it was always there, a part of me that had been waiting to wake up."
Highly Recommended.
July 29, 2025
Hexes Fly starts just after the events of stars die. It was necessary to go back to refresh my memory on the cast and context before being able to follow the event of the book. (I kinda wished there was a reference for each character at the beginning of the book)
Essentially, the book offers the same things as stars die: a mystery, a complexe SSF setting and an engaging heroine.
My issue with Hexes Fly is with the plot. The heroine is quite passive : she does not solve the mystery and she is not instrumental in any way to the resolution. In addition, all the problems resolve themselves for her : Rex , undoing the curses, her employee leaving … I wish she had played a bigger role and that there was more jeopardy.
All in all, this is not a bad book but it did not wow me like the first one.
Essentially, the book offers the same things as stars die: a mystery, a complexe SSF setting and an engaging heroine.
My issue with Hexes Fly is with the plot. The heroine is quite passive : she does not solve the mystery and she is not instrumental in any way to the resolution. In addition, all the problems resolve themselves for her : Rex , undoing the curses, her employee leaving … I wish she had played a bigger role and that there was more jeopardy.
All in all, this is not a bad book but it did not wow me like the first one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 7, 2025
The blend of science fiction and fantasy makes this series feel fresh and different. The focus on politics and all the machinations also contributes to what makes me invested in this series.
Also Giddy! Who doesn't love Giddy?
Vanda is the main reason to keep reading. She's a young woman dumped into a position of power after her cousin made a mess. It's a rough job, especially when there are so many forces against her. The job gets even rougher when another group plays a "prank" that harms a lot of other people.
The themes of using power, being irresponsible, and growing up were well explored. I would have liked Vanda taking more of a active approach, but I see why she didn't. The story was a little too contemplative with Vanda doing a lot of thinking. I needed just a little bit more... action?
There's little romance, but I like the development of Vanda and Justus's relationship. It's slow but steady, and they're starting from a base of friendship. Very curious to see how it goes.
Also Giddy! Who doesn't love Giddy?
Vanda is the main reason to keep reading. She's a young woman dumped into a position of power after her cousin made a mess. It's a rough job, especially when there are so many forces against her. The job gets even rougher when another group plays a "prank" that harms a lot of other people.
The themes of using power, being irresponsible, and growing up were well explored. I would have liked Vanda taking more of a active approach, but I see why she didn't. The story was a little too contemplative with Vanda doing a lot of thinking. I needed just a little bit more... action?
There's little romance, but I like the development of Vanda and Justus's relationship. It's slow but steady, and they're starting from a base of friendship. Very curious to see how it goes.
August 6, 2025
This one was quite a bit slower than book 1. You didn't get as good a feel for the fmc, Vanda, to really connect - like I felt happened in book 1. There is still a lot of really in-depth description about the political set-up for this world. Some of that was helpful but most really slowed down the pace of the book. Multiple explanations of "Magic", where it comes from, and how it is used by witches vs warders became really repetitive. I did enjoy seeing more of Vanda and Justus together. The part of book 1 that made it so very interesting was Vanda's fight to make a place as the new Warden. That was really missing from this book - it seemed so very passive. I look forward to book 3 and hope that really comes back - with Justus by her side.
July 29, 2025
IMO not quite on par with the first book, some drag, especially in the beginning, some repetitions I found slightly tedious, but then I read "Stars DieStars Die" directly before this one. The whole thing with the maible desk was something I didn't get until the end and while I understand the way Vanda treated Rex, I was a tiny bit resentful. Still, overall I enjoyed it very much and look forward to "Rogues Lie".
August 4, 2025
I’m really enjoying this series!
Vanda, Giddy and Justus have to navigate the toxic politics of Caldryn Parliament as Vanda worksto undo curses created by prankster witches at the Spring Ball.
I loved this return to Caldryn Parliament and watching Vanda navigate the new challenges she faces. She’s been stuck with a difficult new apprentice and needs to pull her wardkeeping team together. I loved the scenes of Vanda and Justus together and I only wish there were more of them.
Highly recommended!
Vanda, Giddy and Justus have to navigate the toxic politics of Caldryn Parliament as Vanda worksto undo curses created by prankster witches at the Spring Ball.
I loved this return to Caldryn Parliament and watching Vanda navigate the new challenges she faces. She’s been stuck with a difficult new apprentice and needs to pull her wardkeeping team together. I loved the scenes of Vanda and Justus together and I only wish there were more of them.
Highly recommended!
August 23, 2025
5 stars because I love this series! These books remind me of Vanessa Nelson’s series’ so if you haven’t read them but enjoyed this have a look! This book contains a whole lot of politicking, dynamics and intrigue. One thing I do agree that a few other reviewers picked up on was that the plot occurred outside the FMC purview with her as an independent agent witnessing. Information was quite heavy at points and this book mainly set up future books, far less of Giddy, far more of Vanda’s thoughts. The show of privilege and dynamics were done very well. A solid read.
July 28, 2025
Who do you want to be?
As she so often does, Jenny Schwartz has combined a good story and mystery, with characters who are thoughtful and considered about the choices that they make in their life and figuring out who they want to be.
All of Jenny‘s characters in this and in her other books are considered people who value others and integrity. How she combines the story of the characters growth with external events always puts together a ripping yarn.
As she so often does, Jenny Schwartz has combined a good story and mystery, with characters who are thoughtful and considered about the choices that they make in their life and figuring out who they want to be.
All of Jenny‘s characters in this and in her other books are considered people who value others and integrity. How she combines the story of the characters growth with external events always puts together a ripping yarn.
September 19, 2025
not the ending I expected
This was another great book by Ms. Schwartz. I thought all the attention to the wards history would have more impact in the conclusion but the ending was not what I expected. There was a lot of philosophical thoughts throughout this book which took a bit of concentration to follow. I hope it has purpose in the future. I look forward to the next book in the series.
This was another great book by Ms. Schwartz. I thought all the attention to the wards history would have more impact in the conclusion but the ending was not what I expected. There was a lot of philosophical thoughts throughout this book which took a bit of concentration to follow. I hope it has purpose in the future. I look forward to the next book in the series.
August 1, 2025
Jenny Schwartz delivers a spellbinding fantasy with Hexes Fly, where political drama and magical mayhem collide in the most delightful way. Vanda Kavanagh is a sharp, capable heroine in a world brimming with glamour, curses, and questions no one wants to answer. The pacing is perfect, the tension real, and the magic sparkles. Highly recommended!
August 5, 2025
It’s a good book bogged down with a lot of introspection. While it’s an interesting read about politics and fame and how they impact and shape people, it does get boring when it takes up pages and very little happens in between. You start skipping over sections just to get through it. Ok for a free book in Kindle Unlimited, not sure if I would pay for it. I will read the next one.
August 20, 2025
Jenny Schwartz has again created a believable universe where magic exists. Her ability to create compelling characters that draw one into the story is something I greatly admire in her books. I always want to know more about her characters and can't wait to read each subsequent book. Her books are hard to put down... even when I know I should probably go to bed. This is another series that makes me feel like a story addict. I can't wait for her to publish the next book!
September 6, 2025
Another great story
Jenny Schwartz doesn't let the drama slow down in the 2nd volume of the series. I enjoyed seeing Vanda making her way in the role of warden. It took courage to put in Rex's complicated back story and I will be thinking about it for a long time. Looking forward to book 3 and hopefully new trustworthy subordinates for Vanda.
Jenny Schwartz doesn't let the drama slow down in the 2nd volume of the series. I enjoyed seeing Vanda making her way in the role of warden. It took courage to put in Rex's complicated back story and I will be thinking about it for a long time. Looking forward to book 3 and hopefully new trustworthy subordinates for Vanda.
November 3, 2025
Political mystery set in a fresh fantasy world
I've really enjoyed this fresh take on some familiar fantasy characters. This is a fun combination of magic, politics, space-faring and mystery. I'm interested in these characters and where they are headed. I find the dialog comfortable. Looking forward to the next book!
I've really enjoyed this fresh take on some familiar fantasy characters. This is a fun combination of magic, politics, space-faring and mystery. I'm interested in these characters and where they are headed. I find the dialog comfortable. Looking forward to the next book!
July 28, 2025
Hexes Fly
Jenny Schwartz is a master at her craft! Lots of political intrigue and family drama. Well written, strong and weak characters, and a genius world building setting with magic.
Jenny Schwartz is a master at her craft! Lots of political intrigue and family drama. Well written, strong and weak characters, and a genius world building setting with magic.
July 31, 2025
Excellent
Loved the first book and this built on that story. Characters developed, new characters added, and learnt more about the wardens history .Can't wait to see what happens next!
Loved the first book and this built on that story. Characters developed, new characters added, and learnt more about the wardens history .Can't wait to see what happens next!
August 1, 2025
Great read
This is a great followup to the first book. I love the world building and the diverse characters. I hope we will see several more books in this universe after the trilogy is finished.
This is a great followup to the first book. I love the world building and the diverse characters. I hope we will see several more books in this universe after the trilogy is finished.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews