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Livingston Girls
There's a place for troublesome teenage Livingston Academy. When 16-year-old Rose's relationship with her English teacher is exposed, her community mourns his reputation, and she's the one banished to boarding school.
Ashamed and hoping to keep her past under wraps, Rose is surprised to learn she's not the only one with a Livingston Academy was founded by Salem witch trial survivors—and their successors still practice magic in secluded dorm rooms and the woods outside the school grounds. When Rose falls in with the strange and rebellious group of girls that make up the Livingston coven, Rose gets an offer to join that she can't refuse. Soon she's part of a hidden world of whispered spells, charms, summonings, and sisterhood.
But there's a darker side to becoming a witch—there will always be powerful men who resent and envy a witch's abilities. When the headmaster of the nearby boy's school is revealed to be a witch hunter eager to claim the power of the Livingston coven, Rose and her new friends must fight for their very survival.
And Rose might have an even bigger problem. She can't keep her eyes off her prickly coven sister and roommate Charlie. Will she master her power in time to save the school, or will her crush prove a deadly distraction?
Ashamed and hoping to keep her past under wraps, Rose is surprised to learn she's not the only one with a Livingston Academy was founded by Salem witch trial survivors—and their successors still practice magic in secluded dorm rooms and the woods outside the school grounds. When Rose falls in with the strange and rebellious group of girls that make up the Livingston coven, Rose gets an offer to join that she can't refuse. Soon she's part of a hidden world of whispered spells, charms, summonings, and sisterhood.
But there's a darker side to becoming a witch—there will always be powerful men who resent and envy a witch's abilities. When the headmaster of the nearby boy's school is revealed to be a witch hunter eager to claim the power of the Livingston coven, Rose and her new friends must fight for their very survival.
And Rose might have an even bigger problem. She can't keep her eyes off her prickly coven sister and roommate Charlie. Will she master her power in time to save the school, or will her crush prove a deadly distraction?
257 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 18, 2015
8 people are currently reading
621 people want to read
About the author
Briana Morgan
26 books337 followersBriana Morgan is a horror writer, editor, and author of The Tricker-Treater and Other Stories, which won a Godless 666 Award for Best Audiobook. With more than a decade of experience scaring herself and others, Briana has a fresh voice that shines through in her latest book, The Reyes Incident, which has sold more than 16,000 copies to date. Her other books include Mouth Full of Ashes, Unboxed: A Play, and more.
Briana has a BA in English and Creative Writing from Georgia College & State University. She is also an active member of the Horror Writers Association. When not writing, Briana loves reading disturbing fiction, playing video games, and traveling with her husband.
Briana has a BA in English and Creative Writing from Georgia College & State University. She is also an active member of the Horror Writers Association. When not writing, Briana loves reading disturbing fiction, playing video games, and traveling with her husband.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews
January 28, 2024
I really wanted to enjoy this one more. The really liked the concept and some of the characters were pretty cool but I didn’t really relate/bond with any of them which made it hard to care about what happened to them in the story. Sadly just a middle of the road read for me.
September 14, 2020
3 / 5
this was dark academia + witches + lesbians :D it was a nice book but i didn’t find it particularly memorable, although i like how rose had anxiety as it was something i could relate too, but i felt like a lot of the issues weren’t delved into as much as they could have been. the plot was straightforward, and i did like the way the magic worked. spells were specific piece of poetry spoken with intention that can channel magic, and every spell has a physical cost, like it creates a cut or a bruise or if strong enough, it can break or dislocate bones. the romance was cute but also kind of meh. i just didn’t really get why the two liked each other, and i didn’t connect to the love interest much at all, but eh. this was still an interesting story!
this was dark academia + witches + lesbians :D it was a nice book but i didn’t find it particularly memorable, although i like how rose had anxiety as it was something i could relate too, but i felt like a lot of the issues weren’t delved into as much as they could have been. the plot was straightforward, and i did like the way the magic worked. spells were specific piece of poetry spoken with intention that can channel magic, and every spell has a physical cost, like it creates a cut or a bruise or if strong enough, it can break or dislocate bones. the romance was cute but also kind of meh. i just didn’t really get why the two liked each other, and i didn’t connect to the love interest much at all, but eh. this was still an interesting story!
February 19, 2020
Guys, I have been waiting for this ARC to land in my inbox for MONTHS, and Hecate be praised, it's everything I wanted <3
Morgan describes it as a mixture of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and Dead Poets Society, and that's accurate. It's a little dark, it's so fun, and I love love LOVE that her witches cast spells by reciting poetry. I've never been much into poetry myself, but now I want to explore and discover. I have one favourite poem, and I'm not convinced I can fight much evil with it. I need more.
This book also made me want to be part of a coven, which I didn't expect. These girls give me all the warm fuzzies from their love and support for each other.
I thought I knew where things were going a few times, especially regarding Eddie, but I was wrong on all counts! I'm hard to surprise, so I was happy to be proven wrong.
And I devoured this book. It helped that it was short and that most of the chapters were short, but I also just really enjoyed the story. I think I read it in a week *checks dates on Goodreads* - yup, I read it in five days! - which hasn't happened in a while.
If you love a fun read with witches, comradery, and poetry, then this is the book for you.
Morgan describes it as a mixture of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and Dead Poets Society, and that's accurate. It's a little dark, it's so fun, and I love love LOVE that her witches cast spells by reciting poetry. I've never been much into poetry myself, but now I want to explore and discover. I have one favourite poem, and I'm not convinced I can fight much evil with it. I need more.
This book also made me want to be part of a coven, which I didn't expect. These girls give me all the warm fuzzies from their love and support for each other.
I thought I knew where things were going a few times, especially regarding Eddie, but I was wrong on all counts! I'm hard to surprise, so I was happy to be proven wrong.
And I devoured this book. It helped that it was short and that most of the chapters were short, but I also just really enjoyed the story. I think I read it in a week *checks dates on Goodreads* - yup, I read it in five days! - which hasn't happened in a while.
If you love a fun read with witches, comradery, and poetry, then this is the book for you.
January 3, 2024
[Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.]
I read a lot of books with witches next year, and I'm happy I found this one because it gave me a different take on magic--in this book, witches cast spells using poems, which I found both unique and lovely. I also liked the academia idea, with a big part of the story basically taking place in... the dorm rooms!
But... that's mostly the only things I like about this book. It wasn't a bad one, but I know for a thing that I will have forgotten it in just a few weeks.
-
I couldn't appreciate the characters, for some reasons. Apart from June, they all seemed super sassy and obnoxious. And--I know, it was written in the trigger warnings at the beginning, but still--all the alcohol and weed absolutely drove me crazy. How can you be in a school and drink so much? And also, how can this group of girls drink so much when one of them has a father who is an alcoholic?
This is typically the kind of 'small details' that this book is filled with, and that just bugged me a lot.
There were also a lot of things that I thought were not very clear and quite confusing, one of them being Eddie and what he knows about magic. At firts it feels like he doesn't know about magic (which is probably the case), but then when Charlie uses magic in front of him it feels like she's just doing something totally random. I think it should have at least triggered him, at least just a little?
There's also one of the girls, June, who goes missing at some point. The rest of the coven goes looking for her, but after saving June, they realise that... it was actually not her, but their number one enemy who had taken her appearance. So June is actually still missing. For, say, at least three days, but perhaps even more. And that's it. Cool.
-
I really wanted to enjoy this book more than I actually did, but some things (not necessarily those stated in the TWs) just didn't hook me.
I read a lot of books with witches next year, and I'm happy I found this one because it gave me a different take on magic--in this book, witches cast spells using poems, which I found both unique and lovely. I also liked the academia idea, with a big part of the story basically taking place in... the dorm rooms!
But... that's mostly the only things I like about this book. It wasn't a bad one, but I know for a thing that I will have forgotten it in just a few weeks.
-
I couldn't appreciate the characters, for some reasons. Apart from June, they all seemed super sassy and obnoxious. And--I know, it was written in the trigger warnings at the beginning, but still--all the alcohol and weed absolutely drove me crazy. How can you be in a school and drink so much? And also, how can this group of girls drink so much when one of them has a father who is an alcoholic?
This is typically the kind of 'small details' that this book is filled with, and that just bugged me a lot.
There were also a lot of things that I thought were not very clear and quite confusing, one of them being Eddie and what he knows about magic. At firts it feels like he doesn't know about magic (which is probably the case), but then when Charlie uses magic in front of him it feels like she's just doing something totally random. I think it should have at least triggered him, at least just a little?
There's also one of the girls, June, who goes missing at some point. The rest of the coven goes looking for her, but after saving June, they realise that... it was actually not her, but their number one enemy who had taken her appearance. So June is actually still missing. For, say, at least three days, but perhaps even more. And that's it. Cool.
-
I really wanted to enjoy this book more than I actually did, but some things (not necessarily those stated in the TWs) just didn't hook me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 17, 2020
I really wanted to enjoy this book. It really seemed like the type of novel I’d be super into, but with all the grammatical/spelling errors, lack of details, and fast pacing, I couldn’t enjoy it as much as I wanted to.
I will say, I LOVED the new twist of using poems as a way to use magic. That was such a refreshing take on the whole witchy then we always see in novels. And it’s beautiful to think of it that way.
However, there were so many problems with the writing and plot that it clouded over the beautiful parts. There were too many plot holes and mix ups that left me more skeptical than entranced. For example...
• “It’s bizarre to me that they would still drink around June, knowing about her struggle with her father, but I guess I don’t know enough about the group dynamic.”
This is a random tidbit about June’s father that was never introduced before until now. In fact, Rose specifically says she doesn’t know the girls at all or any of their history or secrets. So how would Rose know that?
• “I see something in you, Miss Abbott, something I recognize. The potential for greatness, for channeling magic. For bending the world to your will.”
Headmaster King says this in the two minutes she actually meets Rose. And there weren’t any details that insinuated that King actually saw something in the girl really, just this spoken statement with no sustenance to it.
• “I thought we were the only ones who could do magic.”
If they thought no one else could do magic then how’d they know Rose could? This is the part that REALLY bugs me. There’s no details or background for the magic or witches. In some parts it seems like only specific people can use magic but then at other times it’s as if anyone can just learn it? They basically initiate Rose into their coven before they even know she can use magic really. And getting her to join them was so fast. The pacing was too quick for it to seem genuine. Having a random new girl they didn’t know join a secret coven without thinking they were insane or knowing she could even do magic? Seems unlikely even for a fantasy novel.
• As for the antagonist...the character of the evil headmaster of the brother school to Livingstone is flat. There’s no background to him, nothing to beef up his character and little to no details. He uses magic but then they refer to him as a “witch hunter”. Normally witch hunters aren’t witches or mages themselves and there wasn’t any background info on this to even back up their claims. He would have been a better villain if the author fleshed him out a little, given more details about the history or danger. The threat just always seemed unimportant in my opinion.
•and for the son of the antagonist...it’s super confusing to tell if he knew about the magic or not. He doesn’t act surprised when Charlie strangled him with magic but then acts dumb about the whole ordeal throughout the whole book. It’s never clear if he knows or not which makes it seem unrealistic to me.
•Headmaster King insinuates that Rose is a leader but honestly, throughout the whole book Rose is anything but. It’s even stated in the book that she “does as she’s told” and that’s not a leadership quality. She’s desperate for friends and so follows their lead on everything they do even when she doesn’t want to—like smoking weed and drinking. But then she suddenly changes her tune at the end of the book. There’s no gradual progression of her character and we don’t grow with the character at all.
•the pacing also drove me mad. Like I said, this had so much potential but it skipped around so much with little detail as to what was actually happening. Rose somehow learns magic and spells but we only see a little tidbit of her training—and even then it starts off at the end of it. So really we don’t get to immerse ourselves in any magical training along with our characters. One page Rose knows nothing and the next suddenly she understands how spells work. Poof.
•the climax points could have been fine tuned as well. They were more like dull hills the reader bumps over along the way. It just didn’t really build up suspense for me. And the plot twist at the end didn’t exactly match up. Rose somehow realizes Damien taught Headmaster Blake magic but it’s never stated how she knew. For all we knew from what we read, Blake could have easily been the one to teach Damien. It just didn’t follow along that well.
I really wanted to like this book. It had potential. The sole reason I gave this 2 stars was for the creative twist on the spells and how well the author included diversity in her characters. With a copy editor and developmental editor this would have been amazing. I just couldn’t get over the spelling/grammatical errors I came across and the jumping around with hollow characters.
I will say, I LOVED the new twist of using poems as a way to use magic. That was such a refreshing take on the whole witchy then we always see in novels. And it’s beautiful to think of it that way.
However, there were so many problems with the writing and plot that it clouded over the beautiful parts. There were too many plot holes and mix ups that left me more skeptical than entranced. For example...
• “It’s bizarre to me that they would still drink around June, knowing about her struggle with her father, but I guess I don’t know enough about the group dynamic.”
This is a random tidbit about June’s father that was never introduced before until now. In fact, Rose specifically says she doesn’t know the girls at all or any of their history or secrets. So how would Rose know that?
• “I see something in you, Miss Abbott, something I recognize. The potential for greatness, for channeling magic. For bending the world to your will.”
Headmaster King says this in the two minutes she actually meets Rose. And there weren’t any details that insinuated that King actually saw something in the girl really, just this spoken statement with no sustenance to it.
• “I thought we were the only ones who could do magic.”
If they thought no one else could do magic then how’d they know Rose could? This is the part that REALLY bugs me. There’s no details or background for the magic or witches. In some parts it seems like only specific people can use magic but then at other times it’s as if anyone can just learn it? They basically initiate Rose into their coven before they even know she can use magic really. And getting her to join them was so fast. The pacing was too quick for it to seem genuine. Having a random new girl they didn’t know join a secret coven without thinking they were insane or knowing she could even do magic? Seems unlikely even for a fantasy novel.
• As for the antagonist...the character of the evil headmaster of the brother school to Livingstone is flat. There’s no background to him, nothing to beef up his character and little to no details. He uses magic but then they refer to him as a “witch hunter”. Normally witch hunters aren’t witches or mages themselves and there wasn’t any background info on this to even back up their claims. He would have been a better villain if the author fleshed him out a little, given more details about the history or danger. The threat just always seemed unimportant in my opinion.
•and for the son of the antagonist...it’s super confusing to tell if he knew about the magic or not. He doesn’t act surprised when Charlie strangled him with magic but then acts dumb about the whole ordeal throughout the whole book. It’s never clear if he knows or not which makes it seem unrealistic to me.
•Headmaster King insinuates that Rose is a leader but honestly, throughout the whole book Rose is anything but. It’s even stated in the book that she “does as she’s told” and that’s not a leadership quality. She’s desperate for friends and so follows their lead on everything they do even when she doesn’t want to—like smoking weed and drinking. But then she suddenly changes her tune at the end of the book. There’s no gradual progression of her character and we don’t grow with the character at all.
•the pacing also drove me mad. Like I said, this had so much potential but it skipped around so much with little detail as to what was actually happening. Rose somehow learns magic and spells but we only see a little tidbit of her training—and even then it starts off at the end of it. So really we don’t get to immerse ourselves in any magical training along with our characters. One page Rose knows nothing and the next suddenly she understands how spells work. Poof.
•the climax points could have been fine tuned as well. They were more like dull hills the reader bumps over along the way. It just didn’t really build up suspense for me. And the plot twist at the end didn’t exactly match up. Rose somehow realizes Damien taught Headmaster Blake magic but it’s never stated how she knew. For all we knew from what we read, Blake could have easily been the one to teach Damien. It just didn’t follow along that well.
I really wanted to like this book. It had potential. The sole reason I gave this 2 stars was for the creative twist on the spells and how well the author included diversity in her characters. With a copy editor and developmental editor this would have been amazing. I just couldn’t get over the spelling/grammatical errors I came across and the jumping around with hollow characters.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 9, 2020
"How would you like to become something spectacular, something more than you've ever dreamed?"
Livingston Girls is the first book I've read by Briana Morgan, and I had fun reading this queer witchy boarding school story. If you're a poetry fan, all of the spells in this book are poems, and it was fun. I like the concept of poetry being magical, and that the girls referred to their coven in public as Poetry Club. The main character comes out as bi, and I appreciated this representation. I wasn't wild about the instalove, but it was good to see this.
I enjoyed this book, but I also found myself wanting more. I wish it would have been a series - the pacing was a little off at times, and I wish there was more background about their magic, the coven, etc. It was a little slower-paced, and then all the action was packed in at the end. I felt that some aspects of the story weren't totally explained, so I just wish the story would have been expanded a little more.
CW - student-teacher affair (off-page), suicide (off-page)
Livingston Girls is the first book I've read by Briana Morgan, and I had fun reading this queer witchy boarding school story. If you're a poetry fan, all of the spells in this book are poems, and it was fun. I like the concept of poetry being magical, and that the girls referred to their coven in public as Poetry Club. The main character comes out as bi, and I appreciated this representation. I wasn't wild about the instalove, but it was good to see this.
I enjoyed this book, but I also found myself wanting more. I wish it would have been a series - the pacing was a little off at times, and I wish there was more background about their magic, the coven, etc. It was a little slower-paced, and then all the action was packed in at the end. I felt that some aspects of the story weren't totally explained, so I just wish the story would have been expanded a little more.
CW - student-teacher affair (off-page), suicide (off-page)
March 28, 2021
*Mild spoilers* It's not great. I went in knowing that I shouldn't have high expectations, but I had seen someone post on Instagram it was a fun short read. So, I decided to give it a shot.
If you plan on reading this book thinking it's the next best thing you're going to be disappointed. The concept and story lines are cute and could have been great with a more experienced writer. I enjoyed the story, but it's something you'd find on The Craft fanfiction pages.
There are so many grammatical and timeline errors it pulls you out of the story. For example in the start of the book Rose makes a comment about how she doesn't understand why people are drinking around June based on what they know about her father...but Rose doesn't find out about June's father for 2 more pages. Or later when they discover June is missing and they can't find her. The group starts searching, but June is given a speaking line in a conversation where she isn't present.
It was a good quick read, but don't go in with high expectations.
If you plan on reading this book thinking it's the next best thing you're going to be disappointed. The concept and story lines are cute and could have been great with a more experienced writer. I enjoyed the story, but it's something you'd find on The Craft fanfiction pages.
There are so many grammatical and timeline errors it pulls you out of the story. For example in the start of the book Rose makes a comment about how she doesn't understand why people are drinking around June based on what they know about her father...but Rose doesn't find out about June's father for 2 more pages. Or later when they discover June is missing and they can't find her. The group starts searching, but June is given a speaking line in a conversation where she isn't present.
It was a good quick read, but don't go in with high expectations.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 6, 2025
maybe i’m just too old for this
October 20, 2025
This book has been on my TBR for the longest of time, so when I saw it was getting re-edited after being self-published—I was really excited!
That being said... this entire concept feels insensitive. The school is founded by witches who "survived the witch trials" when in reality there weren't any witches in the trials. Women were brutally murdered because of misogyny.
Alongside that, the white author uses AAVE incorrectly. I didn't get far enough to see if there were more examples than these two: "It's giving depression." & "Hurry up. They're crashing out." How is the FMC's school uniform giving depression? And how are her friends "crashing out" by waiting patiently outside of their dorm? That's not what those phrases mean... LOL.
This book desperately needed an editor. These phrases being used entire incorrectly paired with the author describing one of the black characters as a girl with "big glasses and even bigger hair" feels... disrespectful. You couldn't describe her hairstyle any other way? It seems as though the author was desperately trying to appeal to a younger audience and failed.
Other than that, the writing feels overtly juvenile. I understand the fact that it's a YA novel, but even then—I expect books within the YA category to have some sort of standard. This one wasn't for me...
A big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this book in exchange for an honest review. Here's to a better one next time!
That being said... this entire concept feels insensitive. The school is founded by witches who "survived the witch trials" when in reality there weren't any witches in the trials. Women were brutally murdered because of misogyny.
Alongside that, the white author uses AAVE incorrectly. I didn't get far enough to see if there were more examples than these two: "It's giving depression." & "Hurry up. They're crashing out." How is the FMC's school uniform giving depression? And how are her friends "crashing out" by waiting patiently outside of their dorm? That's not what those phrases mean... LOL.
This book desperately needed an editor. These phrases being used entire incorrectly paired with the author describing one of the black characters as a girl with "big glasses and even bigger hair" feels... disrespectful. You couldn't describe her hairstyle any other way? It seems as though the author was desperately trying to appeal to a younger audience and failed.
Other than that, the writing feels overtly juvenile. I understand the fact that it's a YA novel, but even then—I expect books within the YA category to have some sort of standard. This one wasn't for me...
A big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this book in exchange for an honest review. Here's to a better one next time!
February 16, 2021
Livingston Girls is an entertaining story full of memorable characters. I really enjoyed getting to know Rose, Charlie, and all the other girls in their coven as the story progressed. I was initially worried that I was going to forget who was who, but Morgan does a good job of distinguishing them from one another and giving each girl their own arc and unique personality even though this is a shorter book. I also really liked the magic system. It wasn't quite like anything I've ever seen before and struck a good balance between being concrete and still somewhat mysterious, which I felt suited the tone of the story overall. I did wish that a little more time had been spent exploring certain elements of the story, and the plot could have been a little stronger. It definitely felt like the focus was more on the characters here and the relationships that develop between them, and that's fine, but the plot seemed to take a back seat for much of the story and I found myself wanting a little more in that area. That being said, it's a great story, and wonderfully narrated on audiobook.
November 7, 2025
that was certainly a book
April 24, 2020
*****Slight Spoilers*****
I wanted to love this book.
An all girls school, witches, gay girls & representation. But, I took a few issues with the story building and characters.
******************
-The protagonist is unlikable. She’s admittedly self described as clingy/needy when it comes to friendship. In more the one moment she says she doesn’t want to be peer pressured into smoking and drinking, in the very next she’s doing just that, presumably to ‘fit in’ but I’m not sure anymore?
-Two characters were so close in personality, maybe both described so little I kept interchanging them (Billie & Ronnie).
- The protagonist’s ‘big secret’ is never really explored or has a point to push this particular plot forward. It seemed randomly placed especially given how the rest of the group responded to it.
- The ‘villain’ was a bit too obvious.
- There wasn’t enough push and pull between the romantic interests. Big conversations that make me understand why they said they loved each other so quick were glazed over in a sort of ‘we talked about xyz every night in the dorm’.
Now for the positives:
- I love that books are being written in this space where it would be totally normal to have a whole group that identifies as some spectrum of LGBT.
- Representation of people of color is a wonderful thing!
- Representation of bisexual characters done responsibly and handled correctly.
- Great detailed scenes where magic is being used. The author does a great job of capturing the feel behind the magic. I also love the idea of a kick-back. Magic is so powerful of course there should be a give and take. This is the first book I’ve read that explores that.
I would have to think that this was a trilogy based on how little some things were not fully explained (Nell, Nathan, Protags parents being so flippant). If it is a trilogy it sped through plot points too quickly for a first book.
I might look into other books by the author because the base of the book is solid. But I would be wary given the issues I had. It felt the girls were very very immature. But hey! It’s a YA space and that’s probably realistic.
I wanted to love this book.
An all girls school, witches, gay girls & representation. But, I took a few issues with the story building and characters.
******************
-The protagonist is unlikable. She’s admittedly self described as clingy/needy when it comes to friendship. In more the one moment she says she doesn’t want to be peer pressured into smoking and drinking, in the very next she’s doing just that, presumably to ‘fit in’ but I’m not sure anymore?
-Two characters were so close in personality, maybe both described so little I kept interchanging them (Billie & Ronnie).
- The protagonist’s ‘big secret’ is never really explored or has a point to push this particular plot forward. It seemed randomly placed especially given how the rest of the group responded to it.
- The ‘villain’ was a bit too obvious.
- There wasn’t enough push and pull between the romantic interests. Big conversations that make me understand why they said they loved each other so quick were glazed over in a sort of ‘we talked about xyz every night in the dorm’.
Now for the positives:
- I love that books are being written in this space where it would be totally normal to have a whole group that identifies as some spectrum of LGBT.
- Representation of people of color is a wonderful thing!
- Representation of bisexual characters done responsibly and handled correctly.
- Great detailed scenes where magic is being used. The author does a great job of capturing the feel behind the magic. I also love the idea of a kick-back. Magic is so powerful of course there should be a give and take. This is the first book I’ve read that explores that.
I would have to think that this was a trilogy based on how little some things were not fully explained (Nell, Nathan, Protags parents being so flippant). If it is a trilogy it sped through plot points too quickly for a first book.
I might look into other books by the author because the base of the book is solid. But I would be wary given the issues I had. It felt the girls were very very immature. But hey! It’s a YA space and that’s probably realistic.
December 26, 2020
I'm torn on this one. I loved the concept of magic founded in poems and the school for people with problematic pasts but, and it's a big but, the plot felt so disconnected and the characters very flat.
Rose and the others stumble their way through the problems which is understandable when they're new but less so when they've been on the horizon for a while. None of the twists were very surprising to me which made it even more frustrating when none of the girls even considered these outcomes as possible. The readers are told about study sessions in magic etc but rarely invited to watch, Rose suddenly just knows and decides stuff out of the blue and some problematic things never get addressed. All in all it just felt like this book needed another 100 pages in which the characters could have grown and the plot been more connected and fleshed out.
CW:
Rose and the others stumble their way through the problems which is understandable when they're new but less so when they've been on the horizon for a while. None of the twists were very surprising to me which made it even more frustrating when none of the girls even considered these outcomes as possible. The readers are told about study sessions in magic etc but rarely invited to watch, Rose suddenly just knows and decides stuff out of the blue and some problematic things never get addressed. All in all it just felt like this book needed another 100 pages in which the characters could have grown and the plot been more connected and fleshed out.
CW:
October 3, 2020
I’m so tired of reading two and three star books!! The concept of this was so interesting and had the potential to be deliciously dark, like The Craft vibes, but the execution was unfortunately just so poor. This book felt utterly random. I did read most of it during the night before I went to bed and I ended up falling asleep a lot, and it took me way longer to read than it should have. I felt no emotional connection to it or any of the characters which was so disappointing. The events and the dialogue and the writing style all just felt so disconnected and bumpy. Random is really the best word I can use to describe it. It’s unfortunate because I did really want to like this book. Bisexual witches! Dark academia setting! It should’ve been great! It just wasn’t at all. The only thing I really did like was the magic system and the way it worked.
March 8, 2020
I received an ARC copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.
"Livingston Academy for Distinguished Young Women was established in 1700 as a refuge for girls on the fringes of society. For outcasts.” She lowers her voice even further. “For witches.”
Didn’t I leave all that nonsense in Salem?
One of my favorite lines in Livingston Girls!
I really enjoyed this queer, little witchy story! The characters were fresh and fun (Charlie being my favorite character) and I just loved how the spells were incorporated into poems, actual poems! Such a fun and original idea!
I do wish that Morgan could have dwelled more into the history of the witches or how the magic system works. The girls practise a few spells but I would have liked to see more of their trial and error in the story. I also would have wanted to see more interaction with them and King, the headmistress. I didn't feel like they had a close connection like it is implied in the story.
Some parts were a bit rushed where Morgan could have added a bit more detail to Rose's state of mind or to the surroundings, but in end when the book was over, I wanted to read more!
I can't wait to read the second installment and how Charlie and Rose's relationship evolves!
If you like a little queer into your witchy YA, then I definitely recommend Livingston Girls!
"Livingston Academy for Distinguished Young Women was established in 1700 as a refuge for girls on the fringes of society. For outcasts.” She lowers her voice even further. “For witches.”
Didn’t I leave all that nonsense in Salem?
One of my favorite lines in Livingston Girls!
I really enjoyed this queer, little witchy story! The characters were fresh and fun (Charlie being my favorite character) and I just loved how the spells were incorporated into poems, actual poems! Such a fun and original idea!
I do wish that Morgan could have dwelled more into the history of the witches or how the magic system works. The girls practise a few spells but I would have liked to see more of their trial and error in the story. I also would have wanted to see more interaction with them and King, the headmistress. I didn't feel like they had a close connection like it is implied in the story.
Some parts were a bit rushed where Morgan could have added a bit more detail to Rose's state of mind or to the surroundings, but in end when the book was over, I wanted to read more!
I can't wait to read the second installment and how Charlie and Rose's relationship evolves!
If you like a little queer into your witchy YA, then I definitely recommend Livingston Girls!
November 13, 2025
I really enjoyed this witchy read and loved the dark academia setting. I was drawn into the story right away and was swept up in the dark and moody vibes. The story itself was really fun and I liked the bond that developed between the girls we follow in the coven.
I would say this was more of a character driven story. A lot of time is spent on distinguishing between the characters and the relationship between them, which is something that I appreciated.
The magic system used in this story felt fresh and unique, but had an air of mystery to it. It was interesting that the spells were actually poems. That was something I hadn’t come across before.
Read this if you like:
✨ Ancient Magic
✨ Gothic charm
✨ Sisterhood
✨ Strong female leads
✨ Academia
Thank you to the author for the gifted copy of the book.
I would say this was more of a character driven story. A lot of time is spent on distinguishing between the characters and the relationship between them, which is something that I appreciated.
The magic system used in this story felt fresh and unique, but had an air of mystery to it. It was interesting that the spells were actually poems. That was something I hadn’t come across before.
Read this if you like:
✨ Ancient Magic
✨ Gothic charm
✨ Sisterhood
✨ Strong female leads
✨ Academia
Thank you to the author for the gifted copy of the book.
November 30, 2025
“When witches don’t fight, we burn.”
A story where Dead Poets Society meets The Craft, Livingston Girls is a tale of a girls boarding school for witches, where magic is cast through reciting poetry! But things take a turn when the girls realize the headmaster of their boys boarding school counterpart is actually a witch hunter… and he’s set his sights on their coven.
The magic system in this book is so unique and fun! I really enjoyed the dynamics between the girls. They each have their own intriguing backstories of how they ended up at the school, which I loved. And watching our main character, Rose, discover her sexuality in the midst of becoming a witch, trying to make friends in her new school, and overcome her past traumas made for a powerful and compelling arc.
This is a great YA read, with themes of girlhood, discovering one’s true self and sexuality, friendship, inner strength and, of course, witchcraft!
Thank you so much to the author for sending me a PR copy!
A story where Dead Poets Society meets The Craft, Livingston Girls is a tale of a girls boarding school for witches, where magic is cast through reciting poetry! But things take a turn when the girls realize the headmaster of their boys boarding school counterpart is actually a witch hunter… and he’s set his sights on their coven.
The magic system in this book is so unique and fun! I really enjoyed the dynamics between the girls. They each have their own intriguing backstories of how they ended up at the school, which I loved. And watching our main character, Rose, discover her sexuality in the midst of becoming a witch, trying to make friends in her new school, and overcome her past traumas made for a powerful and compelling arc.
This is a great YA read, with themes of girlhood, discovering one’s true self and sexuality, friendship, inner strength and, of course, witchcraft!
Thank you so much to the author for sending me a PR copy!
October 29, 2020
Actual rating: 3.5/5
I thoroughly enjoyed the story and characters of Livingston Girls! It had the exact fall vibes I was looking for and was entertaining. I especially liked the use of poetry as magic spells and thought that was just perfect for the setting and atmosphere of the story. That said, I had a hard time getting behind the romance and would have liked for more of the limited page time to be spent developing Rose's relationships with the rest of the coven as well--particularly Headmistress King. Overall I still definitely recommend it! Content warnings include: alcohol & drug use, sexual content, references to past sexual abuse, and sexual assault--though nothing too graphic for the YA crowd!
I thoroughly enjoyed the story and characters of Livingston Girls! It had the exact fall vibes I was looking for and was entertaining. I especially liked the use of poetry as magic spells and thought that was just perfect for the setting and atmosphere of the story. That said, I had a hard time getting behind the romance and would have liked for more of the limited page time to be spent developing Rose's relationships with the rest of the coven as well--particularly Headmistress King. Overall I still definitely recommend it! Content warnings include: alcohol & drug use, sexual content, references to past sexual abuse, and sexual assault--though nothing too graphic for the YA crowd!
November 21, 2020
I really enjoyed Livingston Girls! I’ve followed the author, Briana Morgan, for awhile on Instagram and was super interested when she talked about this book (but because of the pandemic my library closed and it took awhile to get the book). It’s a queer, witchy, boarding school book. I’ll read pretty much any queer book and adding witches is just a bonus. This was an entertaining and quick read. My favorite part was the magic system, I could tell Morgan spent time creating it. I also liked that there was a running theme about men in power and how they wield their power over vulnerable women. I do think there were some pacing issues and that there needed to be some more character development but overall I enjoyed this book.
August 10, 2021
The third season of American Horror Story may have had a certain iconic Coven, but it's Briana Morgan who brings us a better one in a better school, one with more than a few shades of Dead Poets Society (the frequent quoting of Walt Whitman and Robert Herrick helps), but also a lot more queer (this book boasts a pretty good f/f pairing, I'd say.) But also, it's a pretty timely and punchy little book, short but full of strong social commentary about a group of witches still facing those who would burn them, and it's the same kind of enemy all witches have faced since the days of Salem. Not the first book by Briana I've read (I believe my first was Blood & Water back when I once found it on Wattpad), and absolutely not the last!
November 12, 2025
I'm always going to be drawn in by plots around queer witches, it's inevitable.
While it didn't live up fully to my expectations, I did enjoy myself.
The magic system was interesting, used through spoken word and poetry, you got some cool moments such as the 'O' Captain! My Captain!' scene. I've mentioned it before but I like magic that comes with consequences, I think this helps with power imbalances and not resolving all issues willy nilly.
I think this tried to be darker than it actually was? Which is fine, but it wasn't quite The Craft (which was referenced a lot) and some things felt shoe horned in like the Nathan situation.
Some more fine tuning would have really uplifted this, but overall was good.
3/5 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher.
While it didn't live up fully to my expectations, I did enjoy myself.
The magic system was interesting, used through spoken word and poetry, you got some cool moments such as the 'O' Captain! My Captain!' scene. I've mentioned it before but I like magic that comes with consequences, I think this helps with power imbalances and not resolving all issues willy nilly.
I think this tried to be darker than it actually was? Which is fine, but it wasn't quite The Craft (which was referenced a lot) and some things felt shoe horned in like the Nathan situation.
Some more fine tuning would have really uplifted this, but overall was good.
3/5 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher.
March 12, 2020
Morgan sure knows how to talk about low self-esteem and how real people address it. She was able to present Rose, a totally desperate person, as realistic and remarkable. I think we can all see a part of ourselves in Rose: someone who has tried to play the game by the rules and realized the game is rigged.
This book also champions female relationships—romantic or platonic. Rose finds herself as she asks and offers help. Like the flower she’s named after, you can watch her blossom into someone who is thriving instead of merely surviving. These kinds of lessons are so valuable and enjoyable to see regardless of your sexuality, gender, or age.
Oh yes, this book discusses bisexuality in a way that I predict many readers will find helpful and refreshing.
Overall, this book may provide a lot of things that bisexual readers are looking for in a book: real talk, a legendary coming out story, badass mentors, and lots of magic.
This book also champions female relationships—romantic or platonic. Rose finds herself as she asks and offers help. Like the flower she’s named after, you can watch her blossom into someone who is thriving instead of merely surviving. These kinds of lessons are so valuable and enjoyable to see regardless of your sexuality, gender, or age.
Oh yes, this book discusses bisexuality in a way that I predict many readers will find helpful and refreshing.
Overall, this book may provide a lot of things that bisexual readers are looking for in a book: real talk, a legendary coming out story, badass mentors, and lots of magic.
September 1, 2025
3.5 stars out of 5
I received a copy of this e-ARC from NetGalley in return for an honest review.
This was a pretty quick read. The magical system made a lot of sense, but the plot was a little too simplistic for me to really get my teeth in to. The relationships were pretty basic, which I suppose is to be expected for a bunch of teenagers, and the book itself went too fast in the end, with relationships going from sour to sparkling and vice versa in next to no time. Some aspects of the story seemed to be shoehorned in and unnecessary, and overall it felt like it was trying a little bit too hard.
I received a copy of this e-ARC from NetGalley in return for an honest review.
This was a pretty quick read. The magical system made a lot of sense, but the plot was a little too simplistic for me to really get my teeth in to. The relationships were pretty basic, which I suppose is to be expected for a bunch of teenagers, and the book itself went too fast in the end, with relationships going from sour to sparkling and vice versa in next to no time. Some aspects of the story seemed to be shoehorned in and unnecessary, and overall it felt like it was trying a little bit too hard.
November 16, 2020
Briana Morgan is a vibrant writer with a unique voice and fantastic world-building skills. I thoroughly enjoyed her new book - Livingston Girls. The author did a tremendous job of making her characters engaging, modern, and complex. I loved the setting (boarding school). I loved the story's pace: sometimes incredibly fast, but still leaves plenty of room to reflect; sometimes slow and magical, but still keeps you on the edge of mystery and romance. I appreciated that the novel had a lot of twists and some delicious tension between the heroes. Recommending to all who love the mixture of dark academia - witches -and queer.
May 4, 2020
Faster paced than I'm used to, yet still highly enjoyable. Can't wait for the sequel.
January 10, 2021
I really, really wanted to like this book. Witches? Queer gals? It sounded like it was right up my alley, and when I first started it, it gave me vibes of The Craft and pulled me in. But ultimately, this book felt off. The pacing was strange -- it felt like the first two acts went by very slow and dragging, but then once act three kicked in, everything was suddenly rushed. Suddenly these big, huge events were happening in a span of two page turns, and I had to go back and re-read to comprehend what was actually going on in the scenes. Other people have mentioned the mistakes in the text, and I definitely noticed those too -- I also noticed moments where character names were mixed up.
As far as the story itself: it was hard to really care about any of the characters. In the first couple of chapters, I related to Rose because she was anxious and she was an outcast, and that hits me on a deep level. But once we get into the story, it disappears and she starts to feel like every other character in the story -- her words and actions are convenient to the plot. And the other characters are all kind of assholes? And not in a charming way. The relationships between the characters, both platonic and romantic, have no chemistry. I wanted so badly to like Rose and Charlie's build-up, but I just felt nothing for them.
I genuinely like this author, who I've been following on social media for a little while, and I love the base idea of this story. Coven of witches, poetry fuels the magic, girls who like girls, diversity -- it all sounds so wonderful on paper. And I could forgive the grammatical errors and typos easily, because hey, we're all human, but the story just didn't feel like a finished product. I didn't like any of the characters, I didn't give a crap who lived or died, and I was just really disappointed.
I know the author is working on a sequel, and I'll most likely check it out just to see if anything's changed. My fingers are crossed that she's able to breathe more life into these characters, because I so badly want to enjoy and root for them.
As far as the story itself: it was hard to really care about any of the characters. In the first couple of chapters, I related to Rose because she was anxious and she was an outcast, and that hits me on a deep level. But once we get into the story, it disappears and she starts to feel like every other character in the story -- her words and actions are convenient to the plot. And the other characters are all kind of assholes? And not in a charming way. The relationships between the characters, both platonic and romantic, have no chemistry. I wanted so badly to like Rose and Charlie's build-up, but I just felt nothing for them.
I genuinely like this author, who I've been following on social media for a little while, and I love the base idea of this story. Coven of witches, poetry fuels the magic, girls who like girls, diversity -- it all sounds so wonderful on paper. And I could forgive the grammatical errors and typos easily, because hey, we're all human, but the story just didn't feel like a finished product. I didn't like any of the characters, I didn't give a crap who lived or died, and I was just really disappointed.
I know the author is working on a sequel, and I'll most likely check it out just to see if anything's changed. My fingers are crossed that she's able to breathe more life into these characters, because I so badly want to enjoy and root for them.
May 1, 2022
I can't talk about any other aspect of this book until I vent about how absolutely atrocious the editing was. I have never in my life read a book with so many grammatical errors as this one. It was so bad that at one point a character who had been kidnapped for the last 50 pages was listed as performing some of the actions in her own rescue attempt. At another point one character was listed as performing two tasks on opposite sides of the room at the same time. Then the author actually thanks the editors in the acknowledgements. They should all be embarrassed. Aside from that, the plot was only alright. There were so many things that had no background, no justification or straight up didn't make any sense. It honestly felt like a 15 yr old wrote this for a creative writing assignment as opposed to this being a published novel by an actual adult and professionals.
June 7, 2020
This was a great story with layered characters that I just couldn't wait to find out more about. The pacing was fast, and worked well with taking in all the information and its inhabitants. The magic action sequences were exciting and had my heart rate up, especially the final showdown. It was filled with great LGBTQ+ representation and I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel.
August 13, 2019
I've read early drafts of this story and I am SO EXCITED for it to be published! No ARCs out, but if you've beta-read the latest from Briana Morgan, you know it's going to be witchy and queer and exciting.
September 9, 2025
Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for the arc.
Minor spoilers ahead:
Unfortunately, this was a miss for me. I wanted to love it - it has all the elements of a good story for me: witches, lesbians, dark academia, which is what makes it more disappointing that I didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to. While I'm sure there's an audience that will love it, that wasn't me.
That's not to say it was all bad! There was a lot that was really good. The friendships between the girls are realistic and well-fleshed out. They behave like teenage girls are times but love each other fiercely and will do anything to protect each other. Most of the characters are also well-developed, with fairly clear motivations and behaviors. The vibes were also good, with a dark, moody, academia setting.
For me, it read very juvenile. There's certainly a place for YA that leans younger, but the content at some parts was more mature, giving a jarring jump between the two tones. The drama and conflict itself felt underdeveloped. I didn't understand the stakes so I didn't understand the main conflict.
The romace between Charlie and Rose was a bit too insta-lovey for my taste. They had some cute moments and some good build up in the beginning, especially with Rose discovering her sexuality, but as soon as she did, she quickly was head over heels for Charlie and the good tension fizzled out.
Speaking of Rose and her romantic history... I really think there was no reason to include her relationship with her teacher. That's a tough subject and one that shouldn't be taken lightly, and yet by halfway through the book I forgot it even happened until it was briefly mentioned again. It only served to get her to the boarding school, which could've been done any other way. The ramifacations of that "relationship" and it's effects on Rose (a minor!! with a much older teacher!!) were not explored, making it feel like a cheap twist.
I also didn't think there was enough explanation of the magic. It was basically just them reading poems? I was confused about how it worked. I guess any poem could be a spell? I didn't understand if anyone could become a witch simply by reading poems? Or if only certain people could? Maybe I missed something, but the magic worldbuilding definitely pulled the age-level feeling down.
There were a couple weird reveals/twists that didn't felt earned and were just a little strangely placed. I won't spoil them, but there was one where I literally laughed (when it was meant to be intense/serious) and one where I audibly said, "No way this is actually happening." Rose's parents and Blake read as one-note, caricature villains. Blake got more development but his motivations were hazy at best.
Last thing I'll say (spoiler warning!) why did Ronnie and June just get engaged at the end of the book?!? These are high schoolers! It was the most random, out-of-place quickly mentioned plot point that I didn't understand.
I hate being negative in reviews, but unfortunately this just wasn't my cup of tea. It wasn't a bad book, by any stretch of the imagination, but there were some glaring issues with it that I couldn't overlook. I enjoyed the dark academia setting and the queer representation, and I think there are others out there who will really love this!
2/5 stars
Minor spoilers ahead:
Unfortunately, this was a miss for me. I wanted to love it - it has all the elements of a good story for me: witches, lesbians, dark academia, which is what makes it more disappointing that I didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to. While I'm sure there's an audience that will love it, that wasn't me.
That's not to say it was all bad! There was a lot that was really good. The friendships between the girls are realistic and well-fleshed out. They behave like teenage girls are times but love each other fiercely and will do anything to protect each other. Most of the characters are also well-developed, with fairly clear motivations and behaviors. The vibes were also good, with a dark, moody, academia setting.
For me, it read very juvenile. There's certainly a place for YA that leans younger, but the content at some parts was more mature, giving a jarring jump between the two tones. The drama and conflict itself felt underdeveloped. I didn't understand the stakes so I didn't understand the main conflict.
The romace between Charlie and Rose was a bit too insta-lovey for my taste. They had some cute moments and some good build up in the beginning, especially with Rose discovering her sexuality, but as soon as she did, she quickly was head over heels for Charlie and the good tension fizzled out.
Speaking of Rose and her romantic history... I really think there was no reason to include her relationship with her teacher. That's a tough subject and one that shouldn't be taken lightly, and yet by halfway through the book I forgot it even happened until it was briefly mentioned again. It only served to get her to the boarding school, which could've been done any other way. The ramifacations of that "relationship" and it's effects on Rose (a minor!! with a much older teacher!!) were not explored, making it feel like a cheap twist.
I also didn't think there was enough explanation of the magic. It was basically just them reading poems? I was confused about how it worked. I guess any poem could be a spell? I didn't understand if anyone could become a witch simply by reading poems? Or if only certain people could? Maybe I missed something, but the magic worldbuilding definitely pulled the age-level feeling down.
There were a couple weird reveals/twists that didn't felt earned and were just a little strangely placed. I won't spoil them, but there was one where I literally laughed (when it was meant to be intense/serious) and one where I audibly said, "No way this is actually happening." Rose's parents and Blake read as one-note, caricature villains. Blake got more development but his motivations were hazy at best.
Last thing I'll say (spoiler warning!) why did Ronnie and June just get engaged at the end of the book?!? These are high schoolers! It was the most random, out-of-place quickly mentioned plot point that I didn't understand.
I hate being negative in reviews, but unfortunately this just wasn't my cup of tea. It wasn't a bad book, by any stretch of the imagination, but there were some glaring issues with it that I couldn't overlook. I enjoyed the dark academia setting and the queer representation, and I think there are others out there who will really love this!
2/5 stars
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