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They Called Us Wicked
Not yet published
Expected 3 Nov 26Four budding bruja BFFs face off against an anti-magic regime in this witchy, weird-girl YA dystopia for fans of Tehlor Kay Mejia and Anna-Marie McLemore.
They’re a coven of four: Lucy, who can hear a whisper in a crowded room. Clara, who can read your innermost thoughts. Fabiola, who can see the future. And Sirena, who can manipulate your every emotion. They’ve been best friends since they met on the astral plane as kids, each of them hiding their gifts from a world that insists magic and witchcraft are a threat to humanity.
But they’ve never met in the real world…until now.
As a new student at the prestigious Fletcher University, Lucy is looking forward to a perfect freshman year full of in-person coven hangs and covert witchy fun. But something is off with Lucy’s roommate, Retta, almost like she might have latent magic powers she's unaware of (not possible...right?). So, when Retta disappears, Lucy knows it’s up to her and her coven to investigate—that is, if they can make time for occult recon amid college classes, flirty crushes, and friendship group growing pains.
As the search for Retta leads to an enchanted forest hidden under Fletcher’s campus, Lucy uncovers a chilling truth: maybe Fletcher is just another arm of the anti-magic regime. But are supernatural powers and ride-or-die friends enough to take down an oppressive authority that thinks you shouldn’t exist?
Equal parts coming-of-age friendship story and supernatural dystopia, this dazzling novel finds resistance to oppression in the extraordinary and the ordinary, from magic and spellcraft to friendship, heritage, and love.
They’re a coven of four: Lucy, who can hear a whisper in a crowded room. Clara, who can read your innermost thoughts. Fabiola, who can see the future. And Sirena, who can manipulate your every emotion. They’ve been best friends since they met on the astral plane as kids, each of them hiding their gifts from a world that insists magic and witchcraft are a threat to humanity.
But they’ve never met in the real world…until now.
As a new student at the prestigious Fletcher University, Lucy is looking forward to a perfect freshman year full of in-person coven hangs and covert witchy fun. But something is off with Lucy’s roommate, Retta, almost like she might have latent magic powers she's unaware of (not possible...right?). So, when Retta disappears, Lucy knows it’s up to her and her coven to investigate—that is, if they can make time for occult recon amid college classes, flirty crushes, and friendship group growing pains.
As the search for Retta leads to an enchanted forest hidden under Fletcher’s campus, Lucy uncovers a chilling truth: maybe Fletcher is just another arm of the anti-magic regime. But are supernatural powers and ride-or-die friends enough to take down an oppressive authority that thinks you shouldn’t exist?
Equal parts coming-of-age friendship story and supernatural dystopia, this dazzling novel finds resistance to oppression in the extraordinary and the ordinary, from magic and spellcraft to friendship, heritage, and love.
288 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication November 3, 2026
About the author
Gloria Muñoz
11 books37 followersGloria Muñoz is the author of the poetry collections Your Biome Has Found You and Danzirly, which won the Ambroggio Prize and the Florida Book Award Gold Medal for Poetry. She is an Academy of American Poets Poet Laureate Fellow, a Hedgebrook Fellow, an Esperimento Sul Respiro Fellow, a Macondista, a Highlights Foundation Diverse Verse Fellow, and a part of Las Musas. Her debut novel, This Is the Year, a YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults title and winner of the International Literacy Association’s Young Adult Book Award, was hailed as “brilliantly layered” by Booklist in a starred review.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 23, 2026
3.5 stars
They Called Us Wicked by Gloria Muñoz is a beautifully written YA dystopian/mystery novel about a coven of four young witches who are trying to navigate their first year at a college filled with secrets and conspiracy and where practicing magic is a death sentence. Muñoz’s prose is filled with beautiful imagery that pulled me into her dystopian, magical world. She explores grief, loss, resistance, and rebellion. I love the plot and setting of this story and I especially love the themes of friendship/sisterhood. That said, I think that the story fell short in certain chapters and many scenes ended rather abruptly and without resolution or suspense. Because of this I had a hard time believing they were in any danger. I also think that the romance fell short and was not developed as much as it could’ve been. Overall, it was a good story, worth the read.
Thank you to Holiday House Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC of this title. All opinions are my own.
They Called Us Wicked by Gloria Muñoz is a beautifully written YA dystopian/mystery novel about a coven of four young witches who are trying to navigate their first year at a college filled with secrets and conspiracy and where practicing magic is a death sentence. Muñoz’s prose is filled with beautiful imagery that pulled me into her dystopian, magical world. She explores grief, loss, resistance, and rebellion. I love the plot and setting of this story and I especially love the themes of friendship/sisterhood. That said, I think that the story fell short in certain chapters and many scenes ended rather abruptly and without resolution or suspense. Because of this I had a hard time believing they were in any danger. I also think that the romance fell short and was not developed as much as it could’ve been. Overall, it was a good story, worth the read.
Thank you to Holiday House Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC of this title. All opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
They Called Us Wicked was a unique blend of YA dystopian fantasy, magic, and coming-of-age that really pulled me in. I loved the concept of four brujas who had been connected through the astral plane finally coming together in the real world. Their friendship was easily the heart of the story, and I appreciated how much emphasis was placed on loyalty, identity, and standing up against oppression.
The worldbuilding was imaginative, especially the hidden magic and enchanted forest beneath the university, and I enjoyed the way the story explored themes of heritage, belonging, and resistance. The characters felt authentic, and I found myself rooting for the entire coven as they uncovered the truth behind the anti-magic regime.
At times, I wished the pacing had been a little tighter, particularly in the middle, but once the mystery picked up, I was fully invested. The blend of magic, mystery, romance, and friendship made for a compelling read, and the ending left me excited to see what comes next.
Overall, this was an engaging and thoughtful YA fantasy with a powerful message and a cast of characters I won't forget.
The worldbuilding was imaginative, especially the hidden magic and enchanted forest beneath the university, and I enjoyed the way the story explored themes of heritage, belonging, and resistance. The characters felt authentic, and I found myself rooting for the entire coven as they uncovered the truth behind the anti-magic regime.
At times, I wished the pacing had been a little tighter, particularly in the middle, but once the mystery picked up, I was fully invested. The blend of magic, mystery, romance, and friendship made for a compelling read, and the ending left me excited to see what comes next.
Overall, this was an engaging and thoughtful YA fantasy with a powerful message and a cast of characters I won't forget.
Review of advance copy received from Publishers Weekly
This was SO MUCH FUN! I've yet to read a book with such a unique world that looks at the future and asks big questions while still moving at a page-turning pace. Honestly, I could not put this down! Big themes include friendship, mutual aid, gatekeeping of knowledge, stepping into your power, finding your own voice, speaking out. Hope to pitch it to my local bookstore's YA book club because this novel would be so fun to discuss with others. The twists (no spoilers) surprised me. Will likely read it again because this brilliant book was a ride and I want to spend more time in its world.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I'm incredibly grateful I got an early look at this one!! I fell hard for Muñoz’s writing after “This Is the Year” and she did not disappoint here.
“They Called Us Wicked” had me hooked from the jump! The coven friendships are everything and they feel so real. The whole anti-magic resistance/dark school secrets thing genuinely wild. If you love campus fantasy with found family vibes and a mystery that keeps unraveling, RUN to preorder this one. Gloria, you did it again 🖤
“They Called Us Wicked” had me hooked from the jump! The coven friendships are everything and they feel so real. The whole anti-magic resistance/dark school secrets thing genuinely wild. If you love campus fantasy with found family vibes and a mystery that keeps unraveling, RUN to preorder this one. Gloria, you did it again 🖤
Review of advance copy
The witchy read I've been waiting for! Smart, funny, and relatable (awkward and endearing) main character. The astral plane as a setting is brilliant. The future might be grim in dystopian fiction, but Muñoz makes sure that there is also a streak of hope running through it.
May 27, 2026
2.75/5 Full review later in SLJ.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews