Wicked Endeavors

Wicked Endeavors #1

by Kamilah Cole

Perfect for fans of The Shadows Between Us and Powerless, this high stakes romantasy follows a vengeful teen who cons her way into an elite society of tyrannical witches. But her warring feelings for two people—an enemy prince and her childhood friend—could ruin everything.

Caya was once the ward of Coventry’s royal family…until they were killed by the three witch Houses that now rule the peninsula.
 
Now eighteen, Caya plans to infiltrate the witches' glittering world to enact justice. With the help of a mysterious benefactor, she adopts the persona of Marisol Vinyet, a disarmingly beautiful aristocrat. As Marisol, she'll attend the annual Coronet, a cutthroat social season during which witches increase their power by binding new members to their Houses. The Coronet will draw even the prince of neighboring Domingo—Tomás Castellan—to the peninsula just in time for “Marisol” to kill him. After all, his family set the witches upon Coventry in the first place.
 
But Tomás is more charming than Caya ever anticipated. Worse, her estranged childhood friend, Bas Arroyo, is the prince’s protector, and she struggles to control her complicated feelings for him.
 
To take down the witches from within, Caya will have to keep both her identity and her desperate heart under Although she’s made herself a weapon, she might be the one to bleed.  

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Romantasy, Witches, Young Adult Fantasy, Historical Fiction

334 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 8, 2026

About the author

Kamilah Cole is a USA Today & national indie bestselling Jamaican-American author, who has been nominated for a Dragon Award, a Lambda Award, a Lodestar Award, and an Astounding Award. She worked as a writer and entertainment editor at Bustle for four years, and her nonfiction has appeared in Marie Claire and Seventeen. A graduate of New York University, Kamilah lives in the Pacific Northwest, where she’s usually playing Kingdom Hearts for the hundredth time, quoting early SpongeBob SquarePants episodes, or crying her way through Zuko’s redemption arc in Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Reviews

[Tasha Corbett]

5 stars - YA fantasy with romance

Orphan Caya teams up with Gaspar who offers her a way to bring down the witches responsible for her parents death. She magically morphs into socialite Marisol to infiltrate the upper society and along the way meets Tomas, the neighbouring prince and his friend Bas. Bas was Cayas childhood friend, until he became responsible for the killing of her adopted family so she seeks revenge on him also.

I loved this story. It opens up with Caya, in prison awaiting execution, telling her tale to someone who plans to write her story so from the offset there is this foreboding tension that something will eventually go wrong. Caya is a great character, who i instantly rooted for. She has been through some trauma at a young age and her reasons for revenge are justified. There are some twists and turns with Bas and Caya has to look at her childhood with fresh eyes.

There is a small love triangle with the Tomas and Bas but the romance does not overshadow the plot and I thought it was well done and very sweet. I also loved Noelia, a witch who Caya meets whilst undercover.

I have read this will be a duology and I'm already looking forward to the second book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a chance to read a free copy of the eBook.

[rachel x]

"A romantasy duology set in a Spanish Renaissance-inspired kingdom, about a vengeful teen who cons her way into a high society of elite witches, only for her revenge to be threatened by her warring feelings for both a manipulative enemy prince and the stoic childhood friend who betrayed her, pitched as a love letter to the power of Black women's anger."

[Duchess of Snark]

This probably won’t be out for a very long time but I have already decided I need it injected directly into my retinas thank you.

[Rayne]

Thank you HBGCanada for the ARC! All opinions are honest and my own.

🗡 secret identity
✨ magic
🗡 true love triangle (yes the men are also in love and yes I want this to be a throuple)
✨ prince LI
🗡 guard LI
✨ everyone's bisexual
🗡 betrayal
✨ revenge quest

This is possibly my favourite book of 2026! Both the writing and the story itself were phenomenal. I absolutely LOVED it, and I am desperate to get my hands on book 2 of the duology

Kamilah Cole did something really interesting with this book, where the prologue tells the reader outright that the main character, Caya, is going to be betrayed. With that in mind, it's so easy to notice throughout the story that she is not as in control of everything as she thinks she is. It made for a really interesting story and a really fun reading experience!

This book has 2 potential love interests, but with a true love triangle; both love interests are also into each other. It's more of a slow burn, and more will likely happen with the romance in book 2. Yes, I am praying for a throuple. Give me my chaotic bisexual polycule!! I just like them both so much and I'm very curious to see what happens with the romance!

In terms of the magic and fantasy aspect, the magic system gave me Grishaverse and A Forbidden Alchemy vibes (a high compliment!) The way the magic system and the plot were written has me creating so many theories in my head while I read, which is my favourite kind of magic system! It was SO fun!

Just overall, this book has such a strong plot, amazing writing, and complex characters that you can't help but root for, even when they make mistakes. For me it was upper YA, so adults who enjoy YA will also love this book! I highly, highly, HIGHLY recommend it!

[Mylene]

Cataleya has only one purpose: make the witches that took away her family and took over her country pay. As she is about to age out of her orphanage, a mysterious man named Gaspar offers her a way to get her revenge: take a potion giving her the powers of a morpher, con her way into witch society by posing as a foreign noble and steal the power source of the witches.
But in doing so, she'll need to ally with prince Teo of Domingo and Bas, an old friend who betrayed her and her adoptive family to the witches. As the Coronet events come and go, the story she knows and the alliances she makes slowly change shapes. Leya/Marisol will need to determine some things for certain: what and who is she fighting for?
Kamilah Cole is quickly becoming an auto-buy author for me. Her writing is compelling and descriptive without being too heavy or convoluted. The characters are colorful and layered. The heist and revenge plots are full of twists and they're not obscured by the romance plot. The story is eventful and since we start it with Cataleya/Marisol in prison in the prologue, the reader get curious to know what happened for her to end up there.
Wicked Endeavors is the first book of a duology and the ending will make you excited for this sequel!
Thanks to netgalley, Little, Brown Books for young readers, and Kamilah Cole for this wonderful story.

[Marina Marcello]

Wicked Endeavors is my fourth read by Kamilah Cole, and it might be my favorite! Kamilah is so good at designing fantasy worlds characterized by flawed royals, magic, and colonial/post-colonial politics. I absolutely love a revenge plot, and this feels very Count of Monte Cristo! Caya is a wronged-woman who seeks vengeance and justice, and she will stop at nothing to get it, especially because she has nothing to lose. But her coconspirators, and would-be victims of her revenge, Bas and Teo surprise her at every turn. All of these characters are wonderfully, and colorfully, fleshed out. The heist elements are intriguing and exciting. The fracturing society feels to be teetering on a precipice throughout the story, and it would seem that Caya is the fulcrum.

This world is rife with malcontent and the plot is full of twists and turns. I absolutely loved every moment of the enthralling scheming and growing anguish over whether Caya would rather kiss or unalive Teo and Bas. I cannot wait for the next installment—five stars!

[Liz]

This book had me hooked from the very beginning, the prologue is exactly the type of prologue I love. Overall, I thought this was a really strong start to a duology. It got me invested in the characters and the story and I'm dying to get my hands on the next book and find out what happens next. I think the main character, who can be frustrating at times, had some really interesting growth that will have a lot of payoff in the next book

[Kim Reads (Read Your Writes Book Reviews)]

Kamilah Cole’s Wicked Endeavors is the story of Cataleya Donant, an eighteen-year-old who’s desperate, full of rage, and set on revenge.

Inspired by her home country of Jamaica and the Spanish Renaissance, Kamilah has created a fantasy world with diverse characters, set against a backdrop of the haves and have-nots, where royalty and witches rule, and those without magic survive on scraps and sheer will.

Very few of Caya’s eighteen years on this Earth have been happy. By the age of five, she lost both her parents. By the age of seven, she lost her guardian family, King Oberon, Queen Evaline, and her pseudo-sister Princess Yoselin Seaward of Coventry. Moments after those losses, she lost her childhood best friend Sebastjan “Bas” Arroyo, whom she learned was responsible for their deaths. For the past ten years, Caya has been living at Kindred Orphanage, hoping that one day she will be deemed worthy of being adopted. But as her eighteenth birthday approaches, Caya knows her time is running out and that life on the streets is no way to live.

For Caya, her saving grace is Lord Gaspar Ruiz, who informs her that he’s been looking for her. Gaspar thinks they can work together and get their revenge on the witches for taking their families. He agrees to give Caya shelter and training to become the weapon he needs, and the opportunity to make Coventry a place for all. Caya has no idea that Gaspar expects her to work alongside Prince Tomas “Teo” Castellan of Domingo, or that his guard is none other than Bas. Now, Caya wants to avenge her family and make Bas pay by killing someone he cares for, Teo, and ultimately Bas himself.

As Marisol Vinyet, Caya infiltrates the Coronet (the witches' period of galas, balls, parties, and house recruitment) with a new face, body, and name. Posing as a couple, Marisol and Teo spend time scheming while forming a friendship and romantic connection, even as Marisol sees Bas in a new light and finds herself drawn to him as well. Meanwhile, there is no denying the strong attraction between Teo and Bas.

Marisol enters the Coronet fully determined to exact revenge against the witches and Bas. However, as time passes, she gains a deeper understanding of Teo, Bas, and Noelia, a young witch who insists on becoming her friend. But can these newfound friendships be real and sustained when betrayal is like a mist off the ocean, waiting to roll in?

Wicked Endeavors contains twists both expected and surprising. Caya, Bas, and Teo are multi-layered characters who I believe are still waiting to fully reveal their true selves. Each character plays a high-stakes game of chess, convinced they hold the upper hand, leading to an ending that will leave you with a sly smile on your face. I am so looking forward to seeing how Cataleya Donant/Marisol Vinyet will truly become a legend in the final installment of this duology.

~ Favorite Quotes ~


“One should never berate oneself for hoping. To hope is to be human.”

“A revolution is nothing if not anger left to kindle.”

“Trust needs to be earned.”

“If you let someone close enough to stab you, you shouldn’t be surprised by the knife between your ribs.”

“In every ending, there is a beginning.”

**Received a copy of the book courtesy of the publisher and voluntarily reviewed it.**

[Lauren]

I LOVED this. This is the story of a rage carried for over a decade and then further stoked by others to push our main character, Caya/Leya/Marisol on the path toward her vengeance.

Caya's parents died when she was really young, and she was taken in as a ward by the royal family of Coventry, the Seawards because their daughter Yoselin was around her same age and they were best friends. The two played with a kitchen boy named Bas regularly, and Caya expected she would grow up and fall in love with Bas and the two would get married.

Except Bas guided the witches into Coventry. He snuck Caya out of the palace, but for the second time in her young life, Caya lost her family.

A decade later, Caya spots Bas along with the prince of Domingo, clearly close and on a visit to Coventry. She's close to aging out of the orphanage she has been living in and is expecting to be pushed to a life on the streets. But that same day, a man shows up offering to adopt her and train her to be someone else. In doing so, she can work with the Domingan royalty to steal magic from the witches and get vengeance by taking their magic away. He also offers it up to her as an opportunity to kill Bas.

Caya jumps at this change, both because it will keep her off the streets and because she hates nothing more than Bas. After a year of training, she connects with Bas and the prince, Teo, to join the parties of the Coronet, witch recruitment season, on the false offer to allow the witches back to the previous home in Domingo. They....surprise her and she starts to question what she really wants to do.

I really enjoyed the world in this, including the little bit we learn about Domingo through Teo and Gaspar, and the Trident of witch houses and control through their magic houses was interesting. Bas was a bit boring to me compared to Caya/Marisol, Teo, and Noelia but the relationship between him and Teo helped build him up well and show the side to him that Marisol doesn't want to see.

What is most interesting to me about this book, though is how Caya's rage and desire for vengeance sets her up to be easily manipulated and how only having privileged childhood memories gives a rose-colored glasses view to the history of Coventry. One of the lines that really stood out to me is "The truth was everywhere, had she cared to look."

Thank you to NetGalley, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, and Kamilah Cole for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

[Gabby]

Kamilah Cole's Wicked Endeavors is a revenge filled drama, with high stakes, twists and betrayals.

The magic system was creative, however I did sometimes find it confusing. The explanation of the different factions and how the power worked was done well. However, at times I felt it was a bit confusing. I initially believed that people were born with and could only use one power, however later on it was stated how it was chosen for them/they picked one and then joined a House. I wish things were made just a little bit clearer and that we got to see more of the magic.

Caya is a powerful main character and I was invested in her story. She was complex and compelling in her yearning, her grief, and her sorrow. She had a lot to learn throughout this book. I felt for her deeply whenever she learned something new which turned the perception of her world upside down.

The overall plot was intriguing and quite the page turner. There was lots of complex history between the countries, but also with the people ruling them. I like how the book slowly revealed things, revealing an even darker truth than the one already presented.

I liked the romance and often didn't know which way I was leaning! The tension between the three of them was excellent.

There were some good moments that really took me back in this book, even if I did see them coming. I felt Caya did move on a little too quickly at the end of the novel but I hope that in the sequel (please be a sequel!) that Cole explores the fallout from the events in more depth.

Thank you to Little, Brown Book Group UK | Atom via Netgalley for this e-arc

[Kelsie]

Thank you so much to Toppling Stacks and Little , Brown Books for the gifted copy!

This is the sort of high stakes revenge plot I’ve been waiting for. It’s dark and dangerous, and constantly has you questioning who to trust. Cara is such an easy character to root for with her well deserved rage and thirst for vengeance against those who ruined her life years ago. She has nothing left to lose, and the one she holds most responsible just fell into her lap.

I loved how twisty the plot was, and I am so intrigued by the world! The frame narrative was a really interesting and fun way to tell the story because knowing where the story ends up has you questioning the entire time how we get there.

This is a YA Romantasy with a strong focus on politics full of revenge, witches, and a love triangle that constantly leaves you guessing. It explores segregation and classism with a protagonist who’s ready to burn it all to the ground.

Overall another fantastic story from Kamilah Cole!!!

[Courtney Zaccardi (courtneys__library)]

Unfortunately this was a miss for me. I wanted to love this because the author is so wonderful, but it felt a bit “half-baked” to me. The plot and ideas were interesting, but I actually don’t think I have a single clue what was accomplished in the story. There were a lot of moving parts that I couldn’t fully grasp so I think a lot of it went over my head.

[Sam Reads Books *Just the Highlights*]

2026: 3.5

I’m not the biggest fan of main characters who decide murder is their best course of action at the beginning of the story, especially when we don’t experience their formative event. I just don’t feel like most people could have murder in their hearts so easily.

[Milda]

It's not bad, but I'm just not vibing with it right now

[B]

I already didn’t care by the first chapter. The writing was so stilted and there were mass amounts of info dumping.

[Stress Reader]

Wicked Endeavors ARC Review

⭐⭐⭐⭐
🫑

🗓️ Sept 8, 2026

Thank you to Kamilah Cole, Little Brown Books for Young Readers and netgalley for the opportunity to read this eARC. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and freely given.


📗 What happens when rage becomes a weapon—and then the person wielding it realizes she may no longer know exactly where to point it? Wicked Endeavors takes the familiar ingredients of romantasy—witches, royal politics, secret identities, revenge, dangerous attraction, and a love triangle—and gives them a sharper political edge. Its exploration of segregation, classism, and colorism is very compelling. At its strongest, this is a story about what happens when oppression turns anger into ideology: Caya enters the glittering world of the people she blames with one goal in mind, only to discover that power, loyalty, justice, and revenge are considerably messier than she imagined. The result is a lush, politically charged YA fantasy whose greatest strength is its emotionally combustible protagonist and whose biggest weakness is that its fascinating world sometimes feels more sketched than explored.

Wicked Endeavors ultimately succeeds because its most interesting magic isn't the supernatural kind—it's the way anger, privilege, identity, and desire can transform people's understanding of one another. Cole has created a world where magic determines social status, revenge collides with politics, and nearly every relationship contains some degree of deception. The book isn't flawless: the worldbuilding can be exposition-heavy, the magic system could use clearer early explanation, and the romance won't convince everyone—but Caya's fury, the book's political undercurrents, and its lush atmosphere make it considerably more than a standard "girl infiltrates magical elite" fantasy.

If you want YA romantasy with witches, revenge, secret identities, political intrigue, morally complicated characters, a messy love triangle, class commentary, and a gorgeous Renaissance-inspired setting, however, Wicked Endeavors has a lot to offer—and its greatest strength may be that it leaves you wanting to see what these characters and this society become next.

📓 Synopsis
After her family is destroyed by the witches who now rule her homeland, eighteen-year-old Caya is determined to make them pay. Disguised as a wealthy aristocrat, she infiltrates their glittering social season with revenge on her mind—but an enemy prince and the childhood friend who betrayed her threaten to complicate both her carefully constructed identity and her heart.

🫵🏼 Wicked Endeavors is for readers who enjoy:
Vengeful heroines who aren't afraid to get their hands dirty
Romantasy with court intrigue, political maneuvering, and dangerous secrets
Witches, magic, and decadent fantasy settings
Enemies-to-lovers/complicated romance
Love triangles—or, more accurately, romantic tension involving two very different relationships
Protagonists infiltrating the world of their enemies
Stories about classism, colorism, segregation, oppression, and resistance
The Shadows Between Us, Red Queen, Heartless Hunter, or For She Is Wrath–style YA romantasy


🚫 You may not love this if you don't enjoy
• any and all love triangles
• morally complicated characters
• revenge plots
• court/political intrigue
• action-driven fantasy over social maneuvering and romantic tension

📗 Plot 4
The central premise is immediately compelling: Caya, an eighteen-year-old orphan whose life was devastated by the witches who now dominate Coventry, gets an opportunity to infiltrate their elite society under a false identity. Her mission combines revenge, political intrigue, espionage, magic, and romantic complications, giving the story several engines rather than relying on romance alone.

What makes the plot particularly effective is that Caya's revenge isn't treated as a simple good person versus bad people equation. The further she gets into the world she's trying to destroy, the more complicated her understanding of justice becomes. Her anger is initially extremely focused, but the story keeps testing whether revenge actually produces justice—or simply creates another cycle of people hurting one another.

The opening structure also helps. Beginning with a glimpse of Caya's future before moving backward creates immediate curiosity: How did she get there? It immediately establishes a sense of impending disaster without giving away exactly how the story will arrive at it, and I loved that.

The primary weakness is that the political machinery occasionally becomes harder to follow than the author intends. While I enjoyed the political intrigue, I did find it a bit confusing at times. The relationships between the kingdoms, witches, welks, and non-magical populations in particular.

The book wants you to question revenge, justice, loyalty, and who gets to define the truth, and those questions are woven into the actual mechanics of the plot rather than simply being stated.

➕ Loved
• Strong revenge premise
• Lots of secrets and shifting loyalties
• Political intrigue
• High-stakes infiltration
• Twists and betrayals
• An ending that encourages readers to want the next installment
• That ending!!! (The last ~10% but especially the finale)

➖ Didn't Love
• Some political relationships can be confusing
• The middle didn't quite grip me like the first and last acts
• Caya's revenge motivation wasn't always developed enough emotionally
• The budding romance can occasionally overshadows the original mission


📖 Themes, Metaphors, & Deeper Meaning 4.5
This is arguably where Wicked Endeavors becomes more interesting than a straightforward revenge romantasy.

🔌 Power and Privilege
The world is fundamentally stratified between witches and welks—people without magic. Magical ability isn't merely a cool fantasy trait; it determines social status and access to power. Young people who demonstrate magical abilities are claimed by powerful High Houses, while welks occupy the bottom of the social hierarchy.

That makes magic a metaphor for inherited privilege.

The important question isn't simply:
Who has power?

It's: What happens when a society decides that possessing a particular trait makes someone inherently more valuable than everyone else?

🪧 Segregation and Systemic Oppression
Cole's society explicitly engages with segregation, classism, and colorism. That gives the fantasy hierarchy a recognizable real-world parallel. The book explores how marginalized groups can be excluded from institutions, resources, political power, and social mobility—and how oppression can eventually generate resistance.

Importantly, the book doesn't present rebellion as completely uncomplicated either. That's one of its more mature ideas: being oppressed doesn't automatically make every action taken in resistance morally pure.

🛠️ Anger as both Weapon and Burden
Caya's rage is perhaps the book's central emotional metaphor. Her anger gives her strength. It motivates her. It keeps her moving when she could otherwise collapse. But it also threatens to consume her. That makes Caya's revenge story a variation on the familiar question of whether revenge liberates the victim or allows the person who caused the harm to continue controlling them.

🪪 Identity
Caya's false identity introduces another fascinating layer: if you spend enough time pretending to be someone else, where does the performance end and the real person begin?

Her transformation isn't merely a plot device for infiltrating high society. It allows Cole to examine class performance, belonging, femininity, beauty, social expectations, and the psychological consequences of having to suppress parts of yourself to survive.

🧑‍🧑‍🧒 Belonging and Found Family
There's also a quieter emotional theme underneath all the political maneuvering: what does it mean to belong somewhere when the institutions that were supposed to protect you have failed you?

Caya's relationships, including her friendship with Noelia, help make that question personal rather than abstract. That female friendship was something I thoroughly enjoyed, especially since there was no competition or jealous between them.

➕ Loved
• Strong political themes
• Commentary on class and privilege
• Rage/revenge as an emotional throughline
• Questions about justice versus vengeance
• Interesting parallels to real-world marginalization
• Identity and belonging themes

➖ Didn't Love
• The larger world occasionally feels like it has more lore than the book has room to unpack
• The thematic potential of the magic system wasn't fully exploited (maybe that's to come?)

✍🏼 Prose & Dialogue 4.5
Cole's prose is lush, vivid, atmospheric, evocative, and highly visual, particularly when describing the world, the Coronet, and the contrast between wealth and deprivation. There's a noticeable emphasis on sensory description. Rather than simply telling you that a place is luxurious or sinister, Cole tends to build the atmosphere through texture, clothing, architecture, setting, physical sensation, and visual contrast. There's a nice cadence to Cole's prose that elevates the emotional impact.

Dialogue tends to be most effective when characters are concealing something. Conversations aren't merely information exchanges; they frequently function as battles of perception.

For the most part, characters have distinct voices. Caya has the strongest individual voice because her narration is so deeply colored by her anger, suspicion, determination, and emotional defensiveness. Bas and Tomás are differentiated more through their personalities, social positions, and interpersonal dynamics than through radically different linguistic styles (they are differentiated, just not radically so).

➕ Loved
• Lush descriptions
• Strong atmosphere
• Beautiful cadence
• Precise prose
• Good balance of dialogue and description
• Strong emotional voice

➖ Didn't Love
• Early exposition can feel info-dumpy
• Some explanations felt stilted


⏳ Pacing 4
I'd classify Wicked Endeavors as character-driven plot with a strong external plot.

The opening is especially effective because the future-facing framing immediately creates momentum. Once Caya's infiltration begins, the story becomes more relationship-heavy, with much of the tension coming from who trusts whom, who is lying, and what people actually want.

The first and last acts are fast-paced, suspenseful, with some well executed twists in the last act. I found these sections hard to put down. However, the middle was comparatively slower and not quite as engaging. Especially during the section when the romantic and interpersonal material temporarily takes precedence over Caya's mission.


➕ Loved
• Immediately gripping hook
• Strong opening structure
• Frequent interpersonal tension
• Increasing momentum toward the finale
• Twists kept me engaged

➖ Didn't Love
• Middle felt slower
• Social/romantic sections felt a bit like a detour
• The revenge plot temporarily receded too far into the background


🗺️ Worldbuilding 4
This is a richly imagined world with more depth than the first book can completely explore.
The Spanish Renaissance-inspired aesthetic is one of the most distinctive aspects. Rather than defaulting to vaguely European medieval fantasy, Cole creates a setting with its own kingdoms, social hierarchies, witch Houses, political conflicts, and cultural atmosphere.
The strongest aspect is the social architecture.
The world isn't just "fantasy world + witches." Magic has fundamentally altered the political and socioeconomic structure of society.
The contrast between orphanages, elite estates, luxurious social gatherings, political institutions, and underground/darker spaceshelps make the class hierarchy tangible.

The biggest limitation is exposition density. I found myself occasionally confused by the kingdoms and political relationships early on. While there's an impressive amount of worldbuilding packed into a relatively short book, it feels more sketched out than intricately detailed.

I would characterize the worldbuilding as ambitious and layered, but not always seamlessly delivered.

➕ Loved
• Spanish Renaissance-inspired aesthetic
• Distinct social hierarchy
• Witch Houses
• Political history
• Class divisions
• Contrast between opulence and poverty
• Strong sense that there is much more history beneath the surface

➖ Didn't Love
• Early information overload
• Political geography can be confusing
• I'd have loved more lore
• I'd have loved for the Coronet/social system to be explored more deeply

🧙🏼‍♀️ Magic System 4
Rather than having magic simply function as generalized spellcasting, magical ability is institutionalized through Houses, with three Houses corresponding to different types of magic. The system therefore isn't separate from the politics—it is the foundation of the political hierarchy.

Individual components—witch Houses, shapeshifting, magical plants, potions—aren't individually revolutionary. What's more distinctive is how magic is tied to class, geography, political power, and social status.

➕ Loved
• Three witch houses
• Magic tied to social hierarchy
• Morpher ability
• Interesting magical mechanics
• Political implications of magic
• Potential for further interesting development in later books

➖ Didn't Love
• Initial explanations can be confusing
• I'd have loved to see more magic in action
• I'd have loved a deeper exploration and explanation of witch houses


🎒 Series Set-Up 4.5
Wicked Endeavors is the first book in a planned romantasy duology, so it necessarily has one eye on the larger story.

The book establishes its world, political factions, magic system, interpersonal conflicts, and central mysteries while deliberately leaving room for the larger consequences to unfold.

I think this works because the first book has a complete enough emotional journey to feel purposeful while still leaving substantial questions about the world and characters.

➕ Loved
• Strong sequel hook
• Plenty of unresolved political questions
• Character relationships remain compelling
• World has obvious room to expand

➖ Didn't Love
• Readers wanting a completely self-contained story may find the ending frustrating


👥 Character Development 4
We get a diverse cast with Black MCs as well as normalized inclusion. From a literary perspective, Caya's most interesting characteristic isn't simply that she's angry—it's that her anger has become part of her identity. She's compelling, complex, intelligent, fierce, resourceful, determined, emotionally layered and wounded, suspicious, morally complicated, capable of kindness, and capable of making questionable choices. That combination prevents her from becoming a generic "badass revenge heroine."

The more interesting question is whether Caya can distinguish justice from vengeance once her assumptions about the people involved begin to become unstable.

As much as I enjoyed Caya, I felt like her rage wasn't present—until it was. It's framed as having been there for years, but I didn't really see or feel it. Even still, I feel like I had a better understanding of her rage than of her. Which maybe was intentional, due to her secret identity.

The secondary characters are somewhat more divisive. Bas is arguably the most complicated of the two major romantic figures because his relationship with Caya carries history, betrayal, and unresolved emotional baggage.

I wanted more interiority and development from the supporting cast, particularly the romantic characters, Seb and Teo.

➕ Loved
• Morally gray protagonist
• Caya's anger feels mostly authentic
• Strong internal conflict
• Complicated relationships
• Secrets create character tension
• Female friendship/found family

➖ Didn't Love
• I wanted more of her personality beneath the rage
• Some secondary characters feel less developed
• Certain motivations can feel deliberately withheld for suspense

🩷 Romance 3.5
There is a love triangle involving Caya, Tomás, and Bas, with the romantic tension complicated by deception, political loyalties, childhood history, and Caya's larger mission. Love triangles don't often work for me, and this one I'm not yet sold on (but not willing to write off, either).

The upside is that the romantic relationships actually serve the central plot. Caya's attraction isn't occurring in a vacuum; it creates additional complications for her mission and forces her to question assumptions she thought were immutable.
The Bas/Caya relationship has the strongest built-in emotional foundation because of their shared history.

The Tomás/Caya relationship provides a different kind of tension because of the conflict between attraction and Caya's intentions toward him.

However, I don't feel a romance with either of them feels earned currently. It felt a bit too insta for me. My biggest criticism is that the romantic development occasionally feels more accelerated than the underlying emotional intimacy warrants.

That said, I actually think the love triangle works better as a dramatic mechanism than as a conventional romance. Its purpose is less "watch these two people fall beautifully in love" and more "watch attraction complicate an already impossible web of deception."

➕Loved
• Angsty love triangle
• Complicated history
• Strong tension
• Constant uncertainty over romantic loyalties
• Romance genuinely complicates the mission

➖ Didn't Love
• Some attraction develops too quickly
• Emotional payoff can feel underdeveloped
• I didn't find the chemistry convincing
• Love triangle almost overshadows the plot in a couple places



🫑 Spice 4.5
This is YA romantasy, so the most it has are PG-13 kisses.

The romantic tension comes from yearning, jealousy, attraction, emotional history, secrecy, and proximity, rather than sexual content.

And importantly, the lack of spice doesn't mean the romance is toothless. The book gets its romantic tension from the characters being emotionally and politically entangled.

➕ Loved
• Appropriate for YA
• Romance doesn't overwhelm the fantasy with explicit content
• Plenty of romantic tension
• Kissing feels appropriate to the story's age category

➖ Didn't Love
• I wanted to see and feel chemistry that felt believable

📚 Read if you enjoyed these comps:

BIPOC Comp
For She is Wrath by Emily Varga
Or
Her Soul for a Crown by Alysha Rameera


Queer Comp
The Witch and the Vampire by Francesca Flores


Indie Comp
Of Fates and Ruin by Alaya Wells


Non-Big Five Comp
Night of the Witch by Sara Raasch & Beth Revis


Big Five Comp
The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller


Indirect Comp
The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson

[Risa]

DNF at 38% (Read Through Chapter 10)

There’s a lot to like about this book; but I just didn’t feel immersed in the story.

I think the magic system is really interesting, but the rest of world building had me confused. I didn’t understand the politics at all, and personally had a hard time keeping the kingdoms straight in terms of who was fighting with who and who liked witches vs hated witches.

I understand why Caya is so angry; I didn’t understand why it became targeted towards the prince. I get why she’s pissed at Bas (though I don’t like that Bas basically said it’s a misunderstanding but then didn’t elaborate during their private conversation). Adding the prince to her hit list just seemed unnecessary to me.

The writing is pretty good for the most part, so I can see why a lot of people enjoy this story. It’s just not for me.





NOTES I TOOK WHILE READING:

- So the prologue is present day when Marisol is in prison, awaiting execution. And now chapter 1 takes us back a year ago. Kind of annoying since we know where Marisol is going to wind up; but I’m intrigued that the reporter who came to take down her story killed the real biographer to speak with her. (And Marisol seems to know this fake guy.)

- I’m glad Caya is going to be adopted (though she should’ve made the guy adopt her friend as well). But that second chapter in particular (and the first a bit) had a lot of info dumping, that I wish was better integrated into the story.


- So Bas was the servant boy who let the witches in, and then they murdered the Seawards (royals). And thus Bas, now the prince’s protector, was a traitor that Caya hates. (But Bas is also the reason Caya survived, since he helped her escape.)


- I’m confused. So Caya’s parents worked at the palace, then left? Or they died because their ship sank? But Caya stayed (or wait, was rescued), and then her friend Yoselin was killed. (I thought Caya’s parents were murdered too… I guess not.)


- I don’t understand why Caya wants to kill Tomas. Like sure, it would hurt Bas… but her beef is with Bas, not Tomas. Especially since she wants to kill Bas anyway, it just seems all unnecessary.

- I like that Caya gave Ofelia a job at her new home. But what happened to Rodrigo? It’s been months—is he not 18 yet?


- Interesting that Caya’s mask slipped and Bas saw her real face. So now they are protecting each other’s secrets.

- Though I don’t understand—Bas now works for a Prince who wants the witch’s eradicated as well, so now Bas, Teo (Tomas), and Marisol are going to work together to find some flower? With Teo pretending to court Marisol? Why didn’t they just kill them when they came to visit Gasper?


- I get why Caya is raging… but I’m annoyed that Bas was like “you don’t know what you’re talking about”, implying he’s going to have a justifiable reason for why he helped the witches get into palace, but of course the reader won’t find out until later in the story. (I hate that—like why didn’t Bas just explain it to her now? Other than to keep the suspense for the plot.)


- Obviously this is more of a me problem since so many people love this book, but I don’t understand how the politics work at all. I also don’t understand why Caya is now going to be working with Teo and Bas—like how that got setup. I don’t know, I think this book just isn’t for me, unfortunately.


- So I’m going to DNF at 38% (page 91 out of 241 of the eARC). I read through chapter 10.

[Online Eccentric Librarian]

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

This was not a terrible read but I did find it problematic. I never got into the characters, there was a LOT of confusing world building info dumps in the beginning, and the romance wasn't really there. What I did like, however, is that the setting is different than the usual medieval fantasy and the leads are people of color instead of the usual Caucasian persuasion.

Story: Caya's world shattered when the royal family was murdered: they had taken her in when her parents were killed and their daughter, the princess, was her best friend. They were betrayed by the witches - those who wield magic. Now, eighteen and having aged out of the orphanage, she has the choice of a desperate life on the streets or to play a dangerous game that could overthrow the witches. She will disguise herself as a noblewoman, infiltrate a royal family, and find the items needed to destroy the three witch houses. But then one of her targets is the young man who let in the witches to kill her adopted family and best friend all those years ago - and suddenly she has a chance at revenge.

The world building here was a bit off for me - something about a plague that create the magic users (witches) but that may not be permanent? Readers are hit with a lot in the first few chapters while also trying to get to know several characters. I felt like it got in the way of really understanding or appreciating Caya. The world building really needed to be sewn in a more organic manner.

Character wise, I had a hard time with the two men she interreacts with/are love interests. Tomas and Bas are supposed to be nuanced and flawed and yet they are rather mercurial and sometimes even one dimensional. Caya comes out of the orphanage with a deep resentment of Bas (the female rage aspect, I guess) which never really felt understandable. Of course, we have the typical situation where if they just talked it out everything would be understood. Worse, I never understood their attraction to her (well, perhaps Bas because of his history) and so the romance felt flat. I honestly didn't think either should be with her.

Another issue I had with the book is that Caya is referred to as Marisol (the fake person she created) by the book and by Caya herself, until the end of the book (even after her ruse was discovered). Here is this fierce and independent woman yet she totally strips off her identity and sees herself as the fake person? I can guess that the author wanted to show that Caya wasn't being her authentic self throughout the book and only Bas saw the true her. But it was very disenfranchising for her to be called Marisol rather than Caya.

The whole coronet season thing was not really explored - really there just to give an excuse for Caya to court the boys (or, rather, court the prince to make Bas jealous). I'm not quite sure about the Spanish renaissance angle either since I didn't see much of it in there other than the minor trappings and Spanish names.

In all, this has some interesting angles but in the end came off as a typical romantasy with instaluv, heroine who men fall all over despite being unpleasant most of the time - all set in a reinaissance Spain. Not a terrible read but admittedly not one I really enjoyed. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

[Franky]

4.5⭐

(+) :
- The politicking of witches and welks and privilege vs circumstance was all intriguing. I’m interested to see how it all plays out in the next book.
- Caya is a fascinating character. She is very clearly still so young but she thinks she knows the way the world works. I wish the other three major characters were quite so much higher in tje world wisdom category cuz that made me mad at one very obvious point
- I like the other three main characters as well, with Bas being clearly the most engaging, but I liked this crew that Caya surrounded herself with. I also appreciated that Caya and Bas really hated what brought them to their opposing feelings about the old royals.
- The magic system is neat here. It’s not overly complicated but the classism ties as well as how the magic tethers to the different corners of the Trident.
- I don’t love this cover but it’s also just, fine. The symbolism is solid. And the backdrop is good.

(-) :
- By the time I finished this I had completely forgotten about in media res of it all. I actually may have been good to start every one of the parts with a flash forward to that cell again. There’s also just some pacing wonkiness at the beginning for sure with the prologue plus the pre time jump part
- I think the Trident and the Coronet needed more fleshing out. I actually barely understood it throughout the first, like, two-thirds of this book. I know more so understand it, but I never felt afraid of the Trident if that was intended. They were barely characters.
- I am not against a love triangle, I love a branching path, a fork in the road. But Bas is just…obviously the more interesting and obvious path here. What does Teo even have for him over Bas besides privilege and being nice (I’m being reductive, I like Teo).
- Okay, them being 8 when everything blew up but still recognizing each other is CRAZY for ten years later. Also they way they talk as like 6 year olds is just a straight up incorrect depiction.
- What does this title even mean. It just feels too generic.

(?) :
- Okay…*is* Bas in love with Teo? Also how are WE supposed to feel about Teo because I genuinely find him boring
- Okay but is Yoselin actually dead is that going to be a reveal for next book? I mean, I would assume not for many reasons, but I just kept having that thought.
- How does Gaspar even know how to make this potion? Why is he seemingly the only one who does whilst not really being a witch?


WILL I READ THE NEXT ONE? : Very much so.
*Thank you to Little Brown Books & Netgalley for providing this ARC!


SIMILAR BOOKS :
- 'Little Thieves' by Margaret Owen
- 'Never Ever After' by Sue Lynn Tan
- 'Sing Me to Sleep' by Gabi Burton
- 'The Jasad Heir' by Sara Hashem
- 'The Floating World' by Axie Oh

[RedReviews4You Susan-Dara]

Kamilah Cole’s Wicked Endeavors is a thinker! Its the kind of YA/NA fantasy that doesn’t just entertain, but asks you to sit with the darker corners of human nature. So much of this story hinges on choices born from hurt, injustice, and the negative aspects of the world and of ourselves; and Cole doesn’t shy away from that emotional quagmire. Instead, she invites the reader to step directly into it, to feel the whirlwind of pain, anger, grief, and legacy from the inside rather than observing from a safe distance.

This book looks the reader straight in the eye and asks them to engage with the lived realities of race, segregation, class, and the legacies those systems leave behind. These aren’t abstract concepts, they shape every character’s choices. It’s messy, vital, and deeply human. Caya, the main character, is written with such emotional clarity that she feels like someone you could know: someone who has lost love, friendship, and family, and who carries that grief like a second skin. Her arc -navigating trauma, agency, and revenge - is powerful, painful, and compelling.

Cole’s magical system is immersive and sharply constructed. I’m a sucker for stories that use house dynamics to externalize cliques, hierarchies, and friend‑group politics, and Cole does this with precision. The houses aren’t just labels — they’re living systems that reveal how people align, divide, and define themselves...and even mold themselves into being.

The YA‑coded romance is excellent, threaded with tension between Tomás, Bas Arroyo, and Caya. Even as an older reader, I wasn’t sure which direction Caya would choose, and I’m already longing for the next book to see whether my instincts are right. Will she reach for the path she set for herself, the one shaped by grief and mission, or will the pull of new emotions and insights shift her course? There’s a razor’s edge here between the weight of her own heart and the push of her revenge arc. That uncertainty feels heavy, and it should. Revenge arcs are never clean, and Cole honors that complexity.

This is a morally slippery, twist‑filled, character‑driven fantasy that reminded me of the shifting loyalties and emotional chaos of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello, and even Much Ado About Nothing with Don John and the Prince. Characters change before your eyes, revealing new truths and new wounds with every chapter.

I cannot wait for the second book in this duology.

[robyn]

— ‘wicked endeavors’ by kamilah cole ☆☆☆.5

“it was a good reminder of how easy it would be to go from the hunter to the hunted.”

[romantasy / caya deceitfully integrates herself into the high society of witches in order to enact revenge upon those that killed her family. she must maintain secrecy of her identity, as well as her tumultuous feelings for both the prince and his protector, who happens to be her childhood friend.]

thankyou to Little, Brown Books for the arc [via netgalley]

the central conflict within these medieval, warring kingdoms is a high society of witchcraft; the witches are being weaponised, and non-magic people are revolting their own forcible submission. the access to world-building that is provided in this book was great, as the story moves through layered backdrops of orphanages, luxury homes, and dingy alleyways. i do think that the outlining of the witches’ abilities could’ve been clearer, and i wished that we had seen more examples of the magic in action. but that being said, the scope of information covered allowed for integrated commentary on real-world politics of marginalisation and silencing.

i found the romance subplot of this book terribly captivating. caya’s experiences of yearning and sorrow provided such an intimate exposing of the vulnerability required for love. she narrates such a visceral anger in response to her childhood trauma, and expells this grief onto the trust required to form new, and to rekindle, relationships. of the two men, there was one in particular that i was rooting for, but there were even references to a potential romance between the two men themselves. due to the protective and intimate nature of the expressions and reservations of love in this book, it really added another layer of uncertainty.

“’kill me, and end this.’ he leaned even closer, until the slightest wind could send them careening into each other. ‘or kiss me,’ he whispered, his eyes on her mouth, ‘and ruin us both’.”


with the constant underlying tension of unveiling and revelation as a result of caya’s faux persona, i was entirely engrossed in this story. it’s full of plot twists, and although they weren’t unguessable, it still felt cathartic to unlock the plot progressions. in particular, the narrative framing of the prologue and epilogue were brilliant — i need there to be a sequel !!

[Booksy]

I thoroughly enjoyed this! There's revenge, magic, secrets, and this whole trope of someone pretending to be somebody they aren't all while secretly trying to plot the downfall of literally everybody else. It hooked me in immediately.

After the witches decide to destroy the royal family that used to protect her, Caya is on a quest for revenge. Infiltrating the witch world through assuming a new persona as Marisol, her plan is to undermine them from the inside, with the help of Gaspar. But, the plan starts to unravel when Caya finds herself in love with her target Prince Tomás, and her past childhood friend turned enemy, Bas who is currently protecting the same person she intends to assassinate.

In my humble opinion, Caya was the best character. Her resolve was so powerful and inspiring, and you could really feel how deeply impacted by past events and experiences she was. Let's just say that some of the decisions that Caya makes are by no means the healthiest, but I couldn't blame her or her anger considering everything that she'd been through and also at such a young age. I'm hoping to see more development of her character in the next book!

As for the romance, it was an utter shit show (in a good way)!! I mean GIRL - honestly! In the Caya/Toms/Bas love triangle from hell, I was constantly flipping between who I was rooting for, not to mention there's a plethora of history and complex relationships that have me going all back and forth. Don't get me wrong, I did very much appreciate the tension.

The world building was interesting as well. I loved all the witches, different houses, and politics which made for a compelling world. My personal favorite was all of the opulence interspersed with dark, underground activities. Totally my kryptonite!

However, I did struggle with a few relationship build ups and Character development, as I was looking for more depth and gut punches. Hence, why it's not 5 stars. But, I am invested in Caya's revenge story and how the story progresses and who she ends up with, so I will be on the lookout for the next book!

Highly recommend for all of you that are into revenge themed fantasies with a sprinkle of magic and tons of complicated relationship dynamics!

*Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers*

[nihaarika]

i really enjoyed reading wicked endeavors! i was a huge fan of the spanish renaissance-esque world-building. i’ve always enjoyed kamilah cole’s writing, and this one was no different. i absolutely adored the way things were described. it was all very vivid and evocative, and made the world come alive. it felt like i was right there, experiencing the same events as the characters. this is also a queer norm world, and you know i’m always here for that.

i did find the magic system, and how it came about in this world slightly difficult to understand at first, especially in those first few chapters. the concept of the witch houses was so fascinating, and i really wish i’d have understood it sooner. but i did manage to get a grasp on how the magic works about 30% of the way into the story; it just took a second. but that doesn’t take away from how amazingly well done the overall world-building and descriptions were.

caya/marisol’s character had me super intrigued the whole time. she was such a compelling and complex protagonist. her rage at what happened to her and her family felt visceral and palpable, and the way she leaned into it for her revenge plot was so well done. and going beyond her rage, caya was so insanely smart and her cunning nature and intelligence made for a really fun, adventurous read.

i love it when a book gives me trust issues in characters because with this one, everyone was so suspicious. like when noelia first appeared, i wasn’t sure if she was someone to be trusted or not. and speaking of trust, the dynamic between caya, bas and teo was absolutely delicious. i love a good love triangle and this book has one of the best ones. although, and maybe this is just me, i kind of want to see the next book go in a certain direction…i mean, the feelings are certainly there hehe.

the last half was so packed and so much was happening, and a certain betrayal, when it happened, left me gasping for more. i seriously wasn’t expecting it to happen.

overall, wicked endeavors was such a blast to read! i know book one isn’t even out yet, but i’m already so freaking excited for book 2…it’s gonna be soo good!!!

thank you atom books for sending me an e-arc!

[Chalon J]

Gripping, vivid, and filled with rightful rage, Wicked Endeavors by Kamilah Cole hooked me right from the beginning! Caya is grappling with the prospect of being pushed out of her foster home after a previous life of privilege, and a mysterious benefactor offers her the opportunity for stability and to enact revenge on the person she holds responsible for the loss of her current predicament. All she needs to do is assume a new identity, infiltrate a world ruled by witches, befriend a charismatic prince, and get close enough to them to take them out permanently. Her quest for vengeance begins to crumble when she realizes everything she knows is not as it appears.

To say I loved this one is an understatement! Cole has a knack for creating lush and cinematic settings that are paired with layered, character-driven storytelling, and Caya's story was so well-done. She is dealing with grief and an urge for vengeance that is rightfully deserved. I loved how she grapples with the cost of vengeance and how hard it is to treat others with the same disregard they showed you.

The story shifts that view and makes you consider whether vengeance is important. Is it actually going to get you what you want? Is it the only way you can move forward if you feel like you have rightfully avenged the people you have lost, the security you've lost, the stability you've lost? As you follow Caya's story, you can't help but wonder whether rage driven by grief is a sufficient motivator to reclaim a piece of what you have lost, especially when the person you hate shows you they are only human.

I also really enjoyed the parallels to our world today within the structure of the story's magical world, and how those in power protect their right to exert their will over others, not create a better life for the masses. I was left wondering if there is any way centralized power can be used for the betterment of others or if it becomes too tempting to use it for personal gain.

I can't wait to see how Caya's story will continue in book 2 and will be anxiously awaiting its release!

✨ If you're looking for a layered romantic fantasy filled with feminine rage, Wicked Endeavors should be on your reading list!

Star Rating: 4.5 (rounded up due to limitations on this platform)

[The Page Ladies Book Club]

🔥 A deadly masquerade, three powerful witch Houses, a revenge mission, and TWO dangerously complicated relationships? I was absolutely hooked. 🖤✨

Wicked Endeavors by Kamilah Cole pulled me straight into a glittering, ruthless world where magic, power, revenge, and desire collide, and honestly, I did not want to leave.

Caya has every reason to want revenge. Once the ward of Coventry’s royal family, she watched everything she knew get destroyed by the three witch Houses now ruling the peninsula. At eighteen, she’s done waiting. With the help of a mysterious benefactor, Caya steps into the identity of the beautiful aristocrat Marisol Vinyet and infiltrates the witches’ cutthroat social season known as the Coronet.

Her mission? Get close. Gather power. And kill Prince Tomás Castellan.

Simple enough…until Tomás turns out to be far more charming than she expected. 😏 And then there’s Bas Arroyo, her estranged childhood friend, and Tomás’s protector, who brings an entirely different kind of complication to Caya’s carefully controlled plan.

I loved the tension of watching Caya try to balance revenge with feelings she absolutely does NOT have time for. The Coronet’s glittering world hides some seriously dangerous secrets, and underneath all the beautiful gowns, magic, and aristocratic drama is a story about grief, betrayal, power, and what happens when vengeance becomes the thing keeping you alive.

The atmosphere was everything I wanted from a dark fantasy: dangerous witches, secret identities, political intrigue, complicated relationships, and a heroine who has turned herself into a weapon even when she knows she might be the one who gets cut. 🩸

If you’re looking for a YA fantasy packed with magic, revenge, romance, courtly intrigue, and deliciously dangerous secrets, add Wicked Endeavors to your TBR. This one brings the DRAMA. 🔥🖤

📚 Thank you, Little, Brown Young Readers, and Kamilah Cole, for sharing Wicked Endeavors with me!

[Sarah]

Thanks LBYR for the gifted ARC! Publishes Sept. 8, 2026.

About to age out of the orphanage she’s lived in since her life was upturned as a child, Caya is adopted by a mysterious nobleman, Lord Gaspar Ruiz. Ruiz is determined to get rid of magic and the corrupt government of Domingan witches now ruling Coventry who usurped and murdered Coventry’s monarchs (who had been orphan Caya’s adoptive family). Caya agrees- under the condition that she may murder Prince Tomás “Teo” of Domingo and his guard Bas— who happens to be her childhood friend who led the witches into Coventry. To pull this off, Caya must adopt the disguise of Lady Marisol Vinyet and work with Teo and Bas to collect ingredients for Ruiz while pretending to observe the witches’ social season as a group of nonmagical aristocrats. But all three teens are hiding their own secrets from each other, and what is with the friendly witch Noelia who wants to befriend Marisol and who seems to know Bas? Of course, this IS a romantasy and what is Marisol to do when Bas and Teo are both more emotionally complex (and more charming) than she’d anticipated? And do Bas and Teo have something deeper going on between themselves?

Kamilah just entered the romantasy game and immediately pwned it. This is the Black, queer YA romantasy with a strong female protagonist needed on shelves and I absolutely cannot wait for it to publish and to get it into teen readers’ hands. Incredibly well paced with intriguing world building and so. many. plot. twists. I really didn’t want this book to end. Caya/Marisol is SO full of spite and rage, yet very kind and sympathetic towards her loved ones. I adored her complex friendship with Noelia, and watching her feelings towards Bas and Teo evolve. If you don’t have this on preorder, preorder it immediately. Tell your library to order it.

[bells]

Rating: 3.75⭐️


This book runs on pure, concentrated rage.

Caya is such a compelling protagonist. She’s fierce, cunning, and carrying enough anger to set the entire story on fire. Her rage feels raw and justified, and it gives her character a lot of weight. That said, I found myself wanting to know her beyond the anger. I could see the depth was there, but sometimes it felt like I was only peeking through a keyhole. I wanted more of the person underneath all that fury.

And speaking of fury… Caya technically has a very important mission. But somewhere along the way, she got so deep into this messy hatred-romance spiral that I genuinely forgot she was supposed to be stealing something.

We also get Bas, Teo, and Noelia, who all have enough secrets and complexity to immediately catch my attention. Every time I felt like I understood someone, another layer appeared and my trust issues immediately filed for overtime.

The magic system and the concept of the three High Houses were genuinely intriguing. There’s so much potential in the world-building, and I could feel how much history and lore existed beneath the surface. Unfortunately, I also wanted more of it. This is a very character-driven, which works in some ways, but it also means the magic system and wider world sometimes take a back seat. I kept waiting for the story to dig deeper into the Houses, the politics, and the magic.

Overall, this was an emotional story about revenge, rage, and people carrying far too many secrets. The characters kept me invested, the world has a ton of potential, and even when I got frustrated, I still wanted to know what happened next. And honestly, a book that can keep me frustrated and invested at the same time must be doing something right.


════════════════════════

Thank you to Little Brown and NetGalley for the ARC!

[Kelli]

Wicked Endeavors is a well-paced, lushly written story set in a medieval world of warring kingdoms. At the center of the conflict is a society of witches who are being weaponized as they fight to maintain their own power and magic.

Enter Caya, a non-magical orphan facing impending adulthood and the reality of being tossed onto the streets. Desperate after being looked over for adoption yet again, she is tempted into a partnership that offers her a chance at revenge against those who cost her everything. This arrangement gives her a shot at gaining access to magic—despite being born without it—and molds her into the perfect tool for political upheaval, serving both her own interests and those of her mysterious savior.

Through intense training and magic-assisted shapeshifting, Caya is transformed into a passing dupe of a high-society woman. She is thrust into a dynamic with a "spare" prince and his best friend, who happens to share a past with Caya. Together, the trio navigates what can best be described as a magical sorority rush, where witches are courted and selected by elite houses over a high-stakes society season. However, these houses and their glamorous events are layered against a backdrop of brewing rebellion: the "welks" (non-magic users) are finally pushing back after being systematically starved and forced into the shadows.

Cole’s strong world-building, unique magic system, and complex relationships keep the twists and turns coming all the way to the final page. It was a fast paced read, featuring an ending that had me squealing, clutching my Kindle, and kicking my feet! While the story is Young Adult (meaning it isn't spicy), it still feels incredibly mature and lush. Fingers crossed this isn't the end of the story—I will absolutely be back for the audiobook and book two!

[MOmo]

When I think about this book, I think about how fastpaced, character and plot driven it is and how the very tight the story is woven so much that you find yourself following it from the very first page until the last word in the epilogue.
This is the story of Cataleya, a nineteen year old young woman who at the start of the story, is imprisoned for treasonous charges and then tells her story to this journalist whose identity is later revealed at the end of the story.
After the prologue, the story moves to Cataleya’s background, her experience as an orphan, as well as the traumatic memories of how she lost her family.
She eventually meets someone who promises her the gift of revenge and it is on this path that she changes who she is, takes on a new identity and learns how to fight, while plotting to kill someone who she once called a friend.

This was a really interesting story. I was captured by the suspense so much that I read this in one day. I just had to know how this story would end.

There were moments where I questioned Cataleya’s anger and her constantly repeating it to a particular character. It made me wonder if her raison d’etre was really what she thought it was. But later on, she acknowledges how her revenge and anger may be masks for something much deeper.

While this is set in a kind of fantasy and magical kind of world that felt very much medieval or even like it was set in a renaissance world, there wasn’t much worldbuilding and I believe this is because it is plot driven. Nonetheless, I think it would have been nice to see more of the world of the story and even the time and place setting, vividly.

Thank you to coloredpagesbt for having me on this book tour. This was a fun experience!

[Cait]

Caya lived a comfortable life at the Seaward Palace until witches of the three Houses wiped out her found family. Betrayed by one of her own, she spent her life living out of spite and decided that revenge was necessary to punish those that are now in power. At eighteen she meets a man with the same idea for vengeance and he proposes that she uses a new false identity to get close to the witches and royal family. Now living as Marisol her plan is to slip into the thralls of prince Tomás Castellan to get close to him and eliminate his family's rule.

I'm very conflicted about this book, as I loved An Arcane Inheritance so much. I think the setting of Wicked Endeavors was fantastic, we have strong Spanish style inspiration in the world building and even small details like clothing and towns, and it really set this fantasy world apart from others that I have read. I loved that the romance was not the main focus on the book. It worked as a subplot to further the narrative and character arcs but didn't turn the book into just a romance novel with added magic. But I could not get myself to connect to a lot of the characters personally and didn't really feel the tension or struggle of their relationships. The witchy aspect of the book also wasn't very strong to me like I was expecting, we don't get a lot of explanation or "showing" of the magic system in depth.

I would definitely give a second book a read if there is one in the future, since Caya was one of the characters I did enjoy and would love to see more examples of the magic system in epic battles or uses.

Thank you to Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, Kamilah Cole, and NetGalley for the E-Arc!