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Charmed Sequel Novels

Charmed: The War on Witches: Charmed Series #1

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Having won the ultimate battle against the forces of darkness, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige—The Charmed Ones—are looking forward to a hard-earned, peaceful future. But when Phoebe’s former love, Cole, returns from the dead and the sisters are reunited with Prue, now imprisoned at the magical convergence between the realms, a dangerous new threat emerges.

As seemingly normal mortals violently steal the magic of witches, The Charmed Ones must shield their kind while protecting themselves from a modern-day witch hunt.

The War on Witches continues the story of the Halliwell witches, picking up where the hit television series, Charmed, left off. With only the Book of Shadows to guide them, the Halliwell sisters are the fulfillment of their ancestor Melinda Warren’s prophecy that three sisters descending from her line would become the most powerful witches of all time. As The Charmed Ones, the sisters use the Power of Three to protect the innocent and banish evil from the Earthly realm.

178 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 26, 2015

108 people are currently reading
492 people want to read

About the author

Paul Ruditis

113 books98 followers
Paul Ruditis also writes under the name P.J. Ruditis.

I was born and raised in Philadelphia where I lived a typical childhood with a far more interesting fantasy life. I mean, how many other eight year olds were sticking their Star Wars action figures in Ziploc bags filled with water and putting them in the freezer to recreate the ice planet of Hoth? (Really? That many? Never mind.)

After college, I moved to Los Angeles and was very lucky to get a job as a page at Paramount Pictures only months after I got into town. I worked as a tour guide and usher, and I performed temp office work around the lot.
Eventually, I took a position working in the studio's licensing department where I quickly worked my way up to middle management.

After a while, one of my friends in the publishing industry offered me the opportunity to write a Buffy, The Vampire Slayer short story for a collection she was editing. Well, when I heard how little money I could make as a writer, I immediately quit my job to try it full time. (Stupid, I know, but it kind of worked for me.)

I started out by writing books based on such wonderful TV shows as Star Trek, Roswell, and Sabrina, The Teenage Witch. I have since written over 30 books based some of the best shows on TV, adding The West Wing, Alias, and Prison Break to that ever growing list.

While I continue to work on these media tie-ins, I have also been focused more on my own original fiction, including my teen series DRAMA! and the Simon Pulse Romantic Comedy Love, Hollywood Style.

- Abridged Bio - Official Website.

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5 stars
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87 (24%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
Profile Image for Luke.
494 reviews20 followers
April 3, 2016
It was like watching an episode from the show only with the added insight into their thoughts and emotions.

The characters—the ones we know: Piper, Phoebe, Paige and Prue, as well as many others—behaved the way they did in the show, but they have added responsibilities: Piper, Phoebe and Paige are each married with children, and Prue is stuck in the Nexus . . . or, well, the guardian of it, you can say.

Overall, I enjoyed it, and I can't wait to read more!
Profile Image for Sophia Chionidou.
34 reviews3 followers
November 5, 2025
Oκ it was a good one but I would like something more between Phoebe and Cole.. A little spark between them, a little drama , a kiss or even just a hug. After all, how can you be so cool with someone you had such a long story? You don't bring Cole back just for nothing.
Profile Image for Mahyar.
172 reviews21 followers
December 18, 2015
Well, its hard to really say anything about it. Hadn't been for the show, I wouldn't have liked it to be honest....paranormal books are always unrealistic but also there are always made up facts that make it believable but this one...was all over the place. It was too fan-fictionish... And at times, it didn't represent the characters as you remembered them to be on the show. Overall, it was a fun read and fast-paced.
Profile Image for Anna.
66 reviews1 follower
May 14, 2019
Oh Charmed. My ultimate it’s so-bad-its-good show. Let me tell you: I stanned for this show hard. My mum even gifted me a replica of the shows Book of Shadows for Christmas one year. It’s what sparked my interest in tarot cards. I was adamant this show was nothing but perfection in my childhood eyes and it was, quite frankly, the best thing on TV. Ha! Once every couple of years I tend to go back and rewatch everything and usually gain a new perspective on it every time. Two rewatches ago I was out and out “damn this is bad, huh?”. Last rewatch I settled on “this is bad but I love it”. I even persevered and watched Season 8 — the one I think most Charmed fans also pretend never existed — and I didn’t completely hate it. I mean, I didn’t love it. But when I realised the show wasn’t that good, actually, I lightened up my opinion on Season 8.

On the search for Charmed media tie-ins, I saw this one was available for Kindle and I thought it would be interesting to see a postseason 8 setting. Then I realised this is set after Season 9 – the comics. Uhhhh.

So. I really, really didn’t like the comics (also written by Paul Ruditis). A combination of disliking the art and still-low-key-irritated-at-Season-8 feelings really soured me from them. I tried reading them again last year and I was still unimpressed but recalling the storyline vaguely at least contributed to my understanding of the setting of this book. Though I think you could easily skip the comics and just read this and accept Charmed was nonsense anyway that you don’t even need the backstory to enjoy it!

And I have to say: this is probably my favourite media tie-in.

I mean, I didn’t care about the story that much. Witches in trouble, Charmed ones save the day? Blah, blah, blah, BORING. Been there, done that, worn the T-shirt. Nuh uh. The story doesn’t matter. What matters is the characters: and Paul Ruditis has captured them perfectly, in all their smug we’re-better-than-you petulant glory.

Yep, the Charmed Ones on reflection were largely kind of unlikable in the TV show. They were constantly moaning about their duties, considering themselves untouchable when it comes to the ‘personal gain’ clause and forever moaning about wanting a normal life while doing so. This novel? Nails them. From the Charmed Ones steamrolling over traumatic events for the people they save “I’m tired of the explaining part. Figured I’d cut to the chase. Show, don’t tell.” and Phoebe assuming that a demon wanted gossip about her and Cole, it’s little character beats like that which remind me so much of the show that I appreciate that the characters actually DID seem like their TV counterparts. Additionally, he weaved in callbacks to events from the TV show without it being terribly overhanded. Morality Bites was one of my favourite episodes and mentioning it did tie in well with the story here.

Colour me pleasantly surprised by this one. And listen: this is not the kind of story you’d pick up unless you liked Charmed already, but if you do like Charmed, I’d recommend this one. It feels like Charmed, much more than the comics did for me, and much more than Season 8 even felt like Charmed to me.

Blog Review: https://heyannarld.wordpress.com/2019...
Profile Image for Miya.
46 reviews2 followers
October 12, 2024
I grew up watching Charmed and it was one of my favorite shows. I have every season on DVD. This was like watching a new episode and I loved every second of it! If you didn’t watch the show, there are definitely references and terminology that you wouldn’t understand but for me, since I was familiar, it was cool that I wasn’t confused and knew what they were talking about. I recommend for all Charmed lovers!
Profile Image for Enchanted Bookshelf.
42 reviews25 followers
February 3, 2018
I have been a Charmed fan for as long as I can remember. I have watched the series countless times, have all of the 90's - 00's tie in novels, comics and even a replica Book of Shadows.
This is one of the more recent novels to come out after the comic series was started.
While I liked the story and it had a Charmed like quality there were a few things that irritated me.
1) Prue didn't have any of her Prue like qualities. She was never a whinger or a woe is me kinda gal. That irked me.
2) I was hoping that Cole and Phoebe would have some kind of chemistry/altercation given their history but it was all pretty beige.
3) Piper spending all of her time with Prue. This concept is not lost on me but given Pipers history and drive for family, normalcy and financial stability it was odd to see her character lose sight of everything for Prue.
4) Leo!!! Why are you not in there more? Just why?

Overall it was still a good read for any Charmed fan.

Creative story that followed a human boy helping rid the world of dark magic that witches posses. He is guided by a mentor who lost his family to dark magic as a child. They are in possession of books that make the holder immune to magical attacks and strips witches of their powers.

This boy is joined by two others who much like him, want to rid the world of evil. He starts to second guess the reason behind what they are doing after seeing his mentor pull a gun on a witch.

This is happening while the Charmed ones are dealing with Prue being back and the Guardian of the All. This gives her the ability to see the witches losing their powers and this is how the Charmed ones cross paths with the boy and his mentor.

The boy is not actually human and is a descendant from the warlock who betrayed Melinda Warren in the past, and got her burnt at the stake.

The mentor turns out to be a mid level demon hell bent on becoming an upper level demon and has manipulated three young warlocks to assist him.

Cue the Charmed ones with their witchy ways of figuring out how to be in the right place at the right time to confront the big bad.

If you want to see how it ends, read the book.
Profile Image for Persy.
1,079 reviews26 followers
April 25, 2025
A fun little jaunt down the Charmed memory lane! Some of the character voices blended together too much to be distinct, but still nostalgic.

I wish that there would have been something more between Phoebe and Cole (otherwise why bring him back?), but an entertaining read nonetheless.
Profile Image for Eccentric.
127 reviews2 followers
February 4, 2018
Like the series, except way more sugary sweet and combined with stunted dialogue. No. Just no.
Profile Image for Soulfire.
523 reviews
November 16, 2017
I used to love Charmed. I watched the show live, muted, with closed captioning because my parents would have grounded me if they’d caught me watching. I took that risk, though, because I loved the sisters and their world. A few years back I saw that they had made a comic book for a season following the last, I bought the first volume immediately but ended up not liking the art or really the story so I didn’t continue. Still, I would randomly look into the series and recently decided to try this book.
The War on Witches takes place after the comic and if you haven’t read it you’re going to be confused at first. I know I was, I ended up finding a plot synopsis online for the comic to catch myself up. I can’t say I’m actually fond of having Prue and Cole back, but I can see why they did it. They are some of the fans two favorite characters and book form is the perfect way to bring them back.
The book ended up being almost exactly like the show and I loved that. However, there were times when the characters didn’t quiet sound like themselves and that wasn’t really helped by being able to see inside their minds for the first time.
There were demons, warlocks, reference to past episodes, and family drama, it was exactly what you’d expect from an episode of Charmed. Really, my only complaint is that I wish there was more about the family and Leo.
3.5/5
Profile Image for Azul.
13 reviews1 follower
June 25, 2020
Give us Phoebe and Cole you cowards. You can easily kill Coop you know no1currs. LOL I'm kidding (or am I?) Other than that it was enjoyable enough, it does seem like its overloaded with characters (which is their own fault for setting it after S8, its honestly hard and I have no interest of keeping track of the kids). There's too many characters, and the Ruditis (here and in the comics) tries so hard to make Coop happen that's not going to happen that we lose our beloved Leo because there's just no space for other leads here. Cut the crap, go into an alternate timeline and give us the Leo/Cole team up the show always teased us about, and the Phole that we have waited for since 2002!

I was excited when I saw that Prue and Cole were back, but I'm not sure that they are being used in the best way they can be. Having read the comics also makes me dread what is going to happen to Cole. It does seem weird Prue is alone, like her life (or afterlife) never progressed. Idk it makes her seem Prue of S1 when everyone else in S9 (of the comics).
Profile Image for T.J. Smith.
Author 5 books6 followers
November 9, 2023
Charmed fans looking to for a quick nostalgia fix will likely enjoy this to an extent. It would help to have at least a limited knowledge of the Season 9/10 comics, though, as it is intricately tied to them. Otherwise, I wouldn't recommend it. The problem is, it's like watching one single episode of Charmed i.e. just a day or two in their lives. It doesn't read like the novel it claims to be, it reads like a TV script that has been rewritten into novel format. Because of that, the plot, interactions and characterisation are extremely limited and delivered as if they will be expanded on in "the next episode".

While it's obvious the author has knowledge of the show, the references to it felt forced and their creative decisions didn't sit well with me. For instance, Matthew Tate is mentioned. It's a eureka moment in the book! Fans will know who he is and what the reveal could mean considering the warlock's power, but the reveal falls flat and the intriguing premise becomes a huge letdown. There are also numerous missed opportunities where witchcraft could be applied throughout the story, specifically Phoebe's premonitions e.g. the business card. Instead, the story meanders to the Underworld, so Phoebe and Cole can derive info from a new and unnecessary character (while not addressing each other). Then, as in the later seasons of the show, Orbing and the like are the only powers really used until the showdown, which is convoluted, disappointing and reminiscent of a video game level boss battle.

Overall, I liked the idea of this book but not its execution. It was okay, but I find it was my foreknowledge of the franchise that kept me reading, not the writing. While legitimate, it's essentially a high quality fanfic. I happen to read/write those, but in my opinion, The War on Witches lacks the depth you would expect from a "real" novel.
Profile Image for Melissa T.
616 reviews30 followers
December 23, 2018
This is an interesting continuation story, where Prue is back to life. Problem is, she's trapped as a facilitator of a spiritual nexus called The All. And Cole is back too. Mainly to help her and to be able to redeem his soul.

Of course Phoebe is trying to avoid Cole, and Prue for that matter. And Piper is overcompensating by mediating between them. Paige is actually doing more of everything, and seems more like the middle sister in that she tells Phoebe to stop avoiding Prue, and Piper to stop avoiding her family and restaurant in trying to help Prue adjust.

I really would have loved to have read more about Prue's return and her giving up her place in The Power of Three for Paige. That could have been a story all on it's own.
325 reviews3 followers
October 3, 2017
I always enjoyed the show Charmed. This book takes place after the end of the series and I found it a great read. It was fun to catch up with the witches and to see what they had been up too.

I think this book follows events that happened in the comic series which I have not read but I had no trouble following the story.

The book captures the sisters perfectly as I read I could hear their voices in my heads. I enjoyed the story itself as well it had enough mystery and danger to keep me turning the pages.

If you enjoyed the series then this is a must read.
Profile Image for Jay DeMoir.
Author 25 books76 followers
February 10, 2025
This felt so much like an episode from the show.
My only issue is with the assumption that everyone knows what happened before this book. There were a few holes I couldn’t fill but not for a lack of trying. Slightly frustrated by the fact that it’s hard to trace the order for this book but it’s all good. All in all, decent book
Profile Image for Juan Carrillo.
164 reviews2 followers
February 21, 2020
If your a fan of the original series this is a great read. We pick up with the sisters years later after marriage and more children and the return of pure. This is a wonderful way for a fan to jump back into this world.
Profile Image for gerald  masten.
6 reviews
December 24, 2021
Amazing Read

I like how the author was true to the characters and their nature. I dislike the constant bouncing around in the story it did make it confusing at times. I would recommend this to all fans of the original charmed.
Profile Image for Dario Pacheco.
509 reviews33 followers
September 20, 2022
absolutely amazing

I’ve missed this world so much, what took me so long to finally read this book and the comics? I can’t tell you but all the feels are here. OG charmed fan for life
Profile Image for Anna.
164 reviews3 followers
December 3, 2023
I totally enjoyed watching Charmed on tv and reading this book felt like the words were coming off the pages and going straight to the tv. Does that make sense? When I was reading, it felt like I was watching an episode on tv. This was such a fun read!
Profile Image for Jenna.
92 reviews1 follower
July 13, 2021
It's a fun, quick read. It feels like an episode of the show.
1 review
February 10, 2024
very good

As a fan of charmed, I’m pleased with the result of this book. It took me two days to finish the book, yes it was that good!
Profile Image for Sylvester.
1,358 reviews32 followers
March 1, 2017
Unfortunately, this is a canon book that fits between season 9 and 10 of the comic book continuation. We have already seen the Halliwell sisters powerless before so this is nothing new, the sisters have battles far greater evil than witch hunters. Ruditis did a good job staying true to the personalities of the characters but the plot seemed more like explaining things than storytelling. It's an OK book for the charmed fans, you will feel like reading an episode of the TV series.
Profile Image for Nisha Vyas-Myall.
59 reviews1 follower
May 30, 2015
Absolutely brilliant new instalment of Charmed, set between season 9 and 10.

As always, Ruditis captures the essence of Charmed and its characters extremely well whilst also giving a really compelling story to go with it. I was slightly disappointed to spot a couple of continuity errors, but they're not particularly important to the plot, so I will let it slide. Ruditis once again brings life to the Halliwell sisters and those in their lives. In addition to them, he introduces us to some really complex side characters (innocents, demons, warlocks) who you really feel like you know by the end of their introductory chapter. I really want Eleazar to pop up in the comics in the future- after you read the book, I'm sure you will too!

Ruditis' writing is emotive, funny and gripping- we expect nothing less from the best writer in the Charmed off-screen canon.

Advice to readers: you MUST read the season 9 comics before digging into The War On Witches otherwise you will be utterly confused from the very first page. There's a lot of backstory between Forever Charmed and this novel. Then you should read season 10 too... since it is pretty awesome.
Profile Image for travis williams.
87 reviews
July 15, 2015
Power of three will set us free

I gave charmed the war on witches five stars because like the tv show it's a masterpiece well concocted I love the sibling bond the three sisters share I have seen every single episode of charmed more than once and i have to say reading this book for me was like watching a episode unfold and I was blown away how they brought prue and Cole back along for the ride I can't find a dislike for this book I'm sorry and I know some haters will disagree but let them I recommend this book to all the charmed fans out there and any newcomers well let's just say I put a spell on you to read this book
Profile Image for AnnaMarie.
74 reviews
June 18, 2015
I drew this book out to make it last longer, I didn't want it to end! Well, not until the next one was out, anyway. I love Charmed, and Paul Ruditis has carried on the series very, very well. (This is not meant to dis Pat Shand in any way, it's just that Ruditis is the author currently in question.) Paul has done a great job growing, while preserving the personalities of, these characters, and I can't wait to read more!
16 reviews
October 18, 2018
I so love this book and I was glad to see the writer of this book brought prue back I think there should be a part two to this book so that way we can see what's going to happen with Cole and pure

Love the book it made me want to cry now this was a better ending Then the show blessed be
467 reviews
July 4, 2016
I liked it for sentimental reasons only, to be honest. It was quick and fun, but other than that there wasn't really much substance to it. The danger wasn't built up well, the final encounter (or any encounter for that matter) was anti-climactic, and the ending seemed simplistic and rushed. But I must admit - reading this kind of made me want to revisit the show!
Profile Image for Debbie.
371 reviews
June 8, 2015
The TV series Charmed is one of my guilty pleasures. I enjoyed the relationships both between the sisters as well as the romances.

This read just like an episode of the show. Once in a while I could even hear the actresses voices. Not a great read, but I enjoyed a visit with old friends.
483 reviews17 followers
November 15, 2015
Makes me want to re-watch Charmed

this book was a fun read because you could picture the actual characters. The author stayed true to the show. It would be interesting to see this story made into a tv episode. Overall well done, I will look for others
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews

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