Zero Magic

Maddy Madrigal Mysteries #0

by Debra Castaneda

Before Maddy Madrigal became a legend, she hunted monsters in the LAPD’s Occult Affairs division.

Supernatural entities have erupted in Los Angeles, and the police department forms the Occult Affairs division to contain them. For Maddy Madrigal, that means chasing dangerous creatures through city streets while learning the rules of a world no training prepared her to face.

Her new colleagues are difficult, the mysterious beings are becoming increasingly bizarre, and her chief has no patience for questions, especially from a female officer who objects to the way some of her peers do their jobs.
When Maddy realizes the division’s troubles start at the very top, she must choose between keeping her badge and standing up for what’s right.

Because in a city where the supernatural is suddenly real, the greatest danger may not be the creatures in the shadows, but the authorities determined to control them.

Zero Magic is a paranormal urban fantasy prequel to the popular Maddy Madrigal Mysteries series.

Genres: Fantasy

175 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 22, 2026

About the author

Debra Castaneda is an award-winning author of urban fantasy and dark fiction based on the central coast of California.

Her works include Barely Magic, the first book in the Maddy Madrigal Mysteries series of urban fantasy novels; The Spore Queen, The Devil’s Shallows, The Root Witch, The Copper Man, Circus at Devil’s Landing, and A Dark and Rising Tide, which comprise the Dark Earth Rising series of standalone novels, and The Monsters of Chavez Ravine, an International Latino Book Awards gold medal winner.

Debra loves writing character-driven stories about people who experience scary or magical things, and how they react when confronted with the unexpected. She’s committed to representing Latinas and Latinos in her books.

For inspiration, she draws from her experience as a TV and radio journalist, and as a third-generation Mexican American

Debra now lives on the central coast of California with her husband. She enjoys rediscovering the Mexican dishes of her childhood and texting her two daughters about her latest binge-watch.

~Subscribe to her newsletter for the occasional giveaway and the latest news at www.debracastaneda.com;
~Stay in touch with her at: @castanedawrites on Facebook & @castanedawrites on Instagram .

Reviews

[Andy Krahling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to BookSirens for the copy of the book. I hadn't read any of the other books in this prequel, although I had read several others from the author and had enjoyed them. The premise was interesting, and the story kept me interested. I was actually curious as to that entity the Occult Affairs team would encounter next. It was harder for me to accept that all of LA County just was pretty laissez-faire about all these creatures and monsters just appearing out of holes in the earth without causing a panic. It just seemed to be accepted by everyone. I'm not sure that would be the case.

Anyways, other than that, I pretty much just sped through this.

Will I read more from the author? Sure.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Kate | Date With A Thriller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this trip to the past when Maddy worked for LAPD’s Occult Affairs! If you love paranormal, urban fantasy, and mysteries, I highly recommend picking up not only this prequel, but the entire series!! It’s one of my favorites! 👏

Thank you Debra Castaneda for the opportunity to read the eARC in exchange for my honest review! ❤️

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zero Magic, the prequel to Debra Castaneda’s supernatural mystery series, shows Maddy Madrigal before she moved to Chavez Ravine and discovered her powers as a bruja. Maddy is a police officer with LAPD when an earthquake hits, and the emergence of the entities begins. As people panic and law enforcement does their best to respond to the multitude of frightening and inexplicable creatures, Maddy shows a distinct aptitude for detaining them and is one of the first officers recruited to the newly formed Occult Affairs division. Not everyone loves her approach, including the division chief, who only wants Maddy out and back on regular patrol. But even without her magical abilities, Maddy proves she’s one of the best they have, and people in high places are taking notice.

The Maddy Madrigal books are one of my favorite series, and this book is the perfect addition. It was fun to see what Maddy’s life was like before she moved to Chavez Ravine. I really liked seeing the impact the appearance of the entities had and getting more background on the formation of Occult Affairs. This was a quick read that can easily be finished in one sitting, and is a must have for fans of the Maddy Madrigal mysteries.

[Mrs K.Bryant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zero Magic is a Superb story and start of a series about Maddie a Police Officer and her friend Jo who is Watch Commander. Unfortunately there is an Earthquake and Entities were beginning emerging. The Police were trying to round the Entities up. A new department was started called Occult Affairs Division and Jo becomes its Lieutenant and Maddie becomes an Occult Affairs Officer. Unfortunately many of the Officers were unskilled. Maddie wanted the Entities to be treated humanly. But what will happen and can they discover why the Entities appeared?
I enjoyed reading this story very much and I highly recommend that you read this story. I look forward to the next book.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Katja 🇧🇪 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maddy Madrigal is back! Or must I say, blast from the past! I loved the Maddy Madrigal series so much and was really hoping the series would continue. So pleased that the author decided to write this prequel that is about the period that Maddy was still a police officer and no entity had shown up yet.
I really enjoyed reading how Maddy experienced the start of the emergences and how she dealt with it all! I really love the setting and her character and hope there are still more stories of her to come!!!
If you loved her series, you will love this one too. This prequel is also perfect to start te series and gives a glimpse of the strength and resilience that I so much came to like and enjoy from Maddy!

[Penny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this series and was sad it had ended. So, of course, I was overjoyed to see a prequel being published and I could have another look at Maddy. In this book, we see the beginning where the entities make their first appearance, the chaos that formed from that, and how Maddy gets involved in the newly formed Occult Affairs. All this installment did was make me want to go back to Maddy’s world again. LOL! This is a well-written, engaging, and fun prequel sure to both draw in new readers and satisfy “old” fans of the series. Highly recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

[Jen Ramsden · Rating 5 out of 5]

The prequel to the Maddy Madrigal Mysteries series, this story gives more of an insight into Maddys start with Occult Affairs and when the entities first started appearing in Los Angeles.
I absolutely loved this book, and it was really fun to go back to the very beginning and learn more about one of my favourite characters in one of my favourite series. And with different entities appearing, this story adds more lore and mystery, while the characters have to learn on their feet with the newly discovered creatures. Whether you read this before the series, or after you've finished like I have, it's definitely worth the read and a worthy addition to a brilliant series!

[Leslie Earnest · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

This paranormal urban fantasy is a prequel to the Maddy Madrigal Mysteries book series. I loved being back in Maddy’s world! It was fun to see where it all started, what happened when the Entities first emerged, and how they learned to deal with them. Some great monsters, some mystery, and a little bit of Mexican food! I found myself wishing the story was longer Recommend this whole series.
Thank you to the author for this eARC copy in exchange for an honest review!

[monika hoppe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to start off by thanking the author for allowing me to read the ARC. This is a bitter sweet review. I love this series. These books became my favorite place to escape into. I am sad to see them end.
This is as perfect of a prequal as the come.
Maddy rocks.

[Cynthia Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun prequel to the Maddy Madrigal Mysteries series.