Witching on a Star

Academy of Witches #1

by Erin Bedford

All her life Max knew she was destined for more, but when she graduated high school, she never expected to find out she was a witch.

Now Max isn't headed to the ivy league college of her dreams but to the Witch’s Academy, where the spells are real and the classes just might kill you.

If Max hopes to survive her new destiny she'll have to put up with mean girl cliques, way too sexy for their own good bad boys, and a popularity contest she didn’t expect to win.

Turns out, wishing comes with consequences and all magic has a price, especially at Witch Academy, but Max may find she’s more prepared than she thought to handle it all.

Genres: Paranormal, Fantasy, Magic, Witches, Paranormal Romance, Romance, Young Adult

277 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 1, 2018

About the author

Erin Bedford is an otaku, recovering coffee addict, and Legend of Zelda fanatic. Her brain is so full of stories that need to be told that she must get them out or explode into a million screaming chibis. Obsessed with fairy tales and bad boys, she hasn’t found a story she can’t twist to match her deviant mind full of innuendos, snarky humor, and dream guys.

On the outside, she’s a work from home mom and bookbinger. One the inside, she’s a thirteen-year-old boy screaming to get out and tell you the pervy joke they found online. As an ex-computer programmer, she dreams of one day combining her love for writing and college credits to make the ultimate video game!

Until then, when she’s not writing, Erin is devouring as many books as possible on her quest to have the biggest book gut of all time. She’s written over thirty books, ranging from paranormal romance, urban fantasy, and even scifi romance.

Also, third person is really weird when writing about yourself. Just putting that out there.

Come chat me up!
www.erinbedford.com
Facebook.com/erinrbedford
twitter.com/erin_bedford

Don’t forget to follow me on Goodreads, Pinterest, Instagram, and YouTube!

Reviews

[stardustreader · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

this is 187 pages of cringy wattpad fanfic. while enjoyable, WOAS is a book that needed to be edited, redrafted, and edited again. This process also needed to go on for at least five times. The writing is equivalent to teenager's first book they posted on Wattpad. The pace is way too fast and the plot reminded me a bit like a cheap high school film: drama filled and completely boring. It started out strong but really declined around the 40% mark which is unfortunate. It takes some goods from Harry Potter and cheapens it, it takes romance and makes into a fast-paced poor quality chick flick, and overall was not good. If you want something light, fluffy, and enjoyable in an "I need to get out of this slump NOW" way, this book is for you. If you're looking for something with great characters, an amazing plot, and an interesting world, it's best to go to Harry Potter. sorry, but this book is not amazing.

CHARACTERS
here's a bulletpoint list of everything i hated about the characters:

*mc either has powers or doesn't. doesn't work to control or learn her powers. is so unique UWUWUWUWUUWU
*i cant tell the difference between any of the boys in this book. they are all so basic and cookie cutter. also toxic and dumb
*my favorite character is sabrina but only bc of how laughable as a villain she is.
*trina and carly(callie? catrina? idk) are the exact same person
*parents leave so conviently and had no real personality
*these characters suck man


WORLD
What world? We get max learning to be a witch for 2% of the story(not even), her messing up BC OMG SHE DOESN'T KNOW, and then suddenly having full-blown powers. I'm actually shocked by how bad the world building is. We get told that magic exists, but not where it comes from, who can have it, what limits(besides two mentions in two chapters when it's convenient) it has, etc. There's nothing besides the basic concept stolen from Harry Potter and other great pieces of fiction. it's clear the author did not know what she wanted and used the magic as way to boost the likeability/mary sueness of her character. the author also used it for conflict except the conflict was petty drama and a cringe "fight" scene. The world has all these interesting ideas such as arranged marriage and how magic can be changed by certain people, but the story falls flat in fleshing it out. like 2/10 for effort?

PLOT
This plot got me rolling on the floor. There is no plot. This book is all about MAX IS SO COOL AND PRETTY AND RICH AND POWERFUL BUT CLUMBSY AND SOOOOOOO UNIQUE ahahah. I hate myself for reading this. To sum up this plot

Powerful, mary sue MC that isn't funny at all
Best friends that leave when the boys show up but come when MC needs to look kewl
"mean" girl that reminds me of mean girls 2...does no real damage, is mean for no reason, and is only there to show how awesome MC is. at least flesh her out??
hot guys who are toxic and pretty much force the MC to like them
fluff
fluff
fluff


ROMANCE
Ew, what was this? It's this weird mash of nothing at all and everything at once. It is technically slow burn, but slow burn in the worse way possible. The guys check off all the tropes for a bad paranormal romance:

Toxic masculinity
so HOOOOOT OMG
Stupid family Drama
Instantly falling with MC(who sucks by the way)
"You're not like other girls"
"you get me" (hasn't even talked more than 10 times in the book and if they even did, it was fighting)
Bad mean girl with a bad relationship for adding "conflict" uwu

In short: this book is okay but has major problems. Thanks for coming to my ted talk.

[Annette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes it pays to just do a random search on your iPad. I was looking for a book that had the word Star in the title and all of a sudden this did pop up. Weird detail: It was on my Amazon wishlist, so I assume I totally missed I already had this book. That's what happens when you use both iBooks and Kindle. However, the moment I rediscovered it I already was looking forward to read it, especially because Erin Bedford writes those light hearted, easy to read books I really enjoy.

This book was exactly what I expected and hoped it to be. Does it have a really great plot? Probably not, but from start to finish it was quite amusing and entertaining, despite the fact that there are really no big events happening. I really admire how Bedford can describe a basically quite ordinary school year and still make it interesting and captivating enough to just keep reading and reading. Because yes, it was that addictive that I'm almost buying the next book already so I can read on.

And I guess that has partly to do with the premise of this story. We've all grown up with those YA books and the idea that maybe our parents too have kept something from us. This book is exactly that kind of fantasy. A girl, graduating from high school and almost going to Brown discovers that her mother has used a spell to hide her magic. Then she attends a magic school, with all kinds of magical classes and she slowly discovers the witch world politics, discovering that her grandparents, the ones she never met, are quite important people.

Mix that with easy to like, although not very complicated, characters and it works. Max is the kind of girl I like to be. She's not really looking for trouble, but when trouble finds her she stands up for herself. On top of that the romance goes kinda slow, although we do get to know the four guys involved already in this book and each of them has a story and is different enough from the other. I can't wait to see how all those romances will evolve!

It's a very good start of a nice light series and I will certainly read the rest too!

[Bec · Rating 1 out of 5]

With that title, cover and blurb I was expecting this to be campy but its just not working for me at all. At a quarter of the way through its moving pretty slowly and the character reactions are a little lame. I'm going to DNF this.

[Christy Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

😁

This was a really cute read! It could of used a little more dept but it was a good way to ease into this series! Can't wait to see what the next book has in store for me!

[Spasticnontastic · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

The magical version of the movie Mean Girls?! Seriously, I think there were direct quotes! 🤪

[Joyffree · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderfully enchanting first in series
Max is graduating 🎓 high school today, add to that she is valedictorian and you have a volatile combination guaranteed to stress out any young adult or an unpronounced witch 🧙‍♀️ - ahh the wonders of adulting
I don't want to give spoilers but I do want to rave at what an engaging and exciting read Witching on a Star 🌟 was
This first book takes place on a college campus - Ahh the memories of freshman year -
The characters are vivid and entertaining - just a few who take center stage - you have the queen 👑bee Sabrina - the dark and mysterious Ian - the sexy and charming Paul - Dale our resident academic - and Aidan the silent and reserved recluse whom we know so little about and then we have Max quite possibly one of the most snarky braniacs I have seen portrayed as a lead in a while - adored her character
Not to mention all the colorful secondary and supporting characters who definitely make this story - A very well rounded and intricate cast
Young Adult isn't usually one of my favorite genres - too often I find they are extremely juvenile and I have trouble relating to the characters
Not an issue here at all - yes, they are young and they proceed with typical college antics - but there was something about them and the way the world building was weaved that made this an engaging and entertaining read
Definitely looking forward to the next in series

[Celeste · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was actually pretty badly written with continuity errors, plot holes, flat characters and shoddy world building. It also needs some serious editing.

So why 3 stars? Mostly because while the MC is a total mary sue(which I don't mind generally) with questionable decision making skills(which I do mind always) there are parts that are funny as hell and mostly I wanted the slow burn RH aspect which I got along with alot of petty drama which was fun if not believable to read.

There are better slow burn ubf rh books out there but if you can't find one in a pinch this will do.

[Christinaraven · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing book 1 to a new series that combined witches and Reverse Harem stories together. I made me laugh through all of it as it mixed mean girls, hinted at family secrets, and too cute boys together in a clean way. The only dirty sex part involved kissing. So I thought it set up this witchy world wonderfully. It was not a deep think hard book but a light hearted story that entertained me and kept me reading it in one shot just to see what would happen to Max next. Hints were dropped to what might occur in the next books to that will keep me reading this series. I was not disappointment because it was so good. Exactly as expected from a Bedford story.

[Salem · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Witchy Stars of Fun

Witching on a Star was an enjoyable, easy read that was perfect pick-me-up on this dreary Friday. It reads like an introductory book so there's not a lot of forward direction plot-wise. The scene is being set, the players are being introduced, and we're seeing a hint of Max's previously dormant powers.

I'm interested to see how the reverse harem will progress because right now there's nothing (besides a comment from the headmaster) that even hints at a harem, so I absolutely want to keep following this series to see how it plays out.

[Tash · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review copy kindly provided by the author in exchange for a honest review

Witching on a Star reminds me of those young romances that I lived for in TV and books. The ones that were set in a high school /college and were very cheesy sometimes but I couldn’t get enough of. Witching on a Star is obviously a play on words but the story isn’t one of those cheesy love stories. It’s only just begun and I don’t’ think Max could handle a full blown romance at the moment given how her entire life has been turn upside down.
Slow burn it maybe, Witching on a Star provides plenty of entertainment elsewhere. The first in a new series, readers are introduced to Maxine ‘ Max’ Norman, a highschool graduate who has been dropped a bombshell of lifetime.
The author tackles the question ever thought your life was a lie scenario and makes it reality for Max. She not just an ordinary human, she is a witch. This book navigate her life as she tries to adjust to things after the said bombshell and sees her give up her Ivy collage future and go to the Witching college in the area.
It’s an eye opener for Max and she instantly relatable. She level headed and not afraid to speak her mind if necessary. It handy given the situation that unfolds which reminds me of Mean Girls in some ways given the antics of the other characters. The boys want her and the girls hate her. It’s the classic situation but given it’s witch school things turn out a bit different.
It adds to the flair of this world and whilst this the potential harem has been introduced it’s not all smooth sailing there either .They were obvious but Max showed them their places if need be and this way I kept turning the pages.
They had the right air of maturity and richness but they still maintained a level of playfulness that was need for this book to keep things engaged. There was no boundaries and I can’t wait to see how this further develop give the seeds that have been planted.



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[Christine Rains · Rating 2 out of 5]

Max is eager to start her exciting college years with her bestie, but her world explodes on her graduation day. Her parents tell her she's a witch, and a powerful one at that. Fascinated by being magical, Max chooses to attend a magic college, but it seems that some things aren't different from normal human colleges. There are mean girls, bad boys, stuffy teachers, and so many new things she has to learn. Will she even survive the first semester?

I must say first off, this book was not for me. I love the cover and title, and I thought I'd get something much more funny and campy from the blurb. This is a YA slow burn reverse harem academy paranormal romance. Max is a very smart girl who kept under the radar in high school, but definitely does not do so the second she steps out of her mother's car on the academy's campus. The four guys are all different, but we don't learn much about them at all. We learn more about Sabrina the big girl on campus bully. I did really like Max's friends, Trina and Callie. This feels like it could be a college in the Harry Potter world, and this could be the book for you if you're excited about that.

[Taylor Z · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pnr rh

This story was broken from the start.

Typical story, girl finds out she's a witch and has to go learn how to utilize her powers. Immediately begins with her being the valedictorian of her graduating HS class... gets to witch school and doesn't want to put effort into anything. Gets frustrated and angry over any slight effort she has to put in. Treats almost all men like they're her plaything. Acts like she's an entitled snobby bitch, even though she know NOTHING about the magical world or it's ramifications.

Terrible. Hated the FMC, didn't like the playboy brothers. Hated the petty nemesis. The whole thing just felt boring and annoying.

[Krystle Newton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Erin, her creativity is endless and her books keep you spellbound (hah see what I did there!). I usually don't read stories about witches, I've never even read Harry Potter *gasp* but since this was one of Erin's books I knew I had to try it. I'm so glad I did. The story is interesting, the men the main characters meets are all different in very alluring ways, the conflict between the witches (no spoilers I promise) keeps you on the edge of your seat to see what happens next, and the funny moments will keep you giggling. I'm already ready for the next book and I just finished this one. I have really learned I love reverse harem books, and never knew I would. And Erin writes a great one!

[Tiera McMillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow really interesting start, I like Max FMC she is funny compassionate, loyal and determined. Despite being a reverse harem starter there isn’t any love at first sight more like a normal attraction to looks and even some attraction to personality but all in all her main focus despite the crazed hormones seems to really be making something of herself and learning how to control her magic. Despite the obvious mean girl baddy in this book I hope as the series continues great things are awaiting Max. I like how things aren’t coming easy for Max she is really having to work at it. I can’t wait to continue this story.

[MB -- · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars honestly. This was a cute short read that’s first in a series. It’s a clean ya book that takes place at an academy for witches. This book would benefit from a good edit but overall I enjoyed reading it. It’s billed as a reverse harem but I wouldn’t classify this first book as anything other than an 18 year old girl having the attention of some boys at her new school.

So, overall, cute fun read but I’m not inclined to read more in this series.

[Megsy Reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

Innocent Magic

It’s sugar and spice and all things nice, well if that’s what you’re into, this is for you.

We are talking slow, slow burn, the only action we hear about is in past tenths and the steamy promise of a reverse harem is nothing more than 3 “suitors” and a little kiss.

Emotional magic, but it’s kinda draggy, missing some good old fashion bad boys.

But if witchcraft is your thing, sure give it a go. Just not a book for me.

[Noemi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Max just graduated high school when she finds out that she's a witch. She has to decide if she wants to continue to live her life as a human or go to a magic school to learn to control her powers. The choice is easy... magic academy it is! However, what she didn't expect was for mean girls to target her and for four boys to start flirting with her.

This book has been on my TBR for a long time, and although I'm happy I finally got to read it, I felt like this book didn't live up to my expectations. The characters and the situations they encountered themselves in were somewhat childish. I'm still gonna give it a try to book 2 to see if there is a character development, as I don't want to put this series aside.

[Teri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again this author brings us a fun easy read. This start of the series introduces a new life for one into a world of magic. She attracted the eye of some, some because of her name others? well you'll see. Great read. Wonderful characters. Lots of action and fun and of course mayhem.

Love this author can't wait to see what she does in this new series. I have enjoyed her previous reverse harem because it was dictated by a great story. I can't wait for the fun and action in this one.

[monica jacob · Rating 5 out of 5]

What wheres the next one?

Like i seriously loved this book. I am so ready for more??? Plz tell me mores coming. This book was A-mazing! No quips whatsoever. I blew everything off to finish it.

[Rambling Reader · Rating 2 out of 5]

I came to this series as a 27-year-old fan of fantasy, magic, paranormal, and reverse harem. My kindle is stocked with books that fall into new adult, adult, and young adult books from all different genres, so it's not too abnormal for me to pick up a book with an MC who might be in or freshly-out-of college.

Normally, the age doesn't really turn me off from this story; this time, however, I just felt like there was something too immature about Max. She felt a lot younger than a college freshman, and overall gave the story a very juvenile feel.

The idea of magic, not knowing that you're a witch and then being thrust into a wizarding school, always has great potential. I just wish that it had been developed a lot more. We get tiny glimpses into Max's classes, but there's really not a lot of detailed world-building about how the school runs, how the magical world works, the rules of magic. It was just a bit lacking.

The romance was there, but it wasn't very fulfilling for me. We're dealing with more like crushes at this point, with a little detail or two thrown in from the character's personal lives to give them a reason to connect. It didn't feel like a real connection was being formed, and the shallow nature of it left me dissatisfied.

Overall, this story could work very well for a different kind of audience. I'm used to stories, even YA or NA that are more fleshed out and layered, so it just didn't work well for me.

[Natalie H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sabrina the teenage witch with a b.

Fun, magic entertainment. I liked Dale and Aidan, they were both sweet. Ian seems to be the trickster of the group. I liked the emotional linked magic. The rivalry was a little bit annoying. Would defo read a sequel.

[4foxsake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ensorcelled

Definition- transitive verb : to bewitch, enchant. This book definitely ensorcelled me!! I looooved Max and her friends, not to mention the love interests! Fun story but also had elements of pointing out bullying and getting the best of them mean girl.

[Majanka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book Review originally published here: http://www.iheartreading.net/reviews/...

Last week, I was in the mood for a reverse harem romance. Reverse harem, for those who don’t know, is where one girl has several love interests…and actually ends up with several or all of them! It might be a bit of a strange concept if you’re not used to it, but the last year it’s really gained some fraction in the reading community and more and more people are picking up this genre of books (with more and more writers starting to write in this genre as well). Reverse harem is kind of a guilty pleasure of mine, so I’m glad to see its success growing over the past year.

Anyway, on to this book, Witching on a Star, one of the first reverse harem books I’ve picked up in a while. We meet Max, our heroine, who never expected to find out she was a witch after she graduated high school. But lo and behold, not only does she have powers, her family is actually pretty famous in the witching community, and her grandparents are swimming in cash.

Witch Academy could be fun and exciting, but on the first day, Max already makes enemies out of the current queen bee of the school, and bumps into several guys who each have their unique, interesting personality traits. There’s the typical division: smart but somewhat shy, sexy bad guy, and then two more who don’t make that much of an appearance in this book and weren’t quite that memorable to me. In fact, personality-wise, basically the only one I could tell apart from the others was sexy bad guy. The others are so bland and indescriptive that they might as well be the same person.

So far, the book seems to have everything you’d expect in a reverse harem, right?

Well, it does, but it’s all kind of cringy. The romance is cringy. Everyone Max meets instantly falls in love with her, even willing to put morals and jealousy aside to be with her; they don’t mind if she’s dating multiple guys because she’s Max, the most special snowflake to ever walk this earth.

Max’s special-snowflake behaviour is so annoying. She goes from having no powers to being overpowered in a matter of pages, without actually needing any training. She scarcely spends any time in classes, more often than not hanging out with boys instead.

The villain is a mean girl. Yes, in a world of magic where you could conjure up about any type of villain, the villain Max has to stare down is Sabrina, typical mean girl who used to be queen bee until Max came along, who promptly stole Sabrina’s boyfriend (ex-boyfriend since he dumped Sabrina previously, apparently for cheating on him with his brother… which is exactly what Max ends up doing from the start, out in the open, and he makes no comment about it whatsoever…double standards much?).

The best friend is just filler, and only shows up when Max needs her to, conveniently disappearing at any other moment. The world-building is OK but I’m curious to find out more about this wizarding world and its many families. So far, the school and world feel really, really smal. I would also like to find at least one guy in this series who is NOT instantly falling for Max.

I also picked up book two just because I wanted to see if it would get any better, as despite the mean-girl clichés and Max being a Mary Sue, I am intrigued by the guys and if they will keep swooning over Max or if more drama will come their way. Stay tuned for my review of book two soon.

[AMG · Rating 3 out of 5]

Witches/Instalove/RH MMMM

SYNOPSIS (Books 1&2 of 4): FC discovers she is a witch and decides to attend the witch academy to learn her magic. There she meets and falls for 4 men who she decides to date simultaneously. The FC (and her mother) are estranged from her maternal grandparents - who are a big deal in the magic community - who try to become part of her life. There is a queen bitch who dated one of the FC’s men and who therefore has it out for the FC.

I read Book 1 (although I was skimming by mid way) and tried Book 2 but had to give up.

The books are in need of a good edit and proof read with stupid and annoying mistakes however this was not the reason I gave up on this series. I found the story to be unoriginal, the FC was annoying and the writing too simplistic. For example, when the FC’s ex is set on fire and some fizzy drinks explode the FC instantly decides that she caused these events. She then tells her parents what she thinks and her mother then reveals that she is, in fact, a witch and can decide to either go to human college or witch college. The FC does not puzzle over how this could be or why she was never told she was a witch she just merrily decides to go to witch academy and all is good.

When the FC gets to the academy she meets 4 different men. Within a few chapters they are all chasing after her (although who knows why as she does not seem to be overly attractive or have great personality). The men all seem completely fine with her dating the 3 others. There’s no discussion of RH being the norm or why she would date multiple men, it just is. The men themselves are very basic and stereotypes - the poor boy, the rich brothers and the big strong silent and intense one. The queen bitch is a caricature - she’s blond, snobbish and has her clique of followers. She comes from a powerful family and looks down on everyone else. She dated one of the FC’s men and therefore just keeps going after the FC. It very boring and basic.

The FC herself I just found annoying. She came across as mouthy and opinionated as well as full of herself. I think the author thought this would she her as strong and badass but it missed the mark completely. As mentioned, there is no explanation given as to why 4 men would suddenly fall for her. No explanation as to why the FC thinks it’s OK to date all 4 men and why they would even put up with it. I felt no real connection or chemistry between the characters - even their names were boring - Paul, Ian, Dale??? And absolutely nothing happened except the required bitchy run ins.

So sorry, this series and author were not for me.

[Monica · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm sorta new at the Academy type books. I've read them before so I know they are YA. It means different things to many people. For me YA means they are what it says...young adults. Like around 18-21 range of ages, however, some believe and write them younger around 15-16ish...just depends on the author I guess. I'm not adverse to YA but I dont read them often because it can be confusing and you honestly dont know what your getting until you start reading a little.

This is going to be a rough one y'all. I didnt hate it but I didnt necessarily like it a whole lot either. This has high school all over it. I mean just the general actions of the characters, how they perceived things, how they acted. and what they said. I'm left with this is really immature and not what I expected...these people are supposed to be in COLLEGE and they arent acting like it. It kinda ruins it a bit for me to be honest. The plot is supposed to be her finding out she's a witch and dealing with these powers but we dont know what they are or her Mom's powers for that matter. There's no real conflict in this book other that the "mean girl" bullying thing which has been WAY over done. I want to know more about the school and the different classes and magics that all these other students have. The author just doesnt dwell too long on something she quickly moves on to something else so we lose that particular plot or addition to the story. Why are there 4 guys into her and why is this a RH??? Things like that just are not touched on. What the story behind the guys she's got chemistry with if you can really call it chemistry? At this stage she's just thinking they are hot. There's no development with the relationships period. There's no sex in this just a couple of kisses. Typically the first book in a series we get a lot of information and background and world building etc. We get nothing. We have a female character that kinda just takes things way too easily when she should be freaking out. I realize we can't know everything and thats not what I am asking for just something to draw us in other than high school antics. Just not enough to make me want to read book 2 unfortunately which sucks because I loved the blurb. I dont care enough about the characters. I'm sorry if this comes across as harsh but its how I feel and I wanted to be honest. I was disappointed I didnt like it. :(

[Seraphia Bunny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maxine, a normal teenager, graduated from high school, dealing with typical teenage issues (stress breakouts), etc. It's the day of graduation. She's stressed to the gills. Why? Well, that unsightly blemish on her forehead of course! Plus, she's a bit down behind her ex-boyfriend. He's no good. She can do better. Well, Max is in for a few surprises and they are barreling toward her full force. It all starts at home, but things continue to grow when she believes she accidentally sets her ex-boyfriend's graduation robes on fire. Oops! Of course, there is another incident back at home, and now she's ready to freak out. When she tells her parents her theory...well...they laugh. Hard. Of course, things begin to come together for her when her mom explains the truth. Now, she has a decision to make...continue the path of being "just human" or take a chance and go to this Academy and learn about being a witch. Max is willing to take that step, but what she's not ready for is the drama and chaos that comes with.
Witching on a Star is a fun YA paranormal novel. I like reading about Maxine learning about what she is and taking this journey to becoming a witch. She's a tough road ahead, but if she keeps her head on straight I know that she'll be fine. Of course, there is the touch of how this book is reminiscent of Harry Potter. Not knowing what she is all her life because her mother has suppressed her powers, having the opportunity to become more, and being reluctant yet eager to take it. I like the hinting at more romance. I can assure you I want more. LOL!
There honestly isn't anything that I don't like about this book. It was a fun story to dive into and read. It was so hard to put down!! This author definitely knows how to hook me in and keep me coming back for more.
I am rating this book 5 out of 5 stars. I love paranormal novels and this book is a must-read. Loved it, want more, and soon! If you are a fan of Erin Bedford's then I highly recommend you grab this book. Take a trip! You'll enjoy!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[TXBRITGAL · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful and refreshing

One surprise after another. Maxine (but PLEASE call her Max!!!) thinks her biggest issue is moving away to college in a few weeks. Little does she does she know her entire universe is about this turn on its head. At graduation she sees her massive JERK of an ex boyfriend in the line ahead....all Max can think of is how badly he treated her....out of nowhere his robes suddenly catch aflame. The headmaster blamed him smoking, yet Max knows without a doubt he'd NEVER go near cigarettes after losing a close family member to them...she starts to wonder if it could be her somehow who caused this to happen. Could she possibly be the cause for all these oddities that keep happening?? No need to wait any longer as upon arriving home and sharing what happened, her parents feel the need to sit her down (cue the music). I guess there's no easy way for the "Surprise!! You're a witch!!" talk?? Her parents explain a few major things (for which you need to read the book....come on. now I'm NOT going to tell you everything tsk tsk tsk) and then she must decide SOON to proceed with attending Brown with her crazy BFF Callie, or attend the Witch College. I love this girl....and I get the impression she's a firecracker awaiting the flame to set her free. Something within makes me feel she may be very special indeed....HOWEVER with light comes dark .....there are many who are far from being fans of this new student in their midst. Will she rise to the occasion? Can she make her own little tribe family to count on? Can she start learning the basics and call within her power? I for one am super excited to see what happens next in this supernatural series....and be forewarned it does end with a kind of cliff hanger....it's not tied up neatly with a bow by any means. I'm enjoying the characters, the world building, the rules within this community, and the excitement within. learning family secrets and possibly getting to know her maternal grandparents for the first time in her life. Will she thrive or fall? I greatly look forward to finding out. Here's hoping book 2 comes out soon.

[Hdeanh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not with the majority on this one.
Ever seen Harry Potter? Mean girls?
It’s like the first couple of chapters were from the Harry Potter movie and the rest from mean girls.
Harry, I mean max, finds out she’s a wizard, I mean witch and is set to go to the academy. That went something like this
Your a witch, max
Really? cool!
But you need to give up your human life
Hmmm let me think for a minute
...
Then the next thing we know she’s getting supplies for the academy and even though she spent all this time at home with her mom they never really talk about her being a witch, the academy, magic or her family name.

She gets to the academy where she meets drako malfoy, I mean Sabrina.
This is wear the book gives up on Harry Potter and flashes to mean girls.
Sabrina is straight Ragina. She’s described as having her features, her clothes on the cover of mean girls AND even her two side kicks are described the same as the girls in the movie. This had to have been on purpose and I just missed the joke.
If that wasn’t enough to turn me off the fact that this is suppose to be a college but everyone is acting like they’re in high school did. In no way where these college aged kids.
Max also basically says she’s going to date three boys (2 being brothers) and they all are like, sure, why not? Let’s all Kiss in front of each other before we even really know each other.
Hmmmmm
I may read the next just to see if it bleeds into another movie parody.

[The Mysterious Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

“If you like kick butt females, mean girls who need to learn their place, and sexy wizards who just don't quit, then this is the book for you!”

Umm, yes indeedy. Happily Erin Bedford’s Witching on a Star (book 1 of her new Academy of Witches series) lives up to its billing. While I can tell this is still the building stage, it’s also one sexy hot fun story in and of itself. I think I’m going to absolutely love Maxine (Max), the lead here. She’s really rather perfect as she deals with the unexpected life she’s thrust into. Add in a great cast, both yummy guys (hellooo Ian, Paul, Dale and Aiden) and the B*tch Queen herself (sadly named Sabrina, ruining find Teenage Witch memories) and the result is a truly fun read, with hints of reverse harm heat to come. It works perfectly well as a stand-alone - sort of leaving readers with the same feeling as the first Harry Potter book, completely satisfied but knowing that there is (and yearning for) more. Frankly, but for the fact that I’m literally dictating this review to my husband from my hospital bed, I could go on and on with praises - the book definitely deserves it. Since I can’t do that I will simply note that the book is most definitely one to read, it is easy to highly recommend. I’m definitely looking forward to the next book in this series.

[Melanie S · Rating 3 out of 5]

Making witchcraft ordinary

Thank you, Booksprout, for the ARC of Witching on a Star. This is a voluntary, independent and uncompensated review. Erin Bedford has written a fine book for teens/YA readers. Maxine Norman, typical teen, is waiting impatiently to walk the stage for graduation, when her ex-boyfriend's robe is mysteriously set on fire. Not good. Especially when she thinks she somehow made it happen. Later, re-telling the story to Mom and Dad, she gets the unwelcome news. She did it. She's not a typical teen. She's a witch! And now she must choose whether to remain an ignorant human or become the well-trained powerful witch she was born to be. All the usual post-high school angst and handwringing over college choices, boys and BFFs that ensues is the standard fare of contemporary teen/YA novels, with Max's choice of life path as the cherry on the sundae. It's well-written, clean (as befits the age group) and totally focused on Hot Guys and Mean Girls, and younger readers will eat it up and demand more. More mature readers will either appreciate the trip down memory lane to their own youth, or be indifferent to the mundane and ultimately inconclusive storyline.