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B*WITCH #1
B*WITCH
A lone witch has powers. A coven has a multitude more.
New girl and secret witchl Iris just wants to get through her first day of school without a panic attack. The last thing she expects is to be taken in by a coven of three witches-soft-spoken Greta, thoughtful and musical Ridley, and fiery and spirited Binx. They may be the first witches Iris has met IRL, but their coven is not alone in their small northwestern town.
The Triad is the other coven at their school. When the Triad's not using spells to punish their exes or break up happy couples for fun, they practice dark magic. The two covens have a rivalry stretching all the way back to junior high.
When tragedy strikes and one of their own is murdered, the rival covens must band together to find out who is responsible before it's too late. Someone's anti-witch ideology has turned deadly . . . and one of them is next.
With an inclusive cast of teen witches who leap off the page with style, attitude, and charm, B*Witch is a singable read perfect for fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Mean Girls alike.
New girl and secret witchl Iris just wants to get through her first day of school without a panic attack. The last thing she expects is to be taken in by a coven of three witches-soft-spoken Greta, thoughtful and musical Ridley, and fiery and spirited Binx. They may be the first witches Iris has met IRL, but their coven is not alone in their small northwestern town.
The Triad is the other coven at their school. When the Triad's not using spells to punish their exes or break up happy couples for fun, they practice dark magic. The two covens have a rivalry stretching all the way back to junior high.
When tragedy strikes and one of their own is murdered, the rival covens must band together to find out who is responsible before it's too late. Someone's anti-witch ideology has turned deadly . . . and one of them is next.
With an inclusive cast of teen witches who leap off the page with style, attitude, and charm, B*Witch is a singable read perfect for fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Mean Girls alike.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published July 7, 2020
47 people are currently reading
4087 people want to read
About the author
Paige McKenzie
9 books836 followersPaige is the young star of the hit YouTube channel The Haunting of Sunshine Girl. What began as a simple “girl and her haunted house” story has grown to a multi-webisode network with stories of zombies, ghosts, Sasquatch and lots of Sunshine! Full of positivity, humor and plenty of scares, The Haunting of Sunshine Girl has allowed Paige to spread her unique brand of adorkableness to other teens (and many adults) all over the world! At the age of 16, Paige (along with her mother, actress Mercedes Rose and producing partner, Nick Hagen) co-founded the production company Coat Tale Productions.
Paige's latest book series, B*Witch from Hachette Books hit shelves in 2020. A sequel is planned for 2021. Paige lives in Portland, Oregon with her fur baby, Pongo.
Paige's latest book series, B*Witch from Hachette Books hit shelves in 2020. A sequel is planned for 2021. Paige lives in Portland, Oregon with her fur baby, Pongo.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 153 reviews
March 28, 2020
"Death is the beginning of all transformations."
This was supposed to be Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Mean Girls and maybe throw in a little bit of The Craft for a super binge-worthy read. They’re all things that I love, so I was ecstatic about reading this but it was a disaster.
B*Witch had some great things going for it. It had diversity, a little bit of a mystery, and of course witches but it was poorly executed and extremely predictable.
The mystery didn’t even really begin until I was a hundred plus pages in and they killed off a very insignificant character. They didn’t have much of a backstory and didn’t create that much of a connection with the reader, so I felt nothing when it actually happened.
I know that Witches are making a comeback in books and movies but I need more excitement and I want the words on the page to grab me by the throat.
B*Witch has a great title but not much else going on. It took me quite awhile to get into this even a little bit and that should have been my clue to stop. I don’t think it was worth my time, maybe I’m just too old for something like this.
*Also, someone mentioned that the character with the red hair reminds them of Merida from Brave..... and that’s all I could think about while reading!*
This was supposed to be Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Mean Girls and maybe throw in a little bit of The Craft for a super binge-worthy read. They’re all things that I love, so I was ecstatic about reading this but it was a disaster.
B*Witch had some great things going for it. It had diversity, a little bit of a mystery, and of course witches but it was poorly executed and extremely predictable.
The mystery didn’t even really begin until I was a hundred plus pages in and they killed off a very insignificant character. They didn’t have much of a backstory and didn’t create that much of a connection with the reader, so I felt nothing when it actually happened.
I know that Witches are making a comeback in books and movies but I need more excitement and I want the words on the page to grab me by the throat.
B*Witch has a great title but not much else going on. It took me quite awhile to get into this even a little bit and that should have been my clue to stop. I don’t think it was worth my time, maybe I’m just too old for something like this.
*Also, someone mentioned that the character with the red hair reminds them of Merida from Brave..... and that’s all I could think about while reading!*
April 13, 2020
Witchy, feminist fun! B*WITCH is a spooky, can’t miss YA novel about two covens of teen witches that have to come together to solve the mystery of the murder of a local witch, otherwise one of them just might be next. Brimming with messages about acceptance and inclusion, this book will pull at your heart strings while giving you all the fun, Halloweeny vibes! Out 07/07!
August 31, 2020
Gahhhh! No where does this say it's a part of a series! Curse cliffhangers! I am intrigued to see where they go from here and hope for more unity and less internal drama.
did-not-finish
December 3, 2021DNF - page 153 (46%)
This book made me so incredibly frustrated. I loved the premise. I love alt-history, teen witches, girl power, LGBT.... all that stuff. I love it when you put them together in unique ways.
But this was not well put-together. The writing was generally uninteresting. It was just fine. The characters all felt a bit same-y. The way the narrative touched on social justice issues, though.... that felt kind of weird.
I think we're to the point in diverse literature where I can afford to be a bit of a bitch. :) So, I'm going to say all of this fully knowing that I am being overly critical, because I genuinely believe we can get so much more out of these genres.
There's been a trend in the last few years of diverse, usually with queer characters and female or fem-passing main characters, YA fantasy novels, that ride exclusively on the "woke-ness" of their plots. They address current topics in some fantasy, allegorical way to make big points about social issues. And they're not great. I've found some really amazing ones, but also tons where the writing just isn't all there. And I'm not talking about self-pub or small press, but traditionally published books where the writing and the plot just has not reached the depth that it could have. I want diverse books with amazing writing!!! Please, publishing gods, please. I want a book that doesn't ride exclusively on saying the "correct" social things, but a book that really interrogates these issues with solid storytelling.
I'm not saying this because I disagree with current social justice trends. I am all for them!! (Double minority in religious-ethnic background and being queer myself.) But I need more going on than just complaining about tertiary characters wanting to "fake" be witches and mentioning a Black lesbian presidential candidate in passing. Like... C'mon man.
This story just didn't feel like it had heart. This book was bubblegum and candy when I wanted a meal.
So, maybe B*witch doesn't deserve the brunt of my ire, but.... I deeply apologize that I am not sorry 😂
This book made me so incredibly frustrated. I loved the premise. I love alt-history, teen witches, girl power, LGBT.... all that stuff. I love it when you put them together in unique ways.
But this was not well put-together. The writing was generally uninteresting. It was just fine. The characters all felt a bit same-y. The way the narrative touched on social justice issues, though.... that felt kind of weird.
I think we're to the point in diverse literature where I can afford to be a bit of a bitch. :) So, I'm going to say all of this fully knowing that I am being overly critical, because I genuinely believe we can get so much more out of these genres.
There's been a trend in the last few years of diverse, usually with queer characters and female or fem-passing main characters, YA fantasy novels, that ride exclusively on the "woke-ness" of their plots. They address current topics in some fantasy, allegorical way to make big points about social issues. And they're not great. I've found some really amazing ones, but also tons where the writing just isn't all there. And I'm not talking about self-pub or small press, but traditionally published books where the writing and the plot just has not reached the depth that it could have. I want diverse books with amazing writing!!! Please, publishing gods, please. I want a book that doesn't ride exclusively on saying the "correct" social things, but a book that really interrogates these issues with solid storytelling.
I'm not saying this because I disagree with current social justice trends. I am all for them!! (Double minority in religious-ethnic background and being queer myself.) But I need more going on than just complaining about tertiary characters wanting to "fake" be witches and mentioning a Black lesbian presidential candidate in passing. Like... C'mon man.
This story just didn't feel like it had heart. This book was bubblegum and candy when I wanted a meal.
So, maybe B*witch doesn't deserve the brunt of my ire, but.... I deeply apologize that I am not sorry 😂
September 5, 2020
2 stars? Not so sure?
Honestly, I skimmed the majority of this book and probably would have dnfed it. This was one of those weird books that were not that bad that I would like to continue reading it in order to analyse it for a rant review and at the same time not good or interesting enough for me to go on.
Characters
Personally, it was very difficult for me to differentiate between the characters, because there were so many to remember and hardly one of them was properly introduced to me so I had a hard time with that. I only remember a POC character being a transgirl and one of the witches having an anxiety disorder and I remember a feisty girl named Binks. That's it. Personally, I am very not good with remembering names especially when they are suddenly thrown at me at the same time.
Plot
I remember it also very vague as well, because my interest just lacked. A lot. All I remember is that there are two covens at the school and one is good and one is bad and that there is an activist group that wants witchcraft to be illegal and banned. The plot did not captivate me at all and every time the activists against witchcraft were mentioned I cringed a little inside, because in real life people frankly not care enough whether you mess around with herbs and crystals or not. There are bigger deals like homophobia, racism and climate change. I do not know, but I really could not got with this book and its story and I am not really sure if it is just me or the book.
Honestly, I skimmed the majority of this book and probably would have dnfed it. This was one of those weird books that were not that bad that I would like to continue reading it in order to analyse it for a rant review and at the same time not good or interesting enough for me to go on.
Characters
Personally, it was very difficult for me to differentiate between the characters, because there were so many to remember and hardly one of them was properly introduced to me so I had a hard time with that. I only remember a POC character being a transgirl and one of the witches having an anxiety disorder and I remember a feisty girl named Binks. That's it. Personally, I am very not good with remembering names especially when they are suddenly thrown at me at the same time.
Plot
I remember it also very vague as well, because my interest just lacked. A lot. All I remember is that there are two covens at the school and one is good and one is bad and that there is an activist group that wants witchcraft to be illegal and banned. The plot did not captivate me at all and every time the activists against witchcraft were mentioned I cringed a little inside, because in real life people frankly not care enough whether you mess around with herbs and crystals or not. There are bigger deals like homophobia, racism and climate change. I do not know, but I really could not got with this book and its story and I am not really sure if it is just me or the book.
May 25, 2021
This book was a bit rough to read. On the one hand, I loved all of the queer representation! On the other hand... do these authors know teenagers?
The plot was all over the place and the "teenage dialogue" was hard to read. It was also difficult to keep track of the switching between POVs that just seemed to throw a ton of information at us. There is also the typical "Mean Girls" of the book which was just a huge cliché. Like we have the one big bad mean girl and her two vapid underlings that have no personality like give me a break. Especially since they needed to team up quite a few times and it really shows how the other two girls are just placement holders.
Then we have the witchcraft... It looks like they were trying to draw from actual witchcraft, but then ended up going with colonized wicca route. Especially when one of the girls would "pick a different goddess each week" or something like some of those are closed practices babeyy.
The ending was incredibly weak as well. [Spoilers ahead] This whole time we are building up to figuring things out, we have finally figured things out, psych! Nevermind! Take this memory erase spell and basically start all over again. We didn't solve ANYTHIGN at the end, like I understand this is a series but... you can't be hoping people will wait for you bullshit to resolve in the next one. Like here's an example: I sure as hell will not be reading the next book, because of how yall handled the ending. Leave us with some sort of accomplishment that this book even MEANT ANYTHING other than "oooh let's reveal to the reader so they know everything that's going on, but our characters have to figure it out again for an entire other book" Do you think readers enjoy that??? I sure as hell don't.
So, basically, I should've listened to the other reviews on here calling out how not good this book was but I was dragged in by the queer representation...
P.S. No person on earth has ever said "LOL" out loud please don't do this in your next book i'm begging you.
The plot was all over the place and the "teenage dialogue" was hard to read. It was also difficult to keep track of the switching between POVs that just seemed to throw a ton of information at us. There is also the typical "Mean Girls" of the book which was just a huge cliché. Like we have the one big bad mean girl and her two vapid underlings that have no personality like give me a break. Especially since they needed to team up quite a few times and it really shows how the other two girls are just placement holders.
Then we have the witchcraft... It looks like they were trying to draw from actual witchcraft, but then ended up going with colonized wicca route. Especially when one of the girls would "pick a different goddess each week" or something like some of those are closed practices babeyy.
The ending was incredibly weak as well. [Spoilers ahead] This whole time we are building up to figuring things out, we have finally figured things out, psych! Nevermind! Take this memory erase spell and basically start all over again. We didn't solve ANYTHIGN at the end, like I understand this is a series but... you can't be hoping people will wait for you bullshit to resolve in the next one. Like here's an example: I sure as hell will not be reading the next book, because of how yall handled the ending. Leave us with some sort of accomplishment that this book even MEANT ANYTHING other than "oooh let's reveal to the reader so they know everything that's going on, but our characters have to figure it out again for an entire other book" Do you think readers enjoy that??? I sure as hell don't.
So, basically, I should've listened to the other reviews on here calling out how not good this book was but I was dragged in by the queer representation...
P.S. No person on earth has ever said "LOL" out loud please don't do this in your next book i'm begging you.
July 6, 2020
2.5 stars.
B*witch had an interesting concept, and I appreciated the themes of diversity and sisterhood. I especially enjoyed Iris' journey with her anxiety disorder. *However*, there is a lot that fell short with me.
First, the number of characters and POVs were a little too much. I couldn't tell whose story we were truly following. A lot of the beginning was repetitive in each POV. There wasn't a clear enough direction to really drive the plot in the beginning, imo. The main inciting incident isn't really clear? Was it the death of the minor character that no one cared about? Because if so, it happened almost midway through the book.
Additionally, I actually was enjoying the ending before the anticlimactic plot twist happened and made everything feel lackluster. I think the authors had good intentions with their twists, but they failed to keep the excitement up in the last few pages of the book.
Overall, this was a quick read, but it could definitely use some work. I think it would do better with a more solid direction in order to have a clearer narrative.
Thanks to NOVL for sending me this ARC after Couchfest!
B*witch had an interesting concept, and I appreciated the themes of diversity and sisterhood. I especially enjoyed Iris' journey with her anxiety disorder. *However*, there is a lot that fell short with me.
First, the number of characters and POVs were a little too much. I couldn't tell whose story we were truly following. A lot of the beginning was repetitive in each POV. There wasn't a clear enough direction to really drive the plot in the beginning, imo. The main inciting incident isn't really clear? Was it the death of the minor character that no one cared about? Because if so, it happened almost midway through the book.
Additionally, I actually was enjoying the ending before the anticlimactic plot twist happened and made everything feel lackluster. I think the authors had good intentions with their twists, but they failed to keep the excitement up in the last few pages of the book.
Overall, this was a quick read, but it could definitely use some work. I think it would do better with a more solid direction in order to have a clearer narrative.
Thanks to NOVL for sending me this ARC after Couchfest!
November 2, 2020
When I first heard about B*Wicth I was really looking forward to it. I mean Buffy and Mean Girls? Yes, please sign me up. Unfortunately, I have to say that I was expecting more.
I couldn't get into the story and had a lot of trouble connecting with it all. I love the idea behind it and I do think that the book tackles important themes but it fell a bit short for me. It felt like half of the story was just putting in place some characters and the social-context and didn't have a plot. By the time the action got started I have to say that I completely lost interest in it.
On a positive note, we get a lot of diversity from B*Witch. Very happy to see a trans character that are very often underrepresented.
If you liked books like Dorothy Must Die or Splintered, chances are you might enjoy B*Witch
I couldn't get into the story and had a lot of trouble connecting with it all. I love the idea behind it and I do think that the book tackles important themes but it fell a bit short for me. It felt like half of the story was just putting in place some characters and the social-context and didn't have a plot. By the time the action got started I have to say that I completely lost interest in it.
On a positive note, we get a lot of diversity from B*Witch. Very happy to see a trans character that are very often underrepresented.
If you liked books like Dorothy Must Die or Splintered, chances are you might enjoy B*Witch
July 6, 2021
Slooooooooooooooooow and in my humble opinion boooooooooooooooooooooring. Nothing happened and it happened slowly.
Some high school girls are witches, groups of people don't like witches, another group, not introduced until the end, want to kill specific witches.
There are a bunch of names, most of which don't matter. Two covens, of 3 witches each, plus two new girls. You can shake the names up to rearrange the groups and nothing changes.
Maybe if this were reimagined as the boring prologue to the real story that someone absolutely loved it would work; for me, however, it did not.
Some high school girls are witches, groups of people don't like witches, another group, not introduced until the end, want to kill specific witches.
There are a bunch of names, most of which don't matter. Two covens, of 3 witches each, plus two new girls. You can shake the names up to rearrange the groups and nothing changes.
Maybe if this were reimagined as the boring prologue to the real story that someone absolutely loved it would work; for me, however, it did not.
dnf
October 3, 2020Ouch, two DNFs in one day!! This YA book has a very cool witchy cover but unfortunately that's all it had going for it. The writing is just really bad. Cliché-ridden, predictable, a lot of telling instead of showing, hitting you over the head with its message (not that I disagree but still). Oh well. This apparently has some teen trans representation so that's cool.
November 1, 2020
2.5 stars
When I first read the synopsis of B*Witch, I was really looking forward to this story. I'm a big fan of stories with witches and magic. Unfortunately, it just didn't really work for me. My biggest struggle was the constant switch of POVs. It felt like just a bit too much and it wasn't really clear where the main focus was at.
I enjoyed the diversity and the idea of the plot, but it took awhile for the actual plot to get started and it felt rushed near the end. If I'm honest, after finishing I'm still not really sure what happened. I loved the idea of how their magic worked and in this case how it was seen as illegal. I just wished I loved it more than I did. The familiars were my favorite part of this book. I just have a soft spot for animals.
When I first read the synopsis of B*Witch, I was really looking forward to this story. I'm a big fan of stories with witches and magic. Unfortunately, it just didn't really work for me. My biggest struggle was the constant switch of POVs. It felt like just a bit too much and it wasn't really clear where the main focus was at.
I enjoyed the diversity and the idea of the plot, but it took awhile for the actual plot to get started and it felt rushed near the end. If I'm honest, after finishing I'm still not really sure what happened. I loved the idea of how their magic worked and in this case how it was seen as illegal. I just wished I loved it more than I did. The familiars were my favorite part of this book. I just have a soft spot for animals.
October 4, 2024
SO silly but also SO good. Was left on the edge of my seat and might even read the second one 🤐 a perfect fall/ spooky listen!
September 8, 2021
LGBTQ+ book
I had a little trouble with all the characters at the beginning. Once I got to understand them more I was very happy. I love witch books and devoured this one in a day in a half. It was a perfect YA witch book. The only thing is the HUGE cliffhanger. I mean huge cliffhanger than left you going WTF?!! I cannot wait for the second one and preordered it immediately after finishing this one.
I had a little trouble with all the characters at the beginning. Once I got to understand them more I was very happy. I love witch books and devoured this one in a day in a half. It was a perfect YA witch book. The only thing is the HUGE cliffhanger. I mean huge cliffhanger than left you going WTF?!! I cannot wait for the second one and preordered it immediately after finishing this one.
March 19, 2022
A good idea rather badly executed.
I really grew to like the characters and the world that the story was set in. However, often the allegories for discrimination and oppression were stated rather bluntly. Instead of letting the reader explore the world really through the eyes of the protagonist, the protagonist often reflected on their world in an artificial way. Nonetheless, I liked the story-arch and I really enjoyed the writing once the pace of the story became a bit quicker.
I really grew to like the characters and the world that the story was set in. However, often the allegories for discrimination and oppression were stated rather bluntly. Instead of letting the reader explore the world really through the eyes of the protagonist, the protagonist often reflected on their world in an artificial way. Nonetheless, I liked the story-arch and I really enjoyed the writing once the pace of the story became a bit quicker.
November 18, 2021
3.5
Action really picked up at the end and it was getting more interesting. Parts were very teenish with drama that didn't really add to the story and seemed to slow the pace. I would pick up the sequel.
Action really picked up at the end and it was getting more interesting. Parts were very teenish with drama that didn't really add to the story and seemed to slow the pace. I would pick up the sequel.
March 10, 2020
WHY DOES THE RED-HAIRED GIRL ON THE COVER LOOK EXACTLY LIKE MERIDA FROM BRAVE??? IT'S BEEN BUGGING ME FOR DAYS
October 15, 2020
Unfortunately I could not get into this one. I read about 60 pages but it just wasn't working for me.
I'm so sad😭😭😭
I'm so sad😭😭😭
January 10, 2022
this was so poorly written I cannot fathom why it was not in the kids' section of barnes and noble or how I had the misfortune of reading it
October 5, 2022
This book is about Iris who recently moved to Sorrow Point, Washington, and just wants to make it through her first day of school. At her school are two secret witch covens, both with three girls. She joins them as they receive a mysterious letter, although the two covens don’t get along well they work together to solve the mystery that becomes much bigger than they expected.
I definitely liked this book as it was fun trying to piece together the mystery as I was reading. I also found it nice how even though Iris was the main character the other witches were just as important and had their own chapters from their perspective. The beginning was a bit slow leading up to the more interesting parts of the book but on the other hand it was also a great way to get to know more about the characters personality and personal life. I’d give this book a 7/10.
-Review by Margaret
I definitely liked this book as it was fun trying to piece together the mystery as I was reading. I also found it nice how even though Iris was the main character the other witches were just as important and had their own chapters from their perspective. The beginning was a bit slow leading up to the more interesting parts of the book but on the other hand it was also a great way to get to know more about the characters personality and personal life. I’d give this book a 7/10.
-Review by Margaret
September 9, 2020
Perfect mystery read for fall!
I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading this book. This book has so many cute, quirky elements entangled with a more complex plot. It took a while for the “darkness” of the plot to form, however once it did I was hooked!
I think it’s important that the readers keep in mind that this book is a YA novel. The writing can seem a bit...young (for lack of a better term) with the use of slang and replacing curse words with ‘hex’. For me, it wasn’t distracting but rather enjoyable making me chuckle a few times.
Shout out for this being a great queer novel!! There are different sexual orientations discussed in this book that almost makes it normalized, which is something I’d love to see more of in the series.
Overall, if you are looking for a good book that quickly gets you into the Halloween spirit I recommend this! I can’t wait for the second book to come out because...man...what a cliffhanger!
I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading this book. This book has so many cute, quirky elements entangled with a more complex plot. It took a while for the “darkness” of the plot to form, however once it did I was hooked!
I think it’s important that the readers keep in mind that this book is a YA novel. The writing can seem a bit...young (for lack of a better term) with the use of slang and replacing curse words with ‘hex’. For me, it wasn’t distracting but rather enjoyable making me chuckle a few times.
Shout out for this being a great queer novel!! There are different sexual orientations discussed in this book that almost makes it normalized, which is something I’d love to see more of in the series.
Overall, if you are looking for a good book that quickly gets you into the Halloween spirit I recommend this! I can’t wait for the second book to come out because...man...what a cliffhanger!
December 26, 2020
Im so upset! I was so looking forward to this! I think there were too many POV and no real main character. I also felt like there was a lot going on but nothing happened. I thought they would go more into some of the characters, like would Ridley come out as trans (to her family or to her friends), would we find out more about Greta and Divs relationship and if there were still feelings there? What happened to Mrs O’shea? Who’s Margaret? Was Conrads family really antima? Was Div getting knocked out important? Too many plot holes and no conformation on a sequel. Also the end happened very fast and nobody remembers it! Whats the point? I would be interested in reading a continuation of this, if there is one, for more answers and hopefully character development. I just think the book was a bit of a mess.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 1, 2023
This book is very interesting, for a lil background info, it's about witches, the government, and a lot more. At first I thought it was a middle grade book about these witches and their everyday lives, but it's so much more than that. The more you read the more confusing it gets. Just read it, it's really good!
September 27, 2021
3.5 stars. Yep, I liked it, though it isn't without some writing issues - and no, I don't think it needs to be a series, but maybe a duology - but I did enjoy reading it, and I think younger teens will really like it.
Update: It looks like it is a duology, so yay!
Update: It looks like it is a duology, so yay!
June 4, 2023
Aaaghhh it ended on a cliffhanger (ish)!!! Noooo. I hate it when authors do that! *cue dramatic sobbing & gnashing of teeth*
August 22, 2020
For a group of teen girls living in a very anti-witch America (seriously, their President is passing a bill that takes away a witch's rights), they sure do use their magic in public a carelessly high amount. Also I was hoping this was a standalone book but it appears to be the start of a series.
September 5, 2023
Once I finally got into it, I really liked this! I love that it has trans rep and witches of different ethnicities. I liked the mystery aspect of it, too. I can’t wait to pick up the sequel soon!
dnf
August 11, 2021DNF @ 35%
CW: anxiety, panic attacks
This book was difficult to get into. There was a lot of info-dumping and pop-culture references. It felt as if the author was trying to throw too much into the book. The characters were indistinguishable. The witches being discriminated against was a heavy-handed metaphor for discrimination in the US. All of these factors hindered any story that was left. The book tried to be quirky and representative and feminist, but it was not well done and left me dizzy trying to find a character or plot to hold on to.
Thoughts on anxiety rep:
This was the first physical book I received from a publisher, so I was super excited to read it, but unfortunately it was disappointing.
I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher.
CW: anxiety, panic attacks
This book was difficult to get into. There was a lot of info-dumping and pop-culture references. It felt as if the author was trying to throw too much into the book. The characters were indistinguishable. The witches being discriminated against was a heavy-handed metaphor for discrimination in the US. All of these factors hindered any story that was left. The book tried to be quirky and representative and feminist, but it was not well done and left me dizzy trying to find a character or plot to hold on to.
Thoughts on anxiety rep:
This was the first physical book I received from a publisher, so I was super excited to read it, but unfortunately it was disappointing.
I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher.
September 17, 2020
3.5 stars?
the book started off very promising. at first, it was kinda hard to remember all of the characters, but as i got a bit further into the book, i could differentiate between them.
what was my problem with this book? i honestly can’t tell you.
i kinda had problems with the sudden genre change, where a dark mystery was introduced, since it was so abruptly. i feel like i also had to suspend my disbelief, since a bunch of weird cult like stuff started to happen.
my biggest problems with this book was in the last 2 hours of the audiobook.
but that was probably mostly on me. i hadn’t listened to this book for a long time, because i mostly listened to it at night when i couldn’t sleep. this also allowed the book to become a sort of safe space for me. but as i had not listened to it in a while, my mental health is also not doing the best. i feel kinda distanced all of the time atm, so i was also distanced from the book.
the characters? very promising and i like them a lot.
with the ending the book had, i’m guessing it’s a series. hopefully i’ll be in a better place when the next book comes out (if there will be a next book) and i will definitely read it.
to sum up, my problems was that i thought it was a chill witchy read, but suddenly i’m thrown into this gigantic world of ??? i don’t even know. is it a bad thing? maybe, maybe not.
the book started off very promising. at first, it was kinda hard to remember all of the characters, but as i got a bit further into the book, i could differentiate between them.
what was my problem with this book? i honestly can’t tell you.
i kinda had problems with the sudden genre change, where a dark mystery was introduced, since it was so abruptly. i feel like i also had to suspend my disbelief, since a bunch of weird cult like stuff started to happen.
my biggest problems with this book was in the last 2 hours of the audiobook.
but that was probably mostly on me. i hadn’t listened to this book for a long time, because i mostly listened to it at night when i couldn’t sleep. this also allowed the book to become a sort of safe space for me. but as i had not listened to it in a while, my mental health is also not doing the best. i feel kinda distanced all of the time atm, so i was also distanced from the book.
the characters? very promising and i like them a lot.
with the ending the book had, i’m guessing it’s a series. hopefully i’ll be in a better place when the next book comes out (if there will be a next book) and i will definitely read it.
to sum up, my problems was that i thought it was a chill witchy read, but suddenly i’m thrown into this gigantic world of ??? i don’t even know. is it a bad thing? maybe, maybe not.
August 22, 2023
B*Witch by Paige McKenzie and Nancy Ohlin is perfect for fans who want a fantastically written read about teen witches.
Will the two covens get along to stop the threat?
The two covens and the two new witches in town all meet at Sorrow Point High School. The worldbuilding and the magic system that Ms. McKenzie and Ms. Ohlin created are fantastic. I loved how they incorporated it into US history and how, at the beginning of each new chapter or section, there is something about witchcraft mentioned. There is a lot to love about this book, and I just devoured it once I started reading. I also love how they curse by saying "hex" instead of whatever curse word fits into that sentence.
The baddies within this world are fantastic, especially why someone killed the other witch.
The Characters
Here are the teen witches that we meet.
The Triad
First up, I'm mentioning the Triad, who are, basically, in my head, the Mean Girls version of this book.
We have the leader of the coven, Divinity "Div" Florescu. Div is the Regina George of this pack, and she wants to have all the witches at her school to be in her coven. Of course, not everyone agrees with the practice of dark magic, which is what she does. Div's familiar also happens to be a snake, and it's pretty creepy. I do love Div, as she's one of those characters that you just hate while still loving the character.
The other two members are Mira Jahani and Aysha Rodriguez. Now, Mira and Aysha were a duo before Div found them and recruited them to join her coven. Mira and Aysha are the Karen and Gretchen of the group, and they love to practice dark magic. This whole coven doesn't like to follow the sunshine and daisy route of Callixta Crowe's teachings through her grimoire, which was leaked to various sites by one of her descendants. I like how Mira and Aysha were friends first, and then they joined Div's coven while also still honestly showing emotions that differ from Div's.
The Good Coven
Now, this group loves to practice Callixta Crowe's teachings through her grimoire and everything that it symbolizes by using their magic for good and not evil.
The leader of this coven is Greta Navarro. Greta is the complete polar opposite of Div. In that sense, she's all about loving nature, and doing things that are for the good in their lives. Greta's magic is green witch magic, and I think it's fabulous. I love how she has this whole garden that she keeps healthy all the time. Greta has a cat familiar.
The members are Ridley Stone and Beatrix "Binx" Kato. We learn a lot about Ridley throughout the book, but from what I can tell you is that she loves music and likes to follow Callixta's teachings. What I like about Ridley is that even though she moved to Sorrow Point last year is that she still has her own secrets from the group, but that doesn't stop her magic from flowing when they need her help. Ridley's familiar is a rabbit.
Binx is an amazing character. She is a cyber witch, and I honestly love how she puts her own spin on the whole witchcraft thing. Binx is Asian American and lets it show through how she dresses and acts at school while not letting anyone know that she's a witch. Honestly, I love Binx and how she uses Pokemon in her witchcraft, along with using her computer skills to let her magic flow through.
The Two New Witches
For the two new witches and students at the school. We have Penelope Hart and Iris Gooding.
Penelope Hart is a witch, but we don't know much about her magic. She is also dating a boy named Colter Jessup. Honestly, Penelope seems like a cool character, and I would love to be able to meet her as she seems so cool. Plus, she's a beautuber! Penelope's familiar is a dog.
Iris Gooding is an intuitive witch. She has a bunch of anxiety problems and is neurodivergent, so she has an IEP that makes it so she can wear noise-canceling headphones to be able to focus. I have to say that Iris has a lot of problems, but when it comes to her magic, it's pretty cool. Iris is also a big gamer which is great for Binx to have another witch to talk to about those things if they are able to talk to each other.
Here's to hoping in the next book, we see more of the two of them and how they deal with their magic.
Five Stars
Overall I am giving five stars to B*Witch by Paige McKenzie and Nancy Ohlin. I am also recommending it to anyone who loves a good teen witch book. I completely devoured this one, and I can't wait until I get the next book to find out what happens next. Ms. McKenzie and Ms. Ohlin did amazing work on bringing this novel to life and how they made their world work with what they wanted to accomplish.
B*Witch Series
Will the two covens get along to stop the threat?
The two covens and the two new witches in town all meet at Sorrow Point High School. The worldbuilding and the magic system that Ms. McKenzie and Ms. Ohlin created are fantastic. I loved how they incorporated it into US history and how, at the beginning of each new chapter or section, there is something about witchcraft mentioned. There is a lot to love about this book, and I just devoured it once I started reading. I also love how they curse by saying "hex" instead of whatever curse word fits into that sentence.
The baddies within this world are fantastic, especially why someone killed the other witch.
The Characters
Here are the teen witches that we meet.
The Triad
First up, I'm mentioning the Triad, who are, basically, in my head, the Mean Girls version of this book.
We have the leader of the coven, Divinity "Div" Florescu. Div is the Regina George of this pack, and she wants to have all the witches at her school to be in her coven. Of course, not everyone agrees with the practice of dark magic, which is what she does. Div's familiar also happens to be a snake, and it's pretty creepy. I do love Div, as she's one of those characters that you just hate while still loving the character.
The other two members are Mira Jahani and Aysha Rodriguez. Now, Mira and Aysha were a duo before Div found them and recruited them to join her coven. Mira and Aysha are the Karen and Gretchen of the group, and they love to practice dark magic. This whole coven doesn't like to follow the sunshine and daisy route of Callixta Crowe's teachings through her grimoire, which was leaked to various sites by one of her descendants. I like how Mira and Aysha were friends first, and then they joined Div's coven while also still honestly showing emotions that differ from Div's.
The Good Coven
Now, this group loves to practice Callixta Crowe's teachings through her grimoire and everything that it symbolizes by using their magic for good and not evil.
The leader of this coven is Greta Navarro. Greta is the complete polar opposite of Div. In that sense, she's all about loving nature, and doing things that are for the good in their lives. Greta's magic is green witch magic, and I think it's fabulous. I love how she has this whole garden that she keeps healthy all the time. Greta has a cat familiar.
The members are Ridley Stone and Beatrix "Binx" Kato. We learn a lot about Ridley throughout the book, but from what I can tell you is that she loves music and likes to follow Callixta's teachings. What I like about Ridley is that even though she moved to Sorrow Point last year is that she still has her own secrets from the group, but that doesn't stop her magic from flowing when they need her help. Ridley's familiar is a rabbit.
Binx is an amazing character. She is a cyber witch, and I honestly love how she puts her own spin on the whole witchcraft thing. Binx is Asian American and lets it show through how she dresses and acts at school while not letting anyone know that she's a witch. Honestly, I love Binx and how she uses Pokemon in her witchcraft, along with using her computer skills to let her magic flow through.
The Two New Witches
For the two new witches and students at the school. We have Penelope Hart and Iris Gooding.
Penelope Hart is a witch, but we don't know much about her magic. She is also dating a boy named Colter Jessup. Honestly, Penelope seems like a cool character, and I would love to be able to meet her as she seems so cool. Plus, she's a beautuber! Penelope's familiar is a dog.
Iris Gooding is an intuitive witch. She has a bunch of anxiety problems and is neurodivergent, so she has an IEP that makes it so she can wear noise-canceling headphones to be able to focus. I have to say that Iris has a lot of problems, but when it comes to her magic, it's pretty cool. Iris is also a big gamer which is great for Binx to have another witch to talk to about those things if they are able to talk to each other.
Here's to hoping in the next book, we see more of the two of them and how they deal with their magic.
Five Stars
Overall I am giving five stars to B*Witch by Paige McKenzie and Nancy Ohlin. I am also recommending it to anyone who loves a good teen witch book. I completely devoured this one, and I can't wait until I get the next book to find out what happens next. Ms. McKenzie and Ms. Ohlin did amazing work on bringing this novel to life and how they made their world work with what they wanted to accomplish.
B*Witch Series
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of B*Witch by Paige McKenzie and Nancy Ohlin.
Until the next time,
Happy Reading!
This review was originally posted on Baroness' Book Trove
March 3, 2020
I was given this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The pacing of this one was so odd. It was rolling, rolling, rolling and then BOOM! Everything went off at once. And then it just...fizzled out? Kind of bizarre. Kind of drabble-like. I assume there will be a second book?
I enjoyed almost all of the characters, and I appreciated the diversity in race, gender identity, and sexuality. It felt a little diverse-just-to-be-diverse at times, and I wished they had integrated the girls' personalities better with the story itself instead of awkwardly developing them at key moments in the plot.
The plot... It was a little hard to get invested in. There was too much mystery and not enough pay-off, so it felt like loose ends were smacking me in the face all over the place. I think this is a great book for the age-group it's designed for, but a little too young for older high-schoolers or other young adults in the older age range.
The pacing of this one was so odd. It was rolling, rolling, rolling and then BOOM! Everything went off at once. And then it just...fizzled out? Kind of bizarre. Kind of drabble-like. I assume there will be a second book?
I enjoyed almost all of the characters, and I appreciated the diversity in race, gender identity, and sexuality. It felt a little diverse-just-to-be-diverse at times, and I wished they had integrated the girls' personalities better with the story itself instead of awkwardly developing them at key moments in the plot.
The plot... It was a little hard to get invested in. There was too much mystery and not enough pay-off, so it felt like loose ends were smacking me in the face all over the place. I think this is a great book for the age-group it's designed for, but a little too young for older high-schoolers or other young adults in the older age range.
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