The Trouble With Magic

The Elemental Witch #1

by Tania Hutley, Trudi Jaye

I didn’t quit being a witch.

It was more like getting fired.

But now witches are dying, and my unstable magic might be the only way to catch a supernatural killer.

Add in a pack of demonic dogs, a chicken with a grudge, and a hot detective who wants to lock me up, and I doubt I’ll survive the week.
____________

If your favorite Buffy The Vampire Slayer character was Dark Willow, and you think the best Harry Potter spells were the unforgiveable curses, you’ll love this funny, fast-paced Urban Fantasy series!

Genres: Magic, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Supernatural, Romance, Fiction, Fantasy

280 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 28, 2019

Reviews

[Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book from the Goodreads giveaways. It was a cute, fun, paranormal cozy mystery. It's a very light read. I liked it but it wasn't something that was totally holding my attention. I found myself thinking about other books I wanted to read while I was reading this one. But then again, cozy mysteries aren't among my favorite type of books to read. If you like cozy mysteries then you would probably enjoy this.

[Bookgyrl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sapphira is a young witch with her powers bound by the Blood Council. After her parents got killed she got her mothers Animal magic and combined with the Earth magic she already possessed it was a too dangerous combination.

When her cousin is murdered and Sapphira is considered a prime suspect by the police, she decides to investigate. Is the murder connected to her parents’ death? Handsome police detective Xander doesn’t believe magic exists until he meets Saffy and he has to help her fight a dangerous demon.

The book kept my interest and is written really well. I just think the worldbuilding was a bit narrow. I wanted to know more about the witches, the magic and such. It seemed contained to a small group of people. Like a magical cozy mystery.

For me this rated 3,5 stars. It is the first in a series and has potential. Loved the chicken bits so upped it to a 4.

I requested and received an ARC via Booksprout and this is my honest and voluntary review.

[Lesley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saffy’s magic has been unstable since the death of her mother when she absorbed her animal magic. Along with her own earth magic both are amplified and tangled together. The Blood Council bound her powers and left her to fend for herself bereft of magic, until that is a demon starts killing Council members and the binding loosens. Saffy finds herself, for the second time in her life, accused of the murder of a family member. The detective on the case may be hot but how does she persuade him to look elsewhere for the killer, when even the witch community are convinced that she had a hand in the murders? Good characters, interesting plot.
The story continues into the next book.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book from the author. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of Trudi’s and I loved every minute of this story. Saffy is such a strong character, and I excited to see what she encounters in the next book. Xander is a hunk and I thought he and Saffy had great chemistry. I found myself laughing with them as they joked around and I can’t wait for them to take things to the next level.

I think that this was a great first book in the series to get our feet wet in the world of magic. I hope to learn more about the history and other witches once Saffy becomes more involved. I’m also dying to know the significance of the ring!! I need the next book now!

I received a copy and volunteered to review it.

[Elizabeth McDaniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saphirra had her powers bound after she absorbed her mother’s magic when she died. She wasn’t allowed to ever do magic again. Then one day a freak accident happens and she accidentally changes her mean neighbor into a chicken. Saphirra goes to her aunts house so she can change her neighbor back but finds her murdered like her mother was. Then she gets blamed for it. Can she solve the mystery of who is killing witches? Will she be able to make things right? Exciting and intriguing story with fun characters.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Joy Whiteside · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an awesome read. From the moment that I started, it had me so into it there was no putting it down. It moved along at a great pace, it was the perfect reading speed, not to fast nor to slow. The characters, WOW, you cannot help but fall in love with them. No matter what happens you want to see them succeed and overcome whatever may get in the way. Once you are done you want more, no doubt about it.

This book has to be on your TBR list, you will not be sorry. I know that I cannot wait to read more.

This was awesome.

[Caroline Doig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sapphira’s Magic has been unstable since her mother died when she got her mother’s animal magic but Sapphira has her own earth magic but both had bound together which made Sapphira very dangerous until the council bound her powers. When Sapphira’s cousin dies the same way her mother did Sapphira is accused of the crime and when the detective that gets involved believes that she had done it. I loved this story and I can’t wait to get the next book in this series and I highly recommend this book it’s definitely well worth the read.

[Rachel Benham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not put it down. Saffrinia, Saffy, is a witch whose powers are bound. She is being accused of murders she did not commit. Xander is the detective who was trying to pin them on her, well at first. After he tags along with her he sees more that he is willing to admit is real. Now that they fixed one problem and found who was murdering the witches, now Saffy has another big problem to deal with. I can't wait to read the next book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a genre that I don't usually read but I really enjoyed this book. It was well-written, had well-developed characters, an innovative plot, clever dialogue, the introduction of a nice romance and some really funny touches of humor. And, the chicken ... I loved the chicken! The only thing wrong was that the ending left me wanting much, much more. I will be keeping an eye out for the next book in this series.
I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway for this honest review.

[Penny Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book!

This is one of those stories that you stay up late to finish, then your ready to start another. Such a great read!

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bound

This book is a first in series featuring a witch whose powers have been bound by the Blood Council because she cannot control them. To make ends meet, she works as a stone mason and has taken in a renter for her extra bedroom. But trouble has a way of finding her and a new friend who is a police detective may be her best bet for getting clear of it. The ending is unresolved and I won't be continuing. This book gets 3 stars.

[Drpsychorat · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book really kept my interest & was a guilty pleasure to read. It was exciting as well as compelling and had characters you could enjoy & hate. However, it had too much teenage flirting. Worse than that, I figured out the bad guy way before the end- I really hate doing that. Nonetheless, I am glad I read it because it was a light fantasy and I will definitely read the next adventure.

[Hanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF
Something's very wrong when the more you read of the mc the less you like her
The chaotic, messy, almost clumsy writing style didn't help either.
Or the major case of TSTL she's got going on paired with ignorance? obliviousness? plain stupid?
I had this whole rant prepared in my head, but really I just want to move on

[Edilson DaSilva · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a great book for those who like fantasy fiction-like books. I'm a bit disappointed, though. The author mentioned many things; only people affectionated with magic stuff can decipher it.

[sigh ra · Rating 2 out of 5]

very predictable plot, no character depth, slow at first and then waayyy too fast paced at the end. but i'm in a reading slump and my brain ate this up.

[Todd Hogan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the beginning of this clever book very much. The authors introduced a witch whose powers had been contained because she was suspected of complicity in her parents' murder. However, her powers were too vibrant to remain bottled up for long. As a result of the murder of the witch's cousin, the witch finds her supernatural constraints slipping, sometimes to her detriment. She inadvertently changes her busybody neighbor who merely came by to complain about the heavy metal music she was blasting, into a chicken. The neighbor remains that way through most of the book, but under the protection of the protagonist witch.

The trouble with the book occurs when it changes from a funny commentary on witches to a murder mystery, complete with a hunky detective who falls in love with the protagonist, despite the fact that the protagonist is a suspect in at least three deaths.

But the worst part is that the story is never resolved. This is part of a series, so the authors apparently thought it was okay to just stop writing at some point, to be picked up later. As a result, there is no structure that is built satisfactorily and no resolution of any particular points.

So, the book disappointed me despite the chuckle-inducing opening.

[Michelle Incognito · Rating 3 out of 5]

rated 3.5

This one started out interesting but sadly fizzled out for me. My main problem is the protagonist. She doesn't have anything positive going for her except having an ordinary guy who wants to help. Not only is her magic blocked, but she seems to have minimal magic knowledge and her personality is very timid(she can't handle an old lady or chicken?). The other thing I didn't like was the Blood Council. They felt like a bunch of faceless nobodies that were only there to give the MC a hard time. As secondary characters they were all completely one dimensional.

I still think this could be a good series. I have to remind myself that in Urban Fantasy the protagonist is often presented with personality flaws & physical weaknesses in the first book. These are things that tend to change or improve in following books as the character grows. I found this to be true in several UF series I read. The first book is always the toughest to get your point across. So while I had problems with this particular book I may still decide to read the next one.

[John Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not usually a fan of paranormal about witches, but this was an exception. It had a snarky protagonist whose magic wasn't often under her control, a cop who you knew from the moment he arrived, was going to create sparks, a well crafted plot and plenty of action. I'm already awaiting the arrival of the next book in this series.

[bookgeek607 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saphirra Black is a witch in a sense, only she can not use her magic due to it being bound by the blood council. When her mother died she some how absorbed her magic making hers unstable and wild.
When rebuilding her new life, and feeling as if she is adjusting to being a mere human, her cousin is murdered like her mother. Placing her as the prime suspect at the same time.
With the help of a chicken, a rat, and a homicide detective, who isn’t sure if she is innocent, she embarks on the path of finding who had done it.
Fast paced, excellent read! It was a hook line sinker for me right from the start. Hutley & Jaye have hit it out of the park with this one. I’m excited to see where they go from here!

[Tina Layner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is the first in the series. Sapphira is a witch that got her mothers animal magic when she died. Even though she wasn't allowed to use her magic, she did anyway when everything went haywire.
I enjoyed reading this book and hope to read more from this author in the future.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Mary T · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. A young witch has her magic bound after her parents die. She is accused of killing them and no one believes her. Then she is at the scene of another murder. This time it is her cousin who is killed the same way as her parents and again she is blamed for the death. Who is killing witches and why? This a very good story.

[MKYHome · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magic Corrupts

Murder mystery with a large amount of magic. Beginning of a new series that the author provides some world building and character development without distracting from the story. So many types, light and dark with mundanes thrown in despite paranormal activity. Looking forward to the next book.

[TheBookishK9RN · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one fast paced mystery. There is constant action and a side of detective beefcake. Great start to a series tht keeps you panting for more.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kerri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great quick read!

This was a very fast paced entertaining read. It was written well and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. My only complaint was that I found it predictable.
I won a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Kristine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel was absolutely phenomenal! Full of believable characters, an outstanding plot full of twists, turns, action, suspense, and surprises, this novel was definitely perfect and fun to read! An absolute must read!!!

[Kasey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting take on blood wielding witches. The connection with blood was a little much at times for my taste. It was an extremely easy read, but I enjoyed the characters. I will definitely read the next book in the series for a light, entertaining read.

[Elitta Ferguson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book. Sapphira is a witch with powers that are bound after her parents died. When her cousin dies, she becomes the prime suspect. She starts investigating. In the end she has to fight a demon.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delightful, fast paced story. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. A witch that was fired but her services end up being needed, even though she’s not so good at it. Don’t miss out.

[Dschaper54 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exciting new series

Who knows who to trust or not!! Still I’m hoping for the protagonist to get her man but who know what’s going to happen.

[evieo17 · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first read from this duo and I enjoyed it very much. Poor Saffy, going through all she had and really no one to help but I’m glad she’s found Xander. Now I need to really know what happens next.