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Witch's Circle #1
Coven
Kana is a rare male witch ostracized by his coven. When he claims two familiars, rather than the standard one, he knows he has to run away to keep his coven from taking advantage of his power. After years of constantly looking over his shoulder, Kana realizes he should have been paying better attention to what’s right in front of him. He’s drawn the interest of a different sort of coven: vampires.
Vampires, and the werewolves who protect them, want power, and Kana has a lot of that. Even with the support of his familiars, Kana isn’t sure if he’ll survive the attentions of the vampires. Except, perhaps it’s the werewolves, and one handsome wolf in particular, that Kana ought to be afraid of.
Vampires, and the werewolves who protect them, want power, and Kana has a lot of that. Even with the support of his familiars, Kana isn’t sure if he’ll survive the attentions of the vampires. Except, perhaps it’s the werewolves, and one handsome wolf in particular, that Kana ought to be afraid of.
119 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 27, 2022
36 people are currently reading
108 people want to read
About the author
Mell Eight
70 books280 followersWhen Mell Eight was in high school, she discovered dragons. Beautiful, wondrous creatures that took her on epic adventures both to faraway lands and on journeys of the heart. Mell wanted to create dragons of her own, so she put pen to paper. Mell Eight is now known for her own soaring dragons, as well as for other wonderful characters dancing across the pages of her books. While she mostly writes paranormal or fantasy stories, she has been seen exploring the real world once or twice.
For more information on Mell’s stories and future writing plans, visit her website.
For more information on Mell’s stories and future writing plans, visit her website.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
April 25, 2023
Good. Could have been better. Not a romance, yet.
Well, let's see. I finished reading this and enjoyed it, so that's three stars right there. But it needed more presence, more worldbuilding, more thoughtfulness.
It's a bit...rushed? Or not as rich as it could have been, that's it. The familiars are extremely simple. The MC's abilities are revealed as we go, which can be good, but here felt more like made up on the spot. Which is not his backstory. At all. But we are missing how he's worked out how to fight, which is a whole other level from magic use in the first place; any skill is challenged when danger is applied.
If you are looking for something relatively light and all fantasy, this first in a series may be just what you need. If you're looking for a rich new world to sink your teeth into, it may not be. I enjoyed it well enough that I'll eventually read the next installment.
Well, let's see. I finished reading this and enjoyed it, so that's three stars right there. But it needed more presence, more worldbuilding, more thoughtfulness.
It's a bit...rushed? Or not as rich as it could have been, that's it. The familiars are extremely simple. The MC's abilities are revealed as we go, which can be good, but here felt more like made up on the spot. Which is not his backstory. At all. But we are missing how he's worked out how to fight, which is a whole other level from magic use in the first place; any skill is challenged when danger is applied.
If you are looking for something relatively light and all fantasy, this first in a series may be just what you need. If you're looking for a rich new world to sink your teeth into, it may not be. I enjoyed it well enough that I'll eventually read the next installment.
February 27, 2023
Not a ton of world building, but maybe just enough to keep me interested in the series. Kana, Sora, and Mika obviously have an entwined relationship, but I'm hoping for Ember to join with them eventually, since it doesn't happen in this first book. The snippet from book two holds some promise filling in the years between when Kana left his birth coven and the main story in book one. Waiting impatiently...
December 30, 2022
A Joyfully Jay review.
3.75 stars
Coven is the first book in Mell Eight’s new Witch’s Circle series and it has a really interesting start. The book opens with Kana just coming of age and preparing to call his familiar. He has already decided he wants to leave the coven, given their disdain for him as a gay, male witch. But as soon as he ends up summoning two cat familiars, a sign of immense power, he knows he has to flee before anyone finds out and he ends up trapped and used by the coven. This opening portion is fairly short, but I found it engaging to see Kana use his magic and call his familiars, and it was a good way to set things up. The story then jumps forward to present day after Kana has finally covered his tracks enough to get a degree and ultimately a job (the exact timing isn’t clear, but I’d guess 6+ years later). No one at work knows Kana is a witch, though the existence of magical beings seems well known in general. But Kana can’t risk too many people knowing about his abilities for fear his old coven will track him down.
Read Jay’s review in its entirety here.
3.75 stars
Coven is the first book in Mell Eight’s new Witch’s Circle series and it has a really interesting start. The book opens with Kana just coming of age and preparing to call his familiar. He has already decided he wants to leave the coven, given their disdain for him as a gay, male witch. But as soon as he ends up summoning two cat familiars, a sign of immense power, he knows he has to flee before anyone finds out and he ends up trapped and used by the coven. This opening portion is fairly short, but I found it engaging to see Kana use his magic and call his familiars, and it was a good way to set things up. The story then jumps forward to present day after Kana has finally covered his tracks enough to get a degree and ultimately a job (the exact timing isn’t clear, but I’d guess 6+ years later). No one at work knows Kana is a witch, though the existence of magical beings seems well known in general. But Kana can’t risk too many people knowing about his abilities for fear his old coven will track him down.
Read Jay’s review in its entirety here.
November 20, 2025
4, 75 ⭐ for the whole series
The 4,75 is because I'm greedy and I want more time to explore the characters' relationships and I love pining, and we got a little bit of that here but I want MORE. I loved all 3 books, I think I'm gonna do a thorough sweep of Mell Eight's books because the way they do world building is just so *nice*, I'm all for it
The 4,75 is because I'm greedy and I want more time to explore the characters' relationships and I love pining, and we got a little bit of that here but I want MORE. I loved all 3 books, I think I'm gonna do a thorough sweep of Mell Eight's books because the way they do world building is just so *nice*, I'm all for it
March 12, 2023
Good potential but woefully underdeveloped
I liked the premise of this book, I liked the characters, and I liked the plot. The issue is that everything moved ridiculously fast and just about every element was underdeveloped. We barely get a chance to learn anything about any of the characters. The familiars are described with certain personalities, but we’re rarely ever shown those traits, we’re just told them. Ember seemed like a complex character but despite him being the wolf alpha and the tension between him and Kana, he is barely a presence in the book and not much different than any generic side character. Kana was set up really interesting but his character ended up falling flat. There’s no smut to speak of (which is fine, not all books need it) and yet there was a lot of time dedicated to describing sexual tension and alluding to smutty scenes that never actually happen which just felt odd.
Overall, this book needed to be slowed way down. I wish there had been some more complex world building and that the author had taken more time to flush out the characters and the plot. The story premise was genuinely interesting but ultimately the story felt flat and empty.
I liked the premise of this book, I liked the characters, and I liked the plot. The issue is that everything moved ridiculously fast and just about every element was underdeveloped. We barely get a chance to learn anything about any of the characters. The familiars are described with certain personalities, but we’re rarely ever shown those traits, we’re just told them. Ember seemed like a complex character but despite him being the wolf alpha and the tension between him and Kana, he is barely a presence in the book and not much different than any generic side character. Kana was set up really interesting but his character ended up falling flat. There’s no smut to speak of (which is fine, not all books need it) and yet there was a lot of time dedicated to describing sexual tension and alluding to smutty scenes that never actually happen which just felt odd.
Overall, this book needed to be slowed way down. I wish there had been some more complex world building and that the author had taken more time to flush out the characters and the plot. The story premise was genuinely interesting but ultimately the story felt flat and empty.
January 5, 2023
Certainly an intriguing start to a series. Kana is a male witch in a world where male witches are essentially powerless and only useful to have children. As a gay man he has no intention of staying with his coven just to breed and runs away, but that means living a life in hiding. His new job as a journalist has him interacting with paranormals in his new town which threatens that safety, but also leads to new problems.
There is a good amount of world building all mixed in with the general story so it doesn't feel like an information dump. The characters build slowly as well, with most focus on Kana and his familiars but also about those he is close too. It does feel that there will be something more on Kana being in hiding after the events of this book. There is also an opening for more entry into a different part of the paranormal world which could be interesting. This first book holds promise and has me curious to see where the story will go.
There is a good amount of world building all mixed in with the general story so it doesn't feel like an information dump. The characters build slowly as well, with most focus on Kana and his familiars but also about those he is close too. It does feel that there will be something more on Kana being in hiding after the events of this book. There is also an opening for more entry into a different part of the paranormal world which could be interesting. This first book holds promise and has me curious to see where the story will go.
May 10, 2023
Enjoyable start to the series. Loved Derr’s system of magic and Kana’s familiars. Well written and edited… but would like to have experienced a longer, more fleshed out story.
January 2, 2023
I was intrigued by the premise of this story—two familiars, undervalued male witches, werewolves protecting vampires…the blurb alone grabbed my attention. Then the prologue just ramped up the anticipation as it completely drew me in.
I loved Kana’s character, and felt protective of him from page one. He was easy to care about, an ideal sympathetic character who readers will feel naturally inclined to champion. His familiars, Mika and Sora, are unique in that they have two different cat forms as well as a human form, something I haven’t seen before in my reading. You can feel the connection between the three of them, though for me it felt like a purely magical and physical connection and not so much an emotional one.
The story starts out very descriptive as it sets the stage for the series, but once that initial setup is in place, things start to move more quickly, particularly when it comes to the main conflict near the end of the book where things felt slightly rushed and the bad guy acted a bit over the top. It does feel a bit unbalanced given the great care taken in the first half of the book to set everything up, and I feel like more time could have been used to flesh out the second half of the story to develop it more thoroughly.
There are loose ends once the story is finished, namely where things will go between Kana and Ember (the leader of the werewolves protecting this group of vampires) as well as the perpetually looming issue of Kana’s former coven. I’m interested to see what comes next.
Coven is somewhere between 3.5 to 4 stars for me, primarily due to the need for balance in the story and the fact that the vampire Octavius is worthy of a big eye roll with his excessively stereotypical villain attitude. Even so, I will definitely be tuning in for the next installment in the series as Kana’s character has captured my attention so completely.
I loved Kana’s character, and felt protective of him from page one. He was easy to care about, an ideal sympathetic character who readers will feel naturally inclined to champion. His familiars, Mika and Sora, are unique in that they have two different cat forms as well as a human form, something I haven’t seen before in my reading. You can feel the connection between the three of them, though for me it felt like a purely magical and physical connection and not so much an emotional one.
The story starts out very descriptive as it sets the stage for the series, but once that initial setup is in place, things start to move more quickly, particularly when it comes to the main conflict near the end of the book where things felt slightly rushed and the bad guy acted a bit over the top. It does feel a bit unbalanced given the great care taken in the first half of the book to set everything up, and I feel like more time could have been used to flesh out the second half of the story to develop it more thoroughly.
There are loose ends once the story is finished, namely where things will go between Kana and Ember (the leader of the werewolves protecting this group of vampires) as well as the perpetually looming issue of Kana’s former coven. I’m interested to see what comes next.
Coven is somewhere between 3.5 to 4 stars for me, primarily due to the need for balance in the story and the fact that the vampire Octavius is worthy of a big eye roll with his excessively stereotypical villain attitude. Even so, I will definitely be tuning in for the next installment in the series as Kana’s character has captured my attention so completely.
September 17, 2023
Ich hatte gestern scheinbar ein 3☆ Tag 😂🤷🏻♀️
Kana, Mika und Sora mochte ich gerne, obwohl ich ihre intime Beziehung etwas weird fand, aber ansonsten waren sie ganz sympathisch. Leider bleiben sie wie Ember unglaublich blass. Die beiden senden einfach so viele gemischte Signale und wenn es hoch kommt, haben sie fünf Sätze miteinander geredet und wir reden nicht von denen der privaten Natur. Die Idee ist cool, die Umsetzung naja. Ich hätte mir mehr Action gewünscht, Unterhaltungen, diese Seiten, auf denen nichts passiert, aber wir die Charaktere besser kennenlernen. I hope you know what I mean...
Ich werde wahrscheinlich trotzdem Band 2 noch eine Chance geben, aber so ganz konnte es mich nicht überzeugen, total schade, weil ich Kana echt mochte 😅
Kana, Mika und Sora mochte ich gerne, obwohl ich ihre intime Beziehung etwas weird fand, aber ansonsten waren sie ganz sympathisch. Leider bleiben sie wie Ember unglaublich blass. Die beiden senden einfach so viele gemischte Signale und wenn es hoch kommt, haben sie fünf Sätze miteinander geredet und wir reden nicht von denen der privaten Natur. Die Idee ist cool, die Umsetzung naja. Ich hätte mir mehr Action gewünscht, Unterhaltungen, diese Seiten, auf denen nichts passiert, aber wir die Charaktere besser kennenlernen. I hope you know what I mean...
Ich werde wahrscheinlich trotzdem Band 2 noch eine Chance geben, aber so ganz konnte es mich nicht überzeugen, total schade, weil ich Kana echt mochte 😅
December 28, 2022
I don’t think Mell Eight has written a book I haven’t enjoyed, although I like their fantasy/
paranormal fiction best. In Coven, their excellent world building is at work again. Kana is a male witch in a coven that disparages the existence of male witches, so Kana leaves once he calls his familiar, who turns out to be two cats. Later, Kana has integrated well into human society and stays under the radar. This ends when a vampire coven moves into town, along with their werewolf bodyguards. I enjoyed the machinations of the vampires and how Kana got dragged into the paranormal politics. As the first in a series, the story has a satisfying HFN ending. I received a copy of Coven by Mell Eight from Indigo Marketing and Design and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
paranormal fiction best. In Coven, their excellent world building is at work again. Kana is a male witch in a coven that disparages the existence of male witches, so Kana leaves once he calls his familiar, who turns out to be two cats. Later, Kana has integrated well into human society and stays under the radar. This ends when a vampire coven moves into town, along with their werewolf bodyguards. I enjoyed the machinations of the vampires and how Kana got dragged into the paranormal politics. As the first in a series, the story has a satisfying HFN ending. I received a copy of Coven by Mell Eight from Indigo Marketing and Design and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
April 10, 2023
"Coven" received FOUR stars.
Can’t wait for Book 2!
The novel gained *stars* for these items:
* gained for: "The book caught my interest in the first five pages."
* gained for: "I thought about the book when I was forced to set it down and re-enter society."
* gained for: "There were no info dumps, poor writing, or copy edit mistakes that jerked me out of the story."
* gained for: "I was sad when the book ended. I wanted more!"
The novel failed to gain stars for this item:
NO STAR gained for: "That's it. I'm hooked on this author. I will automatically try anything she/he/they writes."
Can’t wait for Book 2!
The novel gained *stars* for these items:
* gained for: "The book caught my interest in the first five pages."
* gained for: "I thought about the book when I was forced to set it down and re-enter society."
* gained for: "There were no info dumps, poor writing, or copy edit mistakes that jerked me out of the story."
* gained for: "I was sad when the book ended. I wanted more!"
The novel failed to gain stars for this item:
NO STAR gained for: "That's it. I'm hooked on this author. I will automatically try anything she/he/they writes."
May 11, 2023
A passable short story of magic... just kidding, it's mostly about a very special young man having sex I mean finding love and getting naked I mean away from people who might want to use him. Except the sexy Alpha who wants to kind of use him but hey, it's for a good cause so it's okay.
It was very much a wish-fulfilment fantasy without the annoying smell of desperation that often clings to these works - though it certainly does not hide it. The witch MC (forgot his name) is not just a male witch, he is an uber-powerful one, he doesn't just have cat familiars, he has two and they're all fancy. And yes, they can turn human and yes they do have sex because this is that kind of book. He doesn't just meet a nice shifter, he meets a super sexy alpha who happens to need help and guess what, he needs like, someone like him and he means absolutely just him, like the task was specifically tailored to his specific skills beforehand. Hmm...
Also, I really like how he's running away from someone who's... not chasing him. I am not a fan of the abusive communities that occur in paranormal or normal romance - from shifter packs to covens like these but actually running away before said abuse can even occur and leave so cleanly... I am pretty sure it took away and emotional impact of this decision. It didn't feel like relief or victory because we didn't actually see him being mistreated and his decision to leave as soon as he could felt a bit hollow and clinical, which is (should) logically be the very opposite.
It was very much a wish-fulfilment fantasy without the annoying smell of desperation that often clings to these works - though it certainly does not hide it. The witch MC (forgot his name) is not just a male witch, he is an uber-powerful one, he doesn't just have cat familiars, he has two and they're all fancy. And yes, they can turn human and yes they do have sex because this is that kind of book. He doesn't just meet a nice shifter, he meets a super sexy alpha who happens to need help and guess what, he needs like, someone like him and he means absolutely just him, like the task was specifically tailored to his specific skills beforehand. Hmm...
Also, I really like how he's running away from someone who's... not chasing him. I am not a fan of the abusive communities that occur in paranormal or normal romance - from shifter packs to covens like these but actually running away before said abuse can even occur and leave so cleanly... I am pretty sure it took away and emotional impact of this decision. It didn't feel like relief or victory because we didn't actually see him being mistreated and his decision to leave as soon as he could felt a bit hollow and clinical, which is (should) logically be the very opposite.
January 5, 2025
This was interesting. Kana was an easy character to root for and like.
The writing is a little juvenile and Kana comes across much younger than he should be.
Romance wise, there’s nothing really here yet, just some wistful glances.
The writing is a little juvenile and Kana comes across much younger than he should be.
Romance wise, there’s nothing really here yet, just some wistful glances.
April 6, 2023
I really enjoyed this book, it gave me exactly what I was expecting both from the book and author and I like the what if of what's to come. it was the good series starter
December 30, 2022
Kana is a male witch, which makes him worthless, at least to female witches. What the other witches don’t know is just how powerful he is. When it comes time to test to see if a familiar will accept him he receives two, Sora and Mika, primordial cats.
I’ve read so many books by this author and have enjoyed them all. This one however, was special. Kana is probably my favorite hero. Sora and Mika are in a league of their own. So much personality, wonderfully entertaining, snarky, and over the top protective of Kana.
Nice world building and some unexpected heat. I also enjoyed that the vampires got exactly what they deserved. I liked the book a lot in case you couldn’t tell.
Review Copy requested and reviewed on behalf of OMGReads.
I’ve read so many books by this author and have enjoyed them all. This one however, was special. Kana is probably my favorite hero. Sora and Mika are in a league of their own. So much personality, wonderfully entertaining, snarky, and over the top protective of Kana.
Nice world building and some unexpected heat. I also enjoyed that the vampires got exactly what they deserved. I liked the book a lot in case you couldn’t tell.
Review Copy requested and reviewed on behalf of OMGReads.
October 1, 2023
Good, could have been better, so very disappointed. This book has soooo much potential, but the author did not flesh out the characters well enough. I ended up reading all three books to the series because of the premise of the book. If the characters and storyline were fleshed out better this would have been an amazing series. This feels like a first draft of a potential masterpiece with good editors and more thoughtfulness too it.
May 31, 2023
This wasn't my cup of tea. Start into this story was promising, but having sex with your familiar, just a no no for my taste.
June 3, 2023
Borin.
March 22, 2024
Great start to what I’m hoping will be a wonderful series! Not too many witch books out there and I love his potential love interest and his familiars!
June 14, 2025
2.8 stars - a bit too short and simple to be more than some light entertainment.
All three stories together are rather entertaining, 3 stars.
All three stories together are rather entertaining, 3 stars.
March 22, 2025
This reads like a fanfiction and I’m not 100% sure it’s not one. Anyways witches, werewolves, deadly vampires ya know the vibes.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews