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Supernatural Battle: Coven Caves #1
First Ritual
I’m Tempest Corentine—twenty-one, single, and already dreading the next twenty-one years. Except one month ago, the impossible happened. I formed a magical bond with someone I’ve never met. The link appeared in my darkest moment, and finding this person is my sole purpose.
Two issues:
The magus probably lives in The Buried Knolls.
The coven there might have murdered my family.
My plan? Kiss the hot guy at the bar in case I die tonight. Knock on the coven’s door. See if the council kills me at the next full moon. Foolproof.
Whether it’s fake relationships, a supernatural game, or unfathomable matching runes showing up on me and a gorgeous male grimoire, I’ll do whatever it takes to find the person on the other end of this bond.
Just try to stop me.
Two issues:
The magus probably lives in The Buried Knolls.
The coven there might have murdered my family.
My plan? Kiss the hot guy at the bar in case I die tonight. Knock on the coven’s door. See if the council kills me at the next full moon. Foolproof.
Whether it’s fake relationships, a supernatural game, or unfathomable matching runes showing up on me and a gorgeous male grimoire, I’ll do whatever it takes to find the person on the other end of this bond.
Just try to stop me.
432 pages, Paperback
First published January 14, 2023
727 people are currently reading
2264 people want to read
About the author
Kelly St. Clare
68 books3,244 followersWhen USA Today bestselling author, Kelly St Clare is not reading or writing, she is lost in her latest reverie.
Books have always been magical and mysterious to her. One day she decided to start unravelling this mystery and began writing.
The Tainted Accords was her debut series. The After Trilogy is now available.
A New Zealander in origin and in heart, Kelly currently resides in Australia with her soon-to-be husband, a great group of friends, and some huntsman spiders who love to come inside when it rains. Their love is not returned.
Find out more at her website, and claim a free paranormal dystopian short story, coloring book, and free bonus chapters from The Tainted Accords.
http://www.kellystclare.com/free-gift
Books have always been magical and mysterious to her. One day she decided to start unravelling this mystery and began writing.
The Tainted Accords was her debut series. The After Trilogy is now available.
A New Zealander in origin and in heart, Kelly currently resides in Australia with her soon-to-be husband, a great group of friends, and some huntsman spiders who love to come inside when it rains. Their love is not returned.
Find out more at her website, and claim a free paranormal dystopian short story, coloring book, and free bonus chapters from The Tainted Accords.
http://www.kellystclare.com/free-gift
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January 14, 2023
⤅ 3.5 stars, rounded up.
I've mentioned that my recent experiences with St Clare books have been VERY hit and miss, with mostly misses. Potted history: I discovered her in December 2020, loved the Shifter Wars books, proceeded to read literally her entire backlist and mostly loved them too. I didn't enjoy her collabs with Shannon Mayer, but then I rarely enjoy author collabs, so I didn't read too much into that. Then the Magical Dating Agency trilogy came out... and I was honestly shocked at how much I didn't enjoy it. Boring plot, irritating heroine, and bland hero.
Luckily, First Ritual is better, though we still don't reach the dizzy heights of excellence which was pre-2021 St Clare.
21-year-old Tempest Corentine is a witch, but unusually, she's grown up outside a coven. Her mother and grandmother fled their coven before she was born. Now they (and her twin sister) have been murdered. Tempest senses that she still might have family left in the coven, so she basically returns as the prodigal daughter.
Right before she returns, though, she's sitting drinking in a bar when she encounters the hottest guy she's ever seen. She goes in for a kiss - nothing more, because she doesn't have time - and doesn't expect to ever see him again. Of course, Wild turns out to be a high-ranking member of her new coven, and now she has to worry that she's let things slip to him which she doesn't want the coven knowing.
More worries abound when Wild suddenly starts acting weirdly around her, like he has an entity inside him which is forcing him to 'woo' her. Together with his best friends, Tempest has to figure out what's going on, as well as complete her original mission of finding any leftover family members.
⤅ The Good
✔️ The plot is decently interesting. St Clare's Supernatural Battle trilogies are all centred around some paranormal version of an existing game - Monopoly, Risk, etc. In this series we have 'Caves', a territory game played out amongst the members of the coven, and it was cool to see Tempest learning more about strategy.
✔️ The romance has promise. It isn't as amazing as I was expecting - St Clare's previous books have left me with high expectations - but the whole 'Wild's inner entity is obsessed with Tempest' subplot adds a nice fated-mates twist that wouldn't otherwise have been present for witches. And the way Tempest initially thinks he's insane is hilarious.
✔️ St Clare's writing, when she's not partnered with another author, is MUCH more readable. It flows well and the worldbuilding is solid. Tempest frequently came out with one-liners that actually amused me, too.
⤅ The Not-So-Good
❌ St Clare usually delivers on top-notch slow-burn romances. Emphasis on slow. So imagine my disconcertment when Wild and Tempest share a passionate kiss literally 2% into the book, while they're still strangers. It was so early in the book that I didn't feel the raging chemistry which apparently propelled the two of them into that kind of situation. Luckily, the pace of the romance drops a bit in the rest of the book, but that opening scene left me predisposed towards suspicion.
❌ Linked to the above: I'm also not totally feeling Wild and Tempest - yet, at least. I'm not entirely sure why. Exhibit A: I love how St Clare heroes always have a special non-cringey name for their heroines, but somehow Wild's name for Tempest didn't feel as smooth and organic as usual. And beyond their raging insta-lust, I'm struggling to understand what they see in each other.
❌ Tempest is seriously Mary Sue-adjacent. Apart from being distinctively gorgeous and having a unique past... she also turns out to be so amazing at the Caves game that within five seconds, she spots strategy errors that people with decades of experience didn't catch.
⤅ Overall
I'm glad I could rate this book so highly, actually, after the disaster that was the Magical Dating Agency series. I still don't understand how St Clare's writing has subtly mutated to the point I don't enjoy her newer works as much, but this release makes me hopeful that the subsequent books will return to form.
Pre-review:
January 4, 2023
All the stars. What a fabulous first read of 2023.
This is the first book in a new spin off series from the original trilogy, Blood Trials, that focused on Vampires. Shifter Wars is anithee trilogy spin off focused on werewolves. This time, we're focused on the witches.
Before I go any further, if you have not read the other two trilogies, you absolutely must. These series are probably my favourite books I've read in the last 5 years or so and are absolutely fantastic.
What they all have, including this new series, are the ingredients that make up too grade Urban Fantasy: excellent, well-realised and original world-building, fmc who is imperfect and flawed, but you absolutely adore, a delicious slow burn (ish) backwards and forwards sort of romance that has just the right amount of angst, a seamless and fast paced plot, that has the right about of character progression and action and excellent writing.
I enjoyed Tempest a lot. I'd say she is a lot more damaged that the previous two heroines, and I thiught her trauma was dealt with well. I loved her love if the outrageous and how unapologetically herself she is. Wild and her had sizzling chemistry and I thought the build of their relationship was well done.
The plot revolves around Tempest returning to the Covern of her mother and Grandmother, after swearing to her mother she never would, after her mother and Grandmother ran away for reasons unknown before she was born. Considering her mother, Grahdmother and twin sister tragically died in an attack from an u known creature not too long ago, Tempest is struggling. When a new tether suddenly appears inside her, signaling a new connection that might give her a reason to keep going, she breaks he rpromise to her mother and returns, hoping the connection will lead her to family she never knew she had.
Needless to say, things do not go as planned, and she does not find what she expected.
Honestly, I can't fault these books. If Urban Fantasy is your go to, and you like a dollop of romance thrown in, you must read this!
This is the first book in a new spin off series from the original trilogy, Blood Trials, that focused on Vampires. Shifter Wars is anithee trilogy spin off focused on werewolves. This time, we're focused on the witches.
Before I go any further, if you have not read the other two trilogies, you absolutely must. These series are probably my favourite books I've read in the last 5 years or so and are absolutely fantastic.
What they all have, including this new series, are the ingredients that make up too grade Urban Fantasy: excellent, well-realised and original world-building, fmc who is imperfect and flawed, but you absolutely adore, a delicious slow burn (ish) backwards and forwards sort of romance that has just the right amount of angst, a seamless and fast paced plot, that has the right about of character progression and action and excellent writing.
I enjoyed Tempest a lot. I'd say she is a lot more damaged that the previous two heroines, and I thiught her trauma was dealt with well. I loved her love if the outrageous and how unapologetically herself she is. Wild and her had sizzling chemistry and I thought the build of their relationship was well done.
The plot revolves around Tempest returning to the Covern of her mother and Grandmother, after swearing to her mother she never would, after her mother and Grandmother ran away for reasons unknown before she was born. Considering her mother, Grahdmother and twin sister tragically died in an attack from an u known creature not too long ago, Tempest is struggling. When a new tether suddenly appears inside her, signaling a new connection that might give her a reason to keep going, she breaks he rpromise to her mother and returns, hoping the connection will lead her to family she never knew she had.
Needless to say, things do not go as planned, and she does not find what she expected.
Honestly, I can't fault these books. If Urban Fantasy is your go to, and you like a dollop of romance thrown in, you must read this!
January 21, 2023
I’m starting to realize that maybe I shouldn’t anticipate any books anymore. This was not good. No conflict. The games that were masterpieces in the earlier series did not match the absolutely no stakes games here. Where was the world building? I couldn’t even picture where we were for most of the book. This didn’t even feel witchy or coven like. The magic was too internal for my taste as well and the fact that the big game was over a coven leader was… yeah. Incredibly weak. Nobody’s life on the line like past books.
And where was the romance or god forbid chemistry? The whole mating trope here was incredibly unpleasant with an assault vibe and was never explained. Tempest was annoying as hell and Wild (we really chose that name… huh) wasn’t even a fully fleshed out character. Don’t even remember any character traits from him. Besides hot. Her side characters continue to stay the same (and change all the time) and the main female protagonists are starting to all sound the same. The pacing was all over the place and there was WAY too much telling and no showing. I skimmed a lot and only kept reading for signs of characters from other books. The ending was the only interesting part for me.
I am very disappointed because I love the world she created previously and I LOVED the werewolf series so I’m quite sad about this one.
That being said… yeah, I’ll probably read the next one.
Only because I need to see Sascha again, okay???
And where was the romance or god forbid chemistry? The whole mating trope here was incredibly unpleasant with an assault vibe and was never explained. Tempest was annoying as hell and Wild (we really chose that name… huh) wasn’t even a fully fleshed out character. Don’t even remember any character traits from him. Besides hot. Her side characters continue to stay the same (and change all the time) and the main female protagonists are starting to all sound the same. The pacing was all over the place and there was WAY too much telling and no showing. I skimmed a lot and only kept reading for signs of characters from other books. The ending was the only interesting part for me.
I am very disappointed because I love the world she created previously and I LOVED the werewolf series so I’m quite sad about this one.
That being said… yeah, I’ll probably read the next one.
Only because I need to see Sascha again, okay???
January 9, 2023
I have been anticipating this book for years!!
This is the 3rd series in the Supernatural Battle world and it was worth the wait.
We have had Vampires, Wolf shifters, and now Witches!! And Tempest has to be my favourite heroine of the bunch.
Laugh out loud humour, fast and thrilling action, nature and affinity based magic that made it more realistic then just 'poof - Im magic', with some segsy AF scenes as I have come to expect from St Clare made this a quick and super enjoyable read.
The plot points opened in this first instalment of the Witches is going to ensure one hell of a ride in this Trilogy.
Now the agonising wait for book two...
This is the 3rd series in the Supernatural Battle world and it was worth the wait.
We have had Vampires, Wolf shifters, and now Witches!! And Tempest has to be my favourite heroine of the bunch.
Laugh out loud humour, fast and thrilling action, nature and affinity based magic that made it more realistic then just 'poof - Im magic', with some segsy AF scenes as I have come to expect from St Clare made this a quick and super enjoyable read.
The plot points opened in this first instalment of the Witches is going to ensure one hell of a ride in this Trilogy.
Now the agonising wait for book two...
January 28, 2024
My thoughts are about all three books. And I will copy the same text to the other two books too.
This is the third series in the Supernatural Battle World. I'm starting with ranking the series, how I liked them:
Vampire Towers and Coven Caves are my favorites.
The Werewolf Dens were not as good as these two in my opinion.
What I really liked about this series:
Finally all series come together and we see that there is a bigger picture.
We meet all the mated pairs from the other books: Basilia and Kyros, Andi and Sascha.
All the pairs feel drawn to each other.
Finally we also get to know the background of the games. And they kind of make more sense. But I wonder if all people playing the games, never saw the change in their society.
I liked that Tempest was a strong heroin, but sometimes she was too strong and wouldn't talk about her plans. Also she had emotional baggage and found a big secret about her heritage. And didn't trust her coven enough to share it earlier.
Wild is one wild guy. He has trouble with the things happening to him and Tempest. One minute he is hot the next he is very cold. He and his friends were kind of outsiders who formed a group and are now the guys who everyone wants to be friends with. And they help him in any situation and they have each others back. At some point Wild's friends ignore Tempest, because Wild says so. There brotherhood is above anything else.
I liked Tempests cousin. I'm annoyed how manipulative several non coven members and also some coven members were. I didn't like it.
I'm just writing my thoughts down and feel like I can't explain too much, otherwise I will spoil too much.
I enjoyed listening and reading this series.
This is the third series in the Supernatural Battle World. I'm starting with ranking the series, how I liked them:
Vampire Towers and Coven Caves are my favorites.
The Werewolf Dens were not as good as these two in my opinion.
What I really liked about this series:
Finally all series come together and we see that there is a bigger picture.
We meet all the mated pairs from the other books: Basilia and Kyros, Andi and Sascha.
All the pairs feel drawn to each other.
Finally we also get to know the background of the games. And they kind of make more sense. But I wonder if all people playing the games, never saw the change in their society.
I liked that Tempest was a strong heroin, but sometimes she was too strong and wouldn't talk about her plans. Also she had emotional baggage and found a big secret about her heritage. And didn't trust her coven enough to share it earlier.
Wild is one wild guy. He has trouble with the things happening to him and Tempest. One minute he is hot the next he is very cold. He and his friends were kind of outsiders who formed a group and are now the guys who everyone wants to be friends with. And they help him in any situation and they have each others back. At some point Wild's friends ignore Tempest, because Wild says so. There brotherhood is above anything else.
I liked Tempests cousin. I'm annoyed how manipulative several non coven members and also some coven members were. I didn't like it.
I'm just writing my thoughts down and feel like I can't explain too much, otherwise I will spoil too much.
I enjoyed listening and reading this series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
February 28, 2025DNF
March 3, 2025
Autant j'ai pu adorer les Accords Corrompus et la série des vampires dans l'univers du Monopoly à grande échelle... autant j'ai quelques difficultés avec d'autres lectures, comme Premier rituel (ou De miel et de cendres dans un autre genre).
Pourtant, ce sont toujours les mêmes fidèles engrenages qu'on retrouve : une héroïne pas farouche, un potentiel masculin buté et des acolytes tous très attachants. Le truc, ici, c'est que le couple semble être lié par la magie alors qu'ils ne l'ont, ni l'autre ni l'autre, souhaité. Ils cherchent à s'en détacher car l'emprise prend des ampleurs aberrantes (lui se transforme en bête possessive et elle veut rester indépendante). C'est juste du désir, pas de l'émotion.
Ceci rejoint un point négatif chez l'autrice : ses scènes érotiques hyper gênantes. Non, non, elle ne sait pas faire autrement. Et j'ai halluciné plus d'une fois à certaines occasions. Prude, moi ? Écoutez un peu et on en reparle.
Le partie *Jeu Monopoly* est également beaucoup moins présente dans cette trilogie, l'intrigue se concentrant sur le leitmotiv de l'héroïne pour comprendre comment sa magie fonctionne, qui est son père et où se cache l'inconnu à qui elle doit la vie. Le fonctionnement des Grottes finit par basculer en arrière-plan.
C'est donc différent des loups et des vampires. Pourtant, c'est la même dynamique un peu foutraque. La sensation de tourbillon permanent. Les dialogues sans queue ni tête. L'humour acerbe et les joutes verbales. C'est sympa, mais déconcertant combien les défauts ne s'effacent pas au fil des parutions. 🙄
Pourtant, ce sont toujours les mêmes fidèles engrenages qu'on retrouve : une héroïne pas farouche, un potentiel masculin buté et des acolytes tous très attachants. Le truc, ici, c'est que le couple semble être lié par la magie alors qu'ils ne l'ont, ni l'autre ni l'autre, souhaité. Ils cherchent à s'en détacher car l'emprise prend des ampleurs aberrantes (lui se transforme en bête possessive et elle veut rester indépendante). C'est juste du désir, pas de l'émotion.
Ceci rejoint un point négatif chez l'autrice : ses scènes érotiques hyper gênantes. Non, non, elle ne sait pas faire autrement. Et j'ai halluciné plus d'une fois à certaines occasions. Prude, moi ? Écoutez un peu et on en reparle.
Le partie *Jeu Monopoly* est également beaucoup moins présente dans cette trilogie, l'intrigue se concentrant sur le leitmotiv de l'héroïne pour comprendre comment sa magie fonctionne, qui est son père et où se cache l'inconnu à qui elle doit la vie. Le fonctionnement des Grottes finit par basculer en arrière-plan.
C'est donc différent des loups et des vampires. Pourtant, c'est la même dynamique un peu foutraque. La sensation de tourbillon permanent. Les dialogues sans queue ni tête. L'humour acerbe et les joutes verbales. C'est sympa, mais déconcertant combien les défauts ne s'effacent pas au fil des parutions. 🙄
January 26, 2024
I'm not sure what to think.
Great pacing and a unique storyline. The writing is engaging and the characters both nuanced and not annoying. But something is missing here and I'm not sure what? There was no real discovery in this book and a lot of "I refuse to acknowledge this thing that is happening" which is frustrating to read.
Other reviews have told me that the earlier series of this world are better so I think I might go back and start there.
Great pacing and a unique storyline. The writing is engaging and the characters both nuanced and not annoying. But something is missing here and I'm not sure what? There was no real discovery in this book and a lot of "I refuse to acknowledge this thing that is happening" which is frustrating to read.
Other reviews have told me that the earlier series of this world are better so I think I might go back and start there.
June 5, 2024
Amazing book.
August 23, 2024
These Supernatural Battle books just do not miss. Wow, so damn good.
May 29, 2023
4.5+
I was very pleasantly surprised by this book and if I wasn't so wary of giving away 5 stars after a first read ... this would definitely have received one.
I don't understand how some authors are so adept at writing amazing characters and dialogue. I laughed out loud, felt real emotions, and was completely immersed / invested in these characters. St Clare also tied the plot into her other two series, which 🤯 ... Was this planned out from the beginning??
Well, if it wasn't obvious, I totally recommend this book and I can't wait until the sequel comes out on June 2nd. I also completely recommend the audiobook. The narrator did a fantastic job.
Quick recap: (slight spoilers)
Tempest decides after her family's deaths to go back to her mother's coven, even though she promised she never would. There she gets swept up in a fated match (maybe) that neither party wants and invested in coven life that was always meant to be a temporary means to find answers. In the end she finds a lot of the answers she was looking for, but they are not the ones she necessarily wanted.
I was very pleasantly surprised by this book and if I wasn't so wary of giving away 5 stars after a first read ... this would definitely have received one.
I don't understand how some authors are so adept at writing amazing characters and dialogue. I laughed out loud, felt real emotions, and was completely immersed / invested in these characters. St Clare also tied the plot into her other two series, which 🤯 ... Was this planned out from the beginning??
Well, if it wasn't obvious, I totally recommend this book and I can't wait until the sequel comes out on June 2nd. I also completely recommend the audiobook. The narrator did a fantastic job.
Quick recap: (slight spoilers)
Tempest decides after her family's deaths to go back to her mother's coven, even though she promised she never would. There she gets swept up in a fated match (maybe) that neither party wants and invested in coven life that was always meant to be a temporary means to find answers. In the end she finds a lot of the answers she was looking for, but they are not the ones she necessarily wanted.
February 17, 2025
3.5
J'ai lu Accords Corrompus il y a quelques mois, j'avais bien aimé, mais ce n'était pas la même ambiance. Et malheureusement, l'ambiance ne collait pas toujours avec moi. Les personnages sont sympas, le système de magie est intéressant, ainsi que le système de coven, mais j'ai eu l'impression de suivre plusieurs histoires à la fois, partant dans plusieurs directions, sans vraiment résoudre une bonne partie d'entre elles. Je comprends bien que c'est une saga, mais il me manque quelque chose pour me donner envie de la continuer. Je pense cependant que ça peut plaire à bien du monde, mais j'avoue que les histoires de rituels d'accouplement, ce n'est pas mon truc !
J'ai lu Accords Corrompus il y a quelques mois, j'avais bien aimé, mais ce n'était pas la même ambiance. Et malheureusement, l'ambiance ne collait pas toujours avec moi. Les personnages sont sympas, le système de magie est intéressant, ainsi que le système de coven, mais j'ai eu l'impression de suivre plusieurs histoires à la fois, partant dans plusieurs directions, sans vraiment résoudre une bonne partie d'entre elles. Je comprends bien que c'est une saga, mais il me manque quelque chose pour me donner envie de la continuer. Je pense cependant que ça peut plaire à bien du monde, mais j'avoue que les histoires de rituels d'accouplement, ce n'est pas mon truc !
January 22, 2023
I didn't feel as immersed in this world as the other Supernatural Battle series with the Caves game, and I found some details glossed over like what chaos was and all the magical abilities of the magus. However, I did enjoy the story overall, appreciated the tie-ins with the previous series, and look forward to reading more about the world.
Romance:
Romance:
January 7, 2023
There are some things in life where we need to get on with it. On the other hand, there are some things we can’t just live our way through. You can explore and learn from the past without existing there. By doing that, maybe the past won’t always follow you in the present.
This book is a spin-off of the supernatural battle series. There are two other completed trilogies, the first with vampires and the second with werewolves.
Now we are dealing with the witches.
Our heroine Tempest’s mother, grandmother, and sister died when she was young and now she is alone in the world with no coven. A new tether appears indicating she has a connection with a new family member. She breaks the promise that she made her mother and goes back to her mothers coven.
She meets Wild and well, it’s wild. There’s a connection there neither understand. Vampires, werewolves, and demons have fated mates and mating rituals, but mages and witches do not. With the help of their friends and Tempest’s cousin Rooke, they try to understand what is happening.
This book doesn’t hold your hand and explain all the world building to you. While I didn’t mind it, it might be hard for readers that normally don’t read fantasy.
It’s a fun start to another addition to the Supernatural Battle series. If you are on the fence I’d recommend starting with her first book in that series Blood Trial, which is a completed trilogy.
This book is a spin-off of the supernatural battle series. There are two other completed trilogies, the first with vampires and the second with werewolves.
Now we are dealing with the witches.
Our heroine Tempest’s mother, grandmother, and sister died when she was young and now she is alone in the world with no coven. A new tether appears indicating she has a connection with a new family member. She breaks the promise that she made her mother and goes back to her mothers coven.
She meets Wild and well, it’s wild. There’s a connection there neither understand. Vampires, werewolves, and demons have fated mates and mating rituals, but mages and witches do not. With the help of their friends and Tempest’s cousin Rooke, they try to understand what is happening.
This book doesn’t hold your hand and explain all the world building to you. While I didn’t mind it, it might be hard for readers that normally don’t read fantasy.
It’s a fun start to another addition to the Supernatural Battle series. If you are on the fence I’d recommend starting with her first book in that series Blood Trial, which is a completed trilogy.
January 17, 2023
summary is wrong and not the intended audience
The summary is great and the beginning starts out great.
However the summary is wrong and needed to include that the coven is a playing a 300 year game with magic for leadership.
Major issues with this books premise- which means it’s not for me.
First issue:
The entire cave games is just plain ridiculous.
For over 300 years a coven self sabotages themselves and repeated destruction over and over again.
Another coven should’ve stepped in and taken them over as they are just a bunch of toddlers wasting their magic.
Second issue: everything to do with Wilde and his continuing assault of the main character.
This could’ve been a great story - if it was about coven and her growth instead we have dumb games that are completely meaningless maybe they would feel differently if they were actively in a war and not being bullies on a playground.
None of them deserve magic.
She should’ve take two minutes and taken her cousin and left.
Sorry i didn’t even get to the second half and skimmed the big reveals.
Will not be continuing the series.
The summary is great and the beginning starts out great.
However the summary is wrong and needed to include that the coven is a playing a 300 year game with magic for leadership.
Major issues with this books premise- which means it’s not for me.
First issue:
The entire cave games is just plain ridiculous.
For over 300 years a coven self sabotages themselves and repeated destruction over and over again.
Another coven should’ve stepped in and taken them over as they are just a bunch of toddlers wasting their magic.
Second issue: everything to do with Wilde and his continuing assault of the main character.
This could’ve been a great story - if it was about coven and her growth instead we have dumb games that are completely meaningless maybe they would feel differently if they were actively in a war and not being bullies on a playground.
None of them deserve magic.
She should’ve take two minutes and taken her cousin and left.
Sorry i didn’t even get to the second half and skimmed the big reveals.
Will not be continuing the series.
January 25, 2023
*3 very disappointed stars*
I'm not one that typically writes reviews, but this book had me scratching my head. I've been a fan of Kelly's since her Tainted Accords series, and her books are usually top tier, but this one had me very confused. The other 2 series in this world are phenomenal, but this one was seriously lacking. The plot is all over the place. The characters had very little substance, and the game was lackluster with nothing really at stake compared to the other 2 series. I was even able to guess the "twist" from nearly the beginning which was new. I hope book 2 will be better, but this was not a strong start.
I'm not one that typically writes reviews, but this book had me scratching my head. I've been a fan of Kelly's since her Tainted Accords series, and her books are usually top tier, but this one had me very confused. The other 2 series in this world are phenomenal, but this one was seriously lacking. The plot is all over the place. The characters had very little substance, and the game was lackluster with nothing really at stake compared to the other 2 series. I was even able to guess the "twist" from nearly the beginning which was new. I hope book 2 will be better, but this was not a strong start.
March 10, 2025
https://my-bo0ks.over-blog.com/2025/0...
3.25/5
Après la trilogie sur les vampires, celle sur les loups-garous, voici venu le moment des sorcières. Kelly St Clare est devenue une valeur sûre pour moi depuis quelques années donc je ne me faisais pas trop de soucis pour cette trilogie. Bien que les séries soient liées les unes aux autres, vous pouvez sans problème faire l'impasse sur l'une d'entre elles. Cela ne pose pas de problème de compréhension.
Tempest Corentine a toujours vécu loin d'une coven auquel appartenait sa mère et sa grand-mère. Mais depuis leur disparition, elle tente désespérément de trouver des réponses sur cette attache qu'elle ressent. Alors qu'elle demande à rejoindre le coven des monts Enfuis, avec l'appréhension d'une condamnation possible et bien loin de se douter de tout ce qui l'attend.
J'ai mis bien plus de temps à me mettre dans le bain avec ce premier volet. Je trouve que le démarrage est plus flou et moins entrainant que pour les autres. Malgré tout, une fois passé cette première moitié, on retrouve l'essence même de ce que propose l'autrice dans ces trilogies, à savoir le côté jeux (d'où le titre Bataille surnaturelle), et ces affrontement au sein même du groupe, comme sur un échiquier. Même si je trouve qu'ici, c'est moins parlant que sur les Loups-garous où je m'étais vraiment prise au jeu.
Côté personnages, Tempest est un brin tête brûlée tout en ayant cette part de fragilité liée à son passé et sa famille disparue. Elle reste intéressante à suivre, mais c'est clair qu'en comparaison avec Andie (Loups-garous), elle me plait moins. Du côté du héros, j'ai plutôt bien aimé Wild. Très mystérieux, sur la réserve, ne pas avoir son point de vue, rend plus délicat de le cerner. Surtout que dès le début, son comportement est affecté par l'arrivée de Tempest dans le coven. En revanche, la petite bande d'amis de Wild est plutôt chouette et ajoute de l'humour.
Parlons maintenant de la romance. Elle débute ultra rapidement. On est ici sur une attraction physique très forte. Un lien se fait entre les deux, dès le début et les rapprochent malgré eux. Si ça peut marcher avec moi parfois, ici, je suis un peu plus mitigée. On est vraiment uniquement sur une attirance physique et donc spicy et j'avoue ne pas être sensible à ce démarrage. Mais ce qui me chagrine le plus en fait, c'est surtout que je n'ai pas vraiment apprécié le côté schtroumpfette. Vous savez, tous ces personnages masculins qui sont attirés par l'héroine telles des abeilles avec du miel. J'ai d'ailleurs franchement cru qu'on allait tomber dans le triangle amoureux. Ce qui, vous le savez m'agace vraiment.
Malgré tout, côté univers le suspense est encore entier. J'ai apprécié l'aspect sorcière, même s'il reste encore assez discret et les révélations faites sur le passé de l'héroine et les répercussions que cela aura sur l'avenir. Beaucoup de questions restent en suspend pour le moment donc tout peut encore arriver.
En conclusion, si je ressors de ma lecture assez satisfaite, ce n'est pas le meilleur démarrage de l'autrice je trouve. Pas tellement séduite par la romance, elle reste malgré tout l'élément qui m'a tenu en haleine pendant ma lecture. Je verrais donc si je me laisserais tenter par la suite.
3.25/5
Après la trilogie sur les vampires, celle sur les loups-garous, voici venu le moment des sorcières. Kelly St Clare est devenue une valeur sûre pour moi depuis quelques années donc je ne me faisais pas trop de soucis pour cette trilogie. Bien que les séries soient liées les unes aux autres, vous pouvez sans problème faire l'impasse sur l'une d'entre elles. Cela ne pose pas de problème de compréhension.
Tempest Corentine a toujours vécu loin d'une coven auquel appartenait sa mère et sa grand-mère. Mais depuis leur disparition, elle tente désespérément de trouver des réponses sur cette attache qu'elle ressent. Alors qu'elle demande à rejoindre le coven des monts Enfuis, avec l'appréhension d'une condamnation possible et bien loin de se douter de tout ce qui l'attend.
J'ai mis bien plus de temps à me mettre dans le bain avec ce premier volet. Je trouve que le démarrage est plus flou et moins entrainant que pour les autres. Malgré tout, une fois passé cette première moitié, on retrouve l'essence même de ce que propose l'autrice dans ces trilogies, à savoir le côté jeux (d'où le titre Bataille surnaturelle), et ces affrontement au sein même du groupe, comme sur un échiquier. Même si je trouve qu'ici, c'est moins parlant que sur les Loups-garous où je m'étais vraiment prise au jeu.
Côté personnages, Tempest est un brin tête brûlée tout en ayant cette part de fragilité liée à son passé et sa famille disparue. Elle reste intéressante à suivre, mais c'est clair qu'en comparaison avec Andie (Loups-garous), elle me plait moins. Du côté du héros, j'ai plutôt bien aimé Wild. Très mystérieux, sur la réserve, ne pas avoir son point de vue, rend plus délicat de le cerner. Surtout que dès le début, son comportement est affecté par l'arrivée de Tempest dans le coven. En revanche, la petite bande d'amis de Wild est plutôt chouette et ajoute de l'humour.
Parlons maintenant de la romance. Elle débute ultra rapidement. On est ici sur une attraction physique très forte. Un lien se fait entre les deux, dès le début et les rapprochent malgré eux. Si ça peut marcher avec moi parfois, ici, je suis un peu plus mitigée. On est vraiment uniquement sur une attirance physique et donc spicy et j'avoue ne pas être sensible à ce démarrage. Mais ce qui me chagrine le plus en fait, c'est surtout que je n'ai pas vraiment apprécié le côté schtroumpfette. Vous savez, tous ces personnages masculins qui sont attirés par l'héroine telles des abeilles avec du miel. J'ai d'ailleurs franchement cru qu'on allait tomber dans le triangle amoureux. Ce qui, vous le savez m'agace vraiment.
Malgré tout, côté univers le suspense est encore entier. J'ai apprécié l'aspect sorcière, même s'il reste encore assez discret et les révélations faites sur le passé de l'héroine et les répercussions que cela aura sur l'avenir. Beaucoup de questions restent en suspend pour le moment donc tout peut encore arriver.
En conclusion, si je ressors de ma lecture assez satisfaite, ce n'est pas le meilleur démarrage de l'autrice je trouve. Pas tellement séduite par la romance, elle reste malgré tout l'élément qui m'a tenu en haleine pendant ma lecture. Je verrais donc si je me laisserais tenter par la suite.
January 15, 2023
AAAAAaaalright, ya'll, where the heck to start?!
First off, LOVED this book. a 4/5 love affair. I have been a steadfast follower of St. Clare since accidentally stumbling on her Vampire Towers series. I am in love - ok, fine, OBSESSED - with the Supernatural Battle universe. The vamps and luthers were equally excellent, and insanely hard to top. St. Clare introduced the magus in this debut to the "witchy" subseries. The idea of "game play" within the context of plot is super unique and intriguing! The vamp and luther games were very different, and I was incredibly excited to see what game this book introduced.
I don't enjoy this species of supernatural people as much as all the others; however, found the concept of Caves intriguing. That said, in the Vampire Towers and Werewolf dens series, there is an explanation of how the games came to be. I missed the explanation for how Caves developed...if someone knows, please comment and hook a sister up on this knowledge gap. It could be the release of this ARC coincided with a very busy time for me and I lacked all the requisite brain cells to follow along without missing tidbits...
Anywho... our main characters are Tempest and Wild. Names have significance in the magus way of being - a nomer largely synopses a person's deeper character. Tempest and Wild sure suit their names! There is a lot of angsty tension between the two, when they meet. Tempest has experienced significant loss and trauma, instigated by the loss of her closest family members. She's seeking answers and returns to her family's historical coven to investigate her history. Until now, she has operated on a solo basis, so is used to her independence and begins acclimating to coven culture. Within the coven, we meet an extensive cast of supportive characters. One thing Kelly St. Clare achieves in spades, is the creation of unique, rich, flavoured characters. I love their personalities, and how she manages to impart their essence to her pages. *italian finger-kiss* - Superb!
In coven, Tempest meets Wild, his wingmen, and a long lost relative. They develop an interesting love/hate friendship and partnership in a mutual journey to resolve some mysteries. Don't want to give any spoilers! There is a ton of laugh-out-loud hilarity; snark; romantic - no wait - lust-filled tension; and all the gamut of emotions in between. We're leading up to some serious twists, that St. Clare is Queen of...
I am scared of giving anything away, but the best part of this book for me was the final quarter... mystery, suspense, and a mind-blowing revelation! MIND THAT CLIFF! I hate cliffhangers; however, this one is freaking delicious and I feel is setting us up for an insane ride in the books to come. Make sure you're wearing a sportsbra that holds your girls nice and close, 'cause we're in for a doozy of a ride!
Please please read the Vampire Towers and Werewolf Dens before this series. They are tying together for a suspect will be an epic finale! You're not going to want to miss a single detail!
First off, LOVED this book. a 4/5 love affair. I have been a steadfast follower of St. Clare since accidentally stumbling on her Vampire Towers series. I am in love - ok, fine, OBSESSED - with the Supernatural Battle universe. The vamps and luthers were equally excellent, and insanely hard to top. St. Clare introduced the magus in this debut to the "witchy" subseries. The idea of "game play" within the context of plot is super unique and intriguing! The vamp and luther games were very different, and I was incredibly excited to see what game this book introduced.
I don't enjoy this species of supernatural people as much as all the others; however, found the concept of Caves intriguing. That said, in the Vampire Towers and Werewolf dens series, there is an explanation of how the games came to be. I missed the explanation for how Caves developed...if someone knows, please comment and hook a sister up on this knowledge gap. It could be the release of this ARC coincided with a very busy time for me and I lacked all the requisite brain cells to follow along without missing tidbits...
Anywho... our main characters are Tempest and Wild. Names have significance in the magus way of being - a nomer largely synopses a person's deeper character. Tempest and Wild sure suit their names! There is a lot of angsty tension between the two, when they meet. Tempest has experienced significant loss and trauma, instigated by the loss of her closest family members. She's seeking answers and returns to her family's historical coven to investigate her history. Until now, she has operated on a solo basis, so is used to her independence and begins acclimating to coven culture. Within the coven, we meet an extensive cast of supportive characters. One thing Kelly St. Clare achieves in spades, is the creation of unique, rich, flavoured characters. I love their personalities, and how she manages to impart their essence to her pages. *italian finger-kiss* - Superb!
In coven, Tempest meets Wild, his wingmen, and a long lost relative. They develop an interesting love/hate friendship and partnership in a mutual journey to resolve some mysteries. Don't want to give any spoilers! There is a ton of laugh-out-loud hilarity; snark; romantic - no wait - lust-filled tension; and all the gamut of emotions in between. We're leading up to some serious twists, that St. Clare is Queen of...
I am scared of giving anything away, but the best part of this book for me was the final quarter... mystery, suspense, and a mind-blowing revelation! MIND THAT CLIFF! I hate cliffhangers; however, this one is freaking delicious and I feel is setting us up for an insane ride in the books to come. Make sure you're wearing a sportsbra that holds your girls nice and close, 'cause we're in for a doozy of a ride!
Please please read the Vampire Towers and Werewolf Dens before this series. They are tying together for a suspect will be an epic finale! You're not going to want to miss a single detail!
January 8, 2023
This was fun! I highly enjoyed getting the opportunity to explore further the world of Supernatural Battle. We've had vampires and werewolves and now we get witches?! Heck yes!
I was curious about how the author would incorporate the concept of "games" in this one. I was overcome with feelings of... skepticism? when it was first revealed that Caves (aka the witches' version of the games) has spanned centuries and it was wholly because they were choosing the next leader? I guess witches are just a really divisive and indecisive lot? My feelings of disbelief aside, I think the author did perfectly well in making Caves complex and interesting. Although I was quite confused in some parts of the story involving Caves and had a hard time following all the what's what of the game.
First Ritual ended in a semi-cliffhanger. I don't know what to expect but I'm hoping for even more swoon and more reveals in the sequel!
“I choose to love who and what is good for me.” I wrenched the door open.
“Even if the bad feels fucking perfect?” he called.
I received an e-ARC to read and review as part of the author's ARC team.
I was curious about how the author would incorporate the concept of "games" in this one. I was overcome with feelings of... skepticism? when it was first revealed that Caves (aka the witches' version of the games) has spanned centuries and it was wholly because they were choosing the next leader? I guess witches are just a really divisive and indecisive lot? My feelings of disbelief aside, I think the author did perfectly well in making Caves complex and interesting. Although I was quite confused in some parts of the story involving Caves and had a hard time following all the what's what of the game.
First Ritual ended in a semi-cliffhanger. I don't know what to expect but I'm hoping for even more swoon and more reveals in the sequel!
“I choose to love who and what is good for me.” I wrenched the door open.
“Even if the bad feels fucking perfect?” he called.
I received an e-ARC to read and review as part of the author's ARC team.
January 15, 2023
Where do I even begin?
First off, I seriously want to try a Gunpowder Gimlet cocktail now!
Secondly, I give this book a 5 star rating! Make sure to start reading when you have plenty of time available. I could not put the book down once I started. There were no lulls or good spots to stop at. The story kept a nice pace between the action and mystery.
I have read quite a few of Kelly St. Clare's other series (Vampire Towers, Werewolf Dens, et cetera). Every single one of those books have sucked me into their pages, and her First Ritual is no different. Her formula for a killer story never disappoints; strong female character, blossoming romance, games, twists, and turns. This book has it all and more!
Tempest is now one of my favorite characters from Kelly's supernatural universe. She is the embodiment of her name's meaning...."Storm". She is stubborn, strong, intelligent, gives no fucks, and gravitates towards the pull of her magic. While she navigates the mysteries of her familial roots at a coven, Tempest develops a fair-weather relationship with a magus that doesn't exactly come with no runes attached.
If you enjoyed her other series, you will certainly enjoy this one as well.
First off, I seriously want to try a Gunpowder Gimlet cocktail now!
Secondly, I give this book a 5 star rating! Make sure to start reading when you have plenty of time available. I could not put the book down once I started. There were no lulls or good spots to stop at. The story kept a nice pace between the action and mystery.
I have read quite a few of Kelly St. Clare's other series (Vampire Towers, Werewolf Dens, et cetera). Every single one of those books have sucked me into their pages, and her First Ritual is no different. Her formula for a killer story never disappoints; strong female character, blossoming romance, games, twists, and turns. This book has it all and more!
Tempest is now one of my favorite characters from Kelly's supernatural universe. She is the embodiment of her name's meaning...."Storm". She is stubborn, strong, intelligent, gives no fucks, and gravitates towards the pull of her magic. While she navigates the mysteries of her familial roots at a coven, Tempest develops a fair-weather relationship with a magus that doesn't exactly come with no runes attached.
If you enjoyed her other series, you will certainly enjoy this one as well.
January 19, 2023
Jaw-dropping
Having read the other two connected series in this world, I have been beyond eager to read this new one! I was absolutely not disappointed! Tempest is amazing, I absolutely love her character, her lore, everything about her! Wild is just Wild! He's absolutely swoon-worthy and I could not stop turning pages to see what would happen next! I don't think I could pick a favorite from the series in this world, but this one might just be edging a little past the others! That ending too!!! I kind of had things figured out, but dang that was good!! I cannot WAIT for the next book in the series!!
Having read the other two connected series in this world, I have been beyond eager to read this new one! I was absolutely not disappointed! Tempest is amazing, I absolutely love her character, her lore, everything about her! Wild is just Wild! He's absolutely swoon-worthy and I could not stop turning pages to see what would happen next! I don't think I could pick a favorite from the series in this world, but this one might just be edging a little past the others! That ending too!!! I kind of had things figured out, but dang that was good!! I cannot WAIT for the next book in the series!!
May 7, 2023
”What you are is beautiful and hurt and it’s fucking painful to look at you because I can’t decide if I should soothe away every hurt before it touches you or make the hurt worse for acting like I don’t mean anything to you.”
Swooooon!!!! I love (a lil angst) slow burns 🫶🏼
Plot was nice. i like the world build.. its been awhile since i last read something that got me hooked right away so this was really nice.
Wished we got to see Wild’s pov sometimes but alas i’m so excited to see whats in store in the next book
Swooooon!!!! I love (a lil angst) slow burns 🫶🏼
Plot was nice. i like the world build.. its been awhile since i last read something that got me hooked right away so this was really nice.
Wished we got to see Wild’s pov sometimes but alas i’m so excited to see whats in store in the next book
January 20, 2023
This was unexpected
Wow! So I love Tempest - she is strong but stubborn, oh so stubborn! There were times I wanted to smack her upside her head. Then there's Wild. He was such an enigma at first. Did he want Tempest? Was she jyst a means to an end? And what in the world was going on with him? But by the end I believe that Wild us half in love with Tempest and she lives deep in denial. The ending though left me surprised. I had my suspicions but....anyway great read.
Wow! So I love Tempest - she is strong but stubborn, oh so stubborn! There were times I wanted to smack her upside her head. Then there's Wild. He was such an enigma at first. Did he want Tempest? Was she jyst a means to an end? And what in the world was going on with him? But by the end I believe that Wild us half in love with Tempest and she lives deep in denial. The ending though left me surprised. I had my suspicions but....anyway great read.
March 26, 2025
I’m not quite sure the end justified the means here. I was riveted the last 20% of this, but the majority of the book felt clunky and disconnected. We had the game. Tempest’s past. Wild’s past. Whatever was happening with them. These really all should’ve melded into a more common theme than they did. But I’m excited to keep reading because I LOVE where this story is being taken. Hopefully, we’re past the dredging and are straight to the good stuff in book two!
January 14, 2023
Aaahh!! I was so excited to go back into the Supernatural Battle world. First Ritual is book 1 in the Coven Caves series. It’s part of the Supernatural Battle word but can be read as a stand-alone. But be sure to go back and read the Vampire Towers and Werewolf Dens. Trust me.
The author doesn’t disappoint. First Ritual hooked me right from the beginning till the very end. Gosh, I need book 2 now!! I can’t wait to see more of Tempest. I love how many of the characters are already well rounded characters. They all have so much depth and the banter is great!! Be prepared for that ending. Such an addicting read.
The author doesn’t disappoint. First Ritual hooked me right from the beginning till the very end. Gosh, I need book 2 now!! I can’t wait to see more of Tempest. I love how many of the characters are already well rounded characters. They all have so much depth and the banter is great!! Be prepared for that ending. Such an addicting read.
November 8, 2023
This book was good. She reuses the same story lines for her different series but I still like them. I like The different spins she put in this one though so you can’t predict the plot and it’s still unique in its own way. Excited to read the second one.
August 24, 2025
I almost didn't read this further than the first 10 percent. But I'm glad I persisted, I really enjoyed the story in the end and it has some great jokes and banter. I'm not so happy about it being a series and not being able to read it standalone. But well what can you do, onto the next we go.
February 9, 2023
3.75 stars
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