A magical, inventive coming-of-age for readers who like a side of romance.
A young woman reclaims her family legacy as a witch and finds love along the way in Shae’s new novel, the first in the Pruitt Witches series.
Hazel Hollis is 25 years old and living under the thumb of her controlling mother in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. Stuck without a proper job or a boyfriend, her life is stalling. An argument between her mother and grandmother over her mother’s refusal to allow Hazel or her younger sister, Laura, who’s 21, to use magic results in Hazel’s leaving home for the first time ever. She moves in above Grandma’s magic shop, The Cat’s Cradle, beginning a new job there and training for the first time to fully access her powers. When she begrudgingly joins Laura on a night out, Hazel crosses paths with handsome and kind Noah, and her world brightens as they begin dating. Shae crafts a cozy, fall-coded romance with a supernatural twist as her lead connects with her true self and her family history. Strong and traumatic female intergenerational dynamics are at play here as Shae connects her contemporary characters with fictional ancestors who were victims of the Salem Witch Trials. Additionally, the controlling nature of Hazel’s mother, frightened by what being a witch means for her daughters, is a significant plot point in Hazel’s initial isolation and a springboard for her journey of self-discovery: “I just don’t see how I’m supposed to connect with people when I don’t even have a connection with myself.” Noah is a swoon-worthy romantic hero, though at times, the love story accelerates at breakneck speed, leaving the reader little chance to catch up. However, the fact that the romance seems second to the central character’s growth as a young woman embracing her status as a witch means it’s well balanced, with an immersive universe poised for a sequel.
A magical, inventive coming-of-age for readers who like a side of romance.Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2024
ISBN: 9798987132838
Page Count: 302
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: July 2, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Although the melodrama sometimes is a bit much, the superb worldbuilding and intricate plotline make this a must-read.
Using mystery and romance elements in a nonlinear narrative, SenLinYu’s debut is a doorstopper of a fantasy that follows a woman with missing memories as she navigates through a war-torn realm in search of herself.
Helena Marino is a talented young healer living in Paladia—the “Shining City”—who has been thrust into a brutal war against an all-powerful necromancer and his army of Undying, loyal henchmen with immortal bodies, and necrothralls, reanimated automatons. When Helena is awakened from stasis, a prisoner of the necromancer’s forces, she has no idea how long she has been incarcerated—or the status of the war. She soon finds herself a personal prisoner of Kaine Ferron, the High Necromancer’s “monster” psychopath who has sadistically killed hundreds for his master. Ordered to recover Helena’s buried memories by any means necessary, the two polar opposites—Helena and Kaine, healer and killer—end up discovering much more as they begin to understand each other through shared trauma. While necromancy is an oft-trod subject in fantasy novels, the author gives it a fresh feel—in large part because of their superb worldbuilding coupled with unforgettable imagery throughout: “[The necromancer] lay reclined upon a throne of bodies. Necrothralls, contorted and twisted together, their limbs transmuted and fused into a chair, moving in synchrony, rising and falling as they breathed in tandem, squeezing and releasing around him…[He] extended his decrepit right hand, overlarge with fingers jointed like spider legs.” Another noteworthy element is the complex dynamic between Helena and Kaine. To say that these two characters shared the gamut of intense emotions would be a vast understatement. Readers will come for the fantasy and stay for the romance.
Although the melodrama sometimes is a bit much, the superb worldbuilding and intricate plotline make this a must-read.Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2025
ISBN: 9780593972700
Page Count: 1040
Publisher: Del Rey
Review Posted Online: July 17, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2025
A delightful, genre-defying debut.
Historical horror? Dark fantasy? Queer romance? All of the above!
“I was hundreds of years old before I ever met him, but that day we were both young.” While visiting his Florence offices in 2013, attorney Sebastian Grave unearths a bloodstained lambskin glove that belonged to a past lover—a man he’d met in the 18th century. Nestled within this frame narrative is a tale of desire, werewolves, and the French Revolution. In telling his story, Sebastian introduces Sarmodel, the demon with whom he shares a body, and a succubus named Livia contributes chapters in which Joan of Arc, her notorious ally Gilles de Rais, and the archangel Michael all make appearances. First-time novelist Sullivan wields the tools of multiple genres deftly, but what really makes this book special is its central character. Sebastian has powerful magic at his disposal, but he’s also human enough to fall hard for a hot young nobleman. When Sebastian goes hunting for the Beast of Gévaudan, he’s not looking for adventure. The first time, it’s because he can’t resist Antoine Avenel d’Ocerne. The second time, it’s because he dreams of a reunion with his love—even though he knows this is a hopeless wish against the advice of Sarmodel. Using Sebastian as a narrator keeps things light, in part because he has a droll, contemporary voice and in part because it makes the worldbuilding feel natural. There are footnotes, but there are no infodumps. The fact that Sebastian doesn’t know exactly what he is sets the tone for storytelling that leaves a great deal unexplained while providing enough detail to keep the reader engaged. Deploying Sarmodel as a sort of alter ego and allowing Livia to offer her own perspective on Sebastian also adds both depth and charm.
A delightful, genre-defying debut.Pub Date: Feb. 24, 2026
ISBN: 9781250362766
Page Count: 544
Publisher: Tor
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2026
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