Her life was about to change, in an amazing and magical way, but still. Change was big. Change was difficult. And Hunter wasn’t sure if she was ready.

Spells Trouble (From ARC, quotes may have changed in publication copy)

Thank you, NetGalley and Wednesday Books, for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Hunter and Mercy Goode are twin witches, direct descendants of the founder of their town of Goodeville. As their ancestors have done before them, it is now time for the twins to learn what it means to be Gatekeepers–the protectors of the Gates to different underworlds, ancient portals between their world and realms where mythology rules and nightmares come to life.

When their mother becomes the first victim in a string of murders, the devastated sisters vow to avenge her death. But it will take more than magic to rein in the ancient mythological monsters who’ve infected their peaceful town.

Now Hunter and Mercy must come together and accept their destiny or risk being separated for good.

When I was a teenager, I fell in love with The House of Night Series. It combined my love of vampires, witchy stuff, and romance into one book series (which I admittedly still need to finish). So, when I saw that P.C and Kristin Cast were coming out with a new series focused on witches, I knew I had to read it. 

The novel focuses on twin witches (Twitches, anyone?) Hunter and Mercy Goode, descendants of one of the first three women accused of witchcraft in the Salem Witch Trials, Sarah Good (spelled Goode in the book). Hunter and Mercy are complete opposites. Mercy is outgoing, energetic, and a social butterfly, whereas Hunter is introverted, calm, and would rather stay home to write her romance novel. But despite their differences, they have a profound bond. 

On their 16th birthday, their lives get turned upside-down when the five Gates to the underworld, of which their family has been Gatekeeper over for generations, begin to open. Their mother manages to close one, sacrificing herself in the process, but a creature from another gate gets loose and starts wreaking havoc on the town. Now, Hunter and Mercy must take on the mantle of Gatekeepers themselves to protect the town and prevent any other creatures from escaping from the mythological underworlds into the living realm. 

The thing I liked most about Spells Trouble is the world-building. Now, anyone who’s read The Crucible or studied the Salem Witch Trials knows that the women accused of witchcraft were not “actual” witches, but in the case of Spells Trouble, at least one was: Sarah Good. And that’s where this book starts. The prologue opens with Sarah Goode’s imprisonment and subsequent escape using magic. As someone who both read and was in a production of The Crucible in high school, I loved this nod to historical events. It totally grabbed my attention and had me invested in what would happen next. 

In terms of the magic system, it seemed to be heavily inspired by modern Wicca, paganism, and witchcraft. I’m not super vocal about it, but I do practice witchcraft, and the way the Casts describe spell work and the Goode girl’s connection to magic felt very real to me. It was well thought out and well researched, and it made reading it really enjoyable. It was also reminiscent of The House of Night, which also had some pagan elements to its magic system. 

That being said, there were some things that I didn’t quite like about the book, but I think they’re mostly revolved around Mercy. I couldn’t really connect with her as a character, and she often confused me. I didn’t like her boyfriend at all. Time and time again, she compromised herself and her relationship with his sister for him. It seemed almost like a forced narration point, I couldn’t understand it, and I spent more time than I would have liked waiting to find out if she would end up kicking him to the curb. 

Also—spoiler, but I feel like it’s essential since this is marketed as a young adult book—there’s a surprisingly in-detail sex scene in the middle of the book. It wasn’t terribly graphic, but this is marketed as a young adult book, and the characters are teenagers. It was also kind of out of place and seemed like its graphicness could have been cut out while still maintaining the emotional inner monologue that ran through it. 

Despite the elements I didn’t like, I ended up really enjoying Spells Trouble. I liked the shifting perspective between Hunter, Mercy, and the antagonist, and I loved the real-world ties to Wicca and paganism. I’m excited to follow the series as it’s released, and now I definitely want to go back and reread The House of Night.