Title: Bewitched (Bewitched Book #1)
Author: Laura Thalassa
Genre: Romantasy, Fantasy Romance
Publisher: Lavabrook Publishing
Publication Date: April 18, 2023
Format: Kindle Unlimited
Length:  443 pages

Read if you like: magic schools, bonded magical creatures, morally grey/black MMC, dramatic and unhinged behaviour, very steamy open-door romance

Rating: 

When I was approaching the end of my pregnancy, a funny thing happened: my brain completely turned to mush. I was so exhausted and depleted at all times that I struggled to maintain any form of concentration, particularly when it came to reading. 

To overcome this, I decided to pick up a novel that sounded fun above all else, something that could hold the last dregs of my attention and entertain me effortlessly. Bewitched met that bill.

This book was super fun and a little ridiculous in a good way. Despite tackling some heavy topics, the overall tone didn’t feel heavy, and it was an enjoyable story to get lost in. I loved that it was available on Kindle Unlimited, and there were a lot of loose ends at the conclusion that set up some promising future plotlines. 

If you’re looking for a fantasy with a magic school and some super steamy romance, I’d give this book a try. It cured my inability to focus and allowed me to enjoy my favourite hobby again before baby girl arrived. 

The Book Synopsis: Bewitched by Laura Thalassa 

At age twenty, Selene Bowers desperately hopes to be accepted into Henbane Coven, an academy for young witches. Since one of the requirements for entry is to connect with her powers via a quest through the wilderness, Selene books a trip to South America. When a nefarious supernatural force tries to drag her plane from the sky, Selene’s magic awakens to save her life―at a cost. Using her powers devours her memories, one by one.

Worse, when Selene braves the jungle and discovers the source of the attack, she finds herself awakening an ancient evil, Memnon the Cursed, who mistakes Selene for his long-dead wife. The wife who betrayed him. Selene manages to escape and begin her studies at Henbane, but when Memnon turns up at the coven and witches are found dead across campus, Selene becomes entangled in a dangerous plot. Accused of the murders on the basis of her memory loss, Selene must rely on Memnon’s help for answers―and his plans for her will change everything.

The Review 

This was such a ridiculously fun book. It was kind of reminiscent of Zodiac Academy to me with its very chill and informal tone but with far less emotional devastation. 

I really enjoyed seeing the concept of a witch’s school of magic come together as the main character Selene works her way into it. The front portion of the book deals just with Selene’s journey to gain entry to the school, and then from there we get to see her enrolled and learn more about what feels something like your average American college, but with magic. I feel like Thalassa barely scratched the surface of the potential of what such a setting could hold and leaves a lot of opportunity for future books and plot lines. What we did get to see though was entertaining. 

In terms of characters, Selene is interesting, particularly in her struggle between a sort of willful ignorance and a more thorough understanding of her situation. At times I found her refusal to acknowledge what was happening to her or face it head-on a little irritating, but she does grow as the novel moves along. I feel like similar to the setting, Selene has a lot of potential to grow in interesting ways, particularly given the way that some of the concluding events came together, so I’m looking forward to seeing how that could play out in future books. 

The romance aspect of the plot was equal parts enthralling and repulsive to me depending on the point of the book (in a good way– I found myself getting pretty invested). Every time I felt like there was some hope for Memnon he would do something so appalling that I walked it all back in my head. He is probably the most intriguing mystery of the whole book to me right now and I honestly can’t quite tell where he’s going to end up. I oscillated between despising him and finding him somewhat romantic, though I ended with a firm dislike. We’ll see how I feel come the next book.  

While there was heavy subject matter (be sure to check trigger warnings if you think that’s something that could be of concern for you), this book is easy to sink into. It didn’t take itself too seriously and I really liked that aspect. I’ll definitely continue on with the next book and rated this one 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 on Goodreads.