Perfect blend of fantasy meets contemporary
4.5 stars rounded up!
This is a really fantastic coming of age story that combines magic and witches with the real life issues that young people face in high school such as pressure to succeed, predatory adults, and "casual" racism/discrimination.
This story follows Shay Johnson, who wants nothing more than to get the full-ride Brockton scholarship so she can attend any magical university. Shay has to beat out her main competition Ana Alvarez, which she has a chance at when the head of the scholarship committee convinces Shay to join his musical.
Honestly, Shay and Ana made this book. I loved their tension filled exchanges and their drive to make each other better witches by continually testing each other’s magic. There’s so much witty banter between them, and I’m always a sucker for academic rivals.
Now let’s talk Mr. B. He is literally the scum of the Earth, and I wanted to put him in a chokehold way too many times. He preys on young girls for his own needs. He also constantly makes racist comments and microaggressions yet thinks he’s “cool”. Barf.
This book truly was the perfect blend of fantasy and contemporary, and who doesn’t love a sapphic witchy romance?!
Thank you to Penguin Teen for providing a review copy. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.
This is a really fantastic coming of age story that combines magic and witches with the real life issues that young people face in high school such as pressure to succeed, predatory adults, and "casual" racism/discrimination.
This story follows Shay Johnson, who wants nothing more than to get the full-ride Brockton scholarship so she can attend any magical university. Shay has to beat out her main competition Ana Alvarez, which she has a chance at when the head of the scholarship committee convinces Shay to join his musical.
Honestly, Shay and Ana made this book. I loved their tension filled exchanges and their drive to make each other better witches by continually testing each other’s magic. There’s so much witty banter between them, and I’m always a sucker for academic rivals.
Now let’s talk Mr. B. He is literally the scum of the Earth, and I wanted to put him in a chokehold way too many times. He preys on young girls for his own needs. He also constantly makes racist comments and microaggressions yet thinks he’s “cool”. Barf.
This book truly was the perfect blend of fantasy and contemporary, and who doesn’t love a sapphic witchy romance?!
Thank you to Penguin Teen for providing a review copy. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.