Disclaimer I voluntarily read and reviewed this advance reader copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. So thank you so much to the author, INscribe Digital's amazing publishing, and Netgalley for giving me the chance to review this amazing book.


I give this book a 3/5 stars.


I read the first one "Deadly sweets" in 2017. I sadly wasn't a fan of the first one, but the second one was a lot better. I picks up exactly where the first one finished. To some things up Anise has death magic rattling through her body and can no longer bake at her great-aunt's bakery until the magic is dispelled. All she wants is for her magic to work again, so that she could stop burning things when she bakes. She tries everything, even her friends try to help, but nothing works. So she ended up making a deal with a vampire.

This was such a fun enjoyable read. Its very easy to follow the plot.
.The characters are witty and interesting. I loved the way the relationship development I got to see between the characters. It was a magical book. I recommend this book who wants to escape reality.

This is a delicious mixture of sweet magic, some dark creatures, and spicy adventure.

Anise has survived the adventure of the first book...a book I truly enjoyed...and now, finds herself at odds with her own magic. Thanks to her brush with death, death magic has intertwined with her own cheerful sparks. It makes for deadly baking, which really is killing her mood. Her necromancy friends are doing their best to help out, but it's slow. When she discovers a way she can still bake even with death magic seeping in, it appears that more than one problem might be solved. But nothing is as easy as it seems.

This is not a deep book but simply an enjoyable read with lots of sugary treats, magic, paranormal creatures, a very light dust of romance-ish, and tons of fun. In other words, a great read to simply escape reality.

Anise struggles with her magic, and her frustration comes across natural and very understandable. The attempts of her friends to help her is inspirational, and it's refreshing to see that these witches definitely have their borders on what they can do. There's a nice community feel as they stand together, even when it's not enough. The scenes carry danger, but also a bit of humor to even things out. It's a lovely mix.

Imagination flows freely in these pages, especially in the way of magical creatures. While Anise and her magical problems remain serious, the author has added a bit of childish wonder on the side. I enjoyed reading about the fantastical creatures and Anise's interactions as much as the more serious and action filled scenes.

Anise does have a tough adversary especially toward the end, and action scenes keep the suspense high. Some moments are more of a surprise than others, but there's enough of a unexpected twist to keep the tension flowing. The ending scene hit a little sudden, but then, it fits the tale and promises more to come. I'm looking forward to see what Anise will face next.

The story picks up exactly where Deadly Sweet left off. Anise has death magic rattling through her body and can no longer bake at her great-aunt's bakery until the magic is dispelled. Her friends try and help wean the green coated magic from Anise, but the process is relentless. No matter how much Anise drains the magic through baking charred concoctions, it still remains inside of her. Upon meeting a shady vampire named Giraar and learning more about Wynn's past, Anise decides to strike a deal with the vamp so everybody wins: her necromancy magic will be drained through constant baking, the macaroons she bakes will be given to Giraar since he loves death magic, and in payment Giraar will hand over gems and gold coins that will be saved up and used to buy Wynn's freedom from his Shield life. So what could go wrong?

There's something magical swept into the pages of this series, and it took me so long to finish because I knew I had to wait until March for the next installment. We learned about Wynn's past which resulted in a friendship slowly blooming between Wynn and Anise (and hopefully something more in the next book). Unlike Deadly Sweet, the main focus was on Wynn and Anise as they struck a deal with the devil and paid the consequences. I didn't mind not having the other characters in the spotlight since I loved the interactions between Wynn and Anise. The only reason I rated this four stars was because the last ~15% felt weird compared to the rest of the story.

March cannot arrive fast enough and I excitedly look forward to the next adventure!

I was really hoping to love this story, but I just couldn't seem to get into it.

It has an amazing synopsis and the characters seem very unique. Sadly I couldn't seem to get fully invested.

This is not the books fault, it is just not something I feel like I would fall in love with.

I will still recommend to friends. Even though it is not for me that does not speak for the book and the author.

A fun, quick read, filled with bits of magic and sweetness.

Anise again finds herself in danger for reasons beyond her control, but once again with the help of her loyal friends and her somewhat reluctant bodyguard she will overcome all the obstacles in her way.

I enjoyed the first book in this series, but I didn't love this one. For me the first two thirds really dragged. It took me forever to get through to the action at the end. I also found it to be much more predictable than the first book. Just didn't catch my attention

Sugar Spells was the perfect combination of modern witchcraft and grim-dark fantasy. The town of Tousa is where magical beings and supernatural creatures can exist without fear of prosecution. You can find everything from enchanted stilettos to zero-cal ravioli.

Anise has just moved into her aunt’s magic bakery to begin her witch baking apprenticeship but her magic’s acting up. Her sugary sweet spells have turned into death dark magic. Her brush with death in Deadly Sweet has left some necromancy in her blood; death magic. She goes through a series of trials to remove it and finally decides to wait it out while baking death-infused macarons for a mannikin to help her bodyguard Wynn pay of his indenture. But everything goes sideways when the mannikin in question, Girrar, holds them hostage.

Thanks for the early review copy!

I recommend this book to fans of young adult fantasy. It was well-written, had interesting characters, and good plot.

Just as delightful as the first book in the series. There's more cooking, there's more witchcraft, more magical creatures (both good and bad) and - best of all - finally an explanation of Wynn's past. Seeing him finally actually TALK to Anise was worth the wait!

Like the first book in the series, "Sugar Spells" is uncomplicated enjoyment. What you see is what you get. It's cozy fantasy at it's best, filled with charming asides - just the way I like it!

I really enjoyed Deadly Sweet and this second book in the series was even better. These books are to horror/ dark fantasy what the cosy mystery is to crime and I absolutely love it. Fun, cute, warm and funny, this is the perfect hallowe'en read for those who don't want out and out horror or gore. A realy enjoyable series. I hope there's more to come.

This is the second book in The Spellwork Syndicate series. In this book, Anise Wise's magical mojo is out of whack thanks to a brush with death, and now she has unwanted death magic in her blood. This has completely sidelined her ability to work in the bakery, as everything she touches is immediately ruined. Anise and her shield Wynn go on a hunt to find a cure so she can get her life back.
I was unfamiliar with this series but I had no trouble catching up with the backstory. This is a YA series but I think it would be enjoyable to anyone. If you are into fantasy books, then I think you should give this one a try.

I really enjoyed this. There were so many interesting character and relationship developments in this book. This is a really enjoyable series to read and I can’t wait for the next book!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I was not paid for this review.

I read the first book, Deadly Sweet, at the start of the year and was quite pleased to see this second book appear on Netgalley. While I did have some critics on the first book it was still an enjoyable read. The second book moved on in the same direction and it was just what I needed.

Don’t go into these books expecting a very complex magical system or very complex plot. What you see is what you get. Sugar Spells is a true cozy, feel good, magical book. These books are perfect to curl up on the couch under a blanket and read in one sitting this Winter. Sugar Spells isn’t too long nor does it move to fast. The baking and the main character give of something homely and comforting, and that is what I needed at the time of reading.

What I also appreciate is how the romance is being approached. I suspect there is a slow burn romance at work here and the ground work for that was laid down in this book. One can’t be in a relationship if there is an unequalness in the relationship. ‘Employer’, and employee that can’t leave. This was talked about without the romance in it actually. That is how slow burn it is.

Anise also reminds me of myself. The bad luck, the complete unflattering wardrobe when she stays in, the constant push to fix what is wrong, feeling crap so eating ice scream it is. And yes she is clearly the ‘heroine’ who wants to fix everything and always chooses the right thing. But there is more to her than that and that is why I enjoy her character.

This book is being targeted at young adult however I do have my questions regarding that. Anise is out of high school and working on a career. So I would say this series also borders on new adult in that context. Having said that there is also barely anything triggering in these books.

This title was so cute and spooky! I loved it! Perfect for Halloween time and fall. Fans of The Wicked Deep and Hocus Pocus will love this title.