Thank you to PRH Audio and Penguin Teen for my review copies. All opinions are my own.

The premise and the idea behind this book was good. But somewhere along the way, it lost me and didn't deliver the witchy book I hoped and expected. It was more focused on relationships and mental health than the fantasy/witchy vibes I wanted. It was slow and boring, showing more of the family life than creating the mystery with the spell casting. It is forgettable.

If you’re looking for a dark and thrilling teen witch story this is it. Be prepared for tragedy and teen angst in this witchy mystery.

I don’t mind dark books but I think I have a line and this book crossed it. Which doesn’t make it a bad book but the emphasis on the mental health of the characters made it difficult to get through. It became such a large part of the story, overshadowing the magic which is what excited me most about this book. I read for fun and this book wasn’t a fun read a lot of the time. Add to that, the ending didn’t really feel earned. I finished the book unsatisfied by the simplicity and rushing in the last part of the book that made me question what all the lead up was for. This isn’t a bad book but it really wasn’t a good fit for me.

A middle of the ground read. It's exactly as they described as a really toned down version of Netflix's Chilling Adventure of Sabrina and the Craft.

Unfortunately, I had to DNF this book. I really didn't care about the characters, and it just wasn't something I could get passed. There was also questions relationships in here that I really didn't like reading about. There were so many problems in this book, and overall way too many toxic situations that were not explained.

DNF at around 25%. This one was too confusing for me and I didn't really enjoy any of the characters. I may revisit someday, but for now this one wasn't for me.

It was really underwhelming and I really had to push myself to finish this novel. Kind of bland to be honest.

Wasn't what I expected but I still liked it. It had a bit of a slow start but by the middle of it, it started going.

A Wicked Magic was an interesting read. I definitely got The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina meets The Craft vibes as it was described. It felt like I was reading a teen show or movie with a thriller but not quite horror vibe.
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The book follows Dan and Liss, two friends that have had a falling out after a spell they cast goes wrong. Lisa’s boyfriend disappears and she is determined to get him back. You find out early on that the boyfriend is missing, but it’s a mystery element of this book that you don’t find out exactly what happened until a bit later in the book.
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There are some elements of this book that I wished were more fleshed out, like the other group of witches in the book. That part was very interesting, but I felt it was brushed over too fast. Overall I did enjoy the book and would recommend it to anyone wanting a supernatural adventure with some thrills and a little bit of mystery.

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I'm not sure what to say about this one except that I wasn't a big fan. It was confusing and repetitive, the characters weren't very well thought out. Not sure what I expected from this book, but this wasn't it. DNFed at 34%

This sounded like a promising book, but i was a bit disappointed. The writing felt flat and the plot was just the same, dragging on and leading nowhere. I had hopes considering the cover was SO stunning!

Wicked Magic is a book with witchy vibes with not so much magic. I was hoping for a darker witchy story, but A Wicked Magic is not quite that. BUT you should still give A Wicked Magic a read! A Wicked Magic focuses on all of the messy aspects of friendship with a dabble of magic.

The story shifts perspectives between Liss, Dan, and Alexa. Each girl offers more to the story as it progresses. You will be eagerly awaiting Alexa’s chapters, I promise. I loved how Laurens presented the evolution of a teen friendship, it was refreshing all the way up to the end. Personally, I loved Alexa and disliked Liss. Each character is very different, yet relatable. Liss, Dan, and Alexa face their own problems which they all deal with. I liked the rawness of their reactions, but know A Wicked Magic touches on mental health, abuse, and self-harm. This added a depth to each character.

There as so many little things I liked about this book. Frist, the cover! Who doesn’t love that cover! The characters, the chase of the “bad guy,” and the consequences of magic. If you are looking for a spooky book to get you in the mood for halloween, this is for you. Or you love the witchy vide, check out A Wicked Magic.

As much as I enjoyed this book, I thought there was going to be a more developed magic system with more magic. Laurens gave just enough details to keep me interested, but I wanted more. My biggest complaint, was not the lack of magic, but the flashbacks/pacing and the “bad guy.” The girls witchy tribe made for an interesting adventure, but the threat didn’t seem that bad in the end. Overall the lack of magic, order of events, and slow start are why I gave A Wicked Magic 3.5 starts. You might read A Wicked Magic and love every aspect, which I hope you do!

There is potential for this story to continue and I hope is does. I enjoyed A Wicked Magic and hope dive back into the girls witchy tribe. I would recommend A Wicked Magic to anyone who enjoys the fall/halloween vibe.

Very interesting and fun to read! Kept my attention throughout the whole book. The plot line is interesting to read and I loved the characters.

I was excited by the premise of the book. I love anything to do with witches and magic.
This one was a miss for me.
The book revolves more around teen drama than it did anything else.
I didn’t really like the characters much either, I just couldn’t connect with them or the story.

Unfortunately, this book let me down. I was anticipating a really interesting YA witchy story and what I got was a book full of problematic content and not enough warning about the topics discussed. When you pitch something as Sabrina the Teenage Witch and then get a story about self harm and suicidal thoughts, relationships between young girls and older men, mental/emotional abuse, and much more...that's not okay. The premise didn't match the actual content. This isn't what I signed on for.

Was really looking forward to this book and the magical premise. However, it did not work for me at all. I definitely know it worked for others but it didn't quite hit for me like so many other fantasy/magical based books.

I was a fan of Charmed and The Craft growing up, and “A Wicked Magic” made me nostalgic to watch them again. This book was very entertaining and I enjoyed reading it!

Firstly, I really liked how the author set up the premise and progressed with the characters. The plot is very interesting and shocks you at times with some very intense scenes. Personally, I loved the flashback leading to Johnny’s ‘abduction’. I was at the edge of my seat when Dan sees Johnny again, or when Alexa saves Dan from the fire incident. The author tells the story in a very smooth manner where you feel like you are completely immersed with the characters.

Speaking of characters, I loved Alexa. She was my favorite out of the three, and I liked how she tried to sort out her life after what happened to Lorelei. Dan was interesting but too whiny and weak for my taste. Liss was a mixed bag because I loved her confidence in some scenes, but felt she too self-obsessed in others. Also, the author did a very nice job of giving equally balancing on the characters and the plot.

However, there were a few minor details that I thought could have handled better. For instance, I felt some romance angles were unnecessary. I honestly did not see any chemistry between Liss and Johnny. In fact, I did not get the love triangle between the three. Also, while there were some really sensitive issues like self-harm, abuse, cults, and depression raised, there’s wasn’t enough focus for resolution on them.

Apart from that, I really liked “A Wicked Magic”. It’s campy, interesting, and different from what I expected.

What I Loved: Out of all the books on this list, this one surprised me the most and mean that in the best way possible. I thought I was getting your run of the mill YA fantasy featuring teenage girls messing around with magic, making mistakes, and reaping the consequences. What I got was the closest read-alike I have ever come across for Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand. If you have hung around Stuck in the Stacks for any period of time you know that Sawkill Girls was one of my favorite queer horror novels and while A Wicked Magic definitely leans more towards fantasy than horror, there are so many similarities and I absolutely loved it. I also was not expecting the depth of the female relationships in this book. There were complicated friendships, potential romances, found family, and complicated pasts. The novel is told in numerous points of view and while in less capable hands, it might feel chaotic or confusing, Sasha handled each point of view brilliantly. If you can’t tell I absolutely adored this book and really have nothing negative to say about it. You can check out the Q&A we did with Sasha here.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. It took me a while to finish this book because it lacked a lot of the magical elements that I wanted from the book. The book really focused on sisterhood and friendship, which I enjoy, but I felt like that was the only focus. Seemed to be just about mending a friendship with some magical elements sprinkled in there. Also - a lot of triggers! It was hard to enjoy the book with all of this going on.

I buddy read this with a fellow book friend and both of us were excited to read it. Unfortunately, both of us were underwhelmed.
The premise was great, but the story just didn't deliver. We both had a very hard time getting into the story and called it quits. Sorry..