What Became of Magic by Paige Crutcher
Narrated by Caitlin Kelly
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Genre: Women's Fiction
Published: September 26, 2023

What Became of Magic by Paige Crutcher is a standalone fantasy romance. It was definitely different and not exactly what I expected. I would characterize this as unique.

Thankfully, it was a quick read. I think that is why I finished it. There was something about it that kept me reading, but I can't say that I loved it.

The narration by Caitlin Kelly was really good. I enjoyed how she brought the book to life.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

DNFed at 12%... I thought this was an adult novel, but the dialog sounds more like a 14 year old. It seemed like an interesting concept but it wasn't executed very well

This is an odd one for me. I cannot completely decide if I enjoyed or did not enjoy What Became of Magic. The description was intriguing and the plot flowed smoothly in the beginning. I found the protagonist relatable, as too her struggles to fit in and self-realize. However, about a third of the way in I felt I had entered an alternate reality where riddles were never answered and answers became riddles.

Aline Weir has never felt she fit in anywhere, until she did, in a bookstore run by three witches. Besides talking to ghosts and finding and reuniting those with things that are lost; Aline discovers the book of Mischief which connects her to Magic. In a race against time and her emotions, Aline must use her unique powers to save Magic.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Thanks to NG and Macmillan audio for the early listen! Great audiobook! Highly recommend!

A witch that never fits in gets roped into a town with broken magic and is tasked with saving the world.

The premise had promise. The world is losing magic because magic is broken and, as a witch blessed by the fates, Aline is the one to do it. However, when she gets to the town of Matchstick nothing is as it seems and she finds that magic is not just a thing, but a person. A handsome, insta-love man who goes so quickly from not wanting anything to do with her to not being able to live without her that your head will spin.

I felt like the relationship, rather than building, was pushed on you. One of those 'I wanted this to happen, so it did' moments without any build up beyond the fact that she dreamed of doing naughty things with him for years, but never actually talked to him. Likewise, I felt like some of the other character interactions were forced and even though Aline was a very empathetic person, I found some of her 'sacrifice everything for this person I just met' was hard to swallow. Overall, I feel like it was the unbelievability of the relationship of the two MC's that killed it for me, as well as constantly forgetting that Aline was 30 because she acted closer to characters in YA novels.

3.5/5 Stars


I received this as an ARC in audiobook form.

Firstly, the narration of this book was fantastic! I loved listening to the performance that this narrator gave.

The emotion and the imagery painted by not just the narrator, but also in the writing of this novel where both very good. I enjoyed this read a lot. This is a great cozy fall read that does still have some pretty high stakes to it.

At first, I did think this novel was YA, but it is not that. The novel starts when she is a teenager, but we spend a majority of the novel following her as she is in her thirties.

I wish some pages were added to give some of the secondary characters a little background. That is the only reason these character's fell a little flat for me. Each character had their own voice and tone, but I wasn't as invested as I felt I should have been due to not really knowing much about them in the grand scheme of things.

Overall, this is a great fall witchy read that should be added to your TBR for the season!

Incredibly creative and beautifully written. The magical universe and worlds the author created were effortless to visualize. I appreciated the frequent references to Anne of Green Gables and how they fit well into the plot. However, the characters lacked depth. I couldn’t quite connect with them. They read very one-dimensional and the absence of an emotional attachment to them took away from the creativity of their origin.

What Became of Magic follows Aline Weir, a young lady who is an outcast in society and her own family. We start with Aline being invited to a sleepover and being caught talking to a ghost. Of course, no one else could see the ghost, and Aline's social life was never the same. Aline grew up with parents who didn't care for her and would find her home with 3 sisters in a bookshop. She would also go on an adventure to save a magical land called Matchstick, which she learned about in a book.

I can't describe how I feel about the book. It started with a great premise. A young lady and a found family, discovering the magic within her and her purpose. I loved the ghost friend, Dragon, whom she met as a child. The magic system seems pretty fun as well and has a lot of potential for Aline to explore the world and do some real good. I can't really put my finger on it but the execution of the story didn't work for me. Everyone spoke in riddles, we went on a quest finding more and more members to add to our questing party. The bad guy is a bad guy, but a bad guy with good intentions. Aline falls in love with a being, but they only have ever met in dreams, never really getting to know one another, they are just connected.

I understand the concept of wanting to save the world of Matchstick and discovering all these new and different beings, and magics, but once the quest began my interest in the characters began to wane. Honestly, I think that was where it was, we start with the potential for one story, then go into this questing adventure later on.

The narrator did a really good job for her part in bringing everyone to life. I just could not connect with the characters and their plight.

Paige Crutcher does a great job combining the world we know with the fantastic and taking problems that we have and rooting them to the fantasy world she has woven into the world. Sometimes I have a hard time placing whether I'm in a fantasy world or a real world, but Crutcher weaved them seamlessly. I will definitely be recommending this book to others.

3ish stars

This book was okay. The premise sounded intriguing, but honestly, it didn’t capture or keep my attention the way I’d hoped. The writing style was fine, and a few parts of the story made me smile, but overall, it just fell kind of flat for me. I think/hope others may be able to enjoy it more.

I love books about magic and witches in the fall so I listened to this on NetGalley last weekend.

Aline got in a lot of trouble at a sleepover when she was young, so she hides her magic which allows her to talk to ghosts and help them find the key to get home. She spends her childhood alone, but finally takes solace in a bookstore ran by three quirky women, who accept her for who she is. Then she finds the Book of Mischief which changes her powers.

When the three women disappear along with her ghostly friend, Dragon, someone else turns up, and she ends up in a secret and mysterious town called Matchstick. There, she discovers Magic is a person who is has been waiting for her and she knows him from her dreams. And it is up to her to save the world.

I gave this one ⭐️⭐️⭐️. It was a quick audio listen for me. It really reads more like a YA. It was a sweet story with fun action scenes.

Thank you to @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for an advanced audio copy.

I was really determined this fall to read as many magic/witchy books I could. When i saw this was available, i jumped on it. Beautiful cover and the description had me very interested.

To start, the intro was so slowwww. I know some books take a minute to really take off, but this one was just plain boring. It never grabbed my interest. There were some various aspects I was interested in, but they weren't prominent enough to make up for the rest. This definitely should've just been written as a YA novel. If someone is more interested in YA novels, this may be the fit for them.

The narrator was awesome and did a great job with all of the characters.

I don't see myself trying anything else by this author, but I would definitely try the narrator again.

Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a review.

Paige Crutcher continues writing creative stories about magic and the people who wield it. What Became of Magic was another interesting take on this theme with Aline Weir as our main character. She is a witch who can talk to ghosts. Because of this, she's often been isolated and has few friends because most people think she's a little crazy for "talking to herself." But when she turns thirty, she discovers there's a town known as Matchstick that is completely in the world of magic.

Aline begins to feel like she belongs for the first time ever. But she can't enjoy that fact because she is soon trying to figure out why her good friends have suddenly disappeared. Of course, in trying to find them, she makes new friends. And ends up officially meeting Magic. Yes, that's correct...buckle up because magic is someone that she can actually meet and talk to. So, jump in and enjoy this story about magic, who and what it is and how to find where you fit in the world.

AUDIOBOOK: I actually had a difficult time initially following the audiobook and had to flip over to the ebook for most of my early reading. It was confusing for me to listen to the audio when Aline's story was going back and forth. Once the storyline settled in a bit, I was able to move back to the audiobook more. I liked the voices for the narration. The struggle I had was just that the storyline made the early part of the story a bit challenging to follow. As it progressed, everything balanced out. 4 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for early copies of both the ebook and audiobook. I voluntarily chose to read/listen to and review them and the opinions contained within are my own.

This was a little slow to start, but it ended up being a magical story of a young girl finding her place in the world. Our main character, Aline, can see ghosts, and do magic- what more could you want for witchy season!
The vibes are on point, with classic literature references, romance, cozy witch and paranormal vibes.
Highly recommend.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
What Became of Magic by Paige Crutcher is about Aline Weir, a witch who can talk to ghosts. She grew up alone, bullied and ignored except in the local book store where she found her safe place. Much later the 30 year old Paige does magic while working in the book store and it is witnessed by someone who invites her to a town that does not exist on maps. From there she goes on a crazy adventure that she will never forget.
I enjoyed this novel. It was sweet and also heartbreaking at times. I loved Aline and her connection to the ghosts around her. This story is crazy and adventurous. It was a roller coaster of a book. It was equally enjoyable and confusing at the same time. With a happy ending that was well deserved.
This book is a hard one to review but I would recommend it to people who enjoy a magically story where anything could happen.

I liked ‘What Became of Magic’ by Paige Crutcher, it was lovely and dreamy and had found family—my favorite trope—but a healthy chunk of it was a bit of a fever dream, a bit too much of one, and it became incohesive and difficult for me to ever fully engage with the story and characters. But there were moments of lucidity I could follow where I really did like the story. And I loved the MC, Aline. The magic was very cool, too, and I think my favorite thing in the entire book was the bond that forms between Aline and the three owners of the bookshop. True love isn’t always romance; their relationship was the most heartwarming thing. The audiobook, narrated by Caitlin Kelly, brought the whimsy of the book to life.

‘What Became of Magic’ had a really great premise, and even gave me very light ‘The Starless Sea’ vibes—one of my favorite books—but ultimately just wasn’t for me.

If you’re in the mood for a slower-paced story you can meander about in with your head in the clouds, this is perfect and I’d absolutely recommend.

𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘰𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘣𝘺 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳 (𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬-𝘺𝘰𝘶!). 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.

I liked the idea of this book, from the jacket synopsis, but it went a little off the rails for me. I really wanted more included in the story about Aline's ability to see ghosts and find their lost things. That was interesting! In the first quarter of the book, when we are introduced to Aline and her abilities and the book shop, I was excited about where the story was going, but once she went through the looking glass, it got away from me. The characters were never really fleshed out enough, and the plot wandered a lot, as did my interest. I finished it so that I could write an honest review for my advanced reader copy, but otherwise, it l would have been a DNF.

I was looking for a book with fall vibes. Something cozy. This book read more like a YA. It’s about a girl (witch) that sees a ghost at a slumber party and then travels through a mirror into a magical realm. It was just not a good fit for me.

Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a review.

First I’ve read by this author, although I see she has others in the same genre. Interesting read, but at times, I felt like I was reading more of a young adult book, than a Magicks book…but overall, nicely surprised!

Aline Weir presents initially as a little girl, who is more of an outcast than anything else…and it’s sad to watch as it plays out. She seems to be sweet to everyone, and yet everyone bullies her. And then one day she is invited to a sleepover. Could this be a changing point for her? Not exactly…
As…she can see and interact with ghosts…
And one in particular becomes her closest friend (Dragon).
But no one else can see these ghosts! And so she is picked on…

She also helps them to crossover to the afterlife, as she is a finder of things…like keys.

We also see how she interacts (or actually, does NOT interact) with her parents. Seems like she is totally ignored! 😮 She may as well be invisible. She feels like she is…

We watch as she grows up. Goes this school. Has a boyfriend…and then that blows up.
She finally seems to find her place with three women who run a bookstore, which is her little niche in the world, and she has some happiness, and friends. But these are not mere women…no they are witches…

We follow Aline, the 3 women and Dragon as they move through life…

We also see Aline as she dreams…over and over again, of a wonderful man. One that she has never met in this life…

One day the 3 women and Dragon disappear…and don’t come back. Aline is concerned, but believes they WILL come back.

And then another woman, who she’s never seen before, guides her and suggests that she should go on a journey…and there she will find her friends…and her real purpose in life.

And oh, what a journey it is!!

Sweet, sad, hopeful, completely gutted…and yet wonderful…are just a few of the feelings I experienced while reading this one!

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me!

Thanks to #NetGalley and #MacmillanAudio for the ARC of the audiobook which just released on September 26th…so you can find it on shelves now!

#WhatBecameOfMagic by #PaigeCrutcher

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Honestly, I only finished half the book. It was all over the place, and couldn’t hold my interest. This seems to follow a pattern of books written for adults that feel like YA with sex appeal. Not for me, but I definitely have a customer base that will enjoy this.