This book has gorgeous artwork for the cover and edges! For the story itself, I enjoyed reading through the book. There were just some moments where I needed to step back, let my brain refresh, and come back later so I could continue digesting the story. (Part of that is ADHD and attention span) Overall, the book was great, just not my absolute favorite

I love a good witchy book and this hit the mark. I can’t wait for a second book in this series to really get the plot and world building going even more.

This was a gripping story& i loved the FMC!! I didn’t know where it was headed which i loved. I highly recommend to the people who love dark dark romantasy stories that focus on witches

Harper L. Woods' The Coven is an enthralling entry into the dark fantasy genre, weaving a tale filled with magic, mystery, and intrigue. From the very first page, Woods captures the reader's imagination with a richly detailed world where witches, covens, and ancient prophecies come to life.

The protagonist, Elara, is a compelling character whose journey from an ordinary life to discovering her witch heritage is both relatable and extraordinary. Woods excels in character development, allowing readers to empathize with Elara's struggles and triumphs. Her growth throughout the novel is portrayed with a deft touch, balancing vulnerability and strength in a way that feels authentic.

It is such a rarity to be able to read something a little more fast - paced, yet still able to keep going without being rushed.

The copy was kindly given to me by publisher and Netgalley for review; all opinions are my own.

Okay Harper, okay! I didn't know what to expect from this book but I loved it! While it had an college academic atmosphere, the characters felt older (which wasn't a bad thing). It was spooky, witchy and so very autumnal- I highly recommend you read in the fall for that reason. There is a beautiful, lyric element to the prose that I really loved. The spice was SPICY... I wasn't expecting for it to get as smutty as it was, not that it was a bad thing. I will definitely continue on with the series and pick up her other series as well.

I definitely saw the word "romance" used to describe this book, and for me it was definitely not that. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it! Mentally approaching this as a romance threw me off a bit, but read as a supernatural/suspense/fantasy it's got a lot going for it. I also appreciate that the author addresses the problematic nature of the main relationship right up front. Without that, I may have had a very different opinion.
I enjoyed the world building and the duality of witches who are not sinister in-and-of themselves as individuals, and yet carry a sinister heritage based on the origin of their powers. I will be watching for the sequel, which seems sure to come.

This was almost a 4 for me.

1st - I always appreciate when a book has a list of content warnings in front. Wish it would be more standard, truly.

I think the writing was above average compared to other books in this subgenre. I had no problems with any of the dialogue, or the characters, or the world building. I do think that in this case though, the story could have benefited by being a little bit longer, specifically I wanted a little bit more out of the school setting and having her uncover more details. I think what I found lacking were the few glimpses into Willow's internal dialogue. This is personal preference I guess because I'm not a big Romantasy girlie, but when every instance of reflection is just to reiterate the plot objective and lust over the love interest, it just starts to annoy me. There were 2 murders in the books and I don't think she spent any time trying to figure out who the murderer was.

I actually thought, as far as the 'romance' goes, that there was chemistry there and the spicy scenes were pretty good. I physically cringed towards the end though when he called her baby girl out of nowhere towards the end, though.

Speaking of the ending, that's where we lost the 4 star rating for me. I read this book in one sitting and I was on board with everything up until the last 15%. Once the plot twist drops and shit starts going down, I STRUGGLED with my suspension of disbelief. It went from 0-100 way to fast for me.

I am undecided if I'm going to continue to the next book.

I will definitely still be recommending The Coven to my Romantasy and Dark Romance loving customers. I do think that this is one of the better written ones that I have come across.

4 stars | 3 spice

I signed up for this book on NetGalley purely because of the cover and the promise of a witchy read - I didn't know I was signing up for some hot vampire dark romance action!!! But I am SOOOO glad I did!

The FMC Willow was so headstrong and I loved how she stuck to her actions throughout the book meanwhile everyone else just went with the flow. Grey the MMC was written so perfectly and I loved how even though he was supposed to be this heartless vampire he slowly started to gravitate towards Willow.

This book had me flying through it to not only find out where the characters were going but to find out more about the mystery behind the coven and everything surrounding them. The magical world was a bit confusing at times but it was easy to catch up.

The last bit of the book felt like a Maas book with so many shocks getting thrown at you - once you get to that part you will not be able to set it down and you will want to pick up the next book immediately.

I highly recommend this to readers who love witchy books as well as spicy dark romances.

Big thanks to Harper L. Woods, Tor Publishing and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

Very interesting concept of a book. I enjoyed the romance that blossomed between Willow and Gray. People who like fantasy books will enjoy it!

Dark paranormal fantasy- could be triggering for some readers so definitely look up any warnings. But i thought it was great and I look forward to the rest of the series! 3 of 5 for spice.

The Coven
By Harper L. Woods
Release Date: August 6 2024
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 🌶️🌶️

𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄:
MAN OH MAN. THIS BOOK. I was hooked from the very beginning, I binge read and finished it within a day. One of my favorite reads of 2024 so far, but I am a sucker for dark paranormal romance.

Can we talk about our MMC Gray?? 😮‍💨 He's everything I want in a morally grey man. The tension and chemistry between him and Willow was sizzling. And Willow is a baddie herself!! She's a fierce FMC and I love that she stands for what she believes in. The character development, world building, and magic system were all great. It’s fast paced and I also appreciate that. I had zero complaints with this book and the cliffhanger had me SCREAMING.

𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀:
🔮 age gap (headmaster and student)
🔮 enemies to lovers
🔮 dark academia
🔮 secret identities
🔮 witches, vampires, demons

𝗧𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴: This is a dark paranormal romance with gothic vibes and a dark academia setting. The male lead in this series is pushy and domineering. He goes beyond the typical morally gray variety and is an actual villain who gets his HEA. Triggers include dubious consent, forced feeding, graphic violence, rough and explicit sexual content, restraint, forced proximity, betrayal, references to past abuse, knife violence, graphic depictions of blood, and physical harm inflicted upon the main character.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

I enjoyed this dark academia book a lot! This book had magic, vampires, and romance, a perfect combination for me. It was hard to put this book down. Overall, it was a fun and entertaining read. I look forward to reading the next one!

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the ARC!

I enjoyed this one a lot! Vampires, spice and magic equals a fun and sexy read! Can't wait to start book two!

This was entertaining, and quite fun. This is a good read for people who enjoyed books like Gothikana by Ru Nyx or Hollowed by Karina Halle. The elements of magic and mystery were intriguing, but what it lacked in plot it made up for it with steamy romance. I’m definitely looking forward to reading part two of the series. This one was honestly just fun and easy. The tension was good and the betrayal was even better.

I loved this story. The magic, the secrecy, the lies, the twists? It kept me on my toes. I don't think l've read many books as fast as I did this one.
It felt slightly predictable and I wanted more spice but those are my only complaints.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this!! So I know this book has been out for a while. I'm a little late to the party. Sweet magic with corruption, romance, and trauma. All the pairings for a fun little story. I will now need to find the second in the series for myself.

oh boy this book had me hooked. it was dark, spicy, and filled with action. I loved getting both Willow and Gray's POVs. Both had such strong personalities which led to tons of tension. The ending was intense and left on a major cliffhanger.

This was creepy academia at its best. It was hard to follow in the beginning but picked up in the middle. I’m glad there is a book two because I still want to follow the story more.

Being able to jump into this book once more, I was immediately reminded of how much I enjoyed reading anything that Harper L Woods writes. This book was brilliantly dark, had hilarious banter, and gave us top tier romancing in this setting.

The characters were easily my favourite part of this book, because they were just so complex and yet so perfect and I loved them so very much. Willow was so funny, and I loved how well she was written as a strong female character. Harper knocked it out of the woods with writing her as a badass character.

Loved this book so much! Thank you NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Wasn't sure where this was heading when I started the book, but I liked our FMC, witch Willow and her dynamic with the MMC, Headmaster Alaric Grayson Thorne. Overall, it was well-paced, intriguing and I'm invested enough to be curious how their story will continue in the next book.