What did I find in A Dark and Secret Magic? Hades and Persephone meets Practical Magic, secrets of a coven, and our fearless hedgewitch, Kate, thrust into the middle of a centuries-old secret, all set against the backdrop of Halloween and Samhain in Massachusetts. And let's not forget Matthew, the forbidden hexan that has come back into her life, bringing with him the darkness of his family's practice.

This book thrust me into all the Halloween vibes, making me wish it was fall! Wallis Kinney's writing is atmospheric and catching, and the tale she weaves is dark, mysterious, and utterly unique from other similar books I've read in the past. I loved the unique coven of witches we meet in Ipswitch, and the exploration of so many different types of magic and spell-casting Wallis explores with our various characters. I also enjoyed Kate's slow uncovering of her mother's secrets, exploration of her power and her sweet relationship with Matthew.

Overall, I would have liked to explore more of Kate and Matthew's relationship. I would have also enjoyed spending more time with Kate and her sisters, and seen those relationships more fleshed out. I also want to see more of her coven and the different styles of magic. This book didn't feel rushed, the pacing was perfect, I would have just liked more of it!

This is gonna be the PERFECT autumn read! The cover just screams cozy and the writing delivers just that!
I feel like with a lot of these “cozy books” they can become a bit bland after a while but this one has a good spooky to cozy ratio.

The only thing I had a little problem with was the romance aspect of the story. Hecate and Matthew met briefly 10 years ago and during that short visit Matthew supposedly fell in love and stayed in love with her for 10 years!? I also cringed a little at how protective he was but other than that they were cute!

𝙈𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙉𝙚𝙩𝙜𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘼𝙡𝙘𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙞𝙣 𝙚𝙭𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙣 𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬!

This book truly left an impression on me with its unique storytelling approach and distinctively portrayed characters. It's a suitable book for the Halloween season.

I LOVED this book, it was the perfect Halloween, spooky vibes kinda book. That alone brought me so much joy. This will definitely be a cozy reread for me in the fall!

Spooky season perfection. This is everything I didn't realise I needed and I'll definitely be re-reading this again later in the year for cosy vibes and all of my favourite things in the world blended into a book.

This is the PERFECT Haloween read! It's got mystery. It's got romance. It's got magic, and family drama, and baking/cooking, and a fluffy cat! Kinney has created a world tucked inside our own that is filled with harvest spices, and chilly weather, and everything that we love about fall. Readers are going to eat this up, like trick-o-treaters devour candy!

The perfect blend of slow burn, magic, and sisterhood! I loved watching Hecate grow into her powers and come the Hedge Witch she was always supposed to be.

Thank you for opportunity of an eARC, and I am leaving this review willingly.

I LOVED this book! Perfect for the spooky season. Lots of Halloween vibes and made me wish it was Autumn already. The food mentioned in here made me want to cook it myself(which I will be doing). Overall, this was such an enchanting read. I loved the magic and witches.

Kate lives alone as a hedge witch in her secluded cottage. Her solitude is interrupted by her sister asking her to host the covens annual Halloween gathering.
While everything is in turmoil and chaos for Kate she discovers an old tome shrouded in darkness. The handwriting familiar!
What does this mean? Maybe she’ll fall in love along the way! You’ll just have to read to find out!

Wow just wow, I wasn’t so sure when I started reading this book but the more I got into the more I was enthralled!

It’s a fun, cosy, witch read with a side of darkness and mystery!

The characters are easily lovable and come in a vast variety! And you can’t forget the most lovable character Merlin the cat! The main story surrounds Kate and Matthew but we learn a little about the rest along the way!

The book didn’t end how I expected it too! It was even better!

And the delicious recipes at the end are a lovely touch to finish the book!

A dark and secret magic
Solid 3.5 stars
An easy to follow enjoyable read. The plot is engaging and well-paced, and the forbidden love story is charming. Overall, it is a delightful read. The added touch of recipes at the end of the book was such a nice little surprise.

If you are interested in reading cozy, cottagecore, and witch-themed book with a touch of romance, especially during the Halloween/ fall season, I recommend giving this book a try.

A Dark and Secret Magic is the perfect fall cozy, witchy read. The story takes place in the days leading up to Halloween and the author nailed the atmosphere of it all to T!

Hecate (Kate) Goodwin is a witch of the Atlantic coven, and by tradition, the witches of that coven choose their magic on their 13th birthday. Unfortunately for Kate, her magic was chosen for her at her birth. She is a hedge witch, one of the rarest of witches, for there has not been one in two centuries. One night, Kate has a dream of another coven witch telling her to find her mother's book, and there, she will find her answer. We follow Kate on her journey to find the answers she's long wanted, but of course, there are several obstacles along the way.

This book is the perfect cozy fall read, especially for those who enjoy magic, romance, mystery, and of course all things Halloween! I loved the mystery itself and the questionable characters that added to this mystery. I am a lover of all things Halloween so I was thrilled to read a book that incorporates Halloween, rituals, witches, pumpkin carving, candied apples, cemetery visits, a spooky forest, a death king, a necromancer, and of course, a black cat! Huge plus for the recipies at the end!

Thank you NetGalley, Alcove Press, and Wallis Kinney for this spooktacular ARC!

“A Dark And Secret Magic” blends Halloween, magic, mystery, romance, cottagecore, and witchy elements into a lovely read! If you want to curl up with magic and fall vibes, take this book with your cup of tea and dive in.

“The King Below tests you. Find your mother's book and you'll know why she named you a hedge witch."

"But," my mother says, "a sacrifice is required to feed that power. Otherwise, it would feed on you."

Enchanting, thrilling and witchy. Perfect books to get you ready for the autumn season. An hedge witch, forced to choose this path, that now is haunted by dark spirits and an unknown King Below. A necromancer, who’s also her ex boyfriend who betrayed her and lied to her. Secrets upon secrets first from her own mother and then from her own coven. All of this, right before the celebration for Samhain !!! This book was wonderful !!! I loved it !! And even though I read it during the summer, it made me so so excited for the next season and looking forward to Halloween !!! The perfect witchy books that gives you back all the right vibes with potions and spells and curses and magik books. And a bit of a romance between two people who shouldn’t fall for one another !!! Reading about Hecate was riveting and refreshing and I loved every second of it !!

"Not when it comes to protecting you. Brilliant, amazing, precious, you,"

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

This was definitely not in my ordinary remit - I was drawn in on NetGalley on the basis of the fantasy elements of this one, however, I don't think it was quite as high fantasy as I was hoping. It was definitely a cosy read, but it wasn't really something that packed too much of a punch. The romance element was perhaps a bit too cutesy, particularly given they were two adults and there was just no real spark between them.

The recipes and concept of coming of age as a witch was good but it just wasn't quite as laden with witchy themes as I would have hoped. There's definitely something to be said for a read that just delights in being sweet, but the stakes were not as high as they could have been. I felt no real sense of menace from the villain, and the twist was very much expected.

This is definitely a perfect read as introductory fantasy, but I do wish that there was a bit more of a punch in the story and the world building. The recipes at the end were adorable, however, so that was a lovely little touch!

I haven't loved a book this hard in years. THANK YOU to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me a pre-released copy of this in Exhange for an honest review.

It is so weird to finally like a book enough that I took zero notes during it. ZERO. I read this within a day, I didn't want to put it down. Usually, I read a book & like to share my gripes/questions with myself through little notes as I go along but with this book I just found myself loving every second of it. I do think I have some very minor "complaints", but nothing is ever perfect (though it was pretty darn close to it).

This book was exactly what I've been craving. Dark, Halloween, witches, intricate magic, and a touch of romance. What's not to like? I think what set this apart from a lot of fantasy/romantasy books in the genre was the writing. Typically, I dislike 1st person POVs. However, this one felt perfect. It never bothered me while I was reading like it usually does. I also think it was a very appropriate vocabulary/writing style the author used. There was nothing "YA" or cringy about the language in the book. Our characters were believable (for the most part, Matthew was a little too perfect) and distinct. The vibes were perfect, and it never felt overly predictable. All around a really great story.

I could see a complaint being that the book can be slow at times? Slow to build up their relationship, or slow to build the magic lore. But I personally didn't notice feeling bored or that it was dragging. Usually, I know if a book is being slow if I catch myself skimming a lot. I never really did that with this book. I thought it was very well paced and the moments where things slowed down felt very intentional and appreciated. I liked the slow build to the relationship because it gave our characters real time to fall in love or resolve conflicts.

I really really enjoyed the magic system in this universe. It wasn't anything "new" per say, but was unique enough and complex enough to be believable and ultimately made sense. Sometimes with books like this, the magic rules are a little simple or conflicting, causing me to question the logic the characters use & generally create annoyance in their behavior. I didn't have that at all with this novel. Everything made sense, and the twists/plot points fit in well with the flow of the story. I knew by the 2nd page that this was an author forever on my radar after this.

My one little thing though --

**SPOILER**
as much as I loved the story how it is, I do sort of wish we'd gotten a little bit more of those "Persephonie/Hades" vibes we were promised. I really like how the twist was delivered, and can see how the myth inspires this novel, but my one little thing is.. I wanted her to be whisked away into the underworld & mildly fall for the King or see he's not such a bad guy after all or something. IDK! I wanted a little more combat to the romance LOL! I kept sort of waiting for her to have more interactions with the King face to face, or be put in a position to grow close to him/get to know him. I wanted to get to know him more myself. It feels a little sad we didn't actually get to see him until the very end. How interesting would it be if we had a Phantom of the Opera moment where she has to choose between her Raoul & the Phantom?
**END SPOILER**

But! I loved the way it played out too. I'm happy with the ending and I think it opens it up to a sequel if she wanted which is exciting for me!

5 Stars from me! I will be back for more!!

Parts of this were really warm and fun and even slightly lyrical, but the main character suffered the fatal flaw of believing every single thing she was told while also quietly accepting that the people close to her aren't telling her everything they need to. Further, this is one if those situations when love sprouts up out of proximity rather than, I don't know, conversation, shared experiences, literally anything beyond being in one another's company?

A Dark and Secret Magic
by Wallis Kinney
3.5⭐️

This was such a cute spooky cozy romance! I haven’t had too much luck with witchy arcs recently but this falls on the good side of things! This was a quick and easy read and gets you in the perfect fall mood.

I wish Kate and Matthew’s romance had been developed a bit more because I did get some insta love vibes. They get to know each other for a few days in their early twenties and then don’t see each for 10 years but Matthew fell in love in those 3 days? All that aside, I really liked aspects of their relationship and how committed they were to each other. I think the story as a whole could have been fleshed out a bit more but this was a great witchy palette cleanser. I didn’t know this was a hades x persephone inspired with a witchy twist story but now that I know this it makes so much sense.

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for this gifted arc!

A fun, cosy witchy read. Loved the magical elements and the different types of witches, my favourite being a book witch. Please can I be a book witch?

A great collection of characters although the main focus is on Kate and Matthew, so the others blend into the background a little. Loved Merlin her cat, too!

Lots of delicious references to food and drink throughout and there was a nice touch of some recipes at the back of the book.

There were some darker elements of the story, but they don't need warnings, it's just a bit gruesome in description sometimes.

I gave it 3.75 as I don't think it is quite 4 stars, but very close.

I would like to start with I never decorate for Halloween. With that said, this book makes me want to carve a pumpkin in July(when I read it.) I want to have apple cider and curl up with a black cat. This book embodies the spirit of the Halloween season in all the best ways without being cliche. I want to watch Practical Magic, Hocus Pocus and the Pumpkin Tree. I want to be a kitchen witch.

Now about the book… I really don’t have anything negative to say. It was cozy, it was witchy, it was just the right amount of whimsy in the kitchen. The romance was just a light peppering of hades/persephone. The concept of east coast witches versus west coast hexans was a great driving underlying rivalry, without being the drive for the plot. I do think the book was predictable but it didn’t matter because I was just too damn cozy to care.

I loved it and will be recommending it for everyone’s October TBR.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC all views expressed are my own.

3.5⭐ rounded down.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #AlcovePress for sending this book for review consideration through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

What an endearing twist to traditional storytelling about witches. It is filled with the usual fantastical elements of magic, potions and spells, necromancy, and tradition, and not without a dose of romance.

There's a lingering warmth in how the author revives the witch trope, alluding to Hades and Persephone, with a few magic spells, concoction recipes, and sisterhood reminiscent of Alice Hoffman's “Practical Magic.”

I love how the author explores the Faustian bargain and provides a conventional and nuanced portrayal of witches. Despite crafting a subversion of a supposed collective coven of witches, the plot lacked compulsion. Most of the narrative was spent on the mundanity of a hedge witch’s domestic duties. It reads more like a spellbook and a cookbook.

I have no complaints about the romance arc that conventionally employs the star-crossed lovers trope. But it’s not as bewitching as the other romantasy books I've read.

A slow burn, with parts bordering on boredom but still high in anticipation of how the plot will unfold, “A Dark and Secret Magic” still holds enough magic to interest fans of the witch trope.