I really enjoyed this book. I almost never read "fantasy" and this goes in that direction to be sure. But it was like Sex in the City with witchcraft and other realms. It was truly fun start to finish and I would actually be interested in a sequel. Very well done!!

This was a romp of a book. The years after graduating college/university are hard enough – all of a sudden you’re a real adult! Jobs! Partners! (or lack thereof) Bills! – without adding in finding out you’re a witch.

I loved this book. I’m a few (ahem!) years from that time in my life, but I do remember it well. Akumiah captures that shivery, oh-god-I’m-a-grownup feeling exquisitely. I would have loved to have girlfriends like Maya, Gabbie and Delali.

Recommended for older teens and up. I’ll be looking for the sequel – I have to find out what happens!

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

Bad Witches by HB Akumiah was a fun witchy read perfect for starting off the Fall season. It kind of gave off the vibe of a more up to date charmed or more adult web of Avalon and would likely be a fun read for previous fans of either series. The opening taking place as a friends made in a tipsy bathroom sitch was stellar and the way dialogue was handled thorough out was perfectly balanced between believable and more readable.

Pacing was a bit add during the middle third of the book but it did not take away from the overall story for me and actually gave a bit more breathing room to see the girls coming into better control of their magic.

I will certainly be nabbing a physical copy for my book shelf soon ,.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this title. Having made a few "tipsy bar bathroom friends" in my life, I love that's how this story begins. And then they discover they're actually witches and just did magic? Such a fun idea.

This book started off strong for me, but I found myself losing interest as I went on. The concept sounded like a lot of fun - a trio of young women coming into their witchy powers. And it definitely was at times. I think it was just a bit too scattered for me. It was a decent book to kick off my spooky season reading though.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

3 ★
2 🌶️

Bad Witches was an okay read for me. However, I found the switching of POVs from paragraph to paragraph distracting, and it made it difficult for me to follow the story. I could not quite follow the various story threads and why things were how they were. This book was intended to be YA, and I am way older than YA, so that could be the issue. When I was able to figure out what was going on, the story was entertaining, but it just did not work for me

I was given an eARC for my honest opinions. Thank you, NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing, for the ARC.

This paranormal debut had a unique premise - a witchy world where fewer and fewer witches are being born but despite high expectations I just couldn't really get invested in this story. I did very much enjoy that the main female characters were all Black - something rare in this genre but i found myself not caring about either characters or the outcome of the story. Good on audio narrated by Imani Jade Powers but not my fav witchy read this year by any means. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Read if you like:
✨ Magic
🧙 Witches
🗽 Magical Realism
🗺️ Other Worlds/realms
⏳ Coming of Age

When three girls meet on their 22nd birthday, weird things start to happen. The girls are each very different fro each other, but make up a great and balanced girl group.

When they realize they are witches, and they need to hone their magic and special magical abilities, they stumble upon a mysterious mentor, all while learning about the witch work they are part of.

Additionally we get pov from witches in the other realm and the issues that are happening there and how the issues are starting to resolve the more the girls hone their magic.

So what makes them special? Well you’ll have to read to find out!

Thank you Blackstone for my gifted ALC and ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I'm honestly not sure what the F I just read. There were multiple - and I mean multiple - times when I considered just DNFing the book, but for some reason I pressed on. Now, I'm wishing I had just listened to my gut.

This book is literal chaos. The first 5-7 chapters feel like an overwhelming information dump where you meet no less than 5 main characters, and at least that many (if not more) side characters who are almost as important. Each character has a storyline that kind of intersects, but it's done randomly. Additionally, even within the same chapter, the POV you're experiencing changes. It's very, very, VERY overwhelming.

While it's understandable that because the 3 main FMC's are 22, the amount of detail you get about what they're wearing, or name brands, or "celebrities" is just ridiculous. It doesn't add to the story, and just felt like filler. There is also an obsession with naming places as their coordinates instead of just giving it a name, and I felt like quite a few times the author tried to go "deep" with the way the characters were feeling before returning to surface level almost immediately. It's also interesting to me that no one ever questions how the girls came into their powers, and there is no mention - ever really - of their parents. Are their parents typics? How did this happen?

The "romance" in the book legit came out of left field, and felt like it was added specifically so the author could market the book as a "romance" novel. It made ZERO sense, and added nothing to the storyline. Also, I'm not down with cheating - period - but it's even worse when the person who cheats then tries to use their Influencer abilities on the person they cheated with. Disgusting.

Lastly - and this is what took the book from 2* to 1* for me - the book just ends. Quite literally...it just ends. There is no epilogue, there is no "stay tuned for more", there is nothing. What the actual F? This makes NO SENSE. I am so frustrated that I wasted my time.

All that said, I'm still going to say thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for giving me a chance to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review - I wish it was more positive. All opinions expressed are my own.

Imagine three girls who are not related, lead different lives, end up in the same place on the same day as their birthday you know something major is going to happen. Meet Gabbie, Maya and Delali and watch them as their lives change beyond anything. This was giving me major Charmed vibes with the Power of Three but I was more drawn in more to Bad Witches because none of the girls knew each other.

The world building of the Sphere and the plot was so intricate I was so surprised that this is HK's debut novel. When the twist happened which I was not expecting took me by surprise and I most certainly be carrying on with the Series.

For all the above reasons I am giving Bad Witches 4 stars.

This book started in such an interesting way. The initial characters were great and I looked forward to getting to know Nadia. However, the book shifted away from Nadia and focused on three other characters that read more YA than grown up.
In a lot of ways, it felt close to Juno Dawson book and that didn’t work for me either.
This book will work for some people in a big way but it just fell flat for me. .

This is a cozy fantasy book focusing on a community of witches that need to rely on 3 young, new witches to help them solve a crisis. The world and history is very interesting and I loved some of the chapters that dug into this further. However...three main characters that took up the majority of the book came across pretty young adult with immature dialogue/personalities. It's unfortunate because the first chapter introduced an interesting character, Nadia, but we don't get to spend much time with her.

Overall, this was a fun read, but I don't think I'm the right audience for it.

I smashed this book out in a day I really enjoyed it. It’s about a girl who in a secret world finds out she’s a witch and learns about her powers

The world building is easy to follow and the unique magic system I thought was pretty cool

I will always root for found besties…add in magic and I am usually quite happy! The hardest thing for me reading this book was that there were so many characters and povs in the beginning that for me, audhd female, it was hard to figure out what was important and what wasn’t.

The personalities of the bad witches were amazing and I loved the dynamic and growth! I just wish it was easier for me to connect the dots earlier and understand what I was trying to root for if that makes sense.

Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the ARC.

This is a great debut novel from H.B. Akumiah. Bad Witches was everything that I expected it to be. I loved the friendship dynamic between Maya, Gabbie, Delali and Nadia. I loved that the book explores female empowerment and identity between all four characters. The way their friendship develops throughout the book is very realistic.

I'm trying to get into fictional books about witches/fantasy a bit more and I really loved the worldbuilding or Witch Sphere that Akumiah's book introduces. However, it was a bit difficult for me, personally, to relate to the characters. It focused a lot on Maya, and not so much on the rest of the characters, especially Nadia. It would have been great to explore her relationship with her family and their dynamic because it seemed like there were a lot of unanswered questions or gaps within Nadia's background.

Overall, it was an enjoyable book! I cannot wait to read the second book.

I was excited to read this book because it seemed like it would be a book I would enjoy. I quite enjoy books about witches, among other types of paranormal creatures. I was immediately drawn in with Nadia and her family’s good fortune, then the scene changed. This is where the book became something I don’t think was for me. We are introduced to three 22-year-olds. As someone who is over twice their age, the book almost lost me at that point since it is harder to relate to. I went ahead with reading anyway, and I did finish it, and after a few more chapters, it became more interesting. The bottom line is that this is a well-written book with a very interesting storyline, but it’s more of a new adult book and would definitely appeal to a younger audience. 3 ½ rounded up. Recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

This book is really reminiscent of Juno Dawson's "Her Majesty's Royal Coven Series." I liked that the story centered on three Black witches in their 20s - it's very rare to find a fantasy book where all the main characters are BIPOC. I also think the magic system/world Akumiah built was intriguing. I was genuinely surprised by the plot twist at the end and I'll be eagerly awaiting a sequel!

However, parts of the book did feel like it was trying a little TOO hard to be relatable and millennial - to the point of being a little cringey. I know that this book is taking place in our time so there will be modern touches, but some of those modern touches just felt a little heavy-handed.

I also wish the author had spent more time with Nadia, other than her scientific prowess and her fraught relationship with her mother - I didn't get as much of a sense of her character as I would have liked. I also think the author could have benefitted from a little more detail/clarification/world building about the Sphere. I loved the idea of it but I also had a lot of questions.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

This book is a solid four stars for me! It’s set in a secret magical world of witches and centers around 3 young ladies who along with the reader learn about the magical world and their powers. I really loved the world building, the magic system, and the sisterhood. I definitely recommend this to others and after that plot twist I can’t wait for a sequel 😊

This book was easy to follow, the story line was very interesting, and I enjoyed it.
There were a few too many typos in the book, however.
Thanks!