I LOVED this so much. Exactly the kind of urban fantasy that I always crave. Julia Bianco sure knows how to get you invested, I was on the EDGE of my seat for this!

A special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you love Leigh Bardugo like me, then you will love this one! This book had me hooked from the start. The way magic is so raw in this book coupled with the urban fantasy setting had me transfixed. This book was so haunting and perfect!!

I devoured Witch Season — it’s dark, magical, and impossible to put down. Julia Bianco has created a gritty, immersive world where coven politics, dangerous magic, and hidden secrets make every chapter pulse with tension. I loved Katherine as a strong, complex protagonist navigating a world where nothing is simple and every choice has a cost.

The enemies-to-something-more dynamic between Katherine and Silas added just the right amount of tension and intrigue without overshadowing the plot. While a few sections felt heavy with world-building, it never lost momentum, and the stakes kept me hooked until the last page.

If you love dark urban fantasy with magic, mystery, and morally grey characters, this is an addictive read that will stick with you long after you finish. ✨

A witchy urban fantasy with high stakes action and an enemy to lovers romance that will have you flipping the pages for more! Cannot believe this was a debut! Wow! Cannot wait to see what else Julia Bianco puts out next!

Thank you NetGalley, and St. Martin’s Press for the Advanced Reader’s Copy of Witch Season by Julia Bianco. This debut novel is to be published on June 30, 2026.

Wow! This was a magical debut and I can’t wait to read the sequel. The concept for the witches’ magic between settled and unsettled and how the covens operate was beyond original. Essentially, the individual covens are a part of a union and you either follow the rules or suffer the consequences.

Katherine is the second in command of Aestas, the coven in Los Angeles. What starts as a drug investigation morphs into her rescuing a young teen with unsettled magic. And then all hell breaks loose and head office has to get involved. Some mistakes are made, unknowingly, but do get resolved in a round-a-bout way. There is so much that could be said plot-wise but it is all so complex, it’s just better to read it for yourselves.

There is so much depth to Katherine as the main lead and you do learn a lot about her as it relates from her past to the present day. You could say the same for Sylvia, the leader of the coven. The chemistry between Katherine and Silas is fire, literally! I look forward to seeing that continue in the second book. Silas is from the head coven and it the only son to the leaders of Noctis.

Even the side characters are well written and fun. Personally, I hope we get more from Fiona and Tess.

This was an absolute five star read and a thrilling debut by Julia Bianco.

Dark, intense, and impossible to put down — a standout debut.

Magic in this world doesn't sparkle. It hurts. It costs something. And that premise sets the tone for a fantasy that consistently delivers on its promises. Katherine Barnes is a witch enforcer — tough, complicated, and carrying the weight of a past that makes her exactly the right person for a job she sometimes questions. When Silas Khatri, heir to the most powerful coven around, enters the picture, the tension crackles with far more than attraction. These are two people who represent opposing worlds, and watching them challenge and frustrate each other is utterly compelling.

The world-building is confident and fully realised — the covens feel genuinely political and dangerous, and the central threat emerges organically rather than feeling bolted on. The ending lands with real force.

Romantic without being soft, ambitious without overreaching — Julia Bianco knows exactly what story she wants to tell. Fans of dark fantasy romance will want to get in on the ground floor of this series.

This story leans into the kind of urban fantasy I love most—where magic is dangerous, political, and comes with real consequences. Nothing feels easy or convenient, and that tension carries through the entire book.

Katherine Barnes is a compelling protagonist: guarded, capable, and shaped by a past that still informs every choice she makes. The coven dynamics are messy in the best way, full of power struggles, loyalty, and fear, which makes the world feel lived-in rather than idealized. The stakes build steadily, and when things start to unravel, it feels earned.

The relationship between Katherine and Silas is layered with distrust, attraction, and opposing beliefs. It’s a slow burn that prioritizes tension and character over instant payoff, which worked really well for this story. I appreciated that the focus stayed on the magic, the politics, and the cost of power rather than rushing the romance.

Overall, this is a strong, confident debut with immersive worldbuilding and characters that stick with you. I’m definitely invested in where this series goes next.

Witch Season is a lush, feral spell of a book—intimate, defiant, and quietly transformative. Julia Bianco writes with a voice that feels both ancient and immediate, weaving femininity, desire, rage, and tenderness into poems that pulse with heat and instinct. There’s a wild intelligence at work here, one that honors the body, the earth, and the emotional undercurrents we’re often taught to suppress.
These poems feel lived-in rather than ornamental. Bianco’s language is sharp but sensual, grounded in myth and magic without ever drifting into abstraction. She captures the power of becoming—of shedding skins, claiming appetite, and standing firmly in one’s own knowing. Each piece feels like a small act of reclamation.

Witch Season is the kind of collection you don’t just read—you enter it. It lingers, hums, and leaves you feeling more awake to yourself and the world. A fierce, beautiful book for anyone drawn to poetry that embraces darkness, power, and unapologetic selfhood.

Witch Season by Julia Bianco is a dark, witchy fantasy with a lot of action and romance mixed in. It’s fast paced and kind of intense, with competing covens and a lot of secrets and power struggles.
I liked the world and the magic system, and it kept me interested the whole way through. It’s got a mix of tension, betrayal, and enemies-to-lovers vibes that made it easy to keep reading.