Spells Trouble (Sisters of Salem, #1)

by Kristin Cast and P.C. Cast

Hunter and Mercy Goode are twin witches, direct descendants of the founder of their town of Goodeville. As their ancestors have done before them, it is now time for the twins to learn what it means to be Gatekeepers-the protectors of the Gates to different underworlds, ancient portals between their world and realms where mythology rules and nightmares come to life.

When their mother becomes the first victim in a string of murders, the devastated sisters vow to avenge her death. But it will take more than magic to rein in the ancient mythological monsters who've infected their peaceful town.

Now Hunter and Mercy must come together and accept their destiny or risk being separated for good.

• ISBN10: 1250765633
• ISBN13: 9781250765635
• Publish Date: 25 May 2021
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: St Martin's Press
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 320
• Language: English

Reviews

[Kim Deister]

When I saw Spells Trouble as a coming-soon book, the cover just drew me in. And the synopsis was very promising, with a lot of different elements I like in a novel… witchiness, LGBTQIA+ inclusion, emotional angstiness, family drama. But the reality was less than my expectations. For a lot of reasons. 

#1. The emotion. It’s not a spoiler to say that their mother died at the beginning of the book. Most would consider this a time of mourning. Yet any real moment of grief seems to be glossed over, dismissed in ways that felt very superficial. And not just their own grief but that of their friend’s, too. It was just odd, the way emotional priority was given to other things. 

#2. The use of queerness as a negative. Hunter is queer, and Mercy felt that some of her sister’s choices were made because of that, choices that she felt were wrong. It’s hard to discuss without spoilers, but this was a theme that was carried on through much of the book. That Hunter’s choices, one’s she supposedly made because of her queerness, were not only wrong but the sole reason for all that was happening. It was so prevalent that it was rather offensive at times. 

#3. The magic. I love witchy books, but the magical world in this seemed bizarre. The girls are the latest in a long line of Goode witches charged with being Gatekeepers to the five underworlds. There is zero real explanation as how that came to be, and why the five portals are in Nowhere, Illinois, or why two white girls are gatekeeping for underworlds of entirely other cultures and parts of the world. Greek, Norse, Japanese, Egyptian, and Hindu underworlds… in Illinois? 

#4. The YA sex. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not opposed to YA sex in novels, at least sex-positive YA. It happens. It’s reality. There’s no reason to make it taboo. But the sex topic here was cringey. The observation of one’s own mother’s breasts was weird. A mother making suppositions about the size of her daughter’s boyfriend’s member. A mother asking after her daughter’s clitoris, chatting about a family trait of multiple orgasms. It was just odd. And later, an explicit sex scene that felt very gratuitous. 

All in all, I’m probably going to pass on the rest of the series.

[Inkslinger]

'Spells Trouble' by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast is book one in the Sisters of Salem series.

 

After centuries as the Gatekeepers to five ancient underworlds, descendants of the founder of Goodeville face a challenge none of their kind have ever seen before. The integrity of the portals is weakening and if they fail, all manner of walking nightmares would come through.

 

On the night of their birthday, Hunter and Mercy Goode lose their mother. The first in a string of deaths that the twins must understand before they can find a way to heal the Gates and put a stop to the inevitable. If they don't, their world will not survive.

 

This book is kind of a welcome surprise. Though the premise sounded interesting, when I first started reading it.. I thought it seemed very light-hearted, which is fine. The girls are high schoolers, one is stereotypically popular and the other is stereotypically shunned, but their twin bond is tight and the love at home with their mom is warm and welcoming.

 

Initially, I genuinely didn't take any of it too seriously. There's a mention within the book of Sabrina and of course, some of the vibe is definitely similar. But like Sabrina, there's also a surprising darkness kind of strewn throughout.  

 

For me, the difference is that the darkness never feels campy. I'm not disparaging Sabrina, I was surprised to find I enjoyed that too, but even with the dark tones.. it's sort of tongue-in-cheek at times. And this can be, but again.. not really in the campy way. Though.. Xena. Very fun.

 

Mixed into this high school romp through spell casting, are some distinctively Stephen King-esque textures, some Stranger Things adventure horror, and a fascinating dash of mythology. Now, if you don't know much about mythology, don't worry. The part it plays is all clearly explained, as are any connections of importance.

 

The characters, are all well done. Some I liked and some I didn't, but as was fitting with the story. Hunter and Jax are probably my favorites, as the latter is a really lovely friend, and the former is the more reasonable of the two MCs. But Mercy is cool too, if a bit misguided at times. They do really love each other and try to look out for each other.

 

As for the magic system, though it's kind of dressed up and modernized a bit, it's also rooted in a couple of traditional ritual styles.. giving it a sense of believability even in fantasy use.  

 

Admittedly, I really loved the choices that were made as to the mythological connections. I especially enjoyed what little we were shown in relation to the underworlds and the ways and reasons each of the Gates were different.  

 

I definitely added book two in my Goodreads list as soon as I finished reading this one. So, if you like witchy stories with a lot of interesting elements that aren't too atmospheric, give this a try! 

(I received this title as an ARC. All opinions are mine and freely given.)