Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft

by Jody Gehrman

[Angie]

It all starts with a man's face in the custard and the appearance of a long lost, quite eccentric, "cousin". Then 17 year old Audrey's life as she knows it is changed forever. It turns out she's a witch, who just happened to blossom a little later than usual. It comes as a shock to Audrey, but it's also a pleasant surprise since she's always been in her younger sister's, Meg, shadow. Meg is a major pain, by the way!

I really loved all of the magical aspects in the book! It was like I was learning magic along side Audrey, which was fun. The scene of her attempting levitation while "sky clad" was hilarious! Sadie, the mysterious "cousin," was such a great character. She's 21, a witch, and trying to teach Audrey how to use her magic without really understanding it herself. She might be not much older than Audrey and Meg, but she has an air of authority around her. Of course, Audrey is a very likeable character, too. She as her "woe is me" moments from lack of self confidence, but I do think most readers will like her.

Let's talk about the romance for just a second. It's not a huge part of the story, but there's some elements to it that stood out to me. For one, it's electric! Literally. There's some kind of electric current between Audrey and Julian. I can't say more, or I'll spoil it. The other thing, is something I didn't like at all. The inevitable relationship conflict that keeps our two love birds temporarily apart is really lame. It's unique, but it definitely felt forced and random. Other than that, this is your typical paranormal plus human romance, minus the proclamations of everlasting love.

The one other thing that I think could have been better was the bad guy. He definitely had a creepy presence throughout the entire book, but once Audrey actually comes face to face with him, well, he's super cheesy and lame. He reveals too much about his evil plans, which of course Audrey can use against him. He was just too goofy to be a believable villain.

Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft is another super fun, cute, entertaining, smile inducing read by Jody Gehrman. It has a bit of a darker edge than I was expecting, with the dark magic and mentions of blood sacrifices, but overall this is still a nice, light read. Fans of quirky paranormal books will certainly enjoy this one, too.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.