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Felix Silver, Teaspoons & Witches
After his parents announce that his bizarre, emerging abilities are getting in the way of their divorce, Felix Silver relocates to Dorset Harbor and becomes the charge of his Grandma Aggie. As Felix adjusts to life in a new school, Aggie decides that it's time he learn The Silver Way, and teaches him all she knows about sorcery and magical arts. When Felix and his new friends decide to solve the mystery of local teenagers who have gone missing, Felix learns that his crush, Aero, has a big secret. Is dark magic creeping into the town, and can Felix learn enough from Aggie and the witches of Dorset Harbor to combat it?
From actor and author Harry Cook, Felix Silver is a charming and funny Golden Girls-meets-Harry Potter YA fantasy adventure in the tradition of Rainbow Rowell's Carry On.
From actor and author Harry Cook, Felix Silver is a charming and funny Golden Girls-meets-Harry Potter YA fantasy adventure in the tradition of Rainbow Rowell's Carry On.
270 pages, Paperback
First published August 30, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
April 18, 2022
This was such a fun, cute, and entertaining magical YA story that I found it hard to put down.
What I loved: 😁
❤ Felix and Aero were both pretty adorable and I easily grew to care about them both.What I did *not* love: ☹
❤ Felix's grandmother was so caring and her magical abilities were insane.
❤ The group of friends helping their less talented friend, Charlie, with his magic.
❤ The baby , even if it felt pretty underutilized.
❌ The unlabeled point-of-view swaps, which came out of the blue and were confusing as to who was currently narrating.Overall, I did thoroughly enjoy the book; however, I would've appreciated more in-depth character building and a more challenging final battle, instead of feeling as though the story had one more round of fleshing out to do, but got sent to the publisher before that happened.
❌ We weren't specifically told where the story was taking place, which I assumed was somewhere in England, if for no other reason that the insane amounts of tea. And that they thought *instant* coffee was even the slightest bit "good". *cringes*
❌ For the story to have been ~300 pages, I expected more deeply-layered character backgrounds, versus just a few superficial facts about past events.
❌ The romance was ankle-deep, at best, and was more akin to teenage infatuation or insta-love.
❌ The Big Fight Scene at the end ended way too quickly, *poof* and it was just over, without any explanation of the specific spell used to defeat The Big Bad Bitch.
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My ARC copy of the book was provided by the publisher though NetGalley in exchange for a fair, unbiased review.
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August 16, 2022
LACKING IN WORLD BUILDING, CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT AND PLOT PROGRESSION
I think it's safe to say that this one just didn't do it for me. There was only one thing, that I enjoyed - and that was Aggie, Felix' spry grandmother. Other than that, this just felt like a waste of time.
👎 What I Disliked 👎
Aero: Okay, this might be a weird one... But the romantic interest, Aero? Every time I saw that name on a page, all I could see was chocolate 😅
Pacing: The pacing was all over the place, but especially the first half of the book was an issue for me. It felt super rushed, too much was thrown into the mix to quickly - fantasy elements, mystery and a HOARD of characters. Way too many, way too fast. Editing would have been good.
Setting: While it is explicitly written, that this story takes place in England, I was forever thinking that it shouldn't have been. For once, it did nothing for the story whatsoever. Secondly, the author has chosen to write everything in American English, opting for American spelling, American idioms and expression. Often it also seemed that the author (though I believe I've read somewhere that he's half British) knows very little about British/English culture. A brit would never say, that they were a senior in highschool, Mr. Cook.
World Building: To begin with I was on board with the fantasy elements of the world, that Cook tried to built. Magic performed with silver spoons instead of wands? Absolutely! Personal familiars that take the form of cure animals? Sign me up! But quickly I soured on the whole thing. There were just too many unanswered questions. So much that was left unsaid and then ultimately didn't make any sense at all. It hindered my enjoyment considerably.
Characters: While Aggie was a real pleasure, I didn't feel the same about any other character. Aero became a bit of a joke to me - a clichéd love interest dressed in a candy wrapper. Felix didn't really step up and show his colours at any point. But perhaps the biggest mistake were all the many, many side characters that are just there. They have no lives of their own, no stories of their own and serve no purpose except to give the semblance of a personal life for Felix. I really wanted more background, more personality and more development for all the characters.
ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
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I think it's safe to say that this one just didn't do it for me. There was only one thing, that I enjoyed - and that was Aggie, Felix' spry grandmother. Other than that, this just felt like a waste of time.
👎 What I Disliked 👎
Aero: Okay, this might be a weird one... But the romantic interest, Aero? Every time I saw that name on a page, all I could see was chocolate 😅
Pacing: The pacing was all over the place, but especially the first half of the book was an issue for me. It felt super rushed, too much was thrown into the mix to quickly - fantasy elements, mystery and a HOARD of characters. Way too many, way too fast. Editing would have been good.
Setting: While it is explicitly written, that this story takes place in England, I was forever thinking that it shouldn't have been. For once, it did nothing for the story whatsoever. Secondly, the author has chosen to write everything in American English, opting for American spelling, American idioms and expression. Often it also seemed that the author (though I believe I've read somewhere that he's half British) knows very little about British/English culture. A brit would never say, that they were a senior in highschool, Mr. Cook.
World Building: To begin with I was on board with the fantasy elements of the world, that Cook tried to built. Magic performed with silver spoons instead of wands? Absolutely! Personal familiars that take the form of cure animals? Sign me up! But quickly I soured on the whole thing. There were just too many unanswered questions. So much that was left unsaid and then ultimately didn't make any sense at all. It hindered my enjoyment considerably.
Characters: While Aggie was a real pleasure, I didn't feel the same about any other character. Aero became a bit of a joke to me - a clichéd love interest dressed in a candy wrapper. Felix didn't really step up and show his colours at any point. But perhaps the biggest mistake were all the many, many side characters that are just there. They have no lives of their own, no stories of their own and serve no purpose except to give the semblance of a personal life for Felix. I really wanted more background, more personality and more development for all the characters.
ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
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Blog Post: Which Book Should you read next based on your favourite Jane Austen Heroine
May 12, 2022
Okay … That’s the first word that comes to mind after finishing this story. Sweet, cute, adorable, magical, easy to read, and overall … okay.
Felix, Silverspoons & Witches is Harry Cook’s sophomore YA book, and I adored his debut. And after that debut, I expected something more, something fabulous, something mesmerizing, something glorious. So, it was a bit of a bummer for me that I found this story just okay. This doesn’t mean that this story is bad or boring or whatever. I just found the characters a bit underdeveloped, the romance weirdly rushed, and the writing too simple.
This story will appeal the most to people who love cute and easy-to-read stories with HEA’s, adore a fantastic granny, want to turn off their minds for a while, and love to dream away on the magic and the love in this story. I think, though, that this book could be better if it were edited a bit more. I even believe that if Felix and Aero were about fourteen instead of seventeen and this book would have been pitched as an upper MG, Felix Silver, Teaspoons & Witches would easily have been a five-star read for me. But it’s YA, so I’m going to rate it as a YA.
I still can’t wait for what Harry writes next, and I secretly hope that it will be a contemporary YA again because that’s what he writes best, in my opinion (or an upper MG).
I received an ARC from Interlude Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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Felix, Silverspoons & Witches is Harry Cook’s sophomore YA book, and I adored his debut. And after that debut, I expected something more, something fabulous, something mesmerizing, something glorious. So, it was a bit of a bummer for me that I found this story just okay. This doesn’t mean that this story is bad or boring or whatever. I just found the characters a bit underdeveloped, the romance weirdly rushed, and the writing too simple.
This story will appeal the most to people who love cute and easy-to-read stories with HEA’s, adore a fantastic granny, want to turn off their minds for a while, and love to dream away on the magic and the love in this story. I think, though, that this book could be better if it were edited a bit more. I even believe that if Felix and Aero were about fourteen instead of seventeen and this book would have been pitched as an upper MG, Felix Silver, Teaspoons & Witches would easily have been a five-star read for me. But it’s YA, so I’m going to rate it as a YA.
I still can’t wait for what Harry writes next, and I secretly hope that it will be a contemporary YA again because that’s what he writes best, in my opinion (or an upper MG).
I received an ARC from Interlude Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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April 11, 2022
I received an ARC from netgalley for this review.
For starters, if I could I'd probably give this a 3.5 instead of a 3 but I rounded down instead of up.
I had an...interesting journey with this book. I started off really enjoying it, aspects of it reminded me of one of my favorite movies Practical Magic, with a little bit of Gilmore Girls thrown in. But as the book went on, it started to become a bit too much on the quirky/kooky/crazy town side. The amount of characters who seemed to only exist to be weird quirky characters quickly piled up, and they just ended up becoming slightly annoying. It seemed like everything had to be kitschy and "charming" but there was so much of it that it just became slightly annoying.
My biggest gripe is that the book....doesn't seem to know where it's set? Like, from reading it you would obviously think it was set somewhere in England by the way the characters talk and text, the way the place is described and they explicitly say so, but then a character will randomly make a (actually funny tbh) joke about Fox News and it immediately rips you out of the book and just leaves you confused as to where these people actually live. Something so specifically American was said by specifically British characters enough times that it bothered me enough to make note of it, the biggest of which was probably calling the grade levels by their American names instead of their English counterparts.
Really, it should have just been set in America because there's nothing that setting it in England adds to the book, other than just being able to make the aforementioned charming English countryside village.
The book also switches narrators multiple times without telling you who is actually speaking until you figure it out for yourself a few paragraphs in. I think adding a simple name to the top of a chapter where the narrator changes could solve that pretty quickly though.
Now, onto what I did like.
I liked the actual plot, it was a fun little mystery. I liked the "villain", and I loved Aero. Felix was cute, but Aero was the real winner in the book for me. I love some bisexual representation, and the way Aero handles people questioning him about it is great. Aggie was also wonderful, the king of eccentric character that I like, I just wish she hadn't been drowned out by an entire town of eccentricities so she could have stood a little more in her weirdness alone.
Overall, the book was enjoyable to me but it didn't blow my socks off. I think a lot of the issues I had with it could be fixed by another round of edits to change out all the american-isims for their british counterparts which would at least help with people getting thrown out of the book, but my biggest issue with the characters can't be solved as easily. Other people might not have that same issue with them that I did, so I'd say if you don't mind a heaping dose of eccentric weirdos coming at you then this book might just be for you.
For starters, if I could I'd probably give this a 3.5 instead of a 3 but I rounded down instead of up.
I had an...interesting journey with this book. I started off really enjoying it, aspects of it reminded me of one of my favorite movies Practical Magic, with a little bit of Gilmore Girls thrown in. But as the book went on, it started to become a bit too much on the quirky/kooky/crazy town side. The amount of characters who seemed to only exist to be weird quirky characters quickly piled up, and they just ended up becoming slightly annoying. It seemed like everything had to be kitschy and "charming" but there was so much of it that it just became slightly annoying.
My biggest gripe is that the book....doesn't seem to know where it's set? Like, from reading it you would obviously think it was set somewhere in England by the way the characters talk and text, the way the place is described and they explicitly say so, but then a character will randomly make a (actually funny tbh) joke about Fox News and it immediately rips you out of the book and just leaves you confused as to where these people actually live. Something so specifically American was said by specifically British characters enough times that it bothered me enough to make note of it, the biggest of which was probably calling the grade levels by their American names instead of their English counterparts.
Really, it should have just been set in America because there's nothing that setting it in England adds to the book, other than just being able to make the aforementioned charming English countryside village.
The book also switches narrators multiple times without telling you who is actually speaking until you figure it out for yourself a few paragraphs in. I think adding a simple name to the top of a chapter where the narrator changes could solve that pretty quickly though.
Now, onto what I did like.
I liked the actual plot, it was a fun little mystery. I liked the "villain", and I loved Aero. Felix was cute, but Aero was the real winner in the book for me. I love some bisexual representation, and the way Aero handles people questioning him about it is great. Aggie was also wonderful, the king of eccentric character that I like, I just wish she hadn't been drowned out by an entire town of eccentricities so she could have stood a little more in her weirdness alone.
Overall, the book was enjoyable to me but it didn't blow my socks off. I think a lot of the issues I had with it could be fixed by another round of edits to change out all the american-isims for their british counterparts which would at least help with people getting thrown out of the book, but my biggest issue with the characters can't be solved as easily. Other people might not have that same issue with them that I did, so I'd say if you don't mind a heaping dose of eccentric weirdos coming at you then this book might just be for you.
May 24, 2022
I'm very mixed on this book.
It's a light read, easy, fast and fluffy, much like a gay take on a kids fairytale.
Which is exactly its problem: the writing is Middle-Grade level. Too simple, the dialogue too childish, the plot very basic and the characters lacking depth.
If we weren't told they were 17, I would have thought they were 13 or 14.
This book would be a 4+ starts read if it was written as a kids story, but since it isn't, it's rather average for a gay YA story. A pleasant read nonetheless!
It's a light read, easy, fast and fluffy, much like a gay take on a kids fairytale.
Which is exactly its problem: the writing is Middle-Grade level. Too simple, the dialogue too childish, the plot very basic and the characters lacking depth.
If we weren't told they were 17, I would have thought they were 13 or 14.
This book would be a 4+ starts read if it was written as a kids story, but since it isn't, it's rather average for a gay YA story. A pleasant read nonetheless!
did-not-finish
October 7, 2022This seems like an interesting story with interesting characters in an interesting setting.
But there's something about the writing that feels slightly off. I'm not talking about the abundance of quirkiness. That's just annoying. It more about how the people in this book talk and act in a way no real people would talk or act. But not completely different in an over-the-top way. Just a little bit, so that it has this uncanny valley effect on me.
DNF after three chapters. Just not for me.
But there's something about the writing that feels slightly off. I'm not talking about the abundance of quirkiness. That's just annoying. It more about how the people in this book talk and act in a way no real people would talk or act. But not completely different in an over-the-top way. Just a little bit, so that it has this uncanny valley effect on me.
DNF after three chapters. Just not for me.
May 19, 2022
I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Felix Silver, Teaspoons & Witches definitely had promise. Things were definitely cute, quirky, and highly entertaining for such a small town. I also really enjoyed the magic. Especially when it came from a certain grandma. If she had a fan club, I would definitely fight to become president or vice.
Other than that, we do get to meet some pretty interesting characters. Felix, Fern, Charlie, and Aero had their pros and cons. Maybe I'm being a little harsh, but it was a little annoying trying to figure out which point of view I was reading from. Also, it took me a while to figure out who I could or couldn't trust. At least with that friend group because everyone else was highly suspicious in my eyes.
We got some cute little romantic scenes but not much really happened. Then there's the overall mystery and side quest adventures. Some of it confused me but honestly, I was just here for the wild ride that this book was going to take me on.
In the end, I'm really happy that I got the chance to jump into this. The adventure was really cute, but things had potential to be developed a bit more. I also kind of wished that this was a bit longer since the ending felt rushed.
Felix Silver, Teaspoons & Witches definitely had promise. Things were definitely cute, quirky, and highly entertaining for such a small town. I also really enjoyed the magic. Especially when it came from a certain grandma. If she had a fan club, I would definitely fight to become president or vice.
Other than that, we do get to meet some pretty interesting characters. Felix, Fern, Charlie, and Aero had their pros and cons. Maybe I'm being a little harsh, but it was a little annoying trying to figure out which point of view I was reading from. Also, it took me a while to figure out who I could or couldn't trust. At least with that friend group because everyone else was highly suspicious in my eyes.
We got some cute little romantic scenes but not much really happened. Then there's the overall mystery and side quest adventures. Some of it confused me but honestly, I was just here for the wild ride that this book was going to take me on.
In the end, I'm really happy that I got the chance to jump into this. The adventure was really cute, but things had potential to be developed a bit more. I also kind of wished that this was a bit longer since the ending felt rushed.
April 17, 2022
A wonderful bit of escapism!
Although admittedly there are hints from other famous Wizardy stories here, I still felt it was a really good effort and can see it adapted for film or TV.
A nice break from the usual intensely factual stuff I normally read, I got lost in this story, 4 stars ⭐️
Although admittedly there are hints from other famous Wizardy stories here, I still felt it was a really good effort and can see it adapted for film or TV.
A nice break from the usual intensely factual stuff I normally read, I got lost in this story, 4 stars ⭐️
April 8, 2022
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Oof, where to start with this one. The good thing it's got going for it is that it was very easy and quick to read. However, that's kind of where the good parts stop. First of all, and this is my biggest frustration with this book, is that it is supposedly set in England - the characters explicitly say this - but it very clearly written with absolutely no concept of British culture/society whatsoever. All of the spellings, for starters, are American (i.e. Dorset Harbor when it should be Harbour, color when it should be colour) - if the characters are British, they're not going to spell things the American way. There were so many American-isms it was so annoying. Saying "senior year" instead of sixth form, "sneakers" instead of trainers, "Math" instead of Maths, "kindergarten" instead of reception/early years, "faucet" instead of tap, "commercial" instead of advert --- I could literally go on and on and on.
I think that if the story had been set in America, it would have been maybe a 2.5 or 3 stars. There were other problems with this book as well, in that the magic system is not explained at all - some people have magic, some don't, some people know about it, some don't, you can fly around on a broom but some people don't about magic - it was all just very confusing. It also switched between two first person POVs in different chapters, but with absolutely no indication of whose perspective we were reading from, which meant you were reading and waiting to see the other main character's name to figure out whose perspective it was.
This book was kind of just a whole mess. I'm sorry. I even looked up the author afterwards and they are British-Australian, so there is really no excuse for this whole Americanisation of Britain mess that this book is.
Oof, where to start with this one. The good thing it's got going for it is that it was very easy and quick to read. However, that's kind of where the good parts stop. First of all, and this is my biggest frustration with this book, is that it is supposedly set in England - the characters explicitly say this - but it very clearly written with absolutely no concept of British culture/society whatsoever. All of the spellings, for starters, are American (i.e. Dorset Harbor when it should be Harbour, color when it should be colour) - if the characters are British, they're not going to spell things the American way. There were so many American-isms it was so annoying. Saying "senior year" instead of sixth form, "sneakers" instead of trainers, "Math" instead of Maths, "kindergarten" instead of reception/early years, "faucet" instead of tap, "commercial" instead of advert --- I could literally go on and on and on.
I think that if the story had been set in America, it would have been maybe a 2.5 or 3 stars. There were other problems with this book as well, in that the magic system is not explained at all - some people have magic, some don't, some people know about it, some don't, you can fly around on a broom but some people don't about magic - it was all just very confusing. It also switched between two first person POVs in different chapters, but with absolutely no indication of whose perspective we were reading from, which meant you were reading and waiting to see the other main character's name to figure out whose perspective it was.
This book was kind of just a whole mess. I'm sorry. I even looked up the author afterwards and they are British-Australian, so there is really no excuse for this whole Americanisation of Britain mess that this book is.
April 21, 2022
I'm not the hugest fantasy reader, because the books often feel overly dense and complex to me. This is why I really enjoy middlegrade fantasy, because it's more fun and whimsical. There's a reason I'm saying this, even though Felix Silver is YA, because it has the exact same feel to it. And at the same time, it very much feels like a YA, which I find impressive - it would be easy for the story to feel too young. This book more or less reads like a fantastical cosy mystery, and I had so much fun reading it. It was so cute and wholesome and fun.
May 16, 2022
I love this title and it's definitely what drew me to the book initially. So cute and quirky that I had to know more about it. I found the story entertaining and the setting of a small English town by the sea was perfect for a witchy plot. There's a nice friendship and a sweet little romance that I also enjoyed. I think this was a good base, it just needed work on a couple things.
The pacing is almost breakneck speed, with things happening so quickly that it hindered the writing a bit. Felix has just discovered his magic, so his parents send him to live with his gran to learn more and gain control. He proceeds to become almost a master within a couple weeks, even though we barely see his gran teaching him. Even in a story with magic, I thought this was too unbelievable and wish the author would have taken time to develop Felix's journey more. The romance was also super rushed and again, would have benefitted from slowing down and giving us another hundred pages to see everything come together.
Some of the things the friends did to solve the mystery of the missing people ended up being a bit pointless and felt like filler to me. I think the author wanted to put a lot of action and adventure in, but skipped over world-building and character development. I wanted to know about Aero's past and learn really anything about Fern and Charlie other than them being friends.
This is definitely a great start and fun overall. It just needs a little more world and character development.
I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Duet Books and NetGalley for the copy.
The pacing is almost breakneck speed, with things happening so quickly that it hindered the writing a bit. Felix has just discovered his magic, so his parents send him to live with his gran to learn more and gain control. He proceeds to become almost a master within a couple weeks, even though we barely see his gran teaching him. Even in a story with magic, I thought this was too unbelievable and wish the author would have taken time to develop Felix's journey more. The romance was also super rushed and again, would have benefitted from slowing down and giving us another hundred pages to see everything come together.
Some of the things the friends did to solve the mystery of the missing people ended up being a bit pointless and felt like filler to me. I think the author wanted to put a lot of action and adventure in, but skipped over world-building and character development. I wanted to know about Aero's past and learn really anything about Fern and Charlie other than them being friends.
This is definitely a great start and fun overall. It just needs a little more world and character development.
I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Duet Books and NetGalley for the copy.
June 3, 2022
witches, magic, missing people! yayy
okay this book was so good! i got an e-arc from netgalley, but once this comes out on august 30th, read it! it's a decently short book, 300 pages. well I guess not that short, but it felt extremely short due to how fast-paced it was.
kinda got those harry potter vibes going on with charlie being ron and fern being hermione-and then there's aero. speaking of characters though, all of them are extremely likable, aero and felix both being super cute, and the cutest of them all, GRANNY! (felix's gran ofc not aeros)
its not a super epic fantasy; although there are dragons and mermaids, it doesn't go into detail and is only worth like at most one chapter of the whole novel. going back to the harry potter vibes, the book is modern with references and such, making it more relatable. there was one part when they talked about HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON so yep, bonus points (how to train your dragon probably has the best soundtrack in existence)
anyways yeah, it was super funny and a really quick read with very entertaining characters :)
again, i'd like to thank netgalley and the independent publishers group, namely Chicago review press, for providing me with this e-arc in exchange for an honest review!
okay this book was so good! i got an e-arc from netgalley, but once this comes out on august 30th, read it! it's a decently short book, 300 pages. well I guess not that short, but it felt extremely short due to how fast-paced it was.
kinda got those harry potter vibes going on with charlie being ron and fern being hermione-and then there's aero. speaking of characters though, all of them are extremely likable, aero and felix both being super cute, and the cutest of them all, GRANNY! (felix's gran ofc not aeros)
its not a super epic fantasy; although there are dragons and mermaids, it doesn't go into detail and is only worth like at most one chapter of the whole novel. going back to the harry potter vibes, the book is modern with references and such, making it more relatable. there was one part when they talked about HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON so yep, bonus points (how to train your dragon probably has the best soundtrack in existence)
anyways yeah, it was super funny and a really quick read with very entertaining characters :)
again, i'd like to thank netgalley and the independent publishers group, namely Chicago review press, for providing me with this e-arc in exchange for an honest review!
May 3, 2022
First of all, please whomever is in charge of this arc, have it edited and fixed. There are random numbers, words, and even a random image that seriously throws you out of the story. The story itself needs to be edited. There are misspelled words, wrong words used, and putting in actual chapters with the name of whoever's POV it is going to be in would be great.
Onto the actual story.
The story itself was awesome. Absolutely over the top and full of magic.
Felix is a young gay teen who moves somewhere to be with his grandmother when his parents decide to divorce. Within a day, he meets his new best friends - Fern, Charlie and his love interest, Aero, who is bi and unashamed of it. He also finds out that teens are going missing in this magic friendly town and he and his friends are going to get to the bottom of it. Things happen, Felix gets real close to Aero, Felix finds his familiar (spoiler: its a baby dragon), things go boom and the bad person get stopped.
For some odd reason, at around 50%, the POV goes from Felix only to both Felix and Aero. Dunno why, and sometimes you have to wait until the person the POV is in says the other ones name to figure out who's head we are in. And we also have the weird pop culture items pop up. These are supposed to be teens, yet they talk and think like 30 year olds. I mean does anyone use Jerry Springer or Golden Girl references in YA anymore?
But over all, this was a good story and if it gets edited prior to launch, I would love it in audio.
Onto the actual story.
The story itself was awesome. Absolutely over the top and full of magic.
Felix is a young gay teen who moves somewhere to be with his grandmother when his parents decide to divorce. Within a day, he meets his new best friends - Fern, Charlie and his love interest, Aero, who is bi and unashamed of it. He also finds out that teens are going missing in this magic friendly town and he and his friends are going to get to the bottom of it. Things happen, Felix gets real close to Aero, Felix finds his familiar (spoiler: its a baby dragon), things go boom and the bad person get stopped.
For some odd reason, at around 50%, the POV goes from Felix only to both Felix and Aero. Dunno why, and sometimes you have to wait until the person the POV is in says the other ones name to figure out who's head we are in. And we also have the weird pop culture items pop up. These are supposed to be teens, yet they talk and think like 30 year olds. I mean does anyone use Jerry Springer or Golden Girl references in YA anymore?
But over all, this was a good story and if it gets edited prior to launch, I would love it in audio.
May 24, 2022
Thanks to Netgalley for sending me a review copy of this book.
I was promised a queer story of witchy adventure, which I was super excited for, and I was just as disappointed. Much as it pains me to say this...the book delivered poorly.
Let's just look at the problems one by one:
- The dialogue is stilted. Characters hardly have their own voice and aren't expressive, everyone talks the same and there are no moments that make anyone stand out
- Characters react to events depending on plot demands. The main character makes a huge deal out of one thing, but easily forgives two very similar things, one of which I found extremely disagreeable but was never discussed
- The style simply fails to bring the world to life, which is a death sentence for a book based on whimsical magic. A lot of times, the main character just robotically states his obvious thoughts in the middle of narration, interrupting dialogue, and most characters are only ever described by their clothing.
- Nothing happens in the first half (which would be ok if the characters were interesting) and the plot of the second half turns out to be pure buffer, with an ending that renders it all unnecessary
- The twist in this book was so predictable that it became painful to watch the characters disregard a glaringly obvious option
- This book is also unnecessarily mean spirited towards women who like fashion, every antagonist girl or woman is compared to a fashion model of some kind
- Almost every important conversation is interrupted by another character just as someone is about to say something important. I'm not even understating if I say that happened like 20 times or so, if not more. Feels like it happened every other chapter or so.
- The "message" at the end is heavy handed and has little to do with the rest of the story
- And why is the grandma too cool for seatbelts????
The romance was alright. There were cute moments, but the problems I've mentioned made it hard to enjoy it fully. Thumbs up for the biphobia callout and bi rep. Some chapters in the middle I found myself enjoying, but sadly, it didn't last. As much as I want to say good things about this book, because this IS the kind of book I want to read and see published and succeed, this one just didn't deliver and is in dire need of edits that could turn it into the lighthearted charming witchcraft adventure it wants to be.
I was promised a queer story of witchy adventure, which I was super excited for, and I was just as disappointed. Much as it pains me to say this...the book delivered poorly.
Let's just look at the problems one by one:
- The dialogue is stilted. Characters hardly have their own voice and aren't expressive, everyone talks the same and there are no moments that make anyone stand out
- Characters react to events depending on plot demands. The main character makes a huge deal out of one thing, but easily forgives two very similar things, one of which I found extremely disagreeable but was never discussed
- The style simply fails to bring the world to life, which is a death sentence for a book based on whimsical magic. A lot of times, the main character just robotically states his obvious thoughts in the middle of narration, interrupting dialogue, and most characters are only ever described by their clothing.
- Nothing happens in the first half (which would be ok if the characters were interesting) and the plot of the second half turns out to be pure buffer, with an ending that renders it all unnecessary
- The twist in this book was so predictable that it became painful to watch the characters disregard a glaringly obvious option
- This book is also unnecessarily mean spirited towards women who like fashion, every antagonist girl or woman is compared to a fashion model of some kind
- Almost every important conversation is interrupted by another character just as someone is about to say something important. I'm not even understating if I say that happened like 20 times or so, if not more. Feels like it happened every other chapter or so.
- The "message" at the end is heavy handed and has little to do with the rest of the story
- And why is the grandma too cool for seatbelts????
The romance was alright. There were cute moments, but the problems I've mentioned made it hard to enjoy it fully. Thumbs up for the biphobia callout and bi rep. Some chapters in the middle I found myself enjoying, but sadly, it didn't last. As much as I want to say good things about this book, because this IS the kind of book I want to read and see published and succeed, this one just didn't deliver and is in dire need of edits that could turn it into the lighthearted charming witchcraft adventure it wants to be.
Want to read
April 21, 2022Thank you NetGalley and Interlude Press for this eARC, these opinions are my own. I enjoyed Fin, Rye, and Fireflies very much so when I heard Harry Cook had another book coming out I couldn’t wait to read it! I was not disappointed! Felix Silver ends up staying his final year of high school with his grandma while his parents sort out there divorce. This also gives him an opportunity to study more about magic and develop his powers. It’s not long before he finds out something is happening in Dorset Harbor, kids are going missing, with the help of his friends Fern and Charlie and mysterious boy Aero he’ll set out to solve the case. But will they survive in the process? And what if the person doing it is someone they know? Is something happening with Aero when Felix swore off love? This book was super fun! There was a touch of mystery, which I am really into right now so I loved that! I also really enjoyed the take on magic and the adventure they go on to figure out what’s going on! Then there’s Aggie, Felix’s grandma, she’s so patient and caring, we all could use an Aggie in our lives! I loved the relationship between Felix and Aero, it was fun reading about their growing relationship and the ups and downs! An added bonus as well there are even chapters given from Aero’s point of view, which was really nice to read for both sides! For those who might be looking for a different series with witches and magic to read I highly recommend this book! I couldn’t put it down! I can’t wait to read it again when it comes out!
April 20, 2022
Ugh. I don't even know where to start with this. I received it as an ARC, so I know that some things will be changed between now and the publication date (Aug 30th), but I can only review based on what I received...
First, what I loved: Harry Cook introduces readers to a set of characters with very modern views on sexuality and relationships. Not only is one character gay, and one bi, but he even suggests alternative relationship styles, such as polyamory.
What I didn't love: This book needed a lot more editing and polishing before going out to beta readers. There was no punctuation to designate paragraph divisions. Some sentences were split by line breaks. There were a couple instances where the wrong word or tense was used. The POVs are not designated, leaving the reader to try and figure out, from context, who the “I” is referring to. Two characters are referred to as “Gran,” which lends to the confusion without a properly designated POV. The characters felt underdeveloped and could have almost been interchangeable.
Even though this book is marketed as YA, I don't think that the actions/reactions of the characters were particularly indicative of high school students. They felt considerably younger. Even the writing style felt much more suited for a Middle Grade audience.
A special thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
First, what I loved: Harry Cook introduces readers to a set of characters with very modern views on sexuality and relationships. Not only is one character gay, and one bi, but he even suggests alternative relationship styles, such as polyamory.
What I didn't love: This book needed a lot more editing and polishing before going out to beta readers. There was no punctuation to designate paragraph divisions. Some sentences were split by line breaks. There were a couple instances where the wrong word or tense was used. The POVs are not designated, leaving the reader to try and figure out, from context, who the “I” is referring to. Two characters are referred to as “Gran,” which lends to the confusion without a properly designated POV. The characters felt underdeveloped and could have almost been interchangeable.
Even though this book is marketed as YA, I don't think that the actions/reactions of the characters were particularly indicative of high school students. They felt considerably younger. Even the writing style felt much more suited for a Middle Grade audience.
A special thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
May 15, 2022
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for a review.....
Felix Silver, Teaspoons @ Witches is a quick, nice read. Felix has moved to a small seaside town to study magic with his Gran Aggie while his parents work on getting divorced. But kids are disappearing from the town. And then there's this boy....
I really enjoyed the set-up of this book. I liked the characters and the town, I liked the various little uses of magic throughout. The characters, if not deep, were fun. The milieu the author created is fun.
Once the story gets going, the plot races along. Sometimes it races too fast. I would have enjoyed a more leisurely pace and the change to dig in deeper on some of the relationships between the characters. Still, it was a good enough plot and the book held my interest.
Felix Silver, Teaspoons @ Witches is a quick, nice read. Felix has moved to a small seaside town to study magic with his Gran Aggie while his parents work on getting divorced. But kids are disappearing from the town. And then there's this boy....
I really enjoyed the set-up of this book. I liked the characters and the town, I liked the various little uses of magic throughout. The characters, if not deep, were fun. The milieu the author created is fun.
Once the story gets going, the plot races along. Sometimes it races too fast. I would have enjoyed a more leisurely pace and the change to dig in deeper on some of the relationships between the characters. Still, it was a good enough plot and the book held my interest.
December 31, 2023
3✨
I love a good cozy fantasy! The vibes and simple magic drew me right in almost instantly. If I could change a part of the book, it would be pacing. Things are resolved very quickly and when the plot ticks up its quite far in the book which im not a big fan of. Either way, a cute read with a good story and overall vibes.
I love a good cozy fantasy! The vibes and simple magic drew me right in almost instantly. If I could change a part of the book, it would be pacing. Things are resolved very quickly and when the plot ticks up its quite far in the book which im not a big fan of. Either way, a cute read with a good story and overall vibes.
April 25, 2022
This was a cute novel that I think others will enjoy if you want a quick fantasy read that you don't have to take too seriously!
I had fun with this novel until about halfway through, and that's where it kind of lost me. The POV's start switching between Felix and his love interest, Aero, and honestly there wasn't really a way to tell their voices apart. It was also pretty easy to guess the ending from there. And I will say that some of the pop culture references used weren't exactly my favorite, some of it just felt forced. I won't lie, I started to lose interest in this about 70% of the way through.
With that being said though, I do think it's a cute novel, and it has a good ending, so I think a lot of others will enjoy it!
ARC thanks to Netgalley.
I had fun with this novel until about halfway through, and that's where it kind of lost me. The POV's start switching between Felix and his love interest, Aero, and honestly there wasn't really a way to tell their voices apart. It was also pretty easy to guess the ending from there. And I will say that some of the pop culture references used weren't exactly my favorite, some of it just felt forced. I won't lie, I started to lose interest in this about 70% of the way through.
With that being said though, I do think it's a cute novel, and it has a good ending, so I think a lot of others will enjoy it!
ARC thanks to Netgalley.
November 11, 2025
Omg, this book would have been so much better if the world was fleshed out more!! The cozy English sea town with witchcraft is such a cool concept, but I feel like we spent way too much time on the mission, the romance (which was cute but a bit over the top) instead of world-building. I also feel like the random switching of POVs out of nowhere was weird and I needed them to actually say that it was Aero instead of Felix because their way of thinking was way too similar. Overall, a solid fantasy book, I liked the characters (I did feel like Fern and Charlie were a bit too much like Ron and Hermione which was a bit annoying but…) but it definitely could have been better. I would say like 3.5 just for the dragon :)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 30, 2022
Because I read the this in the middle of a cross country move this book took me wayyy to long to read. I wish I'd had more snuggle time to kick back for hours on end since this is definitely the kind of book you don't want interrupted. Very well written,but grabs and holds you. A fun read. Great for this time of year!
May 12, 2022
This was a cute, sweet, story. I really enjoyed the character building and the story. Would definitely recommend
August 14, 2022
Felix Silver goes to live with his grandmother Aggie, while his parents are going through a divorce. Aggie teaches Felix all about how to control and use the magic he holds within himself. Felix makes new friends in Dorset Harbor and is welcomed into the magic community. However, weird things are happening around town. History seems to be repeating itself as teenagers are starting to go missing. Why are teenagers going missing? Can Felix and his friends solve the mystery?
I really enjoyed the details Harry Cook included about Dorset Harbor. I could picture myself there with the characters. I also enjoyed the romance parts between Felix and Aero. However, I felt the characters could have been a little more developed. The book starts from Felix’s point of view and then at some point begins to switch back and forth between Felix and Aero. It is sometimes unclear for several sentences which character’s point of view we are reading from. I would definitely add the name before each part so that the reader knows which character’s point of view each chapter is written. I strongly feel like this was written more like a middle-grade book instead of a young adult novel. I think if the characters were 14 instead of 17, the book would be much more understandable and relatable. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would rate it 3.5 stars. I am rounding up to 4 stars in hopes that the final version is more thoroughly edited, and the point of view labels are added. I’m also hoping it is changed to a middle-grade book.
I highly recommend this book to anyone that loves fantasy books about magic, especially if you like LGBTQ representation.
Thank you to Interlude Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed the details Harry Cook included about Dorset Harbor. I could picture myself there with the characters. I also enjoyed the romance parts between Felix and Aero. However, I felt the characters could have been a little more developed. The book starts from Felix’s point of view and then at some point begins to switch back and forth between Felix and Aero. It is sometimes unclear for several sentences which character’s point of view we are reading from. I would definitely add the name before each part so that the reader knows which character’s point of view each chapter is written. I strongly feel like this was written more like a middle-grade book instead of a young adult novel. I think if the characters were 14 instead of 17, the book would be much more understandable and relatable. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would rate it 3.5 stars. I am rounding up to 4 stars in hopes that the final version is more thoroughly edited, and the point of view labels are added. I’m also hoping it is changed to a middle-grade book.
I highly recommend this book to anyone that loves fantasy books about magic, especially if you like LGBTQ representation.
Thank you to Interlude Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
June 3, 2022
I wanted to like this book more than I did. This is listed as YA and the main characters are seniors in high school. But in a lot of ways they act much younger. (To the point where when they mention college acceptance letters at the end, I was surprised because I had forgotten they were that old.)
In some ways the adventure they go on feels more like a middle grade adventure (except for staying overnight at places). Things also just seem to go too easily for them. And magic doesn't seem to have a "price"--no drain of energy or anything. Felix can literally pull items out of thin air.
The book starts out in 1st person POV with Felix. But close to the halfway point, Aero also becomes a POV character (also 1st person), and there's no indication with each chapter who the POV character is. So there's an abrupt addition of the other POV and then it's not always clear which one is the POV of that chapter until several paragraphs in. Also compounding the confusion is that both boys call their grandmothers Gran. There are plenty of possible names they could call their grandmothers. Why use the same one? Sometimes that got me confused about whose POV I was reading mid-chapter.
And
I do think that younger YA readers might enjoy this book, but it just didn't resonate with me.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC.
In some ways the adventure they go on feels more like a middle grade adventure (except for staying overnight at places). Things also just seem to go too easily for them. And magic doesn't seem to have a "price"--no drain of energy or anything. Felix can literally pull items out of thin air.
The book starts out in 1st person POV with Felix. But close to the halfway point, Aero also becomes a POV character (also 1st person), and there's no indication with each chapter who the POV character is. So there's an abrupt addition of the other POV and then it's not always clear which one is the POV of that chapter until several paragraphs in. Also compounding the confusion is that both boys call their grandmothers Gran. There are plenty of possible names they could call their grandmothers. Why use the same one? Sometimes that got me confused about whose POV I was reading mid-chapter.
And
I do think that younger YA readers might enjoy this book, but it just didn't resonate with me.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC.
April 16, 2022
Sometimes, the book that you need the most in a particular situation will arrive in your life just in time.
*
That‘s exactly what happened with Felix Silver, Teaspoons and Witches for me. When I started to read it I was grieving (and still am) and this wonderful little novel made my heart feel lighter.
*
If you like magic, this is for you. This story is so incredibly wholesome, funny and endearing, that i could not put it down. Harry Cook‘s writing has a lightness to it that makes his books (if you haven‘t read Fin & Rye & Fireflies, this is your sign to do so) feel like a warm hug on a cold winter night. It is beyond charming and I immediately fell in love with it after only a few pages.
*
There is not only witchcraft to charm you, but a romance that is to die for. Trust me, there will be swooning. You still need more reasons? How about eccentric, quirky grandmothers? A kickass group of besties? Early morning coffee hangouts? Magic quests? And my favourite: The familiars. Every magical person has an animal to be with them forever and ever. What a wonderful thought.
*
Felix Silver, Teaspoons & Witches is out on the 30th of August and if you pre-order one book until then, let it be this one.
*
Five glowing stars and my eternal love for this book ❤️
September 14, 2022
More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/
This felt very much like a fanfiction - with the usual endless tropes, clichés, repetitiveness, lack of world building, mary/marty stu etc. In truth, you could just switch Felix for Harry and Aero for Draco and you pretty much get the idea of what you have here (if they were on summer vacation). The plot was so predictable as to be banal and it was hard to stay invested in anything.Story: Felix's parents divorce and he finds himself at a remote village to be taken care of by his magical grandmother (who is also supposed to introduce him to magic). There he meets headstrong witch Hermi...uh Fern and her mousy companion Ron.....er...Charlie. The trio have to solve a mystery over disappearing teens that for some reason only they can do - the adults just let them do all the spells even though Felix has never done magic before, Fern is semi competent, and Charlie can't make his magic work. Cue finding a mermaid and a dragon - because yes, might as well be as uncreative as possible.
I could go on and on about how frustrating a read this book was, even if intended for a very young audience. There was no resolution on the missing children, the adults were typically weird and unable to do anything useful, and the kids are the inane Scooby Gang. The villain is so obvious as to be comical and the plot about the villain needing a relative in love in order to complete her heinous spell is borderline ridiculous. There are just too many logic holes, plot holes, worldbuilding fails, and cardboard characters. Don't even get me started about how many times someone was going to say something important when they were suddenly interrupted (x6).
I'd pass on this one. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.
March 29, 2024
A cute adventure marred by amateur writing
My heart wants to rate this higher, and I mean absolutely no disrespect to Cook for producing this work, but I just can't.
I have a long list of writing gripes that drag down my rating of what was still a fun and enjoyable adventure. The plot was fine, the themes were cute, and the relationship was also cute...
However, there were a lot of inconsistencies. More than a few times I wonder how certain characters learned certain information. Sometimes their position in scenes wasn't consistent. I got tired very quickly of the cliche going to sleep and waking up and choosing an outfit every day scenes. Is it Tomkin or Tompkin? Is it Revealeon or Revealion?
I also have some issues in not really being able to distinguish whether it's Felix or Aero. Once Aero's POV begins, it's often not until the third paragraph you can even tell. There's also very little distinction between their character voices which makes both of them hard to connect with.
The tone is strange... The story feels middle grade, and the writing wants to be middle grade, but the characters and swearing want to be YA. In the same sort of vane, the magic system is completely random. There's no consistency or pattern in how magic works or functions, but it is also far too specific to be considered soft magic where that sort of ambiguity is okay.
I really wanted to rate this higher, it's a cute little story and a sweet enough adventure, but it's held back by so many amateur writing mistakes and decisions.
I really hope Harry Cook keeps writing, there's so much potential in his storytelling, that I really can't wait to see him hopefully overcome these amateur errors.
I say if the plot sounds good, read it, but maybe give it a miss if you were hoping to be drawn in.
My heart wants to rate this higher, and I mean absolutely no disrespect to Cook for producing this work, but I just can't.
I have a long list of writing gripes that drag down my rating of what was still a fun and enjoyable adventure. The plot was fine, the themes were cute, and the relationship was also cute...
However, there were a lot of inconsistencies. More than a few times I wonder how certain characters learned certain information. Sometimes their position in scenes wasn't consistent. I got tired very quickly of the cliche going to sleep and waking up and choosing an outfit every day scenes. Is it Tomkin or Tompkin? Is it Revealeon or Revealion?
I also have some issues in not really being able to distinguish whether it's Felix or Aero. Once Aero's POV begins, it's often not until the third paragraph you can even tell. There's also very little distinction between their character voices which makes both of them hard to connect with.
The tone is strange... The story feels middle grade, and the writing wants to be middle grade, but the characters and swearing want to be YA. In the same sort of vane, the magic system is completely random. There's no consistency or pattern in how magic works or functions, but it is also far too specific to be considered soft magic where that sort of ambiguity is okay.
I really wanted to rate this higher, it's a cute little story and a sweet enough adventure, but it's held back by so many amateur writing mistakes and decisions.
I really hope Harry Cook keeps writing, there's so much potential in his storytelling, that I really can't wait to see him hopefully overcome these amateur errors.
I say if the plot sounds good, read it, but maybe give it a miss if you were hoping to be drawn in.
October 12, 2022
The Disney Channel "Halloweentown" (1998) vibes I got from this book : Immaculate.
We are introduced to Felix Silver who is going to spend a year with his magical grandmother in a cute english town while his parents sort through a divorce. We soon discover this cute town has some secrets and teens begin to disappear at a startling rate. It’s up to Felix and his new friends (and a very cute boy with pretty eyes) to figure out what's up. And of course, there's lots of magic!
My main critiques of the book are more so in the formatting. Firstly, the book took place in England but there were not only a lot of Americanisms used, but also the spelling was American English not British English - I think it would just be easier at this point to change the location to a fishing town in Maine or something. Secondly, when the point of view started to switch between Felix and his love interest Aero I started getting a little lost as to who was talking and would read a solid page before my brain comprehended the switch (having them both live with a grandmother they refer to as “gran” did not aid this.) - Just having the name of the point of view under the chapter title would solve this!
This is a super cute and fun YA about magic, friends, trust, and teaspoons. I definitely recommend this to anyone who’s a hardcore "Halloweentown" fan like myself.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Interlude Press or the Advance Reader Copy of this book!
We are introduced to Felix Silver who is going to spend a year with his magical grandmother in a cute english town while his parents sort through a divorce. We soon discover this cute town has some secrets and teens begin to disappear at a startling rate. It’s up to Felix and his new friends (and a very cute boy with pretty eyes) to figure out what's up. And of course, there's lots of magic!
My main critiques of the book are more so in the formatting. Firstly, the book took place in England but there were not only a lot of Americanisms used, but also the spelling was American English not British English - I think it would just be easier at this point to change the location to a fishing town in Maine or something. Secondly, when the point of view started to switch between Felix and his love interest Aero I started getting a little lost as to who was talking and would read a solid page before my brain comprehended the switch (having them both live with a grandmother they refer to as “gran” did not aid this.) - Just having the name of the point of view under the chapter title would solve this!
This is a super cute and fun YA about magic, friends, trust, and teaspoons. I definitely recommend this to anyone who’s a hardcore "Halloweentown" fan like myself.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Interlude Press or the Advance Reader Copy of this book!
May 24, 2022
I was given a free e-copy of this novel by NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.
After his parents announce that his bizarre, emerging abilities are getting in the way of their divorce, Felix Silver relocates to Dorset Harbor and becomes the charge of his Grandma Aggie. As Felix adjusts to life in a new school, Aggie decides that it's time he learn The Silver Way, and teaches him all she knows about sorcery and magical arts. When Felix and his new friends decide to solve the mystery of local teenagers who have gone missing, Felix learns that his crush, Aero, has a big secret. Is dark magic creeping into the town, and can Felix learn enough from Aggie and the witches of Dorset Harbor to combat it? (Goodreads Synopsis)
I have not read anything by Harry Cook prior to this.
The best way to describe this novvel is cute, adorable, magical, but that’s it. There was no major awestruck moment for me. I thought the POV’s changing with each chapter made it a bit confusing, especially since both boys were calling their grandmothers by the same nickname “Grams”. Maybe change one or put at the top of each chapter who’s POV the reader will be experiencing. I was also confused as to timeline. If he just started school, then how was it the weekend in the next chapter?
The romance felt rushed. I understood it’s importance but it seemed like a joke towards teenagers and how they “always fall in love”, which just made it annoying. The friendships were nice, and the welcomeness from Aggie’s fellow witches was sweet.
I guess I just expected there to be more development with Felix and his magic. More lessons and less skip around.
Overall I rate this novel 3 out of 5 stars, because the lot was interesting, but the execution needed just a tad bit more description.
After his parents announce that his bizarre, emerging abilities are getting in the way of their divorce, Felix Silver relocates to Dorset Harbor and becomes the charge of his Grandma Aggie. As Felix adjusts to life in a new school, Aggie decides that it's time he learn The Silver Way, and teaches him all she knows about sorcery and magical arts. When Felix and his new friends decide to solve the mystery of local teenagers who have gone missing, Felix learns that his crush, Aero, has a big secret. Is dark magic creeping into the town, and can Felix learn enough from Aggie and the witches of Dorset Harbor to combat it? (Goodreads Synopsis)
I have not read anything by Harry Cook prior to this.
The best way to describe this novvel is cute, adorable, magical, but that’s it. There was no major awestruck moment for me. I thought the POV’s changing with each chapter made it a bit confusing, especially since both boys were calling their grandmothers by the same nickname “Grams”. Maybe change one or put at the top of each chapter who’s POV the reader will be experiencing. I was also confused as to timeline. If he just started school, then how was it the weekend in the next chapter?
The romance felt rushed. I understood it’s importance but it seemed like a joke towards teenagers and how they “always fall in love”, which just made it annoying. The friendships were nice, and the welcomeness from Aggie’s fellow witches was sweet.
I guess I just expected there to be more development with Felix and his magic. More lessons and less skip around.
Overall I rate this novel 3 out of 5 stars, because the lot was interesting, but the execution needed just a tad bit more description.
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