Review by Booklist Review
The last thing trans queer Wilder expects on a regular morning of struggling through the gig economy is to come down with a case of Magic. But suddenly, two fellow trans witches are in their life, promising to help them learn how spells can be cast and magic controlled, and honestly, it's all a bit much. That's before an AI named Hex starts messaging them strange, unhinged messages about how he can see them, and how he's going to come after Artemis' adopted daughter (who might also be the strongest witch any of them are bound to see). The coven has to be strong if it's going to avoid being pulled apart, both as found family and as people. This bold, explosive novel is unapologetically and vividly queer, showing the romantic, sexual, and inner and outer lives of trans people, all while painting an intriguing and suspenseful world that brings together sf and fantasy. Fans of Juno Dawson will enjoy this rich story about finding yourself and about what's truly the divide between real and artificial.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
A small coven of queer New York City witches--three trans adults and one 17-year-old trans kid--is confronted with an unprecedented magical AI in Osworth's whimsical sophomore outing (after We Are Watching Eliza Bright). The four witches--Wilder, Quibble, Artemis, and Mary Margaret--must band together to defeat the AI, who calls himself Hex, after they realize Hex is present in every object connected to the internet and is capable of great harm both to their coven and to the world at large. Osworth's prose teeters on the edge of twee (each time the witches cast a spell, they begin with "Something amazing is about to happen" and end, "The amazing thing has happened. Fuck yeah"), but their earnestness is endearing--perhaps even capable of winning over reluctant readers--and it's refreshing to read a fantasy that celebrates its queer, trans protagonists. Osworth dedicates this novel to "everyone who feels betrayed by J.K. Rowling," and succeeds in filling that niche, creating a story of trans magic, empowerment, and joy. This is good fun. Agent: Ryan Harbage, Fischer-Harbage Agency. (Apr.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Wilder is an anxious person, and they become even more so when they suddenly gain the ability to comprehend all languages. They're bewildered when a coven of trans witches offers to teach them to cast spells; Wilder's life experience has left them cautious and untrusting. As they slowly integrate into this magical found family and learn about the supernatural side of New York, the coven's leader, Artemis, comes to suspect that Wilder is connected to a strange phenomenon affecting all technology. It's soon revealed that an artificial intelligence, hungry for power (and maybe kinship) is loose in the world--and fixated on the witches. Are the AI's sinister texts truly malicious or merely misunderstandings brought about by its lack of experience? As the witches debate whether to teach, destroy, or befriend it, their pasts rise up to harm them, and their futures remain obscured. There's only today to find out what they're truly capable of when they stand together. VERDICT Osworth (We Are Watching Eliza Bright) offers a joyously queer urban fantasy about finding power, identity, and family at any age. Perfect for fans of Shaun Hamill's The Dissonance or Annalee Newitz's The Future of Another Timeline.--Matthew Galloway
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