Review by Booklist Review
Joan Greenwood is a witch from the most powerful witch family in New York. Not that her family name does her any good: she is unable to cast magic, and she vehemently disagrees with how her aunt and her father govern. When a spell is created that gives a human the powers of a witch, the fight to find that human and the witch that created the spell becomes a priority not only for the Greenwoods of New York but for other witch families, mainly the rigid and strict Wardell family of California. Joan's mission is to keep Mik, the amazing nonbinary human infested with magic, safe from being discovered, so she partners with her vampire best friend, an up-and-coming witch, and other charming characters to protect Mik and keep the political families at bay. Personalities clash, feelings are felt, and great magic is discovered. Kvita, in their debut, has written a wonderfully charming start to a new series for readers of funny fantasy with rich world building.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Kvita debuts and launches the Green Witch Cycle series with an impressively assured urban fantasy. Twenty-something architect Joan Greenwood is the black sheep of her family, the ruling clans of the East Coast witching world. With limited magical abilities and no desire to engage in her family's political maneuvering, she fled New York City to escape them seven years ago. Now she's back for a visit and, after completely forgetting about her arrival, her relatives immediately suck her back into paranormal politics. A mystery has the witching world buzzing: a human, Mik, has somehow channeled magic, and the Greenwoods want that power for themselves before the Wardwells, the ruling witch family of California, can claim it. Enter Astoria Wardwell, whom Joan knew and clashed with as a child at summer camp. The pair agree to work together to save Mik from their families' machinations, but divided loyalties threaten to tear apart their budding friendship. It's a relatively straightforward plot, and Kvita hits all the expected beats cleanly. What makes this shine, however, is their nuanced and believable character work. With an extensive and diverse supporting cast, the narrative reads like a love letter to friendship and community while raising age-old questions about the balance of right and wrong. This packs a paranormal punch. (Oct.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
DEBUT Joan belongs to the powerful Greenwood family of New York witches, but you wouldn't know it--she can't cast spells and often gets overlooked. Then the magical world is turned upside down when a human gains spellcasting abilities. Everyone, including the Greenwoods and visiting witches from a ruling Californian family, want to learn what happened. When Joan's vampire friend CZ meets the human, Joan finds herself working against her family to unravel a mystery that could shift the balance of power--and maybe give her some power of her own. Kvita centers queer characters of color in this engaging series starter. Found-family fans will appreciate Joan learning to stand up to abuse from her biological family in favor of forming a coven with new and old friends. While this isn't a romantasy, Joan's enemies-to-allies relationship with Astoria, daughter of the Californian witch leader, promises more sparks in later installments as they grapple with their clashing stances on the tensions between witches and other magical beings. VERDICT Hand Kvita's debut to fans of witchy reads, especially those looking for fantasy featuring queer and BIPOC characters.--Erin Niederberger
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