Ratings4
Average rating3.5
"Come for the crackling queer banter, stay for the history of magic (steeped in shrewd social consciousness).”—Ryan Douglass, New York Times bestselling author of The Taking of Jake Livingston "The perfect witchy read" —BuzzFeed Magically brilliant, academically perfect, chronically overcommitted— Shay Johnson has all the makings of a successful witch. As a junior at T.K. Anderson Magical Magnet School, she’s determined to win the Brockton Scholarship—her ticket into the university of her dreams. Her competition? Ana freaking Álvarez. The key to victory? Impressing Mr. B, drama teacher and head of the scholarship committee. When Mr. B asks Shay to star in this year’s aggressively inclusive musical, she warily agrees, even though she’ll have to put up with Ana playing the other lead. But in rehearsals, Shay realizes Ana is . . . not the despicable witch she’d thought. Perhaps she could be a friend—or more. And Shay could use someone in her corner once she becomes the target of Mr. B’s unwanted attention. When Shay learns she’s not the first witch to experience his inappropriate behavior, she must decide if she’ll come forward. But how can she speak out when her future's on the line? "Captivating, romantic, and deeply powerful" —Aiden Thomas, New York Times bestselling author of Cemetery Boys
Reviews with the most likes.
This is the kind of book that I wish had been around when I was younger. And while it was a fun read it also covered some very serious topics. Shay is a young, sapphic witch. Very hard working, very intelligent, very much has her eyes on the prize. She's a junior in high school and she wants (and needs) the scholarship to the college of her dreams. In her pursuit of this she agrees to be part of a school play, even though she has plenty on her plate...and then come to find out the other lead is her school rival. In between all of this, Shay has to deal with exhaustion as she over extends herself, racism, and a teacher who may have acted inappropriate on more than one occasion. She learns along the way that she may have more people in her corner then she thought and that doing the right thing isn't as easy as it seems.
While the book is fantasy, that part of the story feels very contemporary and just part of the every day life. And I like the way that flowed because it made it feel real. For a debut novel, this was an absolute win.
‘lesbian witch stars in a musical and takes down creeps' is just a concept that ticks so many boxes for me