Broomstick

*4.75 stars: book; 5 stars: audiobook*
 
This is book one of this series. I was excited to read this book after reading the first two prequels. It had it’s spooky moments and was a bit heavy on the witchcraft, but no were near as much as “Alondra” and I would check the trigger warnings too if you have any.
 
I listened to the audiobook on Spotify, and was happy to listen to more of Alexa Elmy’s own splash of magic at bringing this story to life. While I was hoping that Preston Geer (who voiced Liam and the other male characters from “Alondra”) would be back to voice all of the male characters, Alexa didn’t disappoint.
 
I was surprised to see the dynamic of Alondra, Maddie and Candace’s relationship. I loved how protective Candace was over Maddie and how close they were. I felt a sense of Deja Vu when it came to Candace and Bryce’s relationship. They definitely had chemistry, but let their beliefs get in the way.
 
Candace was shy and quiet, but I loved watching her break out of her shell. I was reminded of Liam a lot when she staid in denial about magic in general and her own powers. While I empathized with her for what she went through and could understand most of her anger; I found myself getting aggravated with her for her lack of respect for Alondra outside of the coven and demanding answers, but wouldn’t let, listen to or believe what was trying to be or was told.
 
I was also hoping to see Liam since he told her in the second prequel that he would always be there for her, but he wasn’t mentioned and didn’t show up in the book. That was a bit disappointing since I was hoping to figure out what happened to Alondra and him and see what happened there. I was not expecting Bill (Liam’s best friend) to have the role he did in this story. That was a complete surprise to me. My heart broke at the end when Alondra dropped that bombshell of news. 
 
I am excited to see if Candace finally embraces her powers and accepts what Alondra gifted her.
 
I received an e-book advanced readers copy via Author’s XP and an audiobook for Spotify advanced listeners copy via the author. These thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is about a college student, Cadence, who is invited to join an “honors group” with her best friend, a TA she on whom she has a crush, and her favorite professor. The group makes her uncomfortable and she decides not to participate, but she becomes very concerned when her best friend does and starts to pull away from her. Everything that happens within this group has to remain confidential, and Cadence is worried that something bad happened to her friend. She consents to join the group and the story unfolds as she has to juggle her growing feelings for the TA she is crushing on, her relationship with her best friend and the secrets between them, her feelings of misgiving about this group she has joined, and additional loss.

This is a really strange journey for Cadence as well as for the listener of this audiobook. It took me two tries to get into the story. The narrator seemed to contribute to my difficulty starting the book, but I found that she became more engaging as the book continued and, for the majority of the audiobook, she seemed to have been a good fit. Despite taking longer than I anticipated to get into this story, I did enjoy it by the end. It was definitely different from other stories I have recently read. The heroine of this tale spends a great deal of time struggling with her emotions, which is part of the stage of life one is in while in college. Her journey is just complicated with dealing with experiences that fall outside the norm, and conflicts that arise over this group she has joined. Meanwhile, she has a budding relationship which is also caught up in what is happening among the group members. I would give this book 3.5 stars as the story was a slow start, but an interesting audiobook to listen to by the end. I would suggest that it is a story that may appeal to readers who like to read coming of age stories about magic and witches. Be prepared for some difficult subjects such as the issue of consent in intimate relations, philosophical debate about what constitutes good and evil, including symbolism for Satan, and death of a family member. I am voluntarily submitting this review after listening to an advanced complementary copy of this audiobook.