Back in a Spell (The Witches of Thistle Grove)

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Morty was a cardboard cutout of a character that the author seemed to decide was Hispanic, pan, and nb—not for inclusivity’s sake, but instead as an afterthought.

I love reading fantasy, cozy mysteries, and women's fiction, and enjoy crafting my own stories while baking up a storm. The sensitivity, humor, romance, and magic make the hours spent reading pass faster then one can say ABBRACADABBRA. Lily won’t send Emerson to her father’s house overnight until she’s old enough to talk—“So she can tell me if something happens”—but she doesn’t want to fight for full custody lest it become an expensive legal drama or, worse, a physical fight.As readers, we are used to he/him pronouns so I would have been able to ignore how he is solely referred to with he/him pronouns throughout the book and that there isn't even a single instance when the heroine uses "they" while talking about Morty. I will happily be one of the first to tell you that being nonbinary doesn't mean a person uses they/them and that pronouns in general do not equal gender. If he's genderfluid (he/him pronouns are used though he's fine with they/them as well) why are we using his dick as a character trait? At her best friends urging, Nina goes on a date with Morty Gutierrez, the nonbinary, offbeat soul of spontaneity and co-owner of the Shamrock Cauldron.

It knocked me off kilter a little bit since I was expecting it, but, if this series is going to continue for many more books, it makes sense that the town should evolve, too. The nonbinary rep irritated me for a few reasons, the biggest of which is the amount of focus on the character's penis.Morty uses he/they pronouns in his dating profile, but when asked preferred pronouns, he says he/him and describes himself as fluid, and the book uses exclusively male pronouns and terms for him. The resolution of this plotline feels random and unearned for how little space it is given on page and how little it is discussed or referenced throughout the novel. I also hope the magic will be better explained because, while I found it fascinating, I really couldn’t conceptualize of how it worked. Fortunately, the romance was lovely and warm, even if I felt it was shoved off to the side more than it should have, like there was supposed to be a romance, but this was really meant to be about Nina’s growth as a person and a witch, but there really has to be a romance. Nina’s individual character arc of her strange and mysterious connection with an unknown entity was compelling.

Nina comes from one of Thistle Groves founding families, so it is through her perspective where we initially get the magic in this story. I almost wanted to knock Olivia over the head and get her to see sense, but she’s quite a stubborn character almost right up to the end.

But seeing Gareth and Nina work through it together and come out the other side as two members of a family that will hopefully redeem itself was amazing.