A Spell to Wake the Dead coming August 26th, 2025 from G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers; 352 pages
Content Warning: Murder, graphic violence
About the Author: “Nicole grew up on Cape Cod and graduated from Wesleyan University. She spent a few years in London and now lives near Boston with her family and two rambunctious black cats. She writes young adult and middle grade novels, and her books have received starred reviews from Kirkus, Booklist, and BCCB. In her spare time, she likes to practice yoga, knit, and read tarot cards” (Bio from author’s website).
Find Nicole Lesperance on the following platforms:
On the full moon in Cape Cod, Mazzy and her best friend Nora sneak down to the beach to cast a spell. Instead of having a whimsical night, the girls uncover something horrifying: a woman’s corpse with missing hands and teeth. While the authorities warn them to stay out of their investigation, the girls can’t resist when they begin to feel a strange supernatural connection to the woman. Using spellwork, the two try to uncover the mystery of the woman’s death, but as they dig deeper, they discover multiple murders, and all signs point to a secret society in Cape Cod. As the girls find more dead bodies, Mazzy begins to have visions, and the woman manages to get into Nora’s head to communicate. As the situation spirals, Nora is put in great danger, and Mazzy must be the one who saves her and puts an end to the dark and twisted society once and for all.
As of right now, this is hands down the best book I’ve read in 2025. I originally picked it up because I heard it included witches, but I got so much more than I expected. It made me feel stressed in the best way possible, like I was a character within the friend group alongside the main cast. The pacing was perfect for a mystery, and it felt like I was putting messy puzzle pieces together. The story was a chaotic and wild ride, with many twists and turns. What really won me over was the friendship between Nora and Mazzy. It’s so messy, deep, and protective that at times I genuinely wondered if they were in love. They would risk their lives for each other, and that loyalty truly spoke to me and warmed my heart. While their connection was my favorite part of the story, I did find myself questioning whether the special moments between them could be classified as “queer-baiting,” or if I was reading into it too much. I quickly fell in love with Mazzy’s character, and found her to be extremely relatable and layered with her occasional jealousy of Nora and her deeply rooted insecurities. Alongside the mystery there was a love story for Mazzy that occasionally made me forget the seriousness of the situation these girls were dealing with. If you love heartfelt friendships, thrilling mysteries, and witchcraft, this is the perfect book for you.
A Spell to Wake the Dead releases on August 26th, 2025.
Pine Reads Review would like to thank NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers for sending us an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change before final publication.
Anasofia Alejandro, Pine Reads Review Writer