Love Spells Trouble out now from Bloomsbury YA; 320 pages
Content Warning: Foul language
About the Author: “Nia ‘N.E.’ Davenport is the Science Fiction/Fantasy author of The Praetorian Trials and its sequel (Harper Voyager). She has a B.A. in Biology and an M.A. in Secondary Education. She’s an advocate for diverse perspectives and protagonists in literature. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys traveling, skiing, and being a huge foodie” (Bio from author’s website).
Find Nia Davenport on the following platforms:
Cayden has a human dad and a witch mom, who were both shunned by the witches of her mom’s coven for falling in love. She’s always understood that coven witches think they are better than her, a non-coven witch, and humans. Now, her family’s bakery is in trouble as a result of gentrification by wealthy witches. In the midst of organizing a community cookout to save local businesses like her family’s, Cayden realizes that she unknowingly went on a date with American witch prince Khy Carter. She feels like she betrayed her family and her community, but now her dad’s bakery is getting more business from fans hoping to see her or Khy. In a scheme to save her dad’s business, Cayden and Khy pretend to date, but her feelings are quickly becoming all too real. Is Cayden willing to put her feelings above her family’s thoughts about the covens?
To put it simply, Love Spells Trouble was average. I really wanted to love it, but I struggled to get emotionally invested in the characters’ relationship. Cayden was determined to save her community and had great respect for her parents and their feelings towards covens, which I liked. However, I was not a fan of the way she jumped to conclusions or the way she viewed Khy. Khy’s character also fell flat to me. He was a great guy and the two had chemistry, but I didn’t have strong feelings towards him. They had some fun banter and cute dates, and I liked how he supported Cayden’s ideas even when they challenged traditional witch values. I also loved Cayden’s passion for her community and local HBCUs. Their relationship just didn’t feel epic. I didn’t get goosebumps at the end or even smile at the moment they finally made up. The story didn’t feel special in the way that so many others I’ve read have. The magic system was also rarely described besides brief mentions of a witch’s specific Connection (like water or mind reading), but it was of little importance to the story. I didn’t completely dislike the book, I just felt like I was trying to finish it so I could move onto something better.
Pine Reads Review would like to thank NetGalley and Bloomsbury YA 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.
Sam Yanis, Pine Reads Review Lead Writer
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