Payback's a Witch

Because that’s what it means to be a Harlow, my Emmy. Thistle Grove is where we become who we are. Which means that no matter where you turn, where you visit or escape to, this will always be the place that calls you back.

Stories about characters going back to the hometowns they’ve left behind under suitably dramatic circumstances are my jam. It’s one of those tropes that immediately spikes my interest. And when it’s also enmeshed with witchiness and a big magical competition? Plus women bonding over a revenge against a shitty shared ex? Can’t pass that by.

Funnily enough, the magical competition turned out to be the part of the story that I most wanted to skim. It wasn’t bad exactly, there were some fun moments, but the magic often felt over-the-top and kind of cartoonish (while outside of the competition scenes there was a really cool witchy vibe). Ultimately, it felt like a plot device to lure Emmy back to Thistle Grove and not a central plotline. The revenge subplot also fell flat to me: the horrible ex just seemed so insignificant and uninteresting as a person. I could barely figure out how he managed to charm those three awesome female characters in the first place. I guess with Emmy it made sense because she was a teen back then, but with Linden and Talia? Come on, they should have known they deserved better.

Everything else about the book, though, I absolutely dig. The homecoming trope was done so right. I adored Emmy and Talia’s romance, how they sort of circled each other in smaller and smaller circles, the kiss in the haunted woods, the sushi date, the tattoo talk—everything. These two had such awesome chemistry! And then there were all the other relationships, like Emmy and Linden’s friendship, and how they addressed the issues between them and reaffirmed their bond throughout the book. And also Emmy’s reconnection with her family, especially her Mom—there was a scene in the latter half of the novel that made me tear up a little because of all the love and acceptance.

I also really enjoyed that while Emmy did miss a lot of things about her hometown and the magic permeating it, she was also quite happy with the life she’d built for herself in Chicago and her job there. It made the choice she had to make so much more meaningful. And while I’m listing off all the positives, I may as well mention all the awesome descriptions: a masterclass in engaging all the senses, truly, and such a great, grounding sense of place throughout.

I don’t re-read books often (there are just so many of them! And only 24 hours in every day, how is that fair???), but I might make an exception and pick this one again around Halloween sometime. It’s made for that spooky season.

Let me start off by saying to all my fellow fantasy and urban fantasy fans out there, do not go into this one expecting strong world building or magic systems. The magic and the trials are used for instigation, and as basic plot tools to put characters into confrontation with one another. In that, it is used well enough, but it is definitely not the focus of the story.

The characters and relationships, as well as the core conflict inside the main protagonist, are the key to the book's successes. Much of the tension comes from the connection of he main character, Emmy Harlow, to her hometown, and the way she is torn between loving it, and not wanting to feel trapped in it. Will she return home to the place she loves but with all the responsibilities and past pain that entails, or will she stay away in the big city that she likes a lot, but doesn't have the magic, both literal and not, that she finds in the town she grew up in?

I resonated with the core conflict a lot. It's something that I've struggled with in my own life (we even both moved to the same big city, no less), and while we came to different conclusions, I felt a kinship with Emmy's struggles.

Add to that complex family and friendship dynamics that were made all the more-so by Emmy moving away, and a steamy romance with Talia Avramov, and you have a recipe for lots of interesting character development and struggle, which the story takes advantage of.

I bought the romance hook, line, and sinker, and is the other major thread of the story that I remember best. I love Talia and the way she both fits the archetype of the sexy dark witch and slowly adds layers of softness and complexity to it. I have enjoyed a number of sapphic relationships in my reading lately, but this is a standout in that it feels like the relationship was really focused on and important to the story and the characters. It was also quite hot, and I'm glad it didn't shy away from being intimate.

The plot's resolution is a bit weak, though. Where most stories try to intertwine the different major conflicts near the end of the story, at least one major danger to a character's life happens mostly off-screen, on the periphery of the main action. It felt a bit like we were looking in the wrong place. That's the downfall of writing entirely from one character's perspective - she can't be everywhere at once, but it does make it feel a bit disjointed. After the main action is complete, it switches gears a bit to suddenly feel like everything wrapped up into too tightly and nicely a bow. Like things worked out a little toooo well.

Honestly, in terms of quality of the plot and worldbuilding, the book deserves three or fewer stars, but the themes, the romance, and the character relationships all elevated an otherwise mid fantasy story to something that I enjoyed quite a lot.

If romance isn't your thing, or if interesting magic systems being a strong pillar of the story are important to you, you might not like it. But if that doesn't hold true for you, it's a light and breezy read, and I recommend giving it a try.

I missed that this was a rom-com. If I had I would have passed on this one altogether since that's a genre I almost never like. If you want a queer romcom about getting magical revenge on a cheater, you might like this. It's just not my thing.