Back in a Spell (The Witches of Thistle Grove)

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I knew going in that it was the start to a duology, it’s Egyptian-inspired fantasy, and it’s taken a bit to get the second book going.

I understand that not all nonbinary people use "they/them" pronouns and that some prefer binary pronouns, but Morty stated that his pronouns were "he/they," implying that the fmc and other characters should have switched between using he/him and they/them. But when Morty begins developing magical powers-something that usually only happens to committed romantic partners once they officially join a founding family-at the same time as Nina's own magic surges beyond her control, Nina must manage Morty's rude awakening to the hidden magical world, uncover its cause, and face the intensity of their own burgeoning connection. Unfortunately, the positives were by and large overshadowed by my qualms with how Morty was handled. We specialize in books; and have daily updates of full book reviews, reading recommendations, and what’s new in the publishing world. There’s still the expected diverse romance, but, instead of something like a tournament or a mystery where our couple of the book needs to work together, this one is more of a personal journey.We finish off Nina’s story with her literally having the bare minimum of growth and only because she doesn’t want to lose Morty. But worst of all I fear, was the performative nature of writing Morty as non binary for a few beginning chapters, only then to completely disregard it for the rest of the book. morty's profile shows that they are a nonbinary persona and they use he/they pronouns; this is explicitly said in the novel. For new readers, their history unfolds in heartfelt diary entries that Lily addresses to Finding Nemo star Ellen DeGeneres as she considers how Atlas was a calming presence during her turbulent childhood.

This is almost more of a coming of age/ finding yourself story than it is a romance, although the romance aspect is great. It was nice to get the perspective of someone not from the witch community to give the book a different slant than the first two, as well as exploring new aspects of the world building. do not fucking brag about you're so cool that you made a nonbinary character in your book and then IGNORE their identity and let your stupid ass bitch ass main character be the most transphobic asswipe on the planet.

And then on top of that, I didn't feel that the plot of this book lived up to the previous two books in the series.