Reviews

Accidental Witch by Lydia Sherrer

applejb's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

khristy's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Nice backstory for Sebastian in the Love, Lies, and Hocus Pocus series. 

Brain candy. 
Writing is adequate. 
Characters are adequate. Better when you know them from the other series. 
Profundity—not profound though the takeaway that grief can make us do incredibly stupid things is very very true. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Grief, Car accident, Blood, Death of parent, and Suicidal thoughts

camilleareads's review

4.0

Taking a darker route than the Love, Lies and Hocus Pocus series, Accidental Witch takes us back to Sebastian Blackwell's teenage years. The story begins after the death of Sebastian's parents. Being used to the witty and light-hearted writing of LLHP, I was surprised to find Accidental Witch to be dark and sardonic. To be honest, I didn't quite like Sebastian's character. If I had not know him in LLHP I don't think I wouldn't have put up with him. Personally, I found this to be a good thing because you really see how different teen Seb is to adult Seb. Teen Seb is far more brash and not as empathetic as he is in LLHP. It was really sad to read how much Sebastian struggled with the confusion and loneliness he felt. The influence of some "bad" characters and his vulnerability tugged at my heart. I had hoped nothing bad would happen to our character and while we do know he lives to tell the tale, it is not a happy at all. Accidental Witch has themes of influential friendships, the power and vulnerability of grief, and the isolation of teenagers. Although Accidental Witch might seem like a typical paranormal read, it is far from it. The story was gripping; the characters are easy to dislike but at the same you hope for them to get out of the dark. A wonderful first book to a promising trilogy!

Camillea Reads