Review: ‘Bewitched’ by Laura Thalassa
I received a complimentary copy of the book from Netgalley, the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Bewitched
by Laura ThalassaSeries: Bewitched #1
Published by Bloom Books on April 18, 2023
SubGenres: Fantasy Romance, Paranormal Romance
Format: eBook
Pages: 464
Narrator: Stella Bloom
Length: 12 Hours And 40 Minutes
Source: Netgalley, the publisher
Audience: 18+/Adult
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At age twenty, Selene Bowers desperately hopes to be accepted into Henbane Coven, an academy for young witches. Since one of the requirements for entry is to connect with her powers via a quest through the wilderness, Selene books a trip to South America. When a nefarious supernatural force tries to drag her plane from the sky, Selene’s magic awakens to save her life—at a cost. Using her powers devours her memories, one by one.
Worse, when Selene braves the jungle and discovers the source of the attack, she finds herself awakening an ancient evil, Memnon the Cursed, who mistakes Selene for his long-dead wife. The wife who betrayed him. Selene manages to escape and begin her studies at Henbane, but when Memnon turns up at the coven and witches are found dead across campus, Selene becomes entangled in a dangerous plot. Accused of the murders on the basis of her memory loss, Selene must rely on Memnon’s help for answers—and his plans for her will change everything.
Bewitched is the first book I’ve read by author Laura Thalassa. I’ve been meaning to try one of her books since I came across them on Goodreads/Amazon. I love Paranormal/Fantasy Romances, and Bewitched was right up my alley. After finishing this book, I need to read the second book, especially since Laura Thalassa left me with a cliffhanger.
Storyline: All the FMC Selene Bowers wants is to be accepted into the Henbane Coven, an academy for young witches, but before they let her in, she’ll need to find her familiar and go on a quest to connect with her powers. She decides to book herself a trip to South America to the jungle, but while on the plane there, a supernatural being tries to gain control of the plane she’s on, and she’s forced to use her powers to save herself and everyone on it. The issue is whenever she uses her powers, she loses her memories. After the plane crashes, Selene braves the jungle and ends up coming face to face with the supernatural being who tried to crash the plane, and she ends up awakening Memnon the Cursed. Memnon is someone who should have never been awakened, especially when he’s determined to prove Selene is his long-dead wife. Not only does she have to deal with Memnon, but after she returns from the jungle, some witches are being murdered on campus, and she knows something sinister is happening.
My Thoughts: This was a great start to the Bewitched series, with some fantastic world-building and a variety of tropes/elements that I love reading in my romance books. Some of those tropes and elements are Enemies to Lovers, Fated Mates (possibly), Revenge, and a morally grey MMC, Memnon the Cursed, who I can’t figure out is good or evil, especially with that dang cliffhanger. The FMC, Selene, is a young, spirited, comical witch who definitely has it rough when she tends to lose her memories after using her powers. I felt terrible for her because she just wanted to fit in with the other witches, and some of the witches were downright rude to her. I loved how she handled Memnon, who tended to be everywhere after she awakened him. I’m not sure how to feel about him, especially when I didn’t get his POV in the book, but that’s okay; that just makes him more mysterious. He believes Selene is his long-dead wife, but Selene is not convinced she’s his wife, even though she feels connected to him. Memnon may be a stranger to Selene, but he shows how protective he is of her several times in this book, even if some of that protectiveness is overboard. I’m hoping the next book I get a clearer picture if he’s a good guy or a bad guy because, in this book, I’m not sure.
This book gets four stars from me and I can’t wait to read the second book in the series. I need answers, especially with how everything ended in this book. I’m so glad I picked up Bewitched because now I need to read the rest of this series and check out Laura’s other books.
Source: Received an eArc from Netgalley/Publisher. I also purchased an audiobook version and definitely recommend this in audio, if you enjoy listening to your books. Stella Bloom is a fantastic narrator for this book.
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About Laura Thalassa
Found in the forest when she was young, Laura Thalassa was raised by fairies, kidnapped by werewolves, and given over to vampires as repayment for a hundred year debt. She’s been brought back to life twice, and, with a single kiss, she woke her true love from eternal sleep. She now lives happily ever after with her undead prince in a castle in the woods.
… or something like that anyway.
When not writing, Laura can be found scarfing down guacamole, hoarding chocolate for the apocalypse, or curled up on the couch with a good book.
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My obsession with reading started over 30+ years ago when I went to my first Scholastic Book Fair and found R.L. Stine's Fear Street series. Later, I came across Anne Rice's novels at my public library when I was fourteen when my obsession with vampires started. I was the girl who preferred to be a vampire over a princess any day. My husband says I would leave him a heartbeat for a vampire that looked like Spike or Angel (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) or Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries. (It's true, though, and he's accepted it.)
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