This was a cute book and appropriate for the age demographic it’s targeted for but a little too simple and immature for myself. I did love the message of friendship and how people are always how they seem and do think many will enjoy this book.

DNF at 57%

Witches of Willow Cove is a middle grade fiction about 13-14 year-olds in the small town of Willow Cove. Our protagonists (at least for as far as I read) are Robby and Abby, two best friends. Abby discovers she's a witch when they both go to the abandoned mental institution and come face-to-face with another, much older and much more powerful witch. Abby flies for the first time, saving both her and Robby's life.

This isn't a bad book. My rating might seem incongruent with some of my opinions but I want to make it clear: this is a good book. It's just not for me. A few points:

--> The writing is alright, nothing special. It isn't very captivating but it works for the targeted audience. But I've read better middle-grade/children's fiction.
--> The pace is... there. It doesn't do anything. There's no suspense, no waiting, no sense of danger.
--> The last point is important because of the characters. I never felt connected to any of them. The felt too two-dimensional and too removed from the reader. Sometimes this distance does wonders for the story but not this time.

I can appreciate the plot and the abundance of female characters - who are witches!! I can also appreciate the setting of the story: the town of Willow Cove felt very cosy and I really liked looking at it through the eyes of the characters. I would totally live there.

These things however are not enough and I give this book 1.5 stars.

i really enjoyed reading this book the characters were great and I really enjoyed the concept of the plot.

Next up for me was The Witches of Willow Cove by Josh Roberts. This magical tale focuses on two middle-school kids, Abby and Robby, who live in the small town of Willow Cove that is located close to Salem, Massachusetts. On Halloween, which also happens to be Abby’s 13th birthday, the pair sneak up to the old asylum on Whispering Hill in the hopes of discovering clues regarding the disappearance of Robby’s mother many years before. Instead, Abby discovers that she can fly when they are chased away by the building’s new owner who casts a spell and sends an army of stone statues after them.

The next day, it is revealed that the new owner is in fact Miss Winters, a new substitute teacher at the town’s middle school who has replaced their history teacher who recently disappeared in circumstances similar to Robby’s mother. Miss Winters begins gathering together a coven of six girls, including Abby, all of whom have discovered they have magical powers on their 13th birthdays. The two best friends find that they are pushing one another away as Abby focuses on her new coven and Robby tries to split his time between researching the truth about Miss Winters and hanging out with new girl Becca with whom he is experiencing his first crush. As the pair learn more about the history of Willow Cove, they realize that many of the adults around them have been hiding secrets, but has Miss Winters arrived to help the next generation of witches discover their potential or to enact her own secret plans against them?

This was a fun, if not especially original, choice of middle-grade Halloween reads. As with Scritch Scratch, the story weaves in some real-life history – in this case surrounding the infamous Salem Witch Trials – but adds in a fictional spin that ties our young, modern-day protagonists to those events. This did get quite intense at times with vivid descriptions of young girls hanging from trees and although this is not done in a sensationalist way, it may still be upsetting for some readers. There is also a strong feminist message throughout this story that is as relevant today as it would have been in the days of the trials.

While The Witches of Willow Cove is told from the alternating perspectives of Abby and Robby, there is a whole cast of interesting and well-developed secondary characters here too. Latinx Becca is not just a simple love interest, burly football player Zeus reveals he is more than his stereotype might suggest, and the girls in Abby’s coven each have their own unique character traits and personalities that prevent them from being simply a bunch of identikit, cookie-cutter background figures.

The book keeps the true motivations of Miss Winters under wraps right until the end and I found myself switching back and forth several times, unable to decide whose side she was really on. Even at the conclusion, enough questions are still floating around that I fully anticipate a sequel and I’m sure I will be picking it up when that time comes. The book also accurately depicts the awkwardness and confusion of middle-grade romance, with several side plots bubbling along beside the main story and helping to keep things moving in interesting ways.

There’s a lot to like in The Witches of Willow Cove and this more than makes up for any shortcomings as regards originality. Young readers will love this one.

I read this aloud with my 10 and 13 year old and we all loved it. It was fast paced and filled with mystery, magic and intrigue. I was a little concerned that it would be too creepy for my 10 year old but it walked the line without going over it. A perfect Halloween read!

Thank you to Owl Hollow Press and NetGalley for sending me an e-copy of this book. My review is voluntary and all opinions are my own.

This was a fun read. I loved the characters and the storyline. It's also an easy read, which I enjoyed. I would recommend this book to anyone really. Especially middle-grade readers.

Major The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina vibes from the whole book which I really enjoyed. I didn’t think this book would be my cup of tea because it was targeted as “middle grade” which I think is a fair rating but young adult readers would like this book as well so maybe changing the rating to be a little higher would help potential readers not judge a book on the cover or description.

Switching characters is fine and it seems to be a book trend now but the only problem is when the chapter starts there is no warning on if you are switching characters or not so once you know who it is you have to re read a bit to get back into the groove.

I didn’t mean to finish this book in one night but it was honestly such a page turner I couldn’t stop myself. I was entertained on every page and every chapter had its own little cliff hanger to keep you going.

This book was as easy to read as it is to breath. The plot, characters, and overall storytelling made this easily one of my favorite books this year! Thank you!

This story was entertaining but also kind of average. Nothing much stood out. It had a simple writing style though, which is always nice in the MG genre. I think I would like to read a physical copy to see if I get a better experience out of the book - sometimes, a bit of the magic disappears when the story is read on a screen.

I did expect more from it but it's ultimately like I said - entertaining but not a memorable experience.

Got the job done. A fun read but nothing particularly stand out about it! Definitely a bit campy, but that adds to the fun.

Thank you Owl Hollow Press and Netgalley for the EPub.
This story starts off strong and ends strong, but the middle was a little slow to get through. I enjoyed the mix of science and magic throughout. Strong friendships and some necessary drama help make it a great read for middle schoolers.

I downloaded this book for my son as he is really into witches and magic. It is a middle-grade book about six young witches who are being trained by the mysterious Miss Winters. The main character is a girl named Abby but she is not the only witch in her small town. He absolutely loved the book and read it twice just by himself since I have downloaded it. He is big into magic and the world of Harry Potter and I am glad to see that this book also brought his interest just as strongly.

Good fun to read. My daughter loved me reading this book to her. It was exciting. Full of adventure and fun. Very well written

Thank you NetGalley and Owl Hollow Press for sharing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
I loved the two perspectives of this story and the action at the beginning. This book starts strong, but unfortunately becomes a little drawn out in the middle. The ending is really great and I am glad the author left room for a sequel. Fans of Harry Potter and other magical stories will love this book.

Why I requested this book:
I have been in a huge middle grade mood this year
Witchcraft, paranormal and books involving mentors are all things that peaked my interest

Pros:
The writing style was easily consumable and has the right sorts of lessens for a middle grade audience.
The characters are enjoyable to follow throughout the story.

Cons:
More telling than showing is done for how the magic and setting in regards to world-building.
This was not the most unique of world’s that were built. Said magic and setting seemed to play a back-set to the forward drama.

Overall: Average in all magical aspects while excelling at character development.

The story follows Abby (the main character) and Robby (her best friend – and geek) whose adventure is shared with a group of 6 girls who discover their ‘witchy skills’ on their 13th birthdays. Are they really all connected by the past? This book is a little spooky and covers tragedies and injustices, empowerment, hope over fear and empathy.

The story is set in Willow Cove – a small town close to Salem. It’s Halloween and trick or treating is in full swing. Abby and Robby go to explore the old haunted building ‘Whispering Hill’ where they encounter some witchcraft happening. The mysterious stranger they see there could hold a secret that could destroy them all!

Author Josh Roberts keeps the reader guessing and offers a few red herrings along the way. I was easily led to believing that a couple of the characters were not what they seemed. However, that turned out to be my over imaginative mind working overtime! My favourite character was Amethyst – the Goth. What a strong character and role model.

A must read – full of twists and turns; secrets and lies. It touches on the pain of sometimes being let down by people we know and believe in. Also how the cracks that appear with friendships can be healed. A much read for all who have an interest in magic and witchcraft.

The book was an interesting read! I had great time reading it!!! It was quick fun read! Great characters and very atmospheric!

There was not a dull moment in this book! I am sometimes hesitant to read and recommend middle grade books to my students because they can be too childish, but this had the perfect balance between magic, witches, and middle school drama!

At first, the cast of characters was difficult to keep track of, but once the story picked up I wanted to know everything about everyone. The creepy, atmospheric mood of the story made me feel like I was right in the story during Halloween (it's the middle of summer right now). Just the characters alone and their development throughout the story is enough reason to pick up this book, as you won't be disappointed.

3.75/5

I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free book.

When I requested this book, I was a little scared of it. I liked the cover, and the story sounded interesting based on the description. I was hoping for a scary story (of course written for the younger age group), but I was a little scared, too, because middle-grade stories are sometimes too childish for me.
When I started reading, I was a little disappointed. I was expecting more magic, a little more fear, and the book felt a little childish for me. Somehow the things didn't come together. Some parts were very difficult for me, too. I just can’t stand bullying, which is why I cancelled a lot of book series with a high school setting. This is just unbearable for me. I’ve never experienced bullying, in our schools (in Europe) the situation is far better, and for me, it’s just disgusting. But let’s get back to the story. The book was ok until 20%, I didn’t hate it either adored it. After that, the novel finally started to be more exciting. I enjoyed the book from this point until the end. The ending was predictable, it was ok, but I just wanted to finish it. Overall, the story was 4/5.
I really liked the structure of the world, it was Harry Potter mixed with Salem. The historical part was also interesting. The atmosphere of the book wasn't scary, but it had a dark mood, I really liked it, too.
The characters were ok. I hated the characters who were a bully, but the others were gone. I liked our main characters, especially Zeus and Piper.
On a negative side, it was unable to maintain my interest. I could put the book down at any moment and I didn’t want to pick it up again. That’s why it took me so long to read such a short book, and that's why I'm not going to go on with this series. There is no cliffhanger at the end, so in my head, the story is finished.
Overall, I got a cosy, moody book. I enjoyed it, but it didn’t have the extra in it, so I finished the series with that.

My review in Hungarian:

A recenziós példányt Netgalley-től kaptam. Ez nem befolyásolta a véleményem.

Amikor jelentkeztem a könyvre, kicsit féltem tőle. A borító rettentően tetszett, és a fülszöveg alapján is elég érdekesnek tűnt. Reméltem egy jó kis félelmetes történetet kapok (természetes fiatalabb korosztálynak írva), bár kicsit féltem, mivel a middle-grade történetek néha túl gyerekesek nekem.
Amikor elkezdtem olvasni, kicsit kiábrándultam. Több mágiát vártam, kicsivel több félelmet, és kicsit gyerekesnek is éreztem. Valahogy nem álltak össze a dolgok. Sőt, voltak részek, amik nagyon zavartak. Egyszerűen én nem tudom elviselni a bullyingot, ezért is hagytam abba sok könyvsorozatot, ami középiskolában játszódik. Egyszerűen elviselhetetlen, hogy pár ember csak mert ő úgy gondolja, hogy megteheti, így viselkedjen. Egyszerűen ez nekem sok. Én sosem tapasztaltam ilyesmit, nálunk nincs jelen ekkora mértékben az iskolában, és számomra ez gyomorforgató. De térjünk vissza a történetre. Olyan 20%-áig elvoltam a könyvvel, nem utáltam, kicsit gyerekesnek éreztem, de ekkor végre kezdett beindulni. Eléggé élveztem a könyvet innentől, egészen a végéig. Valahogy ott megcsattant az érdeklődésem, kiszámítható volt mi lesz a vége, és már vártam, hogy mikor lesz vége. Úgy összességében 4/5 volt a történet.
A világ felépítése nagyon tetszett. Harry Potter varázslói összekeverve egy kis Szálem-es boszorkányokkal. A történelmi szál is érdekes volt. A könyv hangulata igaz nem volt félelmetes, de sötét hangulat lenge körbe, az is nagyon tetszett.
Karakterek szintjén is okésnak mondanám a könyvet. Az a négy karakter, akinek az egész jelleme abból állt, hogy másokat bántottak, különösen zavart, de a többi karakter elment. Kedveltem a főbb szereplőinket, talán Zeus és Piper tetszett a legjobban.
Negatív pontnak tudom feljegyezni, hogy nem tudta az érdeklődésem fenntartani. Bármikor le tudtam tenni a könyvet, és nem hiányzott, hogy felvegyem. Ezért is tartott ilyen rövid könyvet több mint egy hétbe elolvasni. És ezért sem fogom folytatni a sorozatot. A lezárása elég kerek, persze már volt egy-két utalás, hogy mi várható a következő könyv(ek)ben, de az sem csigázott fel, szóval nekem itt lesz vége a történetnek.
Összességében egy hangulatos, laza könyvet kaptam. Élveztem, de nem volt meg benne az extra, ezért a sorozatot ezzel be is fejeztem.

My 9 year old daughter read this and thoroughly enjoyed it. A fast paced, magical book about a girl called Abby who finds out that she has magical powers on her 13th birthday during quite a traumatic event and that there are other like her- one of whom is her sworn enemy. A brilliant fantasy story, with a bit of Buddy the Vampire slayer about it, this was a great read that captivated.