Brilliant magical read all about magic and friendship perfect for autumn and Halloween.

Suitable for younger readers looking for a fantasy read.

This was so fun to read and very quick as well.

Would recommend to my younger siblings

This is a perfect autumn fireside hug of a book, full of gentle magic, imagination, kookiness, kindness and very large vegetables. I love the sweet hopefulness of main character Clem, in both her relationships with her mother, cousin and witchy aunties and in her approach to her first October of magic. I also think a lot of kids will relate to her greatest reluctance: to risk seeming silly. It builds into a fun adventure with great baddies, an exciting climax and lots of mysteries, all wrapping up just in time for Halloween. Loveliness!

This is a wonderful book full of love, magic, pumpkins and a teeny tiny pony!
The characters are delightful and you can’t help but adore the Merlyn witches from the start. They are so colourful and overflowing with their individual personalities and quirks. I was especially fond of the dazed bumbling postman and, of course, the aforementioned tiny pony.
The story is quite calm at the start, allowing us to learn about the family, but then becomes fast paced and full of peril and excitement and throughout there is a sparkle of laughter. It is the ideal autumn read for younger readers who will love seeing the story from the perspective of someone their own age and will adore the magical adventure the Merlyn's go on together.

Thanks to Net Galley and UCLan Publishing for letting me follow the Merlyn's on their adventure! I will also be posting my review on Goodreads, Twitter and Amazon.

I loved this middle grade read, autumn and halloween is one of my favourite seasons and celebrations and so this was right up my street. Well written with a compelling cast of characters and a gripping storyline that made for a enchanting read that I couldn't put down. The premise was original and I think middle graders will love it,

Entertaining read suitable for witchy fantasy readers 9 years up to any age. Two hostilely clashing covens of witches celebrate the first day of October together with the return of magic into their lives, and then go their separate ways. But having magic for 1 month a year isn’t enough for the ‘older Hags’ they want magic year round. But magic comes with cost and maybe the ‘younger hags’ will discover and teach all family is more important and that too much magic all year round is too much for any witch. Thank you to UClan Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine.

This was initially a hard sell for me as I cannot stand Halloween. I like autumn and Halloween decor like pumpkins and whatnot, but the actual celebration is not for me. But this book didn’t focus too much on October 31st, it was more just there for context.

It is a little slow at first and felt slightly like a writing-by-numbers. I am aware it’s a kids book and it maybe doesn’t need to be quite so involved, but you still want something to get your teeth into. But I’d say by about 40-45% through it starts gaining a bit more substance.

I like that our main heroes are children. Whilst they are magical, it gives young readers someone they can relate to.

I feel the second half is a lot more visual and I could see it as a children’s Halloween TV show, but the start needs a bit of rejigging to make it as fast paced and exciting as the end,

I generally enjoy kids books, they’re freer and a bit more fun than the general serious adult books, but I think this may have been a step too far for me. It’s enjoyable but, ironically, is missing that magic spark.