I was really looking forward to reading this, it's been on my TBR for ages and was perfect for spooky season. I loved all the witchy stuff, but I didn't vibe with some of the plot. They were really minor things, but enough to bug my obsessive brain. 

After being away for 6 years, Cassius comes home to Winslow to attend school at Tennebrose (I don't know its actually name, other than it's a university/college called Tennebrose...Tennebrose University maybe?). At a party before class starts, he gets swept away by a hot stranger who turns out to be apart of the family who are his family's mortal enemies. With demons, family feuds, and congregation secrets,  Graeme and Cassius reluctantly work together to fight it all. 

I really enjoyed the world building. The witchy stuff and hiding it within religion was interesting. I loved the the town and the university all being involved in the paranormal side, but also having a mortal population around. The different types of witches were cool, but I wish we got a little bit more! It seems like an endless amount of powers and histories. 

•spoilers start• 

Now the few things that didn't work. First, I feel that Graeme and Cassius's relationship was all over the place. They were still flip flopping between "everything feels right when you're around" and "I hate you, we can't do this" all the way until 80%. It didn't really seem to have any rhyme or reason, and got a little old. I was also not a fan of the epilogue. 

I also thought the deaths were glossed over. Graeme killed his cousin and he was mad for like, a week?? Yes Cassius's cousin wasn't great, Graeme didn't mean to, and he was still pretty angry when they got together again. But with that and after Graeme calling Cassius a liar after all the secrets he told him, I think Graeme needed to do some major groveling, not just apologize a bunch. 

Lastly, I think everything wrapped up way too fast. The folios have been lost for 350+ years and they find them pretty quickly without doing any searching. And the whole Claudia thing was very easy to predict, I felt she was sus since the knife disappeared and magically reappeared. And then to have it all explained in the epilogue, it just didn't feel like it was thoroughly done. 

•end of spoilers• 

I swear I liked things! I gave it 4 stars mainly because I really loved the world building, but I also was a fan of Cassius and Graeme (outside the back and forth of their relationship). When they first met the had a sexy dynamic, and I wish that kind of kept going and wasn't interrupted my all the enemies stuff. When they got along they had fun banter and great chemistry. I do wish the blood magic/battery thing was explained a little more, and how the older witches knew about it. 

It's slightly on the longer side but was actually a pretty easy read. It was fast paced and a good amount of mystery and drama. I'm curious about the next in the series as we don't really know much about the witch MC yet. I feel like there's a lot more to explore in this universe and I'm excited to see how it expands! 

Read if you like: 
• paranormal
• enemies to lovers
• forbidden romance