An epic, witchy competition between the four founding families brings Emmy back home after years spent away trying to establish a new life for herself. There is so much to love about Payback’s a Witch!
Throughout the story we see Emmy struggle with her place in the town, wanting to get back to her life in Chicago, and figuring out how to uphold her family legacy. When Talia enters the picture, things become even more difficult. Talia is one of the three champions of the founding families and is, without a doubt, my favorite character in the book. She is an absolute badass! Sparks start to fly between Emmy and Talia and, with the help of Emmy’s childhood friend Lin, they develop a plan to end the Blackmoore’s winning streak.
One of my favorite parts of the story was the setting. I mean, who wouldn’t want to visit/live in a town steeped in magic?! All of the little details, like the lake, the haunted woods, and the singing flowers created a dreamlike ambiance. I also really enjoyed the relationship between Emmy and Talia. They challenged each other, supported one another, and the steamy scenes were worth waiting out the slow-burn.
The only thing I didn’t love about the book was the pacing. There were several sections where it felt like it dragged. The competition pieces were exciting, but I wanted to see more. The second half of the book was much more engaging than the first, but it felt like it took so long to get there. Once it picked up, I was hooked.
I felt quite content with how everything wrapped up, and there were a few little surprises in there I wasn’t quite expecting! If you’re looking for a story with badass female MCs, strong friendships, magic, romance, I’d bump this one up your tbr!
About the Book
Emmy Harlow is a witch but not a very powerful one—in part because she hasn’t been home to the magical town of Thistle Grove in years. Her self-imposed exile has a lot to do with a complicated family history and a desire to forge her own way in the world, and only the very tiniest bit to do with Gareth Blackmoore, heir to the most powerful magical family in town and casual breaker of hearts and destroyer of dreams.
But when a spellcasting tournament that her family serves as arbiters for approaches, it turns out the pull of tradition (or the truly impressive parental guilt trip that comes with it) is strong enough to bring Emmy back. She’s determined to do her familial duty; spend some quality time with her best friend, Linden Thorn; and get back to her real life in Chicago.
On her first night home, Emmy runs into Talia Avramov—an all-around badass adept in the darker magical arts—who is fresh off a bad breakup . . . with Gareth Blackmoore. Talia had let herself be charmed, only to discover that Gareth was also seeing Linden—unbeknownst to either of them. And now she and Linden want revenge. Only one question stands: Is Emmy in?
But most concerning of all: Why can’t she stop thinking about the terrifyingly competent, devastatingly gorgeous, wickedly charming Talia Avramov?
About the Author
Lana studied psychology and literature at Yale University and law at Boston University. She is a graduate of the Emerson College publishing and writing program and the author of YA novels Wicked Like a Wildfire, Fierce Like a Firestorm, Blood Countess, the forthcoming Poison Priestess, and the forthcoming adult rom-com, Payback’s A Witch, from Berkley Books (10/5/21). Lana was born in Serbia and lived in Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania before moving to the United States. She lives in Chicago with her family.
