September 1, 2020
Gr 9 Up-The first in a new fantasy series, this book focuses on Scarlett, a knowledgeable brown-skinned witch with aspirations of being sorority president, and Vivi, as she gets introduced to the world of magic. The pair end up meeting at the sorority Kappu Rho Nu, a modern-day coven, during rush week. Told in alternating chapters, Scarlett is a legacy and has been raised with magic and taught by her nanny, while Vivi, who is white, has been raised by a spiritual mother she believes is a charlatan, and is shocked to find magic is real and that she has powers. The concept of dark magic is brought up in connection with the mysterious death of former sorority member Harper, as her friend Gwen continually shows up despite having magic erased from her mind. The two main characters initially get off on the wrong foot, no thanks to a love triangle, but find that being sorority sisters and witches matter more than petty differences. The girls must come together with the rest of their coven to find out who is harassing their sorority and trying to call them out as witches. Light world-building provides a history to magic while the focus of the plot remains on the mysteries of the past. Every girl is said to have her own magic based on tarot and the elements, and together the girls are stronger. VERDICT An intriguing mystery built upon the foundations of sisterhood, and an additional purchase where fantasy books are popular.-Rebecca Greer, Hillsborough County P.L. Coop., FL
Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
October 15, 2020
YA all-stars Morgan and Paige team up to present a witchy take on sorority life. College freshman Vivi Devereaux can't wait to go to Savannah's Westerly College and escape the scams her mother has run to make ends meet--most involving tarot card readings--but she quickly stumbles upon a different type of magic. At a rush party for Kappa Rho Nu, she meets junior Scarlett Winter, a charismatic witch in the running to lead the sorority--which is in fact a front for a prestigious coven called the Ravens. At first hesitant, Vivi quickly warms up to the idea of being in a witch sorority, joining her fellow pledges in learning magic and forming tight bonds of friendship. But the coven has an ominous history involving dead sisters and dark magic, and Vivi and Scarlett get caught up in a dangerous, high-stakes mystery, all while balancing school, family issues, and boy trouble. This novel hits its story beats quickly and deftly, unfurling the plot through Scarlett's and Vivi's alternating points of view. The magic system is complex and original without being cumbersome, and it expertly conjures a supernatural, uncanny atmosphere intertwined with Greek life. Vivi is White, Scarlett is Black, and the supporting cast contains a range of diverse racial identities. This solid, enchanting fantasy boasts a palpable atmosphere and moves at a breakneck pace. (Fantasy. 14-17)
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October 19, 2020
When 18-year-old freshman Vivian Devereaux, who is white, pledges elite Kappa Rho Nu, known as the Ravens, at Savannah’s Westerly College, she makes friends for the first time after a life of frequent moves with her tarot reader mother. But alongside the intense sisterhood, Vivi learns that she’s a Pentacle, one of four types of elemental witches with fierce earth-commanding powers. For Vivi’s sorority big sister, Scarlett Winter, a water-wielding Cup who is Black, junior year means balancing her family’s impossible expectations, boyfriend Mason’s waning interest, and a secret that could destroy her entire future. When a banished Raven, Gwen, reappears and a sorority sister is kidnapped, Scarlett and Vivi work to defeat the evil threatening to expose their coven to the college and the world. Morgan (The 100) and Paige (the Dorothy Must Die series) blend the cloistered atmosphere of The Magicians with the Southern cattiness of The Belles, adding pops of giddy magic—“glamouring” the sorority house into a 1920s speakeasy—along the way. Though the series starter’s conclusion drags, wonderful worldbuilding, well-executed plotting, and page-turning surprises create the feel of a bingeworthy TV show, keeping readers engaged in Vivi’s and Scarlett’s alternating narrations. Ages 14–up.