Magic exists, Josy sucks at it, and now her cat won’t stop talking.
Seventeen-year-old Josy Barrows thinks she’s an orphan.So, when opportunity knocks in the form of an address and a plane ticket from a mystery aunt, Josy jumps at the chance to start a new life with her black cat, Nine.Fast forward.There’s no aunt, no house… just a weird junk shop in a dark alley.And a strange owner with a … weird junk shop in a dark alley.
And a strange owner with a cryptic message who hurries Josy to the back of the shop—
Into a world she never knew existed.
Josy finds herself enrolled at the hidden Borealis Academy of Magical Arts…with a now talking cat.
With no friends and no magical abilities, Josy can’t stay at the academy if her hot, Introduction to Spellcasting student-tutor, Aspen Rivers keeps refusing to help her pass.
Just when things couldn’t get worse, she may have discovered dark secrets about her past…
Secrets which could lead to a worse fate than expulsion… ones that threatens both The Side of Magic and the regular world she grew up in.
Magical Realism is episode one of Spellcaster Academy. Each exciting episode will be released every 30 days.
Episode 1: Magical Realism
Episode 2: The Dark Curse
Episode 3: Fire & Lightning
Future episodes to be announced.
more
Spell Caster Academy is cute, fun and enjoyable. It’s slightly reminiscent of the Harry Potter series. Josie lost her family and was suddenly introduced into the magical realm. Josie’s differences set her apart from the other students. She struggles to make friends and find acceptance while also trying to figure out who she is and who she can trust. I liked setting out on this journey with Josie and I look forward to seeing where her path will lead.
A friend recommend this book to me. I was not disappointed. A very good, quick read. Josy has had a ruff life for such a young age. Your heart has to go out to her for all she has gone through. The struggles of being a teenage is hard enough but Josy finds herself without a family and in a new world she had no clue she was a part of. There is a lot going on in this book to get us a foundation for the story to go on. I hope she finds she fits in here better then she ever fit in anywhere else.
This is a new to me author and I’m happy I actually found her. I really enjoyed this book. The narrator was great and I’m looking forward to listening to the rest of the books on audio. Patiently waiting for the rest to drop!
The narrator was good and brought the story alive for me. It did remind me a little bit of Harry Potter but it may have been because it’s a witch/sorcerer book but I honestly loved it and it didn’t bother me one bit. My only complaint is that the book was short but thankfully the next book is waiting for me!!
There is a lot of questions and mysteries that develop in the first book of this series. I love how the heroine and hero meet and slowly develop. Perfect that they’re both book readers 😉 The supernatural aspects are fun, especially the cat, but I wasn’t crazy how she was judged based on her hair color. I’m intrigued to find out how things turn out so I will be looking for book 2. The narrator was new to me and I really liked how well she brought the story to life. Easy to listen to!
Great Acadamy book! “This was an audible book that I listened to”
This is a great book! It has mystery, magic and action. This book sets up the story for Josey’s journey. There is intrigue and mystery which kept me staying with the book. it is easy to follow and the narrator is perfect. her voice set the book up perfectly for me to get a great understanding of Josey. A lot of things happen that need questions answered which most were but some still left open. The story does pick up in the end and leaves with you wanting to know more of what will happen.
This was a really great start to the Spellcaster Academy series! Josy believes she’s an orphan until hope of having an aunt comes in the form of a mysterious letter with an address. As it turns out, it’s actually the address to Borealis Academy of Magical Arts. She’s thrown into a magical world that she never knew existed with her cat, Nine, who can suddenly talk. Josh seems to have no magical powers, Aspen, her student-tutor, refuses to help her pass Introduction to Spellcasting, and everyone seems fearful and prejudice to her since she seems to be a Morelli, a person who wields evil magic. Josy must figure out how to tap into her magic, prove to everyone that she isn’t evil, and learn more about a world that she doesn’t understand. I liked the friendships that she formed with Marigold and Eniko and that they chose to take a chance to know her instead of shunning her. Nine definitely gave this book a special touch and more enjoyable with his personality. This book was filled with mystery, intrigue, and many secrets waiting to be discovered.
Aimee did a really good job with this narration! She speaks at a steady pace and does many voices variations and accents for each character to bring her performance to life.
*I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
Great Story & Audible Listen Enjoyable & Imaginative!
Spellcaster Academy
Magical Realism, Episode 1
By: Jenetta Penner
Narrated by: Aimee McKenzie
This is a great first book to a new series, it well written and well told with interesting characters and storylines. Jenetta Penner creates an imaginative world where magic and supernatural beings exists. The lead character, Josy Barrow, thinks she has no family left after her grandmother passes, she receives a plane ticket and a note directing her to an address. She heads there with her cat nine. When she finally finds the place she is supposed to be she not sure why she is even there but she just goes with the flow. I loved how everything plays out, she learns who she is, what she can do and it is the start of a whole new world and life for her. She has a lot to learn about the dynamics of the magical world she is now part of but she is in the right place for learning, the Spellcaster Academy. This is never a dull moment in this book, it is fast paced and great for any age. I am looking forward to what comes next for Josy as she learned more about herself and her powers. Jenetta Penner, thank you for this great story.
I listened to the Audible edition, Aimee McKenzie is a terrific narrator and voice performer. She brings these characters to life, gives each their own unique voice and personality. She does a great job using different accents and switches characters flawlessly. She is an entertaining storyteller and a pleasure to listen to. Thank you for this great listen
I’m not going to explain the story as many before me have already done so and I’m not a fan of spoilers. This is a story of a magical academy with magic users and there is the start of a romance. The world building and characters were intriguing and held my interest throughout the story. My main issue was it was too short.
I was given an ARC by the author.
Oh my! I couldn’t put this book down. I read it in one sitting. I need more Josy!
I received an ARC of this book.
I like it! Enjoyable story about Josy’s introduction to The Magic Side and the Borealis Academy of Magical Arts. Interesting characters and story. I look forward to seeing where it goes next.
I am enjoying the new series. It is an exciting adventure as Josy’s life changes dramatically with the death of her grandmother and the beginning of a new life involving the discovery of magic.
The new friends and environment are really challenging to her. She has a lot to learn. There are some enemies to fear and some friendships too. I am looking forward to reading more of her adventures.
I am voluntarily reviewing a copy I received.
A great start to this academy series! A well written action packed and exciting magical read with a fab storyline and great characters, I have totally fallen in love with Nine the talking cat and I eagerly await the next episode!
Josy finds out about her family tree the hard way. But, it’s been quite an exciting start to her new school year at the magic academy. Oh, and her cat talks! Fun, new series!
I received a free ARC of this book and happily chose to leave a review
I’m really glad that the author gave me a copy of this, because I loved it! Truthfully, it was a bit slow at first. And there were a lot of questions that I wanted answered. Many of them were eventually, but there are enough left that I feel compelled to read more. Since it’s only episode one, I was bracing myself for a cliffhanger. I was pleasantly surprised that there wasn’t. Obviously there is much more to the story, but it left off at a nice in-between place. I can tell that the story is only just beginning and I am looking forward to much more magic and mischief in future episodes.
**I reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book**
First of all…Wow! This is definitely a fantastic story. Josy’s character was written so beautifully. She’s not a perfect girl, she doesn’t have all the answers, she’s slowly growing into who she’s meant to be and I will definitely be looking forward to reading her story!
The storyline is rich and full of energy, the other characters are are worthy and the world building is unique and fun!
I’m already well and truly hooked on this new series by Jenetta Penner. The world building is as intricate as ever, the characters are great and already well developped in this first story – although my favourite by far has got to Nine! I can’t wait for the next installment in this series.
Overall rating: 4.7
A wonderful start to a new YA academy series. This author put her own unique flair to this new academy series with creativity concerning these characters abilities. I can’t name them without exposing spoilers but I will say…it hooked me in and I need to read the next book! Even Nine, the familiar for Josey has his own interesting hidden talents and backstory! Everything hasn’t been uncovered yet as far as mysteries go, but the perfect amount has been unfolded to create a great hook to ensure a reader keeps interested. Looking forward to more! All my reviews are always voluntarily written.
Wow!
Another awesome book from Jenetta Penner! I’ve been a fan since she published Configured, and she has only gotten better since then
Jenetta creates a whole new world that fans of Hogwarts will appreciate. Come join Josy as she discovers a whole new world and her magical heritage.
Wow! What a wild ride! I think with every new book I read written by Ms Penner, I can feel her talent growing. Josy didn’t realize she had magic. She was invited to enroll in the Spellcaster Academy on full scholarship to learn how to use it. She found out she has a special kind of magic. The kind that some feared and others wanted. When the Academy was attacked the battle was fierce. Very well described such that I could literally feel the tension. Josy had helped save the Academy but not without suffering injuries from the fighting. This was a fantastic read! With magic, a great battle, the beginning of a little romance growing, I anticipate this series to be another winner.
I received a free copy from the author and voluntarily reviewed it.
Academy books seem to be all the hype lately and while I always enjoyed academy type stories, I haven’t picked one up in a while. Something about Spellcaster Academy kept catching my attention, so when the author offered review copies I decided to give it a try.
Spellcaster Academy is a fantasy academy series that follows the story of Josy Barrows. It’s a series with shorter books or episodes, which so far seems to work here. This episode had a clear begin and end and the length seemed about right, although it did feel a tad too quick paced at times. Josy Barrows has no one left, she’s an orphan and her only living relative her grandma just died and now all she has left is a mysterious letter about an aunt. There is no aunt and instead she finds herself in a magical world and enrolled in a magical academy. It quickly turns out she stands out a bit because of her white hair. She can’t do magic at all, but at least she has a talking cat and a ghostly roommate.
Spellcaster Academy was fun enough, but it just didn’t pull me in. There was nothing that really kept my attention. But at the same time there also isn’t anything that really didn’t work for me. It’s just one of those just okay reads, that were fun enough to read, but nothing outstanding. It was a bit typical or cliche at times, fitting nicely in the tropes you expect from an academy book. The main character is a bit of a special snowflake. But there were some unique twists too.
I was afraid this book would be merely an introduction to the series with the episode format, but the pacing was quite well done and there is a scene toward the end that I hadn’t expected in book 1 and which upped the danger and tension. The pace is fast, but didn’t feel rushed most of the time. It does goes quite fast and there are plenty of subjects that aren’t fully explored yet, but as this is just the first episode I am sure that will be more explored in later books.
I thought Josy was a fun enough main character. She doesn’t know she can do magic and knows little abut her parents. She finds out her cat can actually talk and that there is a whole other world of magic. Then she learns even more secrets and there are some reveals when she spends some time at the academy. I like how she wasn’t as good at magic at first, but by the end of the book something happens that makes me think she will be quite the special magic user after all sadly. She seemed open minded enough and I like how she went after what she believed in, but most of the time she was quite a normal person actually.
I like Nine, the talking cat. And then there is Josy’s roommate who seemed nice too, but I have the feeling there is much more to her than we know so far. There also is a teacher who seems quite friendly. And there is a love interest for Josy. The love interest Aspen is a bit of an outcast too and seems willing to help her. Their relationship even progresses quite a bit in this book already.
It’s hard to say much about the world as with everything going on and the fast pace there isn’t as much room for world building. I liked the idea of the two separate realms and how people can travel between them. Everyone seemed to have a different magical specialty, which was an interesting touch. Besides that it’s hard to fully get a grip on things yet. The world building is quite limited, but there is enough to follow the story, just not enough to make the world come alive yet.
To summarize: this was a decent start to this new series. It was a nice enough read, but didn’t fully pull me into the story, then again there also wasn’t anything that really bothered me. The pace is quite fast, but didn’t feel too rushed most of the time. There is a big event at the end of this book, which I hadn’t expected and it was quite interesting. Josy was a nice main characters to read about, although she is a bit of an outcast and special snowflake. I liked her cat Nine and her roommate seemed nice too. There is a love interest and their relationship progresses a bit too. The world building is quite limited, but there’s enough to understand the story, just not enough to have a clear picture of everything yet. If you enjoy fantasy academy style stories this one might be for you.