A young witch who just wants to be invisible. A beautiful mermaid who doesn’t belong. A secret relationship that threatens the entire academy.
Brie only agreed to try the witch academy to make her mother happy. She assumed she would learn Water magic. But when the students were assigned to their Elemental classes, she ended up in Earth. The list of reasons for her to leave the school keeps … to leave the school keeps growing—her roommate is a bully, she doesn’t understand her classes, and everyone judges her for her infamous family name.
Then a beautiful mermaid named Gabriella catches her eye at the beach. Merfolk aren’t allowed in Santa Cruz because they’re dangerous killers, but Gabriella is friendly and kind. She agrees to show Water magic to Brie as long as she keeps their meetings a secret.
Brie lies to everyone about Gabriella, even when her Fae mentor asks her to investigate merfolk. But when the secret relationship strains her friendships, tanks her grades, and threatens her position at the academy, Brie learns that love comes at a high price.
She must choose between her first love and her magical school—or lose everything.
The Reluctant Witch is the first book in an upper YA urban fantasy academy series. It features the daughter of Rosa from the Fae of Calaveras trilogy, but it takes place twenty years after the original series and does not require prior reading. If you like teen witches, magical schools, and introverts who have to overcome their wish to be left alone, you’ll enjoy Kristen S. Walker’s latest novel.
Preorder today!
Rated PG-13 for mild profanity and sexual references.
more
I formed an opinion of Brie right away because of her actions and struggled through the book until finally she admitted she was responsible for her actions instead of blaming others. It is a good thing to remember not to have an opinion of the book until you’re finished with it because it can change your opinion when all is said and done.
Kristen’s themes from her previous series are prevalent in this one as well so if you’ve read her previous works you will enjoy this one as well.
Brie has a lot of “baggage” that she carries around because of her grandmother but she allowed that dictate how she feels towards others. She does find out that a girl she didn’t like actually turns out to be a true friend who helps her get back a item that was stolen.
It’s always a good idea to not cast judgements before all the “facts” are in whether it be in real life or in reading a book!
The Reluctant Witch: Year One (Santa Cruz Witch Academy Book 1) by Kristen S. Walker is a wonderful story that I have read. This is book number one in this wonderful start to a brand series writen by a brand new author for me to read. I can not wait to read the next book and I highly recommend this wonderful story to everyone who loves reading about magic and witches.
I received a free copy of this book via Story Origin and am voluntarily leaving a review
Brie (Bridget) decided she needs a break from the town she grew up in, and applied for a magic school in Santa Cruz instead. Her family name is known with a lot of it’s reputation being bad and some of it being good, but she would rather hide in the background, than stand out. Although she might be going to have an interesting first year of magic, because she feels an attraction to a female mermaid, and she has been made the roommate of a nasty entitled girl. I enjoyed Brie’s story, and her struggles and her innocent ways (there is a little bit of sweet innocent romance). I look forward to the next book.
Brie doesn’t really want to be a witch, but she agrees to go to the Witch Academy of Santa Cruz. What happens there is First love, a great friendship, a hard choice, betrayal and this happens in only her first year. I liked this story and I believe many will follow Kristen Walker to see what happens in the next installment of this series. I was given a free copy of this book at my request and this is my honest review.
This book was amazing. I got so caught up in it that I couldnt put it down. I really hope there is a book two. The worldbuilding alone was so intense. I loved it.
Our shy heroine goes to the magical school because it is what her mother wants. But somewhere along the line, she starts to discover what it is that she wants, and that may not align with the desires of others.
This is the first book in a new magical academy story. The story is well written and includes a lot of the tropes you would expect from a YA academy story, but I am very pleased to say that there are also a lot of differences. It is these differences (which I won’t describe to avoid spoilers, sorry) which makes the story stand out. That and the characters, of course, who are truly diverse in more ways that one (this is a magical world, after all). The characters have unique personalities (well, aside from the cliches) and I particularly liked watching our heroine grow throughout the story. Overall, it was a very fun read and I am looking forward to the next book.
Highly recommended.
I received an ARC from StoryOrigin for review purposes.
Just a little beneficial disclaimer. This story takes place years after the events of the Fae of Calaveras trilogy by Kristen S. Walker and has many spoilers for that series and it’s overlapping characters. So while it is not necessary to read the other series first I do recommend it. I didn’t and I wish I had though I was able to follow along with this story just fine.
This story is so hard to review without spoilers so sorry if I am too vague, its for your own good.
I love Walker’s world building skills. The world is like ours, only magic exists and everyone knows it. The way that magic and myth is weaved into the common world is cool in that it is and isn’t a big deal at the same time.
Brie is the main character of the story and she is decided between wanting to be a witch and wanting to be a normal art student. My feeling about Brie want back and forth do to circumstances during the book but by the end I loved her and am really excited to see where her story is going next.
The romance is strong and exciting but is not the main focus as there is a lot of time where Brie is just waiting until she can see Gabriella again.
The school is cool and exciting even with the heavy restrictions on witches and the antiquated way they decide one’s magical focus.
The magic system and social dynamics of the magical species is well thought out and fun. I am sure the Fae of Calaveras trilogy goes into even more depth with both aspects.
I spent a good portion of the book a little disappointed and confused at the direction of the plot and some of the characters until one of my suspicions came to fruition and everything clicked with startling clarity and my love for the story grew.
Full of magic and adventure this is the start of a series not to be missed.
Extremely entertaining, captivating and interesting sexy read. I could not put it down. Wonderfully written with strong, intriguing characters. I want to read more from this author.
“I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.”
I received an ebook from this author and Story Origin in exchange for an honest review. This is my first Kristen S. Walker book and probably will not be my last.
This book is so well written that the main character reminded me of my sister and her attitudes. When you want to blend into the background, what do you do when you know there is trouble brewing for the school. Do you come forward or stay in obscurity? The trials of a teenage witch. Enjoy!
I really liked that Brie was such a down to earth girl that just wanted to be left alone. I also loved the fact that she was a lesbian was never blown to huge proportions like many books. I can’t think of many books that have done this, and done this well. I loved the inclusiveness of her genderbending pansexual best friend as well. There have been more and more books that have been trying to do this, but not as well as this one.
The story itself is fantastic. It grips you and holds you tight. I sat down and read it in a day because I just couldn’t stop.
The world and magical hierarchy was well thought out. The story was fantastic. There were so many twists and turns. I loved it so much that I already preordered the next book. I can’t wait until it comes out.
If you like magic, best friends, romance, the fae and more this book is for you.
Beware a mermaid’s song. Brie never wanted to go to witch school. She wanted to stay in human school and become an artist, but her mothers convinced her to try it for a year so she enrolled in Santa Cruz Witch Academy so she could be close to the ocean and surfboard. Her best friend Damien, also gay, is enrolled so she at least has one friend, because she doesn’t make friends easily. She is forced into Earth magic classes instead of what she really wanted was water magic, so because she has no aptitude for earth magic she struggles in class. Then she meets Gabrielle a mermaid and falls in love, and takes her mind off of her problems at the academy. The two carry on a secret friendship for months, but Loki as sworn Brie into an oath to look into why the mermaids are in Santa Cruz. Is the fact Gabrielle’s mermaid family there innocent or is something else going on, and can Brie hurt her new friend? I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I really enjoyed this book. It was well written and the story and characters were well developed. I liked the individual characters personalities and there relationship dynamics. The story was action packed and full of suspense, intrigue and emotion. I look forward to future books in this series. I’d highly recommend this book.
I received an arc for a voluntary review.
The Reluctant Witch is the first book in Kristen Walker’s Santa Cruz Witch Academy series and while it has a bit of a slow start this is one YA book that I found hard to put down once it really gets in gear. Get ready to meet Brie, a teenage girl who is on her way to Santa Cruz Witch Academy. She’s not too keen on going to be honest, but her moms want her to go and to get on the path to becoming a witch. Brie is hesitant because of her family history, but she just has no idea what all is in store for her as she begins her journey and takes on new tasks.
The Reluctant Witch by Kristen Walker is an upper YA novel that tells Brie’s story as she changes schools and begins a journey down a path that she initially didn’t want to take. Brie would prefer to go to art school, but with some convincing from her two moms she’s willing to give Santa Cruz Witch Academy a chance. This book starts out slow and takes a bit for me to really get into it. I find Brie interesting on some levels, and then I view her as a typical teenager.
The story starts with a bit of background on Brie, her family and the changes that magic has undergone after the incident with her grandmother. This book is a spin-off from another series by Kristen Walker, but it’s not necessary to have read that series to understand what is going on. I will admit that the author has piqued my interest in the original series so I’ll be checking it out when I have the time.
Brie just wants to keep her head down, get good grades, and stay out of trouble. She wants to make her own path at this new school, but it seems that she won’t even be able to do that. The author makes me curious as to how much pull Brie’s moms have at this school. Did they influence the path that she would take/be given with the school? Brie starts out doing well, and her best friend Damien is a huge bonus. He’s so much fun, but I honestly appreciate that he’s not over the top.
I was really excited to read this book and start this series. The promised combination of witches, magic, mermaids and other magical creatures intrigued me. The storyline takes a bit to get going but once it gains traction it becomes really good. Brie meets a mermaid and her hopes for romance bloom after she figures out that her crush on her roommate is NOT going to be going anywhere fast.
I have to admit …when Brie gets bratty because things aren’t going her way…I become disappointed in her. Her roommate is bad, but Brie takes things over the top more than once. I’m honestly surprised that her friends stick by her, but it just shows their true nature and that they genuinely care about her. She has a fit more than once when things don’t go her way or when she’s upset and it honestly makes her seem more juvenile than she is. I’m also disappointed when she lets her grades slip because she’s too busy mooning over Gabriella (the mermaid). She goes from having top grades to barely passing in a matter of weeks. The story has an interesting twist that you really won’t see coming, but it elevates the book and makes you want to read more. The ending…the ending has a bit of a gut-punch to it. I have to admit that I’m a bit disappointed in her reaction to it, but at the same time…it’s believable.
I’m rating this book 4 out of 5 stars. The book had a slow start and didn’t engage me from the beginning, and Brie’s bad attitude caused me to not enjoy this book as much as I had hoped. There are a couple of good twists in this book, which helped pique my interest. For readers who are looking for an upper YA novel this book would be one to consider.
This is a fab urban fantasy read and a great start to this series.
If you like teen witches, magical schools, and introverts who have to overcome their wish to be left alone, Then this is the book for you. Witches, mermaids, bully’s, secrets, heartbreak and suspense has left me waiting for the next book!
A very nice surprise. This is a new author for me.
Brie is going to an academy for witch training as well as her normal high school classes. Each witch has an affinity for one of the 4 elements; Earth,Air, Fire, or Water. Brie is hoping to get water but gets earth instead, to her great disappointment. She also gets stuck with a roommate that is entitled and was annoyed when her request was not fulfilled, even though her family is a large contributor to the Academy.
The night Brie gets her magic, she was hijacked to a different fae, since witches get their magic through a pact with a fae. Her pact includes investigating problems that the fae can’t and she gets her first assignment. Chaos ensues.
The characters, even the secondary characters are well fleshed out as is the local and surroundings. You can almost hear the waves coming up on the shore or wind blowing through the trees.
The book does end without a cliffhanger, but does set up for more mayhem in the next book. I can hardly wait.
That was soooooo much fun to read! I loved reading about Brie’s escapades and the struggles she had with her classes. I loved how when she just needed to she was able to connect with her magic and use it instead of fighting with it. It was just a wholly fun book to read!
Kristen S. Walker is a magical writer! This first book of a new series is another page turner, interestingly almost lyrical…full of unexpected events as we learn more and more of this different Earth-world and the beings who dwell there. Brie, our Reluctant Witch, is going to be a junior in high school who has two witch mothers, one of whom persuades her into attending “Witch School”. So she moves from a tiny California town in Calaveras County to coastal Santa Cruz, a magical place of natural beauty. Brie struggles to adjust to her new environs and the various Folk; there are multiple histories within and between them with strict hierarchical orders. You will enter a world with intrigue, secrets, complications, nuanced relationships, and first love. I highly recommend this book/author, received an advanced copy, and am leaving an honest review. This is worth 5+ stars!!!
Brie’s introduction to a Witch Academy is weighted by a number of things: Her family history- Grama and the Veil, both moms teachers; exploring her feelings for her first serious girlfriend- why are nice girls always targeted by twisted, manipulative bitches? Getting slotted into Earth Magic because of her mom’s skills when she really has more of an affinity for Water. And of course she has the fabulous Damien. A pansexual drag queen, he is exquisite beyond words, and a loyal friend when she needs one
The restrictions on magic and marginalization of various species are serious issues that Brie finds herself sucked into.
It’s a bumpy road ahead- how fun!
A really good beginning to a new series. The characters are wonderful.
Very good plot.I enjoyed reading this book…