A Dark and Secret Magic

By: Wallis Kinney

Narrated by: Abigail Reno

A warm, spellbinding tale about a witch and the secrets her coven has been keeping from her, with echoes of the classic Hades and Persephone story, in the tradition of Practical Magic and Witch of Wild Things.

Hecate Goodwin, Kate to her friends, has curated the perfect life as a hedge witch, living in a secluded cottage with only a black cat for company. She spends her days foraging herbs from the Ipswich forest, gardening, and creating tinctures to sell at the apothecary she owns. Most evenings pass without her speaking to another human being, an arrangement she quite prefers.

Kate’s solitude is thrown into disarray when her older sister, Miranda, reaches out and asks her to host their coven’s annual Halloween gathering. The day marks the beginning of the new year for witches and is also Kate’s birthday. The pressure from her coven to make the evening memorable mounts as the event draws near. To complicate things further, a handsome man from Kate’s past turns up at her cottage, asking for sanctuary. It is Kate’s duty as a hedge witch to honor this request, much to her dismay. Matthew Cypher is no ordinary lost soul–he’s a practitioner of forbidden magic who’s tricked Kate once before, and her guard is up.

As she juggles Matthew’s arrival and the preparations for Halloween, Kate comes across an old tome shrouded in dark magic. She is horrified when she realizes the blood-red inscription is written in familiar handwriting: her recently deceased mother’s. Afraid to even touch the dark magic her mother secretly studied, Kate can turn only to Matthew for help. Her idealized memory of her mother begins to distort, and as she and Matthew grow closer, Kate has to reevaluate whom she can really trust.

A Dark and Secret Magic is a celebration of the Halloween season and a love letter to anyone who drinks pumpkin spice in August and carries the spirit of a witch inside their heart all year long.

©2024 Wallis Kinney (P)2024 Dreamscape Media

Well thought out story

I really enjoyed this book, sometimes I would wonder at why a character was withholding information and felt like it was just a device to needlessly elongate the story, but I was wrong and it was a well thought out plot point instead. I loved the imagery in the writing, it was cozy, yet high stakes and beautiful. I especially loved *spoilers* that Matthew had always intended the outcome to be as it was, shown specifically when he brewed the tea with the ingredients he had said he needed from day one. Such a sweet detail. I always take a while to get into this voice actress as she can be a little stale, but usually by mid-book it no longer bothers me.

Positives and negatives

Witchiness: Check
Fall vibes: Check
Excellent imagery: Check
Super hypocritical, self righteous, untrustworthy coven also: Check
MFL annoying
Would likely read again just for the fall vibes

The secrets witches hold from each other… 👀

This was a great story!! This was a book I didn’t choose but decided to read because I joined a book club. It ended up being a really good read. The book gave off a very “Practical Magic”type feel which I personally liked. The ending was wrapped up nicely as well! I’ve heard there will be a sequel, which would be nice. Although this book definitely felt concluded even if there hadn’t been talk of another.

The romantic side plot seemed to dominate the story

There are some things I really like about this story - the setting, the presence of magic and mystery, the slowly developing plot. The thing that is making me not want to finish the book is that the romantic plot has taken front stage. I have about three hours left in the book, and most of what is currently happening is the development of the relationship between the main male and female characters. The romance is every woman's unrealistic dream come true - mysterious and very handsome bad boy comes out of nowhere but already loves her and is devoted to her despite her resistance and attitude. He's a wonderful person, underneath all his evil ways (so far). Romantic tension and conversations about how they feel take up most of the story, while in the background there is a much more interesting plot that is presented as secondary to the romance. While some people might actually love this about the book, I purchased this to experience an interesting story about a coven and it's magical secrets. I think it could have been a much better book if that was the main focus and the romantic development was a sidebar. Maybe it will get better in the last three hours?

Everything I wanted

This was everything I wanted in a witchy fall romance. If you enjoyed the ex hex series you’ll love this!