My Rating: 4.5
Genre: Fiction/Magical Realism
Format: eArc*
Publication Date: August 23, 2022
Author: Hazel Beck
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Small Town, Big Magic Blurb
There’s no such thing as witches…right?
Emerson Wilde has built the life of her dreams. Youngest Chamber of Commerce president in St. Cyprian history, successful indie bookstore owner, and lucky enough to have her best friends as found family? Done.
But when Emerson is attacked by creatures that shouldn’t be real, and kills them with what can only be called magic, Emerson finds that the past decade of her life has been…a lie. St. Cyprian isn’t your average Midwestern river town—it’s a haven for witches. When Emerson failed a power test years ago, she was stripped of her magical memories. Turns out, Emerson’s friends are all witches.
And so is she.
That’s not all, though: evil is lurking in the charming streets of St. Cyprian. Emerson will need to learn to control what’s inside of her, remember her magic, and deal with old, complicated feelings for her childhood friend–cranky-yet-gorgeous local farmer Jacob North—to defeat an enemy that hides in the rivers and shadows of everything she loves.
Even before she had magic, Emerson would have done anything for St. Cyprian, but now she’ll have to risk not just her livelihood…but her life.
Small Town, Big Magic Review
As a quick reminder, here is my rating structure:
- 1 star: Did not finish
- 2 Stars: Finished but I do not recommend
- 3 Stars: Liked but could use some improvements
- 4 Stars: Loved this book!
- 5 Stars: Rare. The unput-down-able, binge read obsession.
My star ratings are also based also genre based. I compare all books with books of the same genre. While I would love to believe that my love of books in general transcends all bias, there are genres I prefer over others.
I’m human.
Example: If I read a mystery novel and think it deserves a 5-star rating, then I have compared it to other mystery books, and determined it to be one of my absolute favorites. The unputdownable mystery.
This will hopefully keep me from comparing Outlander, a personal obsession of mine, with the experience of reading The Hate You Give. Both 5 star books for me, but completely and totally different. I couldn’t even try to rate them against each other, so I don’t. Makes my life easier. 🙂
My Thoughts
Small Town, Big Magic is an amusing beginning to what I can only assume will be a wildly entertaining series.
Hazel Beck’s debut novel takes the reader on a magical adventure into the wild world of small town polictics among a coven of hidden witches involved in an otherworldly power struggle between good and evil. And as any good story needs a hero, ours can be found in the form of Emerson Wilde, secret witch, unstoppable feminist book seller.
Small Town, Big Magic is going in my stack of witchy reads that everyone should get into this October. With charming wit and a soul finding romance, this book cannot be missed by anyone who enjoys a light hearted epic tale.
I will say that some of the reviews online talk a lot about Emerson’s self confidence, how it borders on naive arrogance to the point of annoying some readers. I have a lot of thoughts on this and whole heartedly disagree.
Yes Emerson is overly self confident and self reliant, to the detriment of herself and those around her, except I believe that is exactly Hazel Beck’s point. So often, we get great female heroes who are at best reluctant or even unwillingly to take their place as savior. Emerson believes she can do anything and doesn’t shy away from her discovered fate. She is a hero who wants to be a hero and can be. She knows she has the power to do what is necessary and doesn’t need to shroud herself in self doubt with a constant feeling of imposter syndrome. While this may be off putting for some, I think it’s the feminist witch we need.
Further, given that this is the beginning of the series, Emerson has many lessons to learn about needing and accepting help. Lessons she is sure to learn quickly within her newly formed coven. We all need others. Just because we can do something on our own doesn’t mean we should. By the end of Small Town, Big Magic, I could glimpse the character growth we are going to see in her, and that journey is the true heart of this story.
Conclusion
A tenacious witch who sells books, saves the day, and gets the boy in the end, what more could a bookworm ask for?
*Special thanks to Hazel Beck, Netgalley, and Graydon House for providing a copy of Small Town, Big Magic in exchange for an honest review.
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