ALA Booklist

Despite knowing she should only use magic when necessary, teen witch Matilda is a rebel at heart, uninterested in being the good witch everyone expects her to be. Scarred by past mistakes with dark magic, Matilda yearns for revenge and popularity. One day, she is caught casting a spell by the handsome new boy at her school, Oliver, who is eager to learn more about magic and about Matilda. As she and Oliver grow closer, the world starts spiraling out of control: animals appear with their throats slashed and strange carvings on their bodies and a young girl is found dead. Though Matilda is widely believed to be behind the strange events, she is sure they are not her fault. Now she and Oliver must race against time to unravel the mystery of all the horror that suddenly surrounds them. Dramatic and filled with eerie magic, intrigue, and adventure, this page-turner interweaves reflections on what it means to be good or bad, including the necessity of facing one's flaws and choices to better understand oneself.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Though the human names etched into Matilda Hollowell-s face burn night and day to remind her of the cruel spells she has inflicted, she feels no compunction about using her magic against her Gravewick Academy classmates. A lineage witch with the rare ability to conceal such scars, Matilda shuns her mother-s coven and ignores her largely nonverbal grandmother-s cryptic warnings. But as Halloween approaches and animals in town wind up dead with Matilda-s name scrawled over them, she battles blackouts and hallucinations (and police attention) while seeking the comfort of crush Oliver, a witch in training. And once she turns 17 and receives her family-s grimoire, Matilda learns information about her bloodline-s lore-including more about the legend of Ivy, Matilda-s ancestor who was cast down a well-and questions whom she can trust and whether she can change her ways. In this breathlessly told, consuming portrait of a witch-s relationship with loneliness and power, debut author Bowers crafts an intricate backstory that highlights detailed witchcraft rituals and themes of violence against women. Animal cruelty and gore are prominent, and plot points are easily guessed, but the default-white protagonists are elaborately drawn, and the novel-s eerie atmosphere lingers. Ages 13-up. (Aug.)

School Library Journal (Sun Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2021)

Gr 9 Up-When 16-year-old Matilda says that her hometown is only interesting at Halloween, she's leaving out some details: Gravewick's haunted "witching well," the annual festival that honors the woman who haunts the well; Gravewick's various and active witch families and covens; and the love and revenge spells Matilda has been casting on her unknowing classmates. But even though Matilda is a powerful young witch from a strong witch family, she has a lot to learn, and what she doesn't know, including the unintended consequences of her more mean-spirited spells, have come back to haunt her. As Matilda falls for handsome Oliver, strange things start happening all around herblackouts, dead animals around town, her old best friend stalking her, and even the murder of a classmateand Matilda is the top suspect. While the teen works to clear her name, she must navigate her own family's fraught dynamics. It's only when Matilda connects with the past and accepts the power of a coven that balance is restored. Buffy the Vampire Slayer enthusiasts will enjoy Bowers's ability to imagine the tension that might arise when ancient rules and traditions meet the realities of the contemporary world. VERDICT An especially perfect read for fans of Lily Anderson's Undead Girl Gone . Jennifer Miskec, Longwood Univ., Farmville, VA