Hex Education by Maureen Kilmer | Book Review

 

Hex Education by Maureen Kilmer

Published: 19th September 2023 by Headline Accent

Other works: Suburban Hell

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

I received a copy of this ebook from the publisher. This in no way affects my review.

Synopsis

A guilt-ridden former coven is forced to tap into the magic of their past to stop their lives going up in flames. Beauty, grace, and a resting witch face . . .
TWENTY YEARS AGO
Sarah, Katrina and Alicia were inseparable.
In college, they discovered their affinity for magic and practiced in secret - until their most ambitious spell went horribly wrong, resulting in a catastrophic fire that burned down their college dorm building, and the coven scattered.
NOW
Sarah Nelson has built a life for herself. Working as a luxury realtor, with her doting husband and two children, she could be any other mother in the neighbourhood. Until now, her magic has lain dormant.
Then the former coven reunites, and their magic no longer wants to stay hidden. And a true-crime podcast host turns up, desperate to find out what really happened the night of the fire.
As it grows more and more difficult to hide their magic and the past, Sarah, Katrina, and Alicia must once again gather to harness their power, and keep their secrets safe...

Review

Warning - potential spoilers!

Autumn always feels like the perfect time to read some spooky stories, and novels about witches are always among my favourite, so I was really excited to crack into this as my first magical read of the season! I was a bit unsure about how much I would be able to relate to Sarah, as a mum of two teenagers and a middle-aged woman, but her anxieties felt authentic and I thought her narrative voice was very strong throughout the book.

I thought that this concept of a college friendship trio reuniting twenty years later being used as the basis for the novel, while having the magical element to their relationship and respective lives, was really interesting, and it made for a stronger story, in my opinion, as it gave deeper layers to each of the women and what they choose to use their magic for, and how what they wished for when they were twenty years younger continued to define them in the present day. I do wish we could've seen more interactions between the three of them, as after the initial reunion their conversations predominantly occurred over text, and I think it would've made the twist at the end feel more powerful. Speaking of twists, I do also wish that her husband's big reveal at the end was more dramatic - for such a big secret to finally come out I would've expected a bigger reaction from Sarah, but that might just be my personal preference. I didn't see either of the twists coming, however, so that's a big plus for me!

The relationship between Sarah and her sister-in-law Nancy was very interesting, and I appreciated the fact that Kilmer didn't try and resolve everything between them in a nice little bow at the end of the book, but instead showed the reality of having someone in your life who has caused you pain in some way. Their relationship in particular allowed Sarah to grow, I found, in her admitting the role she played in Nancy's pain, and not expecting forgiveness for it.

This didn't feel like the typical witch novel that centres around someone discovering their powers or it being heavily centred around a romance of some sort, and I really enjoyed it for these differences! If you're looking for something a bit different but still want that cozy and spooky setting, I would definitely recommend Hex Education.