But, I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's see... ah, yes. Rewitched is a tale centered around the coming of age of Belladonna Blackthorn. As it turns out, it seems witches get their magic given to them at the age of 15, along with a grimoire (book of magic), which they are to use to learn and practice their magic and hone their craft. Fifteen years later, when they reach the age of 30, they are given a test, of sorts, which will determine whether they get to keep their magic or have it stripped away to be given to someone more deserving. Enter Belladonna Blackthorn. She's the youngest female in a line of powerful witches with some renown. And she's living in the very non-witchy world, which makes her feel like an outcast, makes her resent being "different" and leaves her to try to ignore her magic or use it only for the simplest of things... or when she gets really angry. None of these things looked very good on her evaluation. However, some of the things revealed were actually impressive, leading to the jury not being able to come to a decision. This led to her taking advantage of an obscure rule in the grimoire that would allow her to work with a mentor until Halloween, since her test fell in October, to prove her abilities pass muster. It's that or have her magic stripped from her.
The list of possible unbiased mentors is fairly short and, once reduced to only the living members, is a single name: Artorious Day. However, Artorious Day comes with quite a history - one that's dangerous enough that a Watchman is assigned to protect her in case something should befall her. A handsome and tries-a-bit-to-be-too suave and mysterious warlock by the name of Rune. Very soon, it becomes fairly obvious that something is not as it seems, but the degree to which things are not as they seem gets greater as Belle continues on with her mentorship, requiring a bit of investigation to get to the bottom of this (cozy) mystery.
Of course, Belle also has to deal with her wrongheaded, overbearing boss, Christopher, at the bookshop where she works and she also has to try to tend to her relationship with her best friend Ariadne, which is increasingly difficult, since she can't reveal her magic to a non-magic person and, with the mentorship, it's taking up all of her time and she's burning the candles at both ends to make it through October. I will say, it takes a lot to have a plot twist that I don't see coming... at least to do so without throwing something in completely without foreshadowing or even a hint. Rewitched does a good job of springing a few unexpected turns that completely make sense once you see what's happening, but actually come as a surprise, which made for a quite enjoyable read.
I said at the outset that Rewitched is a good fall read, but the events within span the month of October, indicating where in the month they are, so, truly, one could pace along with the story, if one wanted. The story makes you want to pick it up and continue reading, but following the dates described in the book could give you a reason to set it aside for a day or two. You know, if you're into delayed gratification.
All in all, I found Rewitched to be a great story, filled with interesting characters and cherished relationships - not without a bit of tension here and there. I highly recommend Rewitched for someone looking for a magical fall cozy mystery to get them to Halloween.
