The Coven (Coven of Bones, 1)

I picked up The Coven on a whim at the bookstore because it was beautiful, and then ended up reading it for a book club. I am genuinely so glad I own a copy. The vibes alone are worth it. Dark academia, witchy university, dangerous headmaster, secretive coven, and a magic system that feels both beautiful and brutal at the same time. Just remember, you can't trust anyone in this story! Willow hooked me right away. In the first half, she feels like such a baddie. She is clever, prepared, willing to throw down, and not afraid to use her magic or her brain. I loved watching her verbally spar with Gray and hold her own in the coven's political mess. Then, somewhere around the middle, it was like her personality got flipped. The sharp, strategic witch we met early on turned into a more blubbering, confused version of herself. There were not really any clues or payoff that explained that switch. The drop in her competence took some of the shine off for me because I wanted that relentless, calculating Willow all the way through. Gray, on the other hand, is precisely what the author promises. He is a villain. Gray is not a soft baby who just needs a hug. Gray is a terrible choice that you gleefully choose to make. He is powerful, manipulative, and possessive. The book never really lets you forget that he has his own agenda. The banter and cat-and-mouse between Gray and Willow are some of my favorite parts of the whole story. Their relationship is violent, sexy, and very much contains love and hate in equal measure. On the spice front, the tension is there early and often. The sex scenes make you absolutely lust after these two. We need to talk about the virgin trope. Their first and only time does not happen until chapter 33. When we finally get there, it leans into the obsession with the virgin setup. Personally, that did nothing for me. I still enjoyed the heat, but the whole virginity makes me worthy angle is one of my least favorite romance tropes. It took the edge off an otherwise very hot payoff. Plot-wise, the last three chapters go off the rails in the best way. The twists are wild, the stakes skyrocket, and the cliffhanger is precisely the kind that makes you stare at the last page like, “Excuse me, we are ending here?” I predicted pretty early that Gray was more than he appeared and that Willow’s role in the larger mythology would be huge. The journey to the ending was still fun, even though I guessed one of the larger plot twists. I also really liked the lore and the way the book reimagines witches, demons, and vampires. There were definitely moments when I wished the worldbuilding had been fleshed out more, especially around the coven's history and the larger magical politics. I appreciated that the story did not get bogged down in dense info dumps. It stays focused on action, tension, and emotion. Overall, The Coven delivered precisely what I wanted in a dark paranormal romance: witchy magic, an actually villainous love interest, sharp banter, and a gothic school full of secrets. Willow’s mid-book personality shift and the virgin trope kept this from being a five-star. I still had a great time reading it and flew through the last chunk. I cannot wait to read the sequel! Though I am deeply annoyed that there are only two books for Gray and Willow. I could have easily spent a few more volumes with this disaster couple and their cursed little world.

Good storyline, some of the writing seemed off, grammatically.

Personal favorite

Ok I was loving this book all the way up until the last few chapters!! All hell broke loose literally and it was just too many chaotic things going on leaving me saying wtf through till the end. I’m not sure if I will continue. I probably will but much later on. I’m still pissed at the ending lol 😂