The Witches of Cambridge by Menna Van Praag (Book Review)

Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all thoughts stated are 100% My own. 

About the book-


Be careful what you wish for. If you're a witch, you might just get it.

Amandine Bisset has always had the power to feel the emotions of those around her. It's a secret she can share only with her friends—all professors, all witches—when they gather for the Cambridge University Society of Literature and Witchcraft. Amandine treasures these meetings but lately senses the ties among her colleagues beginning to unravel. If only she had her student Noa's power to hear the innermost thoughts of others, she might know how to patch things up. Unfortunately, Noa regards her gift as a curse. So when a seductive artist claims he can cure her, Noa jumps at the chance, no matter the cost.

Noa's not the only witch in over her head. Mathematics professor Kat has a serious case of unrequited love but refuses to cast spells to win anyone's heart. Her sister, Cosima, is not above using magic to get what she wants, sprinkling pastries in her bakery with equal parts sugar and enchantment. But when Cosima sets her sights on Kat's crush, she conjures up a dangerous love triangle.

As romance and longing swirl through every picturesque side street, the witches of Cambridge find their lives unexpectedly upended and changed in ways sometimes extraordinary, sometimes heartbreaking, but always enchanting.


My thoughts-

The Witches of Cambridge was such a magical book! I enjoyed getting to know all of the

witches and how their powers played into their lives. It was fun imagining how I might 

feel or what I might do (or not do) if I had the gifts that they each did. I always enjoy

books with several characters and seeing how they all tie together in the end. There was

humor and sadness and a good dose of magic, but it wasn't so out there that the characters

were not easy to relate to. There were plot points to keep the pages turning and a little

romance  (complete with love spell shenanigans along the way) and that is the way I like my books.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys contemporary fiction with a twist of fantasy.