Book Review: The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling

I saw another review say this already, but it's exactly what I thought as well! This book is best described as Halloweentown meets Sabrina the Teenage Witch, if it were a steamy romance. I can’t think of a more perfect description.

I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a quick and cozy read this fall.

To start with, the witchy, small town in this book is adorable. If I could visit, I would! Picture this, a hilly, woodsy town with a college, a hopping town center, a witch shop, and a haunted house on the outskirts. And the town name couldn’t be more fitting, Graves Glen.

We follow Vivi (the history buff and professor), her cousin Gwyn (who runs the local witchy tourist shop), Aunt Elaine (an amazing baker with a fabulous motto), and Rhys (the European ex with a harsh father and town legacy). And I found them all lovable characters.

Where they go wrong is when they break Elaine's biggest witchy motto, "never mix vodka and witchcraft."

With all of that said, I was longing for a bit more world-building and character development in this book. The magic was so familiar yet interesting, which means there was enough of it to want more, but not quite enough to satisfy. I particularly wanted to learn more about the ley lines and town lore. How do the ley lines work, how were they established, and why are they so important to the story?

There were also quite a few steamy scenes in this book, especially in the second half. I personally would have liked to see fewer spicy scenes and a little more of the world-building and character development I mentioned. But, I do usually gravitate toward fantasy books, so that’s probably why.