What the Hex

February 27, 2023
Clare returns to the world of Go Hex Yourself with this madcap paranormal rom-com. Penny Roundtree is the secretary to the Society of Familiars, comprising familiars waiting to be apprenticed to a witch or warlock to progress their magic. Unfortunately, there are no warlocks or witches currently hiring. Penny desperately wants to become a familiar herself, leading her to agree to a risky, off-the-books apprenticeship with arrogant warlock Willem Sauer, who’s been banned from casting magic due to an undisclosed past transgression. If caught, both of their careers—and possibly their lives—will be at stake, so the polar opposites turned reluctant allies pretend to be dating to disguise the real nature of their relationship. Doing magic with Willem makes Penny feel seen for the first time, and despite his best efforts, grumpy Willem can’t help but gravitate toward Penny’s sunny nature. The buildup of their relationship is delightful, but as the tropes pile up and the stakes increase in the rushed second act, the plot goes a bit off the rails. Still, Clare makes it easy to see why these two characters work together—and Penny’s feisty pet squirrel adds some laughs. Series fans will be pleased.

June 10, 2024

Willem, a warlock, is temporarily banned from having a familiar, which leaves him vulnerable to attacks from his nemesis. When he is given the opportunity to have a secret familiar, he accepts, despite finding his new familiar's perky personality exasperating. Penny lives by rules and order, but when she has the chance to (finally) become a familiar, she's in. To cover up their true relationship, the duo pretends to be madly in love, and it's not long before they find their growing attraction is magically irresistible. Andrew Eiden and Islay Jacobs perform the story written from the couple's points of view. Jacobs's performance is full of emotion, heightened by using text cues to bring out the story's nuances. She expertly captures Penny's bubbly personality and gives other characters unique voices. Series narrator Eiden employs frequent enunciations (often when portraying Willem), which are delivered as sharp slaps to listeners' ears. While appropriate for the warlock's arrogance, this technique is ill-fitting for some scenarios. Though Jacobs is less experienced than Eiden, her narration shows promise for her future productions. VERDICT This second installment in Clare's "Hex" series (following Go Hex Yourself) is recommended where interest in the first book was high.--Amanda L. S. Murphy

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