Now, Conjurers | arc Audio Book Review

Following the murder of their leader and friend, a tight-knit coven of queer teens takes on a wish-granting demon lurking in their town, weaving together murder mystery with the occult in this YA horror novel perfect for fans of V. E. Schwab and Leigh Bardugo books.

NOW PAY ATTENTION, BECAUSE ALL THE DETAILS MATTER.

November 1999. North Dana, Massachusetts.

Nesbit Nuñez discovers the partially devoured body of Bastion Attia: star quarterback, secret witch, and Nesbit’s even-more-secret boyfriend. No one knew why brilliant, gentle Bastion lived his life by a seemingly arcane set of rules, including a strange manner of speech and an inability to say his own name.
Now the remaining members of North Coven—Nesbit, Dove, Drea, and Brandy—vow to get answers. Nothing can prepare them for what they uncover: Bastion had been locked in a terrifying battle of wits and wills with something living deep beneath an ancient mausoleum in the local cemetery.

North Coven must confront the red-gloved monster that took piece after piece of Bastion, that he fought until his last breath. Not knowing that Bastion left behind the key to its destruction . . .

If only I could send this book to high school me, a bi emo future farmer—I would’ve treasured this.

I believe I posted this on one of my monthly book releases and thought, “Wow, this book sounds interesting, but that cover is something else.” Then I saw the audiobook cover and decided to give it a try, and I am so glad I did.

I am quite confused by the choice of covers. Honestly, I enjoyed this book so much that I wanted to buy a physical copy, but the ones on Amazon and Bookshop all have the red hardback cover.

Now, Conjurers (Paperback) — paperback??

So, I think the one on the right is the paperback cover. It’s not available in the US yet, but I found it on Waterstones (UK bookstore). Just a personal opinion, but I much prefer the one on the right. Maybe they’ll do a special edition someday, and I’ll grab that copy.

This is my first ARC audiobook. I don’t usually do ARCs for audiobooks because it’s a little harder to write reviews—I can’t highlight or go back to double-check anything—so bear with me.

Ok.. My Actual Review

First up, the narration: I didn’t care for it at first, but it really grew on me. Also, this is a debut novel, and wow—I think this is what everyone hopes to achieve when they publish their first book.

Although this book isn’t my typical style—I don’t read a lot of horror or mystery—But I’m a sucker for queer found family stories. If any of you are fans of the All for the Game series by Nora Sakavic, I would highly recommend this book. They are not similar in terms of writing or story, but they share the same queer found family vibes.

Some have complained about the story being a bit confusing due to frequent shifts between the past and present, but I didn’t have any issues with that. The writing—or listening, in my case—was well done.

Bastian was by far my favorite character. This book really makes you love him, which makes it feel almost evil that it starts by explaining his gruesome death. I also think the author handled dealing with grief very well. Minor spoiler: There was this one scene where Nesbit is working out and talking about his grief with a shadow looming in the corner—wow, what great writing.

Everyone says they enjoy the 90s nostalgia, but I didn’t grow up in the 90s. However, my high school did have a barn where we raised all sorts of animals. We even raised piglets, taught them how to race, and took our racing pigs to the local fair every year lol. So, I found a bunch of nostalgia in the small-town vibes. Now, I wish I had joined a cool witchy coven.

This book has everything you would want in a YA queer horror novel, and I absolutely devoured it in just a day and a half. The characters really come to life, and I even found myself loving the name ‘Nesbit North Nuñez’. If you’re intrigued by the synopsis, just read it—the author delivers in every way.

Hail Coven

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC copy in exchange for my honest review~

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