Book Summary for The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling
The story follows Professor Vivienne Jones as she tries to undo a ten year curse she set on former boyfriend (and fellow witch), Rhys, as the curse activates once he finally returns to town for the first time since she cursed him. Vivienne is a professor at a southern university located in a popular magical town. Think: Salem but in the south. She has created a successful life for herself but that all gets disturbed when Rhys returns to town and they accidentally start a magical apocalypse while trying to break the curse Vivienne set on him after they broke up.
This book is SO CUTE. There’s so much magic and small town vibes it could almost make you sick, in a good way. I enjoyed this book very much! -Witches, curses, ghosts, a talking cat, a haunted house, fall university library vibes – this story really has it all.
Erin Sterling did a great job at creating a well developed world. It really felt as if this magical town with a secret witch society could actually exist, living in tandem with the non-magical. Every character brought into the story exists for a reason, and their backgrounds as well as their purpose are well developed and have an important place in the story – something that isn’t easily accomplished or even very prioritized in romance stories.
The pacing of the story was one thing that I did struggle with, however. At the beginning, it flows very well and got me very hooked. Then, somehow, around the middle the pacing got a bit weird, slowed down a bit maybe, and I felt myself struggling to continue. However, i did continue and the pacing evened back out again in the third act. Overall, if you stick with the book, it is worth fighting through the slow parts to get to the end.
I enjoyed the romance story between Vivienne and Rhys. There wasn’t as much development of their relationship as I would have liked and I do think that could have been more developed. I did very much enjoy the friendships Vivienne has with her friends throughout the book and I felt that If this weren’t a romance, it could have been very effectively turned into a book about a group of witch friends saving their town.
Overall, I did enjoy this book and I would recommend it to someone interested in books about magic!
My Rating: 📖 📖 📖 📖 / 5 spell books.
(3.5 rounded to four)