Hi everyone! I decided to post twice this week because I really wanted to get this review out there before the spooky season was over. This book was actually a part of my BOTM subscription; it was one of the October picks! I just finished The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling, and I have much to say so let’s just get right into it.
I was super excited to get this book because it sounded perfect for the fall and Halloween. And since Halloween is my favorite holiday I thought why not. There are tons of Christmas books, so let’s read a Halloween one besides a basic thriller.
A quick synopsis, this book is about a witch, Viviene, who curses her Ex, Rhys, when she finds out he is actually betrothed to someone else back in Wales. In a moment of despair, she and her cousin curse him. Nine years later, Rhys rolls back into town to perform some magic on behalf of his family for the town. And that’s when things start to take a turn, and the curse Vivienne cast becomes out of control. So, they have to work together to figure out how to break it and save the town without falling back in love. You know how it goes though.
This book really reminds me of Hocus Pocus and Halloween Town except a spicier version. There are definitely fall and spooky vibes from this book. It really puts you in the mood for the season which is exactly what I was looking for.
I thought this book was really well written. I feel like when people tend to write about witches and magic it can get really cringey and cliche, but this one wasn’t. Not when there was magic involved at least. Some of the dialogue between Vivienne and Rhys was, but I was more focused on how the magic/witchy stuff would come across. Another thing I really like were the characters. All of them were kind of quirky in their own way, and also so different from each other. I think Rhys and Vivienne complimented each other well; I got their connection and it didn’t seem forced. You could feel the history between them and also see why Vivienne loved him so much before he left. And like I said before, this isn’t a cliché book. It’s different from other spooky stories but still brings together the overall Halloween vibe you’re looking for.
Now, there are some things I didn’t like about this book. One, I feel like the ending happened way too fast. I think the resolution was done and over with way too quickly; it all happened within 15 pages and nothing was really explained. The whole “switching over magic” thing Vivienne and her family did at the end didn’t make sense to me. I feel like I didn’t fully understand what they did.
Another is that I wanted to see more of Rhys and Vivienne’s relationship from the past. Yes, we know why it ended, but I wanted to see when they first met, the summer of romance, even the break-up (maybe) etc. The book states they were previously together for three months which I don’t know…I feel like it should’ve been longer. Three months doesn’t seem like a lot of time to have that deep of a relationship. Or maybe it is, who knows. But it didn’t work for me.
And as I stated before, some of the dialogue was cringey. This book is like a spicy Hocus Pocus (if you’re catching my drift) and some of that dialogue made me cringe. It just felt amauter or mediocre.
Overall, I liked it. I would give it ⅗ stars, and I would definitely recommend reading it especially this time of year. It’s not a long book either, just over 300 pages. I have the hardback version so the font is also huge. So, if you like bigger fonts, that’s definitely a plus for you.
Alright, folks, that’s all I have for now! Come back soon for another post! Thanks for reading!