Calling All Romantasy and Paranormal Lovers!
Alright my fellow spicy book dragons, let's talk about Night Witch, the second book in Jaymin Eve's Weatherstone College series. If you haven't read Spell Caster yet, I definitely recommend starting there because Night Witch picks up after the events of the first book and dives even deeper into the mysteries surrounding Paisley, Logan, Weatherstone, and the magical world they live in.
After that ending, we know there is something very different about Paisley's magic. She's a Night Witch. But what exactly is a Night Witch? Why does no one seem to know much about them? And why is Paisley the only one in her family?
Those questions become a huge part of this book, and I don't want to tell you the answers because discovering them alongside Paisley is half the fun. Let's just say the history surrounding Night Witches is much darker and more complicated than Paisley realizes. And thank goodness because after Spell Caster, I needed answers!
Paisley and Logan Are Back
Paisley Hallistar: Smart, strong-willed, hardworking, and still slightly self-deprecating. After everything she experienced during her first year at Weatherstone, Paisley is understandably overwhelmed. She's trying to figure out her magic, what happened with Belle, what Logan is hiding, and whether she even wants to return to Weatherstone.
Logan Kingston: Powerful, tattooed, arrogant, mysterious, possessive, and still completely obsessed with his "Precious." Logan continues to be one giant walking question mark, except this time we finally start getting some answers about why his connection with Paisley is so intense.
Enter Stalkcaster
The beginning of Night Witch starts a little out in left field with Paisley working at a roller rink and playing a little roller derby. Don't worry. It starts making sense pretty quickly. When Sara arrives.
I really enjoyed their friendship in this part of the book. Paisley finally has someone she can unload everything onto, including what happened with the creatures, Belle, Logan, and her newly discovered powers.
And then Paisley receives a mysterious text. Okay, it's not that mysterious because we all know exactly who it is.
Logan. Or, as Paisley hilariously saves him in her phone:
Stalkcaster.
I absolutely loved that. Logan is still being his cryptic self, sending Paisley messages that create more questions than answers. Sir, please just finish one explanation before creating another mystery. But apparently normal communication isn't Logan Kingston's style.
The Romance Finally Gives Us Answers
One of my favorite parts of Night Witch is finally getting more information about Paisley and Logan's history.
Their connection was one of the biggest mysteries in Spell Caster. Logan clearly knew far more about their childhood than Paisley remembered, and his constant hot-and-cold behavior made it almost impossible to figure out exactly what he wanted.
This book finally starts pulling back those layers. We get more childhood memories, more information about their connection, and a much better understanding of why Logan has always been so intensely drawn to Paisley.
And once Logan decides he's done hiding how he feels? Everyone knows it. The possessive, protective, touch-her-and-die energy is definitely turned up in this book.
There is one particular moment involving another guy getting a little too interested in Paisley where Logan makes his feelings extremely clear.
Message received, sir.
Wait... Is That a Cougar?
Even with all the secrets and magical danger, this book has plenty of moments that had me laughing. Including one of the most random morning-after conversations I've read.
Paisley wakes up at Logan's house and basically has to ask:
"Logan... is that a cougar?"
Yes. It is, in fact, a cougar. Her name is Misti.
Paisley immediately loves her, and Logan's reaction to watching his girl give another giant predator all her attention had me cracking up.
Never thought we'd see Logan Kingston jealous of a cougar, but here we are.
The Casters
Then we get another fun surprise involving Logan. Paisley, Sara, and Haley head out to meet him without completely knowing what they're walking into. Naturally, they start coming up with increasingly ridiculous possibilities. Then they discover Logan has another side to him.
Let's just say the night involves music, a few surprises, and Paisley seeing Logan in an entirely different setting. I loved this section because it gave us a break from some of the heavier magical mysteries and let the characters have fun. It also gives us more time with the larger friend group. And my fellow spicy book dragons, the banter is fantastic.
Sara and Tobias especially had me dying laughing. Those two together are pure chaos, and I need more of it.
Back to Weatherstone
Eventually, it's time to return to Weatherstone. And that's when things start getting crazy again. Paisley now has an extremely rare magical affinity that she can't exactly advertise to everyone.
There are still unanswered questions surrounding Belle. Her family finds out Paisley has been keeping some pretty major secrets. Her relationship with Logan isn't exactly subtle anymore. And the magical danger surrounding Paisley definitely hasn't disappeared.
If anything, things are getting worse.
What I really enjoyed is that the book doesn't simply repeat the mysteries from Spell Caster. We start getting answers while uncovering an entirely new layer of Weatherstone's history.
Paisley isn't just trying to figure out what she can do anymore. She's trying to understand what she is and why the council wanted that knowledge forgotten.
That's where things get really interesting.
So Many Secrets
There are a lot of moving pieces in Night Witch.
Belle is back, but something about her still isn't right. Paisley's family has their own secrets and reactions to everything happening around her. The Kingston and Hallistar family drama is definitely not finished.
And then she begins experiencing another problem that makes everyone question whether something much more dangerous is happening behind the scenes.
I don't want to explain much more because this is where the book starts throwing twists at you.
Some I expected. Others? Not even a little. There was definitely some: What the fuck just happened?! energy in this one.
More Than Just Paisley and Logan
Another thing I really enjoyed was getting more from the side characters. Paisley, Sara, and Haley continue building their friendship, and I love their dynamic. Once you add Logan, Tobias, and Noah? Even better.
The group banter helps balance out some of the darker parts of the story, and there are several moments that had me laughing out loud. There may also be some interesting chemistry developing between a few people.
I'm watching you, Haley and Noah. And Sara and Tobias?
Please. I need this. Their banter alone would make an entire book entertaining.
The Night Witch Mystery
The biggest reason I enjoyed this book was learning more about Paisley's affinity. The history of the Night Witches is fascinating, especially once Paisley starts discovering just how much information has been lost, hidden, or deliberately erased.
There is far more to her power than simply having another rare magical ability. As the pieces start falling into place, Paisley begins understanding why Night Witches are different and what their magic actually means.
I'm keeping this intentionally vague because this was one of my favorite parts to discover while reading. Just know that things get absolutely chaotic.
There are dangerous magical discoveries, major confrontations, some shocking revelations, and at one point everything goes completely to shit.
You know. Normal Weatherstone College activities.
The Verdict
Highly Recommended For: Readers who love paranormal romance, romantasy, magical academies, Dark Academia vibes, fated mates, childhood connections, possessive MMCs, touch-her-and-die energy, hidden powers, magical conspiracies, strong friendships, family secrets, spicy romance, and plenty of plot twists.
I really enjoyed Night Witch. The first book introduced the mystery surrounding Paisley, but this one finally starts giving us the answers we've been waiting for while opening the Weatherstone world even further.
Paisley and Logan's relationship gets more development, the history surrounding her affinity was one of my favorite parts, and I loved getting more time with the entire friend group. The banter had me laughing.
The romance gave me the possessive Logan moments I wanted. The magical mystery kept me interested. And some of those twists? Yeah. I wasn't ready.
There is also a novella coming called The Shadow Accords, where the Weatherstone world collides with Jaymin Eve's Shadow Beast Shifters universe as a dangerous force threatens the stability of their worlds.
As someone who enjoyed the Shadow Beast Shifters series, I'm definitely looking forward to seeing these worlds collide.
And if we happen to get more Sara and Tobias or Haley and Noah along the way? Even better.
๏ปฟ๏ปฟ๏ปฟ๏ปฟ๏ปฟ๏ปฟ๏ปฟ๏ปฟ๏ปฟ๏ปฟHappy reading, and remember my fellow spicy book dragons, before starting a book please check the tropes, and always check for trigger warnings. Nobody likes an unfinished book because the tropes aren't your cup of tea or to have a bad experience reading due to the trigger warnings.
