Nothing is safe around Kristyl Barnette. Windows break. Books rocket across the room. Lights flicker. Strange occurrences follow the sixteen-year-old everywhere. 

When tragedy forces her to move to the small town of Clearwater, Michigan, with her estranged aunt Jodi, Kristyl tries to leave her past behind. But Clearwater has secrets of its own—a mystical history that intersects with Kristyl’s life and might shed light on the inexplicable events that plague her. 

When a mysterious illness threatens her aunt’s life, Kristyl will do anything to cure her. Enlisting the help of witches could save Jodi, but is dealing in magic worth the consequences?


This is a tricky book to rate. Mostly because I'm not sure if I liked it or not. It's one of those books where my finger is poised over the 'Buy Now' button for the sequel on Amazon, and I just can't press it.

Was it entertaining? Yes. 
Am I curious about the next book? Yes. 
Will I read it? Maybe. 

There were more flaws incorporated in this story than positive, and it outweighed too much to pay £3 to read book two. Not to mention, last time I read a free Amazon book and enjoyed book one, the second one let me down and I didn't even finish it.

The primary issue I had with Crystal Magic is that there are way too many people with the name Crystal in this story. I kept getting confused as to who was who, and I kind of lost patience and just rolled with the confusion in the end. And on top of it all, they all seemed pretty similar, too. That's never good for characterization.

Our protagonist Krystal - with a K - was alright as a character, although she was one of those people who I occasionally wished I could shake. She jumped to conclusions, judged people too soon, and would just storm out of the room. And here I am, staring at my Kindle, thinking, 'Again?'. Calm down, woman.

The supporting characters were alright, as well - with nobody special to write home about. They kept the story engaging enough - with the love interests perhaps doing that the least efficiently. And yes, there is more than one. Kind of. And I wasn't entirely won over by them, mostly because they were kind of flat. I can sort of see why the protagonist likes the main love interest, but again - nothing special. 

We're introduced to witchcraft about 50% into a witch book (... I know), but it still felt quite slow, as it's mostly just tidbits and hints as to what to expect. It's only in the last 20% of the book where things actually happen. We finally learn about the other witches at the school and in Clearwater overall, and I was thrilled to finally get some action. We also discover the 'Circle' who are a group of witches who support each other and boost their joint magic. I liked this part, the different personalities, wishes and talents of the other people in the circle, but Krystal... she was just so overly-cautious about people trying to help her. Although, what do I know, I've not read the next four books. Things could change! #cliffhanger.

I don't think I'll finish the story, but it's nice to read something different every once in a while. I've not read many witch books and I think this might have pushed me to read other ones and see what's out there. I sadly don't have a lot to say about this one, mostly because not a lot happened, but give it a go if you want a semi-witch book.




Short but sweet review. I would say I was underwhelmed but it was free, and I can't say I've had much luck with free Amazon Kindle books. Maybe one day I'll grab a fantastic one and it'll be 10000 times better because I didn't pay for it. Have you had much luck with free Amazon books? Do let us know! We wouldn't mind finding a gem in there somewhere. You can either leave us a nice comment down below - or a mean one if you want, but please don't - or find us at any of the following social outlets: