Bad Witches by H.B. Akumiah

Welcome Back, Booklovers! I was in the mood for an urban fantasy read for the fall and Bad Witches sounded like just what I needed since I was looking for something a little bit lighter. So when Libro FM offered it as one of the ALCs I knew I had to jump at the chance.

Bad Witches follows three women with the same birthday who end up meeting at a bar where powers they never knew about are activated at the same time. There have been no new witches for years now as witches have been giving birth to normal babies in what is called the Typic (normal humans) Crisis. Nadia, a councilor working with the Witch Health Organization has been attempting to figure out a way to undo the curse and replenish the witch population and she believes Maya, Delali, and Gabbie may be the answer if they learn to get their magic under control.

At times while listening to the audiobook it could be a little confusing because it is such a large cast of characters with changing povs. But the friendship between the women from very different backgrounds was fun to read about their meetups and group text as they dealt with using their new powers to make gains in their every day life and the sanctions from the Council that came along with it. The modern day approach to witchcraft was interesting and sets this apart from other urban fantasies. 

The author leans heavily into the Sex in the City vibes even name dropping the show in text along with other pop culture references which at times gave the book a very 2000s feel. Mentions of hair, makeup, and designer duds are fun at first but become a little excessive towards the middle as details about their training took a backseat. I also think it would've been better to have the women newly 30 as opposed to newly 22 because despite their immaturity at times they did read a little older. The four povs are unequally balanced with some characters getting more attention than others.

The world building could've been better spread throughout rather than dumped in increments and the race to add more depth to it at the end. The story also lacked a common enemy in need of defeating to tie these women together though it seems like one is set up for a possible book 2. The ending felt rather abrupt and leaves readers with so many unanswered questions that should've been resolved here.

It was a fun, somewhat nostalgic read with a little drama sprinkled throughout to keep things going. If this is destined to become a series I hope to see the same effort and attention to detail given to the spells and magic that the elaborate designer outfits and hairstyles were given here.