Series written by Bella Forrest, published 2018-2019.
After a lifetime of bouncing through the foster care system, suffering abuse and abandonment, Harley Smith has, finally, secured some stable independence: her own apartment, a cushy job at a casino, and a pet project in the form of a 1967 Mustang lovingly dubbed, “Daisy”. Harley has everything she’s ever needed, but her life is upended once again after a dangerous incident in the casino parking lot involving an angry gargoyle and a handsome, but standoffish warlock named Wade. Without any time to wrap her head around what happened, Harley is thrust headfirst into the hidden world of magicals and covens. As Harley attempts to find her footing in her new reality, she discovers that this world contains answers about her past and the parents she’s never known. But those secrets come with their own dangers, more deadly than any gargoyle.
The best way I can describe this series is Harry Potter and the Wizarding World meets Jace Wyland and the Shadowhunters. There are many elements in the plot lines, world-building, and characters that are similar, but I think Forrest has done a good job of breathing new potential into something so striking in its familiarity. She brings in more international lore right from the very beginning, establishing a hidden world that’s bright and mysterious.
For all my fellow Owl House fans out there, I will say that Harley Merlin is my Good Witch Azura and Bella Forrest is my Mildred Featherwhyle. In terms of Forrest’s writing style, she is generally hyperbolic; she tends to overexplain things, and the dialogue can get kind of cheesy. And yet, for all of that, this is one of my favorite series. There’s something about Harley and the world of magicals that feels real to me and sucks me in. I don’t know if I can properly explain it, to be honest. It’s just one of those worlds that really speaks to me. So, if you're looking for a more melodramatic read with sassy characters, a solid mystery, and a touch of romantic interest, I definitely recommend the first book, Harley Merlin and the Secret Coven.
This series contains language, some steamy scenes, and violence including blood, death, child abuse, and sexual harassment. I know that sounds like a lot, but to be perfectly frank, all of the details are kept pretty mild and vague. It may be triggering for some readers, but I do think it’s safe for young adults ages sixteen and up.
Here come the spoilers!
"Compassion went a long way toward steering people off a certain path. I knew that firsthand."
One of my biggest quibbles, stylistically speaking, was Forrest’s decision to narrate part of the story through Katherine’s point of view. The only reason you would let your villain talk directly to your audience is that you want the reader to empathize with them on some level and learn from their journey as well as the hero’s. But Katherine Shipton is essentially the female version of Lord Voldemort. She’s vengeful, ambitious, arrogant, cunning, and ruthless. She believes that she is the highest power, and she won’t stop until she achieves the impossible, takes out everyone that ever stood in her way, and rules the world. There’s nothing there to empathize with. Voldemort got some screen time in the books for the sake of the plot, but you wouldn’t actually want Voldemort to narrate half of the story. He wouldn’t have anything to say other than giving orders to the Death Eaters, “Crucio,” “Avada Kedavra,” or the occasional monologue about how the world will be a better place once he kills Harry Potter and takes over the Wizarding World. That would get boring and super annoying! This is basically what Katherine’s narration was, and that is pretty much the way it felt—boring and super annoying.
That ending was totally satisfying though! Finch swooping in at the last second to save the day was definitely one of my favorite parts of the series. It was Finch’s moment of redemption, and I just love that after so much neglect and self-doubt, he’s found a family truly worth dying for and that family has embraced him as one of their own. It was also a nice twist that Harley wasn’t the only hero and she didn’t have to deliver the final blow. She’s been carrying all of the responsibility when it came to stopping Katherine, and it was a relief for me that Finch was able to step in and have a hero moment of his own.
Speaking of Finch, the series carries on, focusing on his servitude for Erebus. I don’t think I’ll continue on with that arc, though I am slightly tempted for the sole purpose of finding out if Finch finds love again (potentially with Harley’s adoptive sister, Ryann?!). That seems like something I could just have someone tell me though, so if you want to gush, I will accept spoilers in this one instance.
There were so many good scenes, and I have so many favorite parts, I couldn’t fit them all into this one review, so I would really like to carry on the conversation! Feel free to comment with your favorite part of the series!
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