The Wycherleys

 By: Annaliese Avery  

Location: FIC AVE

Genre: Romantasy 

Recommended by Mrs Zani Button

Fall head over broomstick in love with this swoon-worthy, witchy romantic fantasy, perfect for fans of Twin Crowns, Divine Rivals and Stephanie Garber.

For the Kingdom. For the magic. And for love . . . Seventeen-year-old Aurelia Wycherley is entering her debutante season as a witch. Aurelia should be excited about finding the perfect match to tether her magic to. But her magic is cursed – dark, dangerous, and not the kind that her peers want to match with – and, without a tether, she faces losing her magic completely. But when Aurelia learns that enigmatic, aloof Jules, a member of arch enemy family the Nightlys, is searching for a way that a witch can keep their magic without tethering, she realises he may be her only hope. A forbidden alliance is formed . . . but as they navigate the Magical Season with its glamoured balls and perilous trials, they uncover dark forces that threaten their families and the magical world they live in. Expect family secrets, generational curses, forbidden romance, gorgeous ballgowns, bribery, extortion, trespass, magic and kissing . . . lots of kissing.

Mia reviews this book

 Such a lovely surprise, this was! I went into this book completely blind, with zero expectations, and ended up pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it.

Set around a debutante ball where witches are meant to find their magical match, the story follows Aurelia Wycherley, a young woman from a prominent witch family who’s been saddled with a curse on her magic that makes her an unattractive prospect for any eligible partner, putting her firmly on the outside of the social scene.

Aurelia was genuinely a fun protagonist to follow! As a witch dealing with a curse that marks her as an outcast, she’s handled with a lot of care, and I really liked how her kind, thoughtful personality came through on the page. The book has a very sweet, lightly humorous tone that makes it an easy and enjoyable read. The MMC, Jules, is introduced early on, and while he comes off as a slightly starchy, mini–Mr. Darcy type at first, his interest in Aurelia is clear from page one. Like Darcy, it’s shown in a subtle way that I really appreciated.

Their dynamic develops nicely, and I felt the book built a real sense of camaraderie between them, letting their connection lean more toward a slower burn, which worked well for me.

I did feel that the latter half of the book, where many of the overarching plot points come together, got a little convoluted. This led to an ending that felt slightly rushed in its execution, though it didn’t significantly mar my overall enjoyment.

The book really shined when depicting Aurelia’s friendships, her relationships, and the fun fake-courting scheme between her and Jules. Overall, this is very much a breezy read, and I think readers looking for fun historical shenanigans mixed with balls, an easy-to-follow magical world, and an adorable touch of Regency-style matchmaking will have a great time with it.