Only Spell Deep by Ava Morgyn

Judeth Cole comes from a line of magical women. She and her mother lived with Jude’s grandfather, who was controlling and abusive to all the women in his sphere. Jude tries to escape from his hellish control and ends up engulfing his large estate in flames, also killing her mother and their beloved housekeeper. Several years later, Jude has changed her name and tried to erase all memories of her past, though the guilt of her actions is inescapable. A letter from a mysterious woman sweeps Jude into a dangerous series of events that she feels compelled to resolve.

I adored Ava Morgyn’s previous novel The Bane Witch so I had sky-high expectations for Only Spell Deep. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite deliver. Nonetheless, I loved the atmospheric writing and witchy aspects of the book. Jude was a strong main character, and I rooted for her throughout. However, I was never really sold on The Fathom plot. The intricacies were too confusing, and I didn’t truly understand Arla’s motivations. Also, the romance plot was slightly too insta-love for me to find believable. Still, this book was entertaining and dark, although not my favorite.