Back of Book: 

Penny Emberly is caught in a magical feud in order to save her mother's life – perfect for fans of Tracy Wolff and Maggie Stiefvater.

Rumors are the lifeblood of Idlewood, Indiana. The locals whisper that the De Lucas are witches, and that decades prior they cursed the wealthy Barrion family as revenge for a love gone tragically wrong: now, if a Barrion falls in love with you, you’ll die. If this isn’t reason enough for wallflower Penny Emberly to stay away from both families, she doesn’t know what is. But when Penny’s mom is in an accident that leaves her on the brink of death, Penny can’t ignore the rumors anymore—because the Barrion curse is real. And her mom is its latest victim.

In order to save her mom’s life, Penny must bring together two bitter enemies on either side of the feud and work with them to break the curse. For star quarterback Corey Barrion, doing so would mean finally saving his family from the magic that killed his mom. And for misfit witch Alonso De Luca, it would mean convincing everyone in Idlewood—especially Penny—that he isn’t the villain they believe him to be.

But as the trio navigates Alonso's unpredictable magic, the tangled web of Barrion-De Luca history, and an increasingly chaotic group chat, it soon becomes clear that the curse is not what they expected. Did a De Luca really curse the Barrions in a fit of jealousy, or is something even more sinister afoot? Penny will have to conquer her anxiety, wrestle with her budding feelings for Alonso, and delve into dangerous, forbidden magic to find the truth and save her mom—even if it means putting her own life at risk. 

Book Number: One

Genre: Young Adult | Fantasy | Romance

Review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

When a young girl's mother is afflicted by a generational curse, Penny finds herself stuck in the middle of a magical feud between two powerful rival covens.

Rumors about the De Luca and the Barrion families are the lifeblood of Idlewood, Indiana. Penny has heard many things about the two infamous legacies and has been warned time and time again to stay away from these dangerous people. However, when Penny's mother is affected by a curse that is said to be cast on the Barrion family by a member of the De Luca household, Penny can't ignore the rumors anymore. Despite their differences, Penny convinces Alonso De Luca and Corey Barrion to form a temporary alliance to break the curse that is plaguing all three of their lives. Unfortunately, things aren't nearly as simple as they seem and the secrets between the Barrion and the De Luca's run deeper than anyone could have predicted. . .

This book is a bit of a chonky one and it takes a while for the main story plot to really get rolling. Despite this, I was never bored, and I enjoyed getting to slowly learn about Penny, Corey, and Alonso. The length also had me wondering where the story was going; if I would have read this one as an ebook I would have been convinced that this book ended like eight different times. It's been a bit since I've read a book of this length, and I am quite pleased to say that the page count never discouraged me on this one and I enjoyed my time with every flip of the page.

Right away I had a pretty hard time keeping Corey and Alonso (as well as their families) straight. I think this is the main reason I appreciated the one hundred or so intro pages at the beginning of this one, because it would have been super confusing to jump into the main plot line without having a solid foundation of the main characters.

By the time I finished the last page of this book, I felt like I knew and cared about the main trio greatly. Penny, Alonso, and Corey have always judged each other unfairly, so it was nice to see them learn more about one another and put their biased expectations aside. Penny is a typical sweet girl who suffers from social anxiety and panic attacks. I relate quite a bit to her personally, despite the fact that we have very different lifestyles. Alonso is a classic "bad boy" who everyone thinks is a totally troublemaker, but who has a gooey side when you let him truly be himself. I personally found him to be my favorite of the three. Corey is a little more entitled than the other two and is also a tad selfish, which was a nice way to balance out the trio.

The "will they or won't they" trope went pretty crazy in this book. I wouldn't say that this book has a traditional love triangle in it, but there is certainly romantic tension between Penny and both of the boys. It's pretty obvious which one she's crushing on though, so I wouldn't call it a love triangle. The slow burn nature of this book was quite nice (I love me a good slow burn), and I am excited to see where the romance that blossoms at the end of this one goes in the second installment of this duology.

The cliffhanger in this book is crazy, guys! This book tied up many things nicely, but some truths were revealed about the curse that I knew would have to be resolved in book two. There are a couple other more spoilery elements that I was also looking forward to seeing how they would fold out in book two. However, I was not expecting Villaire to pull out one of the cards that she did in the last three pages of this novel. I will be waiting desperately for the last book in this series. I really need to know what happens to Alonso (and the rest of the gang, I guess)!

Overall, "The Glittering Edge" is a fun slow burn urban romantasy starring two covens who hate each other and a girl that will do anything to save her mother. It may not have the most unique premise, but it was executed rather splendidly. I love the characters, the complicated generational lore, and all of the twists that this book pulled. The cliffhanger ending is an absolute banger which has me desperate to get my hands on book two. I would definitely recommend this one if you are a lover of slower paced fantasies that are a bit lore heavy and feature a slow burn romance! 

Back of Book: 

For fans of Stephanie Garber and Holly Black comes the bewitching sequel to The Glittering Edge, where magic is real, witches make irresistible boyfriends, and keeping secrets is dangerous–but not as dangerous as the truth.

Penny Emberly didn’t expect to fall head over heels for Alonso De Luca last summer–or to discover that he’s a witch. Together with their friend Corey Barrion, they managed to save her mother from a deadly spell. Now autumn has arrived, and Penny believes they can take on anything.

But darkness is descending on the small town of Idlewood. Corey is desperate to undo the bloody legacy that made his family rich. The price, however, is steep: to unravel the magical bargain made by his grandfather, Corey must take a life.

As Corey wrestles with an impossible choice, Alonso begins to change. The more he pushes the limits of his magic, the more volatile, violent, and possessive he becomes. When tragedy strikes one of their classmates, the trio is forced to confront a terrifying question: is Alonso being consumed by something that’s bent on the destruction of everyone around him–especially Penny and Corey?

As supernatural forces drive them apart, Penny, Corey, and Alonso must decide what they’re willing to sacrifice before more blood is spilled–even if it means losing each other.

Book Number: Two (Last Book) 

Genre: Young Adult | Fantasy | Romance

Review: ?