Hex Education is a fun, witchy story filled with secrets

Maureen Kilmer’s latest novel is Hex Education, a witchy, fun, and complicated story that’s filled with secrets. But unlike many of the witch books that have come out in the past few years, Hex Education features adult characters and it’s not a romance. The characters have adult jobs and kids and everything. But just because they’re adults and there is no romance plot doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty of drama.

The story revolves around Sarah Nelson, a realtor who is keeping one huge secret from her family (well, maybe two). She is a witch! She keeps her powers under control and only uses them for little jobs around the house.

Her other huge secret is coming back to haunt her (as they are want to do). She must go back to the college she attended. Her in-laws are starting a fund in honor of their daughter who was harmed in a fire on campus.

But what is Sarah’s big secret? She and her friends, Katrina and Alicia, are responsible for that fire. And it’s not like they were just playing with matches. They were testing their magic and BOOM! Everything was up in flames. And now years later, they’ve never told anyone.

Hex Education is a witchy fantasy filled with drama and secrets

With the anniversary of the fire upon them, they meet for the first time since that night. Much different than who they were in college, Alicia is kind of the free spirit of the group with flowing dresses and crystals while Katrina is the CEO, dressed all in black, take no sh*t friend.

As soon as they hug, their magic sparks to life and takes on a mind all its own. Something happens when the coven comes back together and it will take everything they have to keep their secret. But is it worth it? That’s the question.

This book was such a breath of fresh air. While lots of witchy books nowadays feature teen characters or young adults, seeing adults deal with the complications that come with magical powers was an absolute delight.

Sarah is also an incredibly well-developed character and she was the perfect narrator for this story. The journey she takes makes the book hard to put down. She tries so hard to keep her powers at bay, but when a secret wants to come out, nothing will stop it. I loved all the trouble she got into when her powers went haywire as well as the very real struggles she had to face when it became clear that this secret was not staying in the past.

I also LOVED her cat Katy Purry! The cat starts talking about a third of the way into the book and she is an absolute delight. Throughout the book, Kary Purry gives Sarah some definite side-eye based on her choices (as do I).

But the book is not all fun and games. The apology scene between Sarah and her sister-in-law is so well-written I could cry. It’s complex and exactly what it needed to be. It’s one of my favorite scenes in the whole book followed only by the scene where the three friends have a magic fight in the basement of the college gala. This fight is the climax of the book and let’s just say… when a friend tries to hurt/kill you with their magic, maybe you don’t want to stay friends with them anymore. Just a thought.

If you’re looking for a witchy book that is solidly cemented in the real world, you need to read Hex Education. It’s fun and magical and will draw you in from page one.

Hex Education by Maureen Kilmer is available now in ebook, paperback, and audiobook formats.