Set in the hubbub of modern-day New York City, AM Kvita’s An Unlikely Coven is a heartrending and heart-mending adventure centered on chosen family, slow-burning sapphic heroines and self-acceptance.
Joan Greenwood was born to an elite family of witches who rule the Manhattan covens, but she has always felt disconnected from her magical side. While her family can cast spells, she struggles to even channel magic, let alone get it to bend to her will. Her desire to exist in the human world as an architect and artist and her respect for “Moon Creatures” like vampires and fae also sets Joan apart from them. But when she returns to the city after seven years away, she’s immediately plopped right back into the cycle of generational trauma and expectations, pomp and circumstance, and family drama she tried so hard to leave. Joan is more than ready to leave the Greenwood clan’s crises behind once again—until she unexpectedly lands in the midst of the latest trouble at hand. Someone has managed to craft a spell that successfully turned a human into a witch.
The heart of this book lies in the titular unlikely coven itself—strong, memorable, diverse characters who readers would be happy to follow in standalone adventures. From Grace, an expert spell crafter with secrets up her sleeve; to CZ, Joan’s platonic soulmate and a vampire; to the human-turned-witch themselves, Mik, Joan’s friends surround her with unconditional love, something quite lacking in her power-hungry family (save for her sister, Molly). The camaraderie between the coven members shines in their humorous dialogue as well as their heart-to-hearts, and unexpected friendships and alliances form as the characters get to know one another better.
Kvita has woven a lush, magical realm that feels both familiar and refreshing: Readers may recognize New York locations but will be thrilled by Kvita’s ability to infuse the magical and mystical into their setting with aspects such as a witch subway system, magicked metropolitan maps and an extraordinary night market filled with artifacts sold by Moon Creatures. This wonderful world thrums right beneath the surface of New York City, and is organically revealed with each of the group’s adventures.
An Unlikely Coven is a fascinating fantasy read about the elite’s greed for power; queer and BIPOC witches with plenty of delicious romantic tension; and following your morals even when that means breaking away from the only world you’ve ever known. Readers will yearn for more of these characters and this world, and will eagerly await the next installment of the Green Witch Cycle.