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Book: “Only Spell Deep” by Ava Morgyn
Publishing Info: St. Martin’s Griffin, March 2026
Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!
Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound
Book Description: Judeth Cole has always had certain uncanny abilities. But when she arrived at Solidago – her grandfather’s estate by the sea – she was forced to keep them secret. There she lived a harsh life under his rule and the haunting legacy of her late grandmother, Aurelia. Until the fateful day she ignited a fire with her magic. It was the last time she saw her family alive.
Seventeen years later, she’s living in Seattle as Jude Clark, and failing at life, when she makes a last detour through her favorite bookstore, selecting a book to read as she waits to die. But when she pulls it from the shelf, an invitation to her for a clandestine midnight meeting slips out.
Jude is quickly swept up into a world of secrets and magic, discovering a circle of powerful new companions led by the mysterious, enigmatic Arla. The source of their magic, Arla tells her, is a goddess, trapped and bound, that they call The Fathom. But Jude swiftly realizes Arla wants this power all to herself, and that she’s willing to kill for it.
Terrified, Jude turns to Levi Orman, the handsome bookseller who’s seen her at her worst. With his help, she begins a research journey that leads her from the crystal waters of the Mediterranean to the icy waves of the Greenland Sea and back to Solidago, the house she swore to never return to. With the Fathom threatening to break free and Arla on the hunt, Jude must finally face her past to save her future.
Review: I’ve read a few books by this author, and while none of them have blown my socks off, they’ve also been solid fantasy reads. I don’t read too many contemporary fantasy novels, so Morgyn has been a good option for keeping a toe in the waters of that particular subgenre. This one stood out for its comparisons to Rebecca and the promise of another gothic read.
So, this was a bit of a mixed-bag read for me. On one hand, I do see the comparisons to Rebecca, but that mostly coincides with some basic staples of gothic fiction. Sure, there’s specifically a fire, but I’m not sure this is quite enough to justify this comparison. On the other hand, I did enjoy the gothic elements we got here. I wish there had been a bit more done with them, but the atmosphere of this book was one of its primary high points.
The pacing was pretty unsteady, however. It started off strong, and I was immediately drawn in and invested in the character and story. Things were happening, the plot was moving, tension was building. But then it felt like the book ran headlong into a brick wall somewhere around the one-third mark and then was mired there for a good chunk of the middle. Yes, the ending once again picked up the pace, and things concluded on a high note. But this middle section dragged.
On paper, this is the section where I should have been becoming more invested in the characters and the romance, as much of the page time was devoted to dialogue and smaller moments. But somehow the balance always felt off between description and action, and I found myself losing interest more and more often.
Further, one of the elements I enjoyed about the fantasy portion of the story were the Goddesses who were introduced. Instead of languishing in prolonged research during this middle portion, I wish the book had devoted more time to fleshing out this part of the story. There were a lot of interesting ideas here, but by the end of the book, I was left with questions and wishing we had gotten more from this particular avenue.
I was also fairly lukewarm on the characters and the romance as a whole. Readers should definitely not go into this expecting much from the romance. It is very secondary to anything else, and I didn’t find it particularly compelling. The main character had a more interesting arc, but even here, there were several themes that were thrown in that felt almost like they were there simply for the shock factor rather than to be truly dealt with in a meaningful way.
Overall, this was just an OK read. I really enjoyed the beginning and the ending, and I thought there were some interesting fantasy elements, particularly the Goddesses. But the pacing was uneven to the point that the middle of the book lagged badly, and the romance felt almost unnecessary for the amount of attention it got in the end. Fans of this author will likely be pleased, but it didn’t quite work for me.
Rating 7: It’s an odd thing for me when the love story feels like the part that doesn’t quite fit. Some interesting fantasy concepts are held back by uneven pacing, as well.
Reader’s Advisory:
“Only Spell Deep” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Best Magical Realism: Witchy Fiction and Fire Burn And Cauldron Bubble.
The Library Ladies 