Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book, as this book has already been published, I will not share my review on Netgalley at this time.

This book is just as charming as the first in its series, maybe even more charming. I love that the books infuse life lessons seamlessly into the fantasy world. I have no idea if there's another book in the series, but I'm hoping that there is.

3.75 stars

Fans of the first installment in this *magical* middle grade series will find a lot to love about their triumphant return to Hasani and her peculiar world.

Hasani, the m.c., is entering eighth grade, a truly transitional time for all, but she is going extra hard in that transitional space as she continues to explore her new relationship to and awareness of her magic. While much of the first Wildseed book has to do with this aforementioned motif, Hasani's slightly more advanced grip of this part of her life really highlights how unstable almost all other aspects are. From her family relationships to her friendships to her ongoing struggle with right and wrong, she has a lot to learn. Because Hasani is such a generally *charming* character, it's fun to watch her make decisions, learn from mistakes, and find her way back to her friends, family, and sisters in witchery. That noted, as a well-written young person of her age, she has just enough edge to frustrate readers at times...but that's really her job to some degree.

For me, this second book has a slower start, and I think that has to do with the comparatively general setting. Our collective voyage to 3Thirteen really ramped up the pacing.

Even when I have minor challenges with the pacing, or Hasani's at times maybe too young approach, I still really enjoy these books. Hasani learns just enough to keep her satisfying and readable, but there are also seemingly limitless possibilities for continued life lessons and personal growth. That gives me hope that this is still the early part of a lengthy Wildseed series. I know I'll be devouring the next one as soon as I can get my hands on it!

CHARMING! I loved revisiting Hasani, Dee and Angelique. The lessons Hasani had to learn about friendships were on point for 7th grade girls. Balancing wanting to be a witch but not wanting to mess things up keeps coming up for Hasani and asking for help is not a strength for her. The best lesson the story offers is about influence being magic. That type of power was brought to life and explained so well. I really loved 3Thirteen and want to see the coven explore it more in the next book. Great sequel to Wildseed Witch!
Thanks NetGalley!

WILDSEED WITCH was one of my favourite MG reads last year, so I was delighted by the opportunity to read the sequel! Marti Dumas brings back all the wonderful things I loved about the first book: the pitch-perfect voice, the humor, the *drama*, and all the delightfully girly magic (unicorns! kittens! makeup!) I would've adored as an MG reader.

I will caveat that CHARMED LIFE doesn't quite reach the magical heights of its predecessor, imho. There are lengthy chapters where the pace meanders, and Hasani's ... uh, judgements felt a little less understandable this time around. Don't get me wrong, I love seeing heroines make mistakes and act imperfectly. But there were periods where she was quite difficult to root for, and I'm unconvinced the ending settled those threads well enough to justify it -- especially because everyone seemed so keen to insist nothing was her fault.

Nevertheless, there is so much to love about this series. SO MUCH. The rich, evocative New Orleans setting. The word of witches, which is delightfully expanded and deepened compared. The fun interplay of technology and magic. It's shimmering, glittering, heart-filled witchiness, and I can't WAIT to see where Dumas goes next.