Uncharmed by Lucy Jane Wood ~ a Review

by MK French

Andromeda "Annie" Wildwood is considered perfect by all the right witches in London, with carefully curated photos and the most delicious pastries in her bakery. She's tapped to become the mentor for orphaned Maeve, who has no one to teach her how to handle her powers. They work in a secluded cabin in the woods, and then the cabin owner unexpectedly shows up. He is brooding and grumpy, but the trio soon bonds. What happens when the coven feels Maeve doesn't need Annie as a mentor any longer?

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

September 2025; Ace; 978-0593820094
audio, ebook, print (384 pages) fantasy

Lucy Jane Wood has a large following online for videos addressing fashion, lifestyle, home renovation, and cooking. These topics show up in this book as well; with Annie running a bakery, it's hard not to. There are paragraphs of backstop in the opening chapters to give the background into the magical society of England, the who's who, and how she met her friends. I found myself skipping past most of it, to be honest. Her friends are catty and fall all over themselves to gossip about how her father wasn't a member of the society and gambled away others' magic. They outright say the only reason she's still a member of their society is that she's useful. With friends like these, of course, she feels obligated to be perfect!

Annie is anxious and unsure of herself as soon as she is outside her comfort zone in the bakery. Maeve is a surly and bullied teenager, and both are under pressure to have picture-perfect magic that has nothing unusual about it. They "don't appreciate anomalies," and I find all of them obnoxious. Maeve, on the other hand, was very likable as she was, for all her teenage changeable moods. Hal drops in halfway through the book, and his presence makes me like the coven even less. Annie eventually sees them for who they are and what they really want, leading to the inevitable showdown at the end. This makes me wonder if this is what it's like to be an influencer, and that I'm not part of that world. Annie's life is incredibly stressful for a nebulous and ever-shifting goalpost, which ultimately is hollow and worthless. I'm glad Annie realizes that and gets a more genuine life.

Buy Uncharmed at Amazon

Born and raised in New York City, M.K. French started writing stories when very young, dreaming of different worlds and places to visit. She always had an interest in folklore, fairy tales, and the macabre, which has definitely influenced her work. She currently lives in the Midwest with her husband, three young children, and a golden retriever.

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