FORTUNES & FRENEMIES

In this follow-up to Charmed Life (2023), Hasani finds herself faced with questions, choices, and her biggest magical challenges yet.

Hasani and her best friends, Luz, Angelique, and Dee, are back in this third series installment. Still fresh from hearing the news that she’s a witch and having spent her summer at witch camp, Les Belles Demoiselles, Hasani is trying to balance learning more about her magical side as a wildseed with being on the school’s Mathletes team. She’s also continuing to grow her YouTube channel, MakeupontheCheapCheap. This entry involves some chapters from the perspective of LaToya, Hasani’s fellow witch who’s something of a rival; she appears to be up to some grand scheme that apparently involves all of Riverbend Middle School. While strange and possibly dangerous occurrences at school related to LaToya crop up, Hasani and friends are uncertain of exactly what’s going on, and they try to figure out LaToya’s plan and to determine whether they should intervene or “live and let live,” as is the custom of witches. As they embark on their search for answers, they discover more about themselves, each other, and the magical society in which they exist. Dumas continues to expand the worldbuilding while adding layers to the characters’ histories and personalities. Readers should be familiar with the previous volumes to fully immerse themselves in this book.

A fitting sequel that deepens the magical world and its well-developed characters.