Sara Rees Brennan

From the creator of RIVERDALE comes the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, a new NETFLIX series based on the classic Archie comic series. This prequel YA novel tells an all-new, original story. It's the summer before her sixteenth birthday, and Sabrina Spellman knows her world is about to change. She's always studied magic and spells with her aunts, Hilda and Zelda. But she's also lived a normal mortal life -- attending Baxter High, hanging out with her friends Susie and Roz, and going to the movies with her boyfriend, Harvey Kinkle. Now time is running out on her every day, normal world, and leaving behind Roz and Susie and Harvey is a lot harder than she thought it would be. Especially because Sabrina isn't sure how Harvey feels about her. Her cousin Ambrose suggests performing a spell to discover Harvey's true feelings. But when a mysterious wood spirit interferes, the spell backfires... in a big way. Sabrina has always been attracted to the power of being a witch. But now she can't help wondering if that power is leading her down the wrong path. Will she choose to forsake the path of light and follow the path of night? Our exclusive prequel novel will reveal a side of Sabrina not seen on the new NETFLIX show. What choice will Sabrina make... and will it be the right one?

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

Jana Jenkinns 

I absolutely loved this book. I can't wait for the next one.

Sam Kiszonka

Season of the Witch is a prequel to TV series, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, on Netflix. I haven’t watched the show yet! But, I plan on binge-watching ASAP!
I also need to get the next few books so I can binge read them! 😂

This book is dark, magical & overall just a fantastic read!!

“Power shouldn’t only be in the hands of those with cold, fickle hearts. If I wanted better magic, I had to make magic for myself.”

Sarah Rees Brennan has done such a fantastic job bringing this world & the characters to life! I just adored meeting all the characters… again, but for the first time. Because they’re all so different from the show I remember!! Plus some new characters, like Ambrose. Ambrose is definitely my favourite! I would love to learn more about him!!!
Hilda & Zelda were also amazing 😂😂

I also loved the spin on the magic in this world! So I can’t wait to watch the show, or read more of the books, and see where this leads! In the original show, the magic and spells were good/ light… most of the time! So, it was interesting to see the dark elements within this story.

⁣Overall, this is a well-written book! It is a quick, fun read & perfect for the spooky season coming up!!!

I received this book in exchange for an honest review, this has in no way affected my thoughts or opinions. Thank you to the author, Sarah Rees Brennan, and the publisher, Scholastic Australia, for this opportunity

laura

*I got this book for review from the publisher*

I really did wind up enjoying this book. I thought that this book handled the character development so well and really did make excited to pick up the show in the future. I also liked this book did give us looks in to various characters in this world and i LOVED that. This book was def creepy and loved the world that it explored. I thought the plot was a bit on the simply side but a very good read, to gain some background about the characters in the t.v show. Will def be reading more books in this series in the future.

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I received this from Scholastic and Fantastic Flying Book Club! Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book Series: Prequel to the Sabrina Netflix series

Rating: 5/5

Diversity: Roz and Ambrose are African-American and Theo is a transgender man

Publication Date: July 9, 2019

Genre: YA Fantasy/TV Series Backstory…?

Recommended Age: 16+ (slight gore, some violence, love, mature romance, and witchcraft)

Publisher: Scholastic

Pages: 288

Amazon Link

Synopsis: It's the summer before her sixteenth birthday, and Sabrina Spellman knows her world is about to change. She's always studied magic and spells with her aunts, Hilda and Zelda. But she's also lived a normal mortal life - attending Baxter High, hanging out with her friends Susie and Roz, and going to the movies with her boyfriend, Harvey Kinkle.

Now time is running out on her every day, normal world, and leaving behind Roz and Susie and Harvey is a lot harder than she thought it would be. Especially because Sabrina isn't sure how Harvey feels about her. Her cousin Ambrose suggests performing a spell to discover Harvey's true feelings. But when a mysterious wood spirit interferes, the spell backfires in a big way.

Sabrina has always been attracted to the power of being a witch. But now she can't help wondering if that power is leading her down the wrong path. Will she choose to forsake the path of light and follow the path of night?

Review: If you’re a fan of Sabrina, this is the book for you! This is dark and mysterious and it exudes Sabrina! I loved all the character insights into the multiple characters, I loved the backstory for Hilda and Ambrose, and I’m so excited for Season 3 I wanna scream!!! Definitely a book for the fans of Sabrina.

However, I did think that the villain could have been better fleshed out and the climax of the story a bit longer, it just felt so short compared to the rest of the book. I’m also a tad sad that Theo (formerly Susie) wasn’t more fleshed out, he’s my favorite character and I loved seeing him bravely come out on the series. I’m a bit sad that they referred to him as Susie, but I understand that at the time Theo was Susie and I’m not sure at which point he decided he was Theo. 

Verdict: I loved every page.

Heather Harrington

**I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

Full review here

I was a little wary going into this book just because despite my love of Sabrina, I did have a few issues with the Netflix show, but all worries went out the window within the first few pages. I loved this. Brennan did such a wonderful job immersing you into Greendale and Sabrina's world. There were also snippets following the other characters as well, such as Harvey, Ambrose, and even Harvey's brother, Tommy, which was a really nice addition. I especially enjoyed getting to learn a bit more about Ambrose because I don't feel like the show has fully touched upon his story just yet. I did feel there were some clunky bits at times, but the story as a whole outweighed that. This was a super quick, fun tie-in to the show that I think any fan would enjoy.

Megan Leprich

Thank you so much to Scholastic Inc. Books for the free copy of this book for my honest review!

I grew up in the era of the original Sabrina the Teenage Witch and then when I saw they were making a more modern day show I was really excited. Then they came out with a book and my world was officially complete. Witchy, dark books have always been a favorite of mine (probably because Halloween is my favorite holiday) and this book definitely didn’t disappoint! 

This book is based as a prequel to the show on Netflix and follows Sabrina as she’s about to turn 16 and tries to enjoy her last summer with Harvey and her two best friends. Her cousin Ambrose helps her cast a spell on Harvey that shows all of his true feelings. But when a wood spirit deceives Sabrina and the spell goes wrong, Sabrina must decide if she’s going down the wrong path and if all this power is truly worth it. 

I loved the Netflix show Sabrina so I knew I would enjoy getting to learn about her life before the show. It honestly makes the show a little better getting to know more about the backstories to everything and it was so well written. The author’s writing style kept me engaged the entire time and I love how she nailed the characters perfectly. All the characters were well developed and relatable in their own ways and the amount of times I laughed at Sabrina’s aunts tactics made for a great read. 

This book had the perfect amount of darkness, humor, with a bit of romance thrown in for a perfect summer read. I can’t wait for the next book in the series!

Ben Nathan

This was just lovely. She nails every character voice and interaction beautifully. As sometime who teaches teenagers, I could feel how perfect their worries and thoughts were. The dialogue is marvelous as always. SRB is a treasure and her writing (especially Ambrose) makes me giddy.

Jessica 

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The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Series:

  Season of the Witch
: ★★★★★
Daughter of Chaos: TBD 
Path of Night: TBD 

Review was originally posted here at Booked J. 
  As always, a copy of this book was provided by the publisher or author in exchange for participating in the blog tour/my honest review. This does not effect my opinion in any way. 


"Power shouldn't only be in the hands of those with cold, fickle hearts. If I wanted better magic, I had to make magic for myself."

We all know I am obsessed with Archie Comics and its many series both on page and on screen. I've made it a pattern to recap Chilling Adventures of Sabrina as it is airing and, of course, I reviewed the comics years ago. I'm a lifelong Sabrina Spellman fan, to be perfectly honest with you. So, it should come as no shock to you that I am completely in love with this book. We're talking, I've reached CAN I GIVE THIS BOOK MORE THAN FIVE STARS? levels of excitement and joy.

That being said, Season of the Witch is so good. Sarah Rees Brennan was the best choice to write up this prequel because she actually understands these characters and their voices. You can easily see the story play out in your mind. While some prequels and novelizations to television series can feel, at times, unnecessary, Season of the Witch is essential. If you've watched the Netflix series and found yourself mentally trying to fill in the gaps, the before, the characteristics that we've yet to understand, this book will answer many questions for you.

(It also sets a clear path to where the series may go in the future, RE: Mrs. Wardwell now that Madam Satan has resurrected her and seemingly left Greendale, Father Blackwood, Nick Scratch, etc.) 

Season of the Witch is a highly character driven read with that bleak sense of dark comedy and horror you've come to love in the show. Rees Brennan breaths life into the characters we've grown to know and love and fleshes them out further. If you've ever felt like there was a bit of blank space in these characters development, this book fills it in for you. Season of the Witch utilizes its multiple POV in a way that is engrossing and fully understood--we walk away from the novel with a sense of having more knowledge about them than ever.

I thought the spookiness was at a minimum but it still creates a nice balance and ties back into the weeks leading up to the pilot episode. It's impossible to put down and just plain fun. I loved seeing the distinct voices (Sabrina, Ambrose, Harvey, Tommy, Hilda, Zelda, Nick, Prudence, etc) and the varied dynamics (Sabrina/Ambrose and Harvey/Tommy have so many good moments in Season of the Witch and it made me appreciate their bonds even more) from the series.

What I loved most about Season of the Witch was how everything tied together by the end. There was so much that happened in such a modest novel and it all played into the bigger picture beautifully. There were even a few moments that reminded me of the sitcom (re: a spell gone array) and that made me smile in pure nostalgia.

Other things to look forward to: an interaction between two characters that is soon forgotten, Tommy Kinkle character development that makes you appreciate him more/mourn his death from the first season, flashbacks to Sabrina's childhood from the POV of other Spellman family members, Zelda Spellman's narration (!!!!) and so much more.

While the show thrives in its creepy setting and tones of pure empowerment, and destiny, Season of the Witch takes these traits and emphasizes the importance of the familial bonds in the series, as well as the many types of complexities in the human (ahem, or witch) mind.

Overall, I think that Season of the Witch is one of those rare prequels that just works with what we've already known is canon. In short, it is brilliant and thrilling and definitely a great read for fans of the show. If you love the quick wit, creepy atmosphere and tone of the television series you're going to love Season of the Witch with every bit of your heart.

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

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