Don't Hex with Texas

Rating All Ages Genre fantasy Publisher Ballantine Books External Links Official Don't Hex with Texas Website

Katie Chandler, that magically immune girl, is back in her fourth novel. For those not in the know, magically immune means that Katie is not affected by magic whatsoever (and obviously can’t do magic). This makes her a special asset since, in the magical world of this book there are plenty of wizards who could do her harm if she wasn’t immune.

As it is part of a series, this book is definitely best read after reading the first three. After a series of mishaps: being kidnapped, held for ransom, and the cause of the bad guy still being on the loose, Katie Chandler decides to move back to her hometown down in Texas to get away from all the magic of New York City.

At first, it seems that everything is normal. She is back to helping in the family store and hanging out with her friend, but suddenly, things start to happen. Her mother, who is also immune to magic, has seen strange occurrences, such as people dancing for no reason and a statue moving. At first, Katie tries to put it off since she knows that there are no magical people there, but once she actually sees what’s going on she realizes that she’s dabbling with bigger problems, and her biggest enemy, Idris. It doesn’t take long for top notch wizards from New York City to come down and solve the problem once and for all. It’s a cute story and melds together magic and the real world nicely. Not everyone can do magic, and those that can must adhere to strict guidelines to remain on the ‘light side’ of magic. But even the bad guy adheres to a certain kind of law.

Although there’s some action, the majority of the novel is about relationships, mostly between Katie and Owen. It’s definitely chick lit, which isn’t a bad thing. However, this genre is not for everybody. The writing is okay, albeit a little simple. Several things are repeated in the story, like the time that people went ga-ga over Owen because of some spell. Do we really care? Maybe, but it’s not really a crucial part of the story.

I also think that this novel could have been more interesting if it was a little darker and not so…fluffy. There’s no real antagonist and the suspenseful fight at the end isn’t suspenseful at all. This is namely because we all know it’s going to turn out all right. It’s formulaic, and although there are a couple of twists along the way, it’s nothing that will really catch you by surprise. The ending seems open-ended enough that there could be a fifth book. Although now that Idris is out of the way, it’ll probably concentrate on the bigger enemies. Despite the chick lit style, this book is an interesting meld of the real world and fantasy. It explains to us that magic really can exist in everyday life, but we just don’t notice it because it’s hidden from normal people.

Overall, it’s an enjoyable read that you don’t really have to think too deeply about. It’s a little difficult to connect with the characters if you’re coming into the series on the fourth book, so I suggest you pick up the other three to understand the various relationships.