A Spell in the Country

By: Heide Goody, Iain Grant

Narrated by: Diana Croft

Jenny doesn’t know what they’ll do when they find out she’s a wicked witch.

She can’t help being a wicked witch. It’s in her blood.

She’s supposed to eat children, blast people with witchfire, and plot dark deeds with her foul-mouthed imp familiar, Jizzimus. Instead, she’s rescued a girl, Kay, from a band of people traffickers. To keep her safe they have signed up for a college course in an English country mansion. Jizzimus is not impressed.

The mansion is not the safe haven they thought it would be. They say they want to turn good witches into great witches, but witches are going missing, there are far more ghosts round here than there ought to be and there is something huge and terrible in the woods.

If Jenny thought that messing up her witchcraft coursework and getting distracted by the handsome gardener was going to be the worst of her problems, she’s dead wrong.

With new witch friends, sexy mind-controller Caroline and soft-hearted herbalist Dee, Jenny’s determined to get to the bottom of this mystery. It turns out that at Effie Fray’s training college you have to learn fast or die trying.

You’ll love this fun-loving witch academy audiobook because sometimes it needs friends to show us how to be a better version of ourselves.

©2018 Heide Goody and Iain Grant (P)2020 Heide Goody and Iain Grant

very funny

i love the Imp even though he is a little horney he is funny
great story very intertaining best naration ever

entertaining and worth the credit

I bought this book because I love the authors and am a fan of the cloven hoof series. I found it wildly entertaining both in the story and performance. It’s funny, quirky and after a bit of a slow beginning, a fantastic and addictive listening experience. Out of the hundreds of audiobooks I’ve purchased, this is one of 3 I’ve felt deserved a written review. Thanks to both the authors and audible for the great work.

Not what I expected

The book was well written, but not quite what I was expecting. I would definitely listen again.

The book description did not quite match up to the story, and left me thinking it was the wrong audiobook for the entire first quarter of the book.

It was not the greatest of starts, but I think I could listen again and enjoy the story more now I know what it was about.

Brilliant!

Diana Croft is nothing short of amazing as a narrator.
The story was entertaining and a fresh take on the genre.

Amusing

This is well written and funny. I laughed a fair amount. Well worth a read.

Delightful

In depth character development of funny, delightful and intelligent women. Wonderful narration. As close to Terry Pratchet, someone who’s writing I’ve desperately missed in my efforts to make sense of the world through humor.

Jizzimus Was My Favorite

This is the first novel I have read by these authors and it was a thoroughly delightful read! It was funny, witty, a little nail-biting at times and enthralling. My favorite character was the imp, Jezzimus. He was raunchy and totally hilarious. This is a must read/listen. Diana Croft was amazing as the narrator.

Reluctant hero witch & her demon

What a fun, silly book! Toss a bunch of ladies together for a free 3-week self-development course in the countryside with a bit of mystery, a bit of magic, and at least one very vocal and naughty little demon. lol Jenny and Jizzimus had me laughing often. I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect with this story but I enjoyed the ride nonetheless. Since the tale starts off a little serious with Jenny rescuing young Kay from some sort of human trafficking, I wasn’t sure if this book was going to be a thriller or a comedy. But if you’re looking for something light-hearted, I think this fits the bill, and then some. Kay and Jenny get to meet out some justice along their way to self-improvement while in the country.

Jizzimus is a little entertaining smartass. He often had me laughing (often in an inappropriate and juvenile way). I could just picture Jenny face-palming often, at a loss for how to rein in Jizzimus. And yet the little guy seems to have a little heart of gold too, always watching out for Jenny when it really matters.

And Jenny’s secret (which we know right away) is that she’s a wicked witch (even though she denies herself the worst of her witchy ways like eating kids). It causes her some angst but her will is strong and refuses to give in to the bad habits that give her kind a bad reputation and end them on an impromptu pyre.

Meanwhile, the self-development course is full of all sorts of surprises! Indeed, Jenny finds out she has a lot in common with these other ladies. They are an eclectic lot and there’s a lot of fun personalities to mesh and collide and bounce off each other. It also turns out that not all of them are as benevolent as we first think. The plot thickens! By the end, we have a lot of questions answered, some solid justice handed out, and a good place for a sequel to launch off of. 5/5 stars.

The Narration: Diana Croft was a good fit for this book. I felt her voice for Jenny was spot on and I loved her voice for the irascible Jizzimus. My one little quibble would be that a few of her male character voices could use a bit more masculinity. Croft did have unique voices for all the characters so it was easy to keep them straight, which was especially important for all the quick back-and-forth conversations and quips. The pacing was spot on and there were no tech issues with this recording. 4.5/5 stars.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are 100% my own.

Super fun

Great story with vivid MC's, hardcore crime and Magic. Can't go wrong with the authors. Perhaps there will be more?

Hilarious and fun

Characters, plot, setting all great. A bit of a “Terry Pratchett meets Liane Moriarty” vibe, and Goody and Grant’s personal style. And the Audible performance: fantastic— the reader is top marks with accents and personalities.