The Witch's Assistant: A Supernatural Romantic Comedy

by A. T. Napoli

Overview

In a witty urban fantasy for fans of The Devil Wears Prada, a hapless barista becomes embroiled in a world of business, backstabbing, and . . . the occult?

As a twenty-three-year-old college dropout, Clark Crane has nothing to show for himself but three dead-end jobs. So when he becomes the unlikely intern for enigmatic celebrity Charisma Saintly and her “coven” of personal assistants, he’s prepared to do whatever it takes to succeed. Only, he has no idea who—or what—Charisma really is . . .

Clark runs headfirst into this new world of midnight rituals, deadly rivalries, and notes passed furtively between Charisma and her VIP clientele. Soon, a mysterious maid warns him to “get out now,” while he still can, but romance is budding with someone he met on the job. Clark isn’t sure what to do or who to believe. After all, he’s told a million girls would kill to be in his position.

But when he witnesses Charisma firing one of her assistants by murder and magic, Clark knows one thing’s certain: his boss can be a real witch! It seems no one just quits her glamorous web. Will Clark unravel the coven’s secrets and survive to tell the tale, or will he become the next victim in a cutthroat game of witchcraft and ambition?

The first book in A. T. Napoli’s B*tchcraft series, The Witch’s Assistant is a story about finding one’s self in a world where magic is all around—and finding love in unexpected places.

“A quirky and queer urban fantasy homage to The Devil Wears Prada.” —Kirkus Reviews

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781039469273
Publisher:	Podium Publishing
Publication date:	09/03/2024
Series:	B*tchcraft , #1
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	5.25(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.00(d)

About the Author

A. T. Napoli went from starving artist to celebrity makeup artist before writing his B*tchcraft novels. Having studied English literature and women & gender studies at Marymount Manhattan and Hunter College, he now boasts over a decade of experience in fashion and beauty. Napoli has worked with world-renowned entertainers such as Halsey and Lizzo as well as the editors of Allure, in which he is frequently mentioned. Like Clark in B*tchcraft, he often tries to save the day. Napoli is a first-generation American who resides in his native Astoria, New York.

Editorial Reviews

2024-06-17
A young man stumbles into the world of witches after accepting a position working for a famous socialite in Napoli’s novel.

Twenty-three-year-old Clark (“like Kent”) Crane works a dead-end job at a local coffee shop to pay the bills after dropping out of college. A former English major, Clark lives alone in a tiny apartment in Queens. He lacks direction in his life (especially in his career) until a family friend inexplicably sets him up for a job interview to work for Charisma Saintly (whose name is clearly a direct reference to the character of Miranda Priestly from the filmThe Devil Wears Prada). Unbeknownst to Clark, Charisma is globally famous—and, incidentally, a witch. What exactly Charisma is famous for is lost on Clark and remains obscure for most of the novel; however, her notoriety has established her as a renowned taste-maker for celebrities and the otherwise wealthy. Clark’s interview with Charisma’s “fourth assistant,” Monica, does not go well from the start—Clark bumbles through her questions, caught off guard when Monica mentions Charisma’s coven and refers to witches. Regardless, he is offered a position. Things become stranger as he starts the job, where he is essentially the only man. One exception to this rule is the bartender at Charisma’s bar: Joey, a handsome Italian American from Brooklyn who immediately charms Clark, kicking off a whirlwind romance. As the overworked, unpaid, and completely unappreciated Clark complains to friends, many of them ask him why he puts up with such terrible treatment, which leads to the novel’s main flaw: Clark’s unclear motivation. Any time the question comes up, Clark responds with some unconvincing line about it being “a new opportunity… that could ‘open many doors.’” This is never really resolved, though an entity who appears later in Clark’s dreams indicates more may be revealed in later installments of the series. Despite this lack of characterization, Clark is a charming protagonist who is easy to root for.

A quirky and queer urban fantasy homage toThe Devil Wears Prada.

Kirkus Reviews