This Spells Disaster

A few years ago I wrote a YA novel about consent. Now don’t get me wrong, it was an exciting book with plenty of plot- epic fantasy love story, romantasy before romantasy became a thing, high heat, villains you love to hate, even twisty battle scenes. But at its beating heart was a discussion of consent in its various forms. Which is probably why nobody knew what to make of that particular story. It’s still one of my favorite pieces of writing, and I think about it often. Which is why I was delighted to find a very thorough treatment of consent as a plot topic (in a book that does NOT involve any non consensual sex) in Tori Anne Amos’s romance This Spells Disaster. 

Martin’s book is a spunky adult f/f romance, which could be equally comfortable on a new adult shelf had that genre ever really taken off. It takes place in a contemporary setting with one slight twist – magic is real and witches are integrated into regular society. The viewpoint character is a potion witch named Morgan who has a tremendous crush on fellow witch Rory, a competitive spell caster who has retired from competition for undisclosed reasons despite being an international sensation. Rory has moved to Morgan’s small New England town and poor Morgan can’t get out two words edgewise when they are together. 

Like all good romances, tropes are involved. In this case – to help Rory get her family off her back about returning to competition, Morgan offers to be her fake girlfriend. The idea being that if Rory’s family sees she is happy with her life choices and settling down they might agree to respect her decision to leave the competition circuit. Except Morgan really, really wants this relationship to be real. And so does the reader. Badly. The yearning is palpable and I was helpless to resist it. 

In the midst of all the fun “is that real flirting or fake flirting?” shenanigans an accidental love potion gets thrown into the mix and there enters the question of consent and what one should and shouldn’t do with a person under the influence of mind altering substances both magical and not (did I mention Rory works as a bartender?). It adds a layer of emotional sensitivity to what would otherwise feel like fluffy flirting and banter (although it really skilled fun flirting and banter. I was grinning like a two year old with an ice cream cone).  The book takes on depth and insight is given into the characters ethical and moral backgrounds.

Rory is clearly a badass. I developed just as much of a whopping crush on her as a Morgan did. I dearly want to know how she lights her Hanukah menorah with magic. However, she is also unfailingly kind and patient. Similarly, Morgan makes some mistakes but she is always ethical. They were a couple I could root for easily. Especially when their relationship also took on an aspect of protecting those around you from the unrealistic expectations of others. 

That book about consent I wrote? I don’t know what will ever happen to it. Maybe YA isn’t ready for that kind of thing. Maybe it will jump into the romantasy trend and be a bestseller. Maybe nobody will ever read it. Those things are outside my hands. But as Rory teaches Morgan, it is the act of creation, of doing something I love, that is what matters. Not national acclaim or meeting the goals and expectations of other. Consent is about respecting the autonomy of your partner, which only comes when you recognize them as a person independent of yourself with their own thoughts and desires. They are worthy as they are without any modifications needed. Rory and Morgan both need to experience that in order to become whole. The reader experiences it right along with them. Which is why I think it is worthy as it is too.

Heat level – the book has a lot of flirting and fantasizing with one explicit f/f sex scene.

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