Modern Divination (Spells for Life and Death, #1) by Isabel Agajanian – dark urban fantasy

Modern Divination could have been stunning—a beautiful, bittersweet and dark urban fantasy—but it needed tighter plotting, clearer world-building, and fewer narrative gaps.

Synopsis

Aurelia Schwartz has spent twenty-three years maintaining the equilibrium between her carefully curated human life and the magical one that she endures in secret. With a devoted best friend and top marks at a prestigious university, she has everything one could possibly want neatly within her grasp.

Except, her gift of green magic has begun to fade, and if that wasn’t enough to upset the balance of her life, a fateful run-in with another power-hungry witch with a penchant for stolen magic has threatened to bring it all to ruin.

Cast into an unexpected alliance with her dreadfully arrogant classmate, Aurelia goes into hiding among a peculiar family of witches, where she discovers that the secret to their safety requires breaking rules she has followed all her life:
Make no promises,
Tell no one what you are,
and
Never stay the night.

Review

Modern Divination is a urban fantasy set in a world where witches live secretly among humans. The story follows academic rivals Aurelia and Theodore Ingram, who get dragged into a dangerous mystery after a fellow witch-classmate is murdered in plain sight.

Despite distrust and bruised egos, Aurelia teams up with Ingram to hide in a nameless town but danger lurks closer than they realize. As they grow closer, they’re forced to confront not just the killer but their own emotional baggage—risking their lives and Ingram’s found family along the way.

The writing is undeniably beautiful—poetic, with some stunning lines and descriptions. But… it wasn’t as immersive as it could’ve been. The narrative felt murky, and the plot harder to follow than the premise suggested. Perspective shifts had no clear markers, leading to confusion and constant rereading (not the fun kind). Some scenes felt like they were missing half the info needed to fully get them. Writing alone can’t save a story if I have to work this hard to understand what’s happening.

The characters are complex and flawed and it took forever for them to develop, I’m not much concerned about that looking at that age being 23 but Aurelia and Ingram spend half the book headbutting over a petty rivalry (he said something bad about her to an ex? what exactly? I still have no clue!) and class resentment.

Aurelia’s bitterness over Ingram’s wealth and privilege felt childish at times. But I liked her more once she started seeing the real him beneath the snark and money. Her growth when living with Ingram’s found family -Gemma and her daughter, Louisa was satisfying—until neither she nor Ingram could communicate their feelings like adults (again they are 23 and maybe they’re learning to be adults).

Ingram starts off more sensible, but once he falls for Aurelia, Emotional chaos ensue. I admired his love for his found family, but his grudge against his parents felt underexplained—his stepmother was cold, sure, but his father clearly cared and loved him and so his unwillingness to their hep felt unjustified. Also, his weird assumption that Aurelia wasn’t interested in a real relationship? Ugh. The last third of the book spiraled into lack of proper communication central.

Secondary characters? Mostly undercooked. Kenny’s (Gemma’s son and Ingram’s lover) death and Ingram’s guilt and self-blame over it when he wasn’t even their at the time of his death felt vague and confusing. While I liked Gemma, her disappearing randomly when danger looms, leaving her 7-year-old behind, makes zero sense and it is loose end that wasn’t tied by the end. Alaraic is caretake of witches, apparently part of some elite group in the witch world… but we never really learn what that means or how that system works.

Leona, the villain, is introduced mid-book with little backstory beyond “power-hungry bad witch.” She didn’t felt that dangerous and that motivation doesn’t add up.

My biggest issue? The world-building and key plot points felt half-baked. There’s barely a proper introduction to the witch world, leaving so many blanks for the reader to fill in. Critical events were murky and underexplained. Like, that climax and fight with Leona— it was a total blur. What spell did Ingram cast? Where did the flames come from if he’s supposedly bad at common magic? I was left flipping pages trying to piece it together.

And the emotional resolution was frustratingly incomplete. They didn’t talk things out, didn’t fully resolve anything—it just fizzled. I wanted to love this bittersweet, no-HEA ending, but too many loose ends robbed it of impact.

Overall, Modern Divination could have been stunning—a beautiful, bittersweet, dark urban fantasy—but it needed tighter plotting, clearer world-building, and fewer narrative gaps.

What to Expect in Modern Divination

Gorgeous, poetic prose
Slow-burn academic rivals-to-lovers romance
Found family vibes
Murder mystery with magic and secrets
Confusing narrative structure
Minimal world-building—lots left unexplained
Perspective shifts with no clear markers
Vague plot points that need you to fill in the blanks
Emotionally messy characters who don’t know how to talk things out

Book Links

Goodreads | Amazon.in | Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

Have you read this? If so what did you think?
What is your favorite Urban Fantasy?

Just in case you missed,,,

• Mahayoddha Kalki : Sword of Shiva (Kalki Trilogy #3) by Kevin Missal – action-packed and fast paced finale
• Satyayoddha Kalki : Eye of Brahma (Kalki Trilogy #2) by Kevin Missal – chaotic but entertaining
• Dharmayoddha Kalki: Avatar of Vishnu (Kalki Trilogy #1) by Kevin Missal – mythology-inspired fantasy

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