The Witches of Vegas by Mark Rosendorf is an entertaining blend of witchy themes and fantastically magical realism enmeshed within the gritty urban backdrop of Sin City, A.K.A Vegas, Nevada. Although this is a Y.A. novel, it surely could entertain adult readers with its quippy dialogue and innovative use of the magician, witch, and vampire archetypes with a flare of modern writing in tandem with the art of storytelling, complete with vivid descriptions of the magical and mundane.

The protagonist Isis Rivera is a young fifteen-year-old girl adopted by The Witches of Vegas troupe, which saved her from an abusive family that believed her powers were the devil. The witches and magicians taught her to use her powers for the highest possible good and co-exist within the magical and mundane worlds. The magicians and witches used their magical abilities to further the success of their act in Vegas, which eventuated in the troupe rising to number one.

As the novel unfolded, Isis met teenaged Zack Galloway, who was a magical assistant to one of the last remaining magicians in Sin-city. Initially, his intention was to learn the secrets of the Witches of Vegas and divulge those to a snide reporter. Instead, Zack and Isis soon found magical understanding and the joys and despairs of first love within each other that changed their young lives and their perceptions of belonging and love.

The arrival of 400-year-old Valeria, a vampire with a demonstrable evil plan to destroy the troupe and many other humans and magical beings in Sin-City, created a rapid change in Isis's relationship with Zack. Also, the community of Vegas Witches and other supernatural beings must combine their magical talents to stop the impending doom that Valeria brought to the city. The novel used magical happenstances to teach important lessons to the Y.A. readers. That collaboration with others generally isn't easy; however, it is an important life skill that could eventuate significant change in defeating evil or accomplishing substantial goals.

Narrator Jeffery Lynn Hutchins had a peacefully soft cadence to his voice, paired with clear and crisp pronunciation. The storyline's narration combined with accurately regional accents per character helped create an engaging listening experience.

Indeed, the sequel The Journey to New Salem will be a welcomed read after finishing the fastidiously page-turning The Witches of Vegas. Also, these novels are high-quality books that will be a welcomed addition to the ever-expanding world of Y.A. paranormal/urban literature.