The Gifts That Bind Us by Caroline O'Donoghue follows directly on from the events of All Our Hidden Gifts, and I would highly recommend reading that before picking up this book, or indeed before continuing to read this review as there may be spoilers ahead (for All Our Hidden Gifts, I will not spoil this book).
In their small town Maeve and her friends are spending their summer learning how to use their new magical gifts and exploring the limits of their powers, but as summer comes to an end and school starts up, fractures in their friendships start to appear, and it soon becomes obvious that the Children of Brigid have not gone away. When Maeve starts to lose her powers and Roe seems to be forgetting what they have all been through , it is time to call in reinforcements from surprising quarters. The group will have to band together tighter than ever before if they are to stop all the magic of Kilbeg being drained and get Maeve back her powers.
This YA fantasy is a really gripping read, the characters are so easy to relate to and care about that the reader becomes hooked. The book is definitely a page turner, and the pacing is perfect, fast enough to keep the reader interested and engaged, but not so fast that there is no time for character development. Roe was one of my favourite characters in the previous book, and I loved how their journey was further developed in this one, I appreciated that the author took time to let the character ( and hence the reader) explore and question their own identity and what felt most comfortable to them. I really enjoyed my return visit to Kilbeg and I look forward to going back there again.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my won.

I loved this book, even more than the prequel.
It had me gripped right from the start.
Caroline introduces you to new characters & you get to learn more about the ones we already know and love.
There is a lot more magic in this book and you also start to understand where this comes from and the history behind it.
This for me is definitely a 5* read and I am so happy I received an advanced copy of this.

A brilliant sequel which took me straight back into Maeve's world. I really enjoyed this and found the storytelling as engaging as the first.

I absolutely loved it! Even as much as a loved the first one and that was a lot!

Maeve and her friends were just brilliant once again in this instalment and I am going to be eagerly awaiting the third book to find out what happens to them next. I even warmed to Lily as the book came to the close and I found her a bit cold (for obvious reasons) at the end of the previous book. Just fantastic teen angst and witchy goodness all around!

The Gifts That Binds Us picks up where we last left off….Meave is still trying to find a new ‘normal’ for her, Roe and her friends after defeating The Housekeeper and gaining magical abilities.
We start in the summer after the big event and the friends are learning to use their new abilities, but strange things start happening around Kilberg that they cannot ignore. The Children of Brigid are back and start causing trouble at school and stirring hate again for Meave and Roe. When Meave’s powers start disappearing, things go from bad to worse and the friends must use their gifts and wits to get Meave her powers back.

The book is brilliant and the perfect follow up to All Our Hidden Gifts! We learn more about the magic that the friends have and how they use them in different ways. The relationship between the friends is so up and down and very believable. I loved reading this book and would recommend!

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Gifts That Bind Us, Caroline O’Donoghue 4/5 🔮

The second instalment in the YA spellbinding thrill series. The Gifts That Bind Us reunites us Maeve, Row, Lily and Fiona. A fully formed coven with individual gifts but where good magic rests, dark magic flows not far behind.

I say it every time but Caroline has a gift for creating well formed characters and now over two books she has beautiful, nuanced development of these teenagers who are navigating pivotal moments of their lives. As with book one the story is wonderful, engaging and thrilling. Charmed smashing head first into The Craft with the grit of Skins. A gem of a YA novel which is so much more than just magic or just teenagers, Caroline handles a myriad of issues and does so delicately.

Thanks to NetGalley and WalkerBooks for my copy of this one.

I enjoyed book one, but hadn’t loved the book as much as I’d hoped to. However, this was a much more engaging read.
Moving on from the events surrounding Lily, the group are practising their magic and preparing to move into the next phase of their lives. They’re all looking forward, and a substantial part of the book focuses on how it feels when something so momentous starts to fragment.
Maeve is the one most affected. Unsure of her academic potential she seems destined to stay in their town, and is struggling to understand why the others are so determined to leave. She fears losing Roe and her friendships with Fiona and Lily come under pressure.
When events begin it wasn’t clear where we’d end up. The girls head back to school and are shocked to see signs of the Children returning. This toxic group has worked their way into school, trying to establish a hold on those susceptible to their message. However, it soon becomes apparent that they’re after something much bigger.
As events unfold we learn more about Maeve and her friends, their skills and the way groups such as the Children operate. Dramatic moments, plenty of witchy action and a wonderful focus on friendship.
Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this before its scheduled February 2022 publication.

I was so excited to find out we were getting to go back to the world of All Our Hidden Gifts and thoroughly enjoyed my time reading The Gifts That Bind Us.

I absolutely love how Caroline O'Donoghue writes teenage characters and coming of age plots. She just makes them feel so tangible and real. Not always "good" or likeable, which lends to their realistic feeling.

These characters all had their own depth and things going on as well as the main plotline connecting the friends all together.
O'Donoghue's observations about the world around us including feminism and LGBTQ+ rights were extremely visceral and written in such a way that it lingers with you.

We got to learn more about the magic of the Well and how the characters had a part to play in that but also some interesting questions were raised about what's going to happen next.
Would highly recommend if you like coming of age stories with a spooky and Irish backdrop.

I really enjoyed being back with Maeve & (some new) friends.
I like that Maeve is imperfect and frustrating at times (aren’t we all?) and love her friendships and connections.
I loved learning more about the magic and how it works and can’t wait to see what they get up to in the next book!