I REALLY enjoyed spending an afternoon in the pages of Cackle. Its tone and voice was just so readable and I found the sarcastic, often funny vibe of the lead character, Annie Crane, to be highly relatable, like talking to a friend.

I’ve seen Cackle described as both horror and Gothic and while yes, there are fantasy and some gory elements, they all come across as very metaphorical to me. I would pitch this as a story of empowerment – a woman’s transformation and growth. With added spiders, witchcraft and curses. Let me explain.

After her boyfriend of 10 years, Sam, ends their relationship, claiming they are more friends than lovers, Annie takes a new teaching job in a small town called Rowan and moves out of the New York apartment she shared with Sam.

Rowan is a huge contrast from New York city. It’s quaint and calm and Annie instantly feels at home there. However, she is struggling to get through her breakup. She doesn’t know who she is when she’s not in a relationship – she’s lost and sad. These emotions are described so well. You really feel for Annie and are there with her as she navigates her new reality.

Getting to know the locals in Rowan, Annie is befriended by the beautiful and enigmatic Sophie, who has a penchant for wearing long black dresses…

Sophie has a power of the town and Annie needs to work out why. As she hangs out with her more, who Sophie really is becomes clearer to Annie, as do Sophie’s true powers.

Cackle is a story about finding your inner strength, about cutting ties with expected society conventions, finding out what it is we really want, to stop being people pleasers and live for ourselves. It just so happens it’s through witchcraft that this story communicates its empowering message. Very fitting as women who broke society norms were called a ‘witch’ to silence and stop them. Cackle spins this on its head and gives a rally cry for us all to embrace our inner witch.

Full of emotion, characters you care for and a strong message, I loved Cackle! Also – from Beauty and the Beast to Britney Spears, the cultural references scattered throughout were brilliant.

Get it on your October witch-themed reading list!

After her boyfriend breaks up with her, Annie moves to the idyllic town of Rowan, feeling like she will never be able to shake her recent heartbreak. Her job in a local high school brings with it the usual challenges of dealing with hormonal and cruel teenagers and she doesn't know if she will ever be able to move on from the life she thought she had with Sam back in New York. That is until she meets Sophie, a local woman who the residents of Rowan appear terrified of while playing overly nice to her face. Their friendship introduces Annie to a new world of food, friendship... and magic.

This was the perfect Autumnal read! The small town is described in such cosy detail and is like a balm to Annie as she begins to see herself with a life there. The coffee shop (think lavender-infused coffee), the local market (ripe apples, juicy peaches and jams) and small restaurant (serving pancakes and syrup) gave me major Gilmore Girls vibes too!

Sophie was such an interesting character. She envelopes Annie in her warmth and generosity while also giving her firm advice on her priorities and ideas of what it means to be happy (i.e. life is not meaningless if you're single!) I loved the descriptions of her long velvet dresses, her feathered coat and her glossy hair. Her baskets of never-ending 'treats', her philosophy on life/love and her new-found addiction to royalty documentaries Netflix.

There were some really chilling moments in the book, which I think would also make this a great October read! Although, I would say I'm easily scared so maybe take that with a pinch of salt! However, the story is really about friendship and finding what you truly want from life - with a hint of magic just when you need it.

I have to give this 5*. I read it within 24hrs and loved every minute of it!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy to review.

30 years old Annie needs a new job, a new place to live and a new life after being dumped by her boyfriend of 10 years Sam.

After moving to a small town to take on a teaching job Anna meets Sophie a mysterious and enigmatic woman the town seem to be afraid of.

This book is all about Anna self discovery journey we see her find friendship, grow herself confidence and live her best life with some witchy elements and magical creatures thrown in. This is definitely more of dark humour/ cozy witch story than a creepy witch story but still a lot of fun. If you enjoy coming of age character driven stories and want some witchy vibes just in time for spooky season I definitely recommend.
3.5 stars.

“What is it about a woman in full control of herself that is so utterly frightening?”.

Hay dos lobos en mi interior: uno que lucha para que la protagonista tenga un final feliz con su pareja y otro que pelea para que la protagonista aprenda a ser feliz sola.

Y es que la sociedad nos machaca mucho con el “y fueron felices y comieron perdices”. Véase: si eres mujer y quieres ser feliz, debes tener pareja. No vale eso de quedarse soltera. Las mujeres solteras y felices no existen.

Esto es lo que cree Annie, la protagonista de “Cackle”, de Rachel Harrison. Su novio acaba de dejarla y ella quiere volver a lanzarse a sus brazos. No concibe la felicidad de otra forma, solo con él. Por suerte, su vida cambia cuando la contratan como profesora y debe marcharse a un idílico pueblo a las afueras de Nueva York.

Con pocas expectativas y mucha tristeza, Annie se embarca en esta aventura. La primera noche que pasa a solas conoce a una mujer de lo más fascinante: Sophie, guapa y segura de sí misma. Sophie, que parece causar miedo a todo el pueblo. Sophie, que vive en una gran mansión, habla con arañas y parece saber lo que Annie necesita en todo momento.

El secreto que esconde Sophie no tarda en salir a la luz. “Cackle” es, al fin y al cabo, una historia de brujas, pero no se queda ahí: habla de sororidad, de las ventajas de ser una mujer solitaria que vive en medio del bosque, de expresar en voz alta y clara lo que quieres y de no tener miedo a exigir lo que te corresponde. De reconocer que los cuentos de hadas que nos han vendido desde peques no son el destino de todo el mundo, puede que ni siquiera de la mayoría.

Leí “Cackle” cuando necesitaba cambiar de aires. Siempre recurro a las historias sobre/con brujas cuando me veo estancade en una lectura y esta vez me vino de maravilla. Fue desde el principio una lectura confort; me encantaría visitar a Sophie y Annie. Me veo volviendo a las páginas de “Cackle” dentro de unos años para poder disfrutar otra vez de todos los buenos sentimientos que me ha transmitido.

When Annie gets dumped just before her thirtieth birthday, she leaves Manhattan to take a teaching job upstate. She finds an apartment in the quaint town of Rowan, where everyone seems so nice. A glamourous woman called Sophie even gives her a free bottle of wine to welcome her. But something seems off about Sophie, everyone bends over backwards to make sure she’s happy.

I was quite surprised to see this counted as horror everywhere, it kinda felt like cozy fantasy for the most part. A woman arrives in a too-nice-to-be-believable town and through a sequence of events discovers witchcraft (but don’t say the W word). We don’t really learn much about the witch, it’s more a story of Annie realising her life isn’t worthless just because she doesn’t have a man in her life.

The stronger writing was in the times it veered into darker territory. When Annie moved in there are spiders everywhere, they keep appearing and each time are a bit bigger than before. There’s a mysterious presence in the hallway. Moving somewhere new on your own can be scary, so her feeling paranoid was a great start to the book.

Ralph the spider was adorable. I think the spiders were the best part of this book in general.

Sophie came across as a bit child-like in her need to make friends with the new girl in town. She didn’t have any substance and it’s a shame because her whole premise was good. She apparently has a haughty European accent but came across as Geordie since she says pet a lot. It would have been fun to make her a Geordie, but I’m not sure an American audience would get it.

Annie spends a lot of time going over her break-up and how it’s so hard being thirty and alone. Which gets a bit irritating, I can get why Sophie wants her to leave it all behind. But Sophie wasn’t developed enough to seem like a real person. What was her real story, we know she was persecuted, but what else?

Annie Crane needs a fresh start when her long term relationship with Sam is over, he thinks they should stay friends and move on. Whatever, Sam! She accepts a teaching position in upstate New York and goes to live in Rowan. It’s a perfect picture postcard of a place, too perfect? She finds a lovely apartment and oh, just to tip the balance there are rather a lot of spiders in it, I’ll show myself out! She meets beautiful Sophie and feels like they’re not strangers who are just meeting. However, why do the residents of Rowan seem to bend over backwards for Sophie? Could it be they’re afraid?

Well, it made me cackle! Must be my inner witch! This is a really fun, entertaining read which is different and creative. Yes, there are spooky happenings, yes there is some trepidation, some cold chills, some distinctly weird and wonderful happenings which might be explained by being a tad tipsy or…?? There might be the odd hex or curse, maybe some spells and a bit of magic and the occasional ghost. It’s delivered in such a way that you find yourself totally engaging! In addition anyone, anyone who can make like a spider like I fall for the charms of Ralph has to have witchy powers. I’m sure I’ll scream the house down in autumn when they come in the winter!

As well as all the hocus-pocus it delivers a great message. A very different Annie arrives in Rowan to the one who appears at the end. Sophie is an enabler, she teaches friendship, about being confident and standing up for yourself and not being afraid to be just you.

I so enjoy this, I rip through the pages I’m having so much fun. This is a great choice for a Halloween read or at any time of year really it’s your choice!

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Titan Books for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

To post on GR and Twitter on 1/9/22 and on publication day to Amazon and Waterstones.

This book was... not what I expected? Granted, my expectations were a bit blank, but somehow I thought this wouldn't be as modern as it was. It was wholly weird, and while I did enjoy most of it, there were parts that were a little over the top for me personally. All in all it was a quick and okay read.