This was a very creative and unique story set in a bookshop setting (which is what drew me in) as well as paranormal (witches, ghosts, etc.), but I was lost with the writing style this author has presented to me. It was repetitive and very back and forth. I think there's a really great storyline under all the layers there (hard editing) and it can be even better with a bit of work, but at the current moment, this book had me feeling a bit disappointed. (2 1/2 stars)


Thank you Netgalley and Matador for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Devon Bookshop is a dark fantasy by debut author V. E. Hall. Released 14th Nov 2022, it's 320 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is a quirky paranormal fantasy set in and around a bookshop. There are ghosts (oh, so many ghosts), witches, benign and malign influences and a semi-hapless couple running the bookshop who believe (Acacia) or not (Matt) in the supernatural influences in their environs.

It's charming by turns, the author has created a simple but entertaining story. The writing is choppy and unfinished in places; there's -so- much telling and not a lot of showing in her writing style. The basic story is solid, though, and nothing that wouldn't be fixed with a firm editing process.

Three and a half stars. It's unclear from the denouement (and the author's website) if this will be a continuing series, but at the present time, there are no announcements of upcoming books. It does work well as a standalone, however.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

This is an amazing book, just buy it, and sit back and enjoy the ride. A massive five shiny stars from me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was such a unique gem of a book and i really enjoyed reading The Devon Bookshop. Not only is it set within a library, a book about books, there is such a great paranormal atmosphere in this book, from witches to ghosts, jumping between the past and the present all of which you capitvated until the very end.

Thank you to the publishers and to netgalley for this arc

I admire an author who starts her novel with half her cast of characters already dead! And even some of her living characters turn out to be witches, or wizards, or charmers. And one must not forget Tiger, the psychic cat, who is in my opinion the most endearing character in the book.
Set in the market town of Holsworthy, and the Cornish coastal resort of Bude, the author weaves a quirky tale of dark revenge fought with magic wands and ghostly apparitions, and a constant supply of cups of coffee.
If you are looking for an easy read that is a bit different this is the book for you.

I'm afraid I struggled with this one as I found it didn't flow easily and the dialogue was repetitive. I found it a great concept though and did love the idea of a friendly ghost haunting a bookshop.

Well this was a unique read! I love books about books and stories that take place in libraries so I was excited for this one. There's a lot of the paranormal from ghosts to witches. I wouldn't consider it a creepy read, more of a Hallmark Horror. It's a nice read if you need a break.

Unfortunately this wasn't for me. I couldn't connect with the characters and skimmed most of the second half of the book.

Unfortunately this is not a book that I enjoyed. Aside from a plot that I found to be lacking in many ways, the writing style was infuriating at times. The overuse of character identification by name repeatedly in the same paragraph caused extreme annoyance for me. The book felt both rushed, and extremely slow which one would assume should be difficult to accomplish.

This book wasn’t for me but I’m sure it will find its audience.

I must say I wasn't expecting this book to be as great as it is. I am so pleasantly surprised and enjoyed every minute of this read. There are ghosts, the past, the present, witches and so much more. Tis is a book that you just keep read until the very end as it is easy to just keep reading.

There are all sorts of things going on in this bookshop in Devon and both Matt and Acacia have differing ideas about these goings on. The characters in this book really came to life on the page and the descriptiveness drew me into the book as if I was there. I like that in a book!

I also love that the ending maybe leads to the fact there may be a sequel. How good would that be.
Thank you Netgalley and Matador. Loved it.

WOW! What a great read. I truly enjoyed reading The Devon Bookshop.

Intriguing and captivating, and held my interest until the very end.

What a great find! I absolutely loved this book and am so hoping that although the ending for this story was great that that may of been a little tease for a new book at the end! Keeping my fingers crossed.

I typically enjoy any story that is set in a book-related environment, such as a bookshop or library, and from the description, this book sounded very interesting. I thought the cover looked good too, so I was excited to be approved to read and review this.

I wasn't sure which genre this book would fall into, but I think I would describe it as dark fantasy. The setting and the characters came to life for me, and I found the book to be an escape. I warmed to all of the characters in some way, and they felt relatable.

I felt that the story ended in a somewhat ambiguous way, which left me wondering if there may be a sequel. If there is going to be a sequel, I would be interested in reading it. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for my opportunity to read and review this.