DNF @ 60%. I gave this one a looong shot, putting it down and picking it up again and again with palette cleansers in between, given how much I enjoyed Threadneedle. Unfortunately, I will finally be calling it quits. The love triangle was cumbersome to be invested in, and Effie , whom I was intrigued by in Book 1, grew so much more insufferable this time round. This was incredibly repetitive and draggy too. It's a shame because I liked the world that Cari Thomas crafted.

Threadneedle was a fantastic surprise - but can Cari Thomas stick the landing with this Sophomore follow up?
(Yes, obviously). Brilliantly paced fantasy - with cosiness and warmth but shock, surprise and spikiness balanced throughout

DNF at 35%

Unfortunately this book suffered from second book syndrome and just couldn't keep the momentum of book one. The storyline dragged, the two main characters (particularly Effie who was just downright horrible) didn't evoke any loyalty and, honestly, I just didn't feel compelled to pick it up.

This book follows on from Threadneedle, which ended on quite the cliffhanger! Unfortunately, I do think this book suffers from “second book syndrome”. The pacing and plot were very slow, and the book was unnecessarily long.

I loved the found family aspect, and I really enjoyed some of the side characters (I wish we had seen more of them!) However, I found myself getting quite irritated with the main characters and found them to be almost unlikeable at times. I also really didn’t care for the love triangle aspect of the story.

I found the school setting in Threadneedle to be quite tedious, and I felt the same with this book. I felt that the characters had outgrown the school setting. The juxtaposition of reading about life and death situations and then reading about school drama felt very jarring.

There were some very fun scenes (I particularly enjoyed the portion of the book that takes place at Christmas!) the world-building was done well, and I enjoyed the writing style. However, I just don’t think this is the series for me, so I won’t be reading the next book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Shadowstich is the follow up to Threadneedle, Anna has survived the attempt to bind her magic and is dealing with the death of her aunt and a friend who is actually her sister and involved with the only boy she can’t seem to leave alone. The gang are sent back to school but things quickly go off the rails as their magic is about to be discovered and evil powers are conspiring to end all witches. And, oh yeah there’s death curse hanging over the doomed central love triangle. I found this book quite tiresome. It’s way too long. Thomas structures it around the school year which gives it a strong yet predictable/ convenient timeline but makes the pace sluggish. There’s only so much angst I can take. The central plot of the cursed live triangle is also boring, Rowan seems to have no agency of his own and Effie is a whiny little madam who makes everyone around her miserable yet they all seem to love her, even though is largely unpleasant most of the time. Anyway it’s all a cypher for the witch trials so cool and feminist and what not. There’s also gossip girl style parties and underage drug taking cool 👍

Thank you netgalley & the publisher for the e-ARC.

Shadowstitch is a great sequel to Threadneedle with additional world building, and a hint of a witch trial that furthers the plot of personal struggles of the members in the coven and the curse created after the death of Anna's Aunt. As with the first novel, Shadowstitch ends on a cliffhanger which leaves you wanting more and I can't wait for the next installment to drop!

I loved the previous installment of this book Threadneedle and so couldnt wait to read a sequel.

Effie and Anna continue to face their curse whilst chaos ensues in London and St Olav's.

I love the Rowan family, they very much fit into the classification of a fictional family youd just love to be a part of.

This does have a beasty cliffhanger thoufh so be prepared for frustration while you wait for a third novel.

I have waited SO patiently for this sequel after absolutely ADORING Threadneedle and being left on quite the cliffhanger, and I have to say…it was so worth the wait!

Genuinely, I was so happy to be back in this world, think Waterloo Road with magic and lowkey Mean Girls vibes, and then this sequel added in a good old fashioned witch hunt and despite the hefty page count..I was hooked until the very end. Like this book is so gripping that even though it’s chonky af it really doesn’t FEEL like a long book as you’re reading!

The magical underworld of London that we were introduced to in book 1 really grows and expands in this one, weaving in more threads and elements to it, I’m genuinely so obsessed with it! Like this time around we get to venture to the London Necropolis Railway to visit the Hel Witches which was…interesting, and another thing that I can’t speak about because spoilers but…the world building for this is just magical, no pun intended!

The writing is so easy to read and yet there’s so many plot threads at play, but it never feels convoluted or confusing. There’s also plenty of top tier humour and banter that had me giggling, and the DRAMA! Peter is, unfortunately, still hanging around and then there’s Attis and the whole curse thing but not only that, Darcy rears her ugly head and incites a witch hunt against Anna and co which unfortunately coincides with a hysteria spell sweeping over not only the school, but nationwide.

As soon as I heard the name Hopkins mentioned, I was like…oh no. Not good. Much like his historic counterpart, he leads the witch hunt that’s building up across the country as he and the WIPS try to gain power. Not only do Anna & Co have to contend with that AND the curse AND the mystery behind it, but there’s also the creepy inspector infiltrating their school to try and sniff them out. I think it’s safe to say that the WIPS/Hunters are the Big Bad of this book and presumably the next and they do their job well because the RAGE I felt because of them at several different points! I mean, if you’ve read anything about the witch trials you’ll know what I mean because it’s the same tactics etc but in modern times.

ANYWAY! There’s a few more pleasant new faces like the mysterious Cillian who I hope we see more of, as well as everyone else. I really do love Rowan, I can’t say it enough! As much as I love and empathise with Anna, Rowan might be my favourite and I actually quite like Ollie too! Like maybe Anna should switch her affections to him. Personally, I’ve always found Manda amusing but this book? Not so much. It’s safe to say that the characters in this book are complicated, and none more so than Effie who I continue to have a love hate relationship with.

Or at least I did until the end of the book because that had me like yeah, okay. Now I hate her.

I’m really curious to see how everything is going to play out in the next book, there were a few intriguing discoveries about Anna and Effie’s parents and the curse as well as some shocking developments and plot twists, including the ending.

The ending!!! I knew it was coming, I knew there would be a cliffhanger but the ANGST that went with it!! Absolutely not, I can’t believe Cari’s done this to me again, I wanted to scream! It was like one gut punch after the other and then it was over and now I have to patiently (and anxiously) wait for the next book.

So in other words: brilliant. 10/10, would let the author rip my heart out again.

Started off well enough, but nothing to hook me, so 10% in, calling it a day for now, will update this review should I finish it another time.

I liked the premise of Threadneedle, but for an essentially YA premise it's a very drawn out plot, the book felt huge for the content, and it felt like I was wading through, having seen that this one got generally better reviews, and hoping that the plot would have kicked in by book 2, I read the last two chapters of Threadneedle (didn't feel like I'd missed all that much), and picked up Shadowstitch, but it's still a slow start, picking up from the ending of the last book pretty immediately, but getting nowhere fast, and one tenth of the way through, the characters and story haven't moved.

Again, this review sounds harsh, but I do like the premise, and, since Harry Potter, I still like the idea of magical London, and the author's included some of that whimsy with enchanted cakes etc. but the love curse isn't interesting to me, so I have to put this one on hold in favour of my other anticipated reads and outstanding arcs. A neutral 3 stars for an unfinished read.

As always, thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Lately, I've been feeling that maybe I should just stop bothering with YA because I had been finding the plots hollow and far too linear and the characters flat. Well, apparently if it's good YA, I get on with it just fine.

Shadowstitch is a great sequel to Threadneedle, with all the (believable) teen angst, tension around witchcraft and personal struggle that first book delivered. The world building is still immersive and this time there is a hint of an actual witch trial - which Thomas has managed to deliver in a contemporary setting in a way that feels genuine rather than anachronistic.

All the characters are by turns relatable and frustrating, with Anna especially struggling with problems that she should not have to deal with so young. The plot is intricate and gripping, and the romance is believable. In addition the anti-romance is also sadly believable. Overall this was a great book. My only quibble is that a couple of sections probably could have been condensed to avoid repetition and the book could have probably been about 50 pages shorter. However, the extra material did not slow the plot and after that ending I am now eagerly awaiting the next one.

A brilliant thrill ride of a sequel to a powerhouse of an outstanding Book One. I loved every moment of this and can't wait to see what happens next.

The sequel to the excellent Threadneedle where life gets very dark in school as well as at home. Anna, Effie, Rowan, Manda and Attis have to work together to protect their Coven whilst solving and removing the curse that hangs over all of them. Even more is at stake as witch hunts abound in London and beyond with neighbouring as well as warring Covens having to unite to try and uncover the truth and to restore magic to its natural place.
My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own unbiased opinion.

The story continues after the events of the previous book and the death of Anna’s Aunt.
Anna and Effie are looking into finding a way to break the curse and trying to discover how it came to be. At the same time someone has released a spell over all of London and now they have to find a way to stop it before anyone gets hurt and most importantly they don’t get blamed.
I loved seeing the characters development in the book and how the author created a good depth to them. I loved all the magic and mayhem in the book.
The book was well written and easy to follow along with. It had a good steady pace and the world building was great. It’s one of those books that just keeps your attention and you don’t want to put it down.

The book does end on a cliffhanger!!!

Thank you to the Publisher, Author and Netgalley for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

'Love – frayed, severed, torn in all directions. Holding on by a thread, still.'

Back with Anna after the events of the last book and the death of her Aunt. Anna now finds herself under the care of Selene....and back with Effie, Attis, the Coven of the Dark Moon and the curse....now also with a new hysteria taking over.......

Here's some things I took from this book:

~ Anna exploring her magic and new found freedom = loved!
~ The found family element was bliss.
~ Reading about witchcraft was magical.
~ The Christmas chapters made this book for me
~ Rowan is my favourite person ever.
~ I just can't bring myself to find anything I like about Effie!

This author knows how to write, I was mesmerised however I did feel this book could've been smaller.

That cliffhanger though.

Wow, I was gripped by Threadneedle, and couldn't wait for the next book. It didn't disappoint, the characters stories develop over the course of the book with a cliffhanger at the end. I couldn't put this book down. Tension, love, death, London Tower, a must read!!

I liked but not love Threadneedle but I knew there was a lot of potential and this book expresses all the potential in this story: there's humour, there's a tightly knitted and gripping plot, and I appreciated how the characters evolved.
Anna and Effie are well plotted even if Effie is a bit more manipulative and on the grey moral spectrum.
The excellent storytelling brought me back to the alternative London.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I adored Threadneedle and was absolutely thrilled to have been kindly granted an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Shadowstitch picks up from where Threadneedle leaves off. The witches are trying to figure out how to break their curse. However, all of London is under a spell, and the witches have to stop the spell before anyone comes to harm. The characters were as enchanting as ever, I love them all dearly. A fantastic read in this series.

Ooo I love the banter in this! Enjoyed the London landscape. This is a cute coming of age witchy story.

Shadowstitch by Cari Thomas is the second in the series that began with Threadneedle, and it picks up almost immediately from where that book ended. The stakes are higher than ever for Anna and her friends as a literal witch hunt gets underway at their school, following several outbursts of hysteria across the city, some with deadly consequences. Oh and the curse that afflicts both her and her sister is still an issue, despite their attempts to ignore it. I loved the world created by Cari Thomas in Threadneedle so I was delighted to discover more of it as the story continued in this book, most notably the Underworld, a deliciously creepy place in the best possible way. Another highlight was the chapter set during Christmas which was spent with Rowan and her family, and the exploration of their magic was just fascinating.
I have to say that I did struggle with the pacing of the book, the first half felt very slow and it made it a little difficult to get into as a reader, conversely the last few chapters felt almost rushed, and the ending was almost frustrating. I wish there had been a better balance.
I read and reviewed an ARC all opinions are my own.

I was so excited to see this book on Netgalley! Threadneedle was one of my favourite books in the year it was originally published. I immediately fell in love in the rich world Cari Thomas created, the tapestry of different kinds of magical languages and magical locations in what felt like a new and fresh way. So I am especially delighted to say that I adored Shadowstitch as well! It did take me a little to get into the book, but it was worth persevering. One issue was that it's been a while since I read the last book and I recall the plot getting quite convoluted towards the end - this made it tricky to recall what happened and made it hard to get into the book in the beginning. My very favourite part of this entire book has got to be the Christmas scenes with the Wort Cunnings, at Bertie's house. What a delightful and wonderful few chapters - I was so enthralled and enchanted by the sights, sounds and feelings within those pages. Honestly, this series is such a triumph and I wish more people knew about it.