Deftly written with many intricate storylines that the author kept a good track off. This was a dense book and sometimes suffered for it but ultimately an enjoyable 2nd book and I’m looking forward to the next one after that cliffhanger.

Cari Thomas has been a sure fire ‘she produces amazing books’ author and I LOVE this series. So I could not wait to get well and truly stuck in and it was everythingggg.

So happy to be back. It’s so well constructed you feel as if you’ve literally stepped into another world and the escapism is next level. The writing is seriously amazing and even though it’d been a fair while since I read the previous book, I found that I slipped effortlessly back into this world like I’d never left it.

The cursed sisters. The forbidden boy. Magic. It couldn’t have hooked me more if it tried.

Even though it’s a fair chonk of a book, it didn’t make for hard reading and I normally struggle with 500+ page books as it can be harder to remain engaged if it doesn’t keep up with good pacing but it was perfect. In fact, if anything, I wanted it to be longer! I could have read 1000+ pages and still wanted more.

Effie continues to absolutely infuriate me and I love to hate her, Anna you long for her to break free from her fear and discover who she is and the underpinning curse throughout the story is so compelling. Also, as Rowan is my absolute favourite character, I loved catching up with her and seeing her within the story. Manda too and Attis - they make for one epic coven.

It was just as good as I hoped it would be and as ever, I can’t wait for the next instalment of the series. GAH I’m so happy to be back reading this world and now I’ve finished it, I feel bereft. And after such an amazing ending too! Counting down the days until the next now, I need it yesterday!!

I absolutely adored Threadnedle, Cari Thomas' first book in this dark YA witchy series and have been impatiently waiting for a sequel for that seems like forever, so was delighted when Shadowstitch popped up on Netgalley, knocking a few months off my waiting time.

We are whisked straight back into the story, although with plenty of reminders of the major turning points for people like me with memories like sieves (all sequels should have a recap at the front imo). Anna is struggling with her change in circumstances, guilt for her role in her aunt's death and fear thanks to both her curse and what that means for her, Effie and Attis, and her conviction that the Hunters are on the rise, just as her aunt always said. Oh, and she is haunted by her aunt, seeing her in reflections, hearing her laugh... Returning to school doesn't mean a return to normality. Anna and her friends are being openly called witches and an investigator has been appointed, one with sweeping powers and an army of prefects ready to do his bidding. All Anna wants to do is put the past behind her, get on with her exams and break the curse, but a series of hysterical events are sweeping London, the clamour against witches is getting louder and her situation with Effie and Attis more complicated by the day.

It took me a while to get into this book, partly because the first few chapters of Anna moping are a little slow and densly written, the stitching motif maybe overused a little, but once we got into school and the plot took off, I was as hooked by the sequel as I was by the original, the tension racheting up page by page until it reaches a thrilling, cliffhanging end which has left me just as impatient for book three as I was for this. Highly recommended.

This was fun and fast paced with an interesting story and well rounded characters. It was well written but a little bit too YA for my personal tastes
The story moves along quickly which keeps you engaged all the way through and it was a good follow up to the first book

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc

This is the second book in the Language of Magic series by Cari Thomas.

Anna and Effie navigate their curse and the perils of school whilst dealing with a growing threat to witches as bouts of hysteria grip the capital city.

I loved reading Threadneedle and Shadowstitch had me even more gripped. The characters are complex and feel very real. I want to be part of Rowan’s family. The herd mentality of the school children was particularly well captured. The pacing is excellent and I struggled to put it down. Particularly in the middle of the book the tension felt almost unbearable.

The cliffhanger ending is mean but can be forgiven because it means more books are coming.

This easily gets 5 stars and is one of my favourite reads of the last 18 months 🌟 🌟 🌟🌟🌟