Unfortunately, while I loved the premise, this just wasn't for me. I couldn't get into the story or become invested in the characters.

I went into this book with a bit of hesitation. Magical realism isn’t usually my thing, but I’m a big fan of the author, so I gave it a try—and I’m so glad I did. Yes, there’s this fantastical element about people turning into trees, which admittedly felt a little out there at first, but then again, no stranger than dragons or fairies (and I read plenty about those!). Once I moved past my initial hesitation, I found myself completely captivated by the story for what it is: a quirky, poignant exploration of freedom, motherhood, and what it truly means to put down roots.

The story follows Elisa, who’s spent her life moving from place to place, believing she’ll be cursed to turn into a tree if she ever settles down. When she arrives in a strange, close-knit town in Massachusetts where people can’t leave, she starts to question her own past and whether the curse is real. The vibe of the town is very “Gilmore Girls meets Twin Peaks”—a mix of small-town charm with an eerie, mystical undertone that really worked. Elisa’s journey through her family’s curse, her search for something to call home, and her discovery of how it feels to belong, made this story both unique and heartfelt.

This turned out to be one of my top reads of 2024, blending beautiful writing with a story that surprised me in all the best ways. If you’re up for something a little magical and a lot moving, this book might just steal your heart.

This book was soooo good!
I’m entering my magical realism era apparently and after reading The Spellshop, I was so excited to try this one out. Mrs Durst has this beautiful way of taking your hand and leading you into her magical stories.

Usually I am not a fan of multiple timelines and POV because I get lost. But this story was so easy to read. It was easy to connect with the majority of the characters, however I felt Lori was the one I connected with the least.

The story follows three generations of women as they face love, loss, instability, and discontent with their lives. Add in a generational curse and a town that you are unable to leave, with women who are unable to stay. I feel this story mirrors the discontent in life, wanting more out of life and unable to grasp it. It portrays how choices made affect generations to come. It portrays the consequences of manipulating someone’s free will.

I would have given this 5 stars had the ending not felt like it was abrupt. I was hoping for a different outcome. Still a good story and good ending. I honestly would give this 4.5 stars if I had that option here.

Can a girl with no place finally find a home? This novel plays with magic, longing, and desire. What does home really mean and how do we lose our path based on the desires of others. As the main character seeks to unpack the mysteries of her past we look back at her ancestors and their journeys. Is there more to the small town she finds herself in? This book lives happily between a cozy mystery and magical realism. The modern story is the most compelling but the past stories add richness to the narrative.

I’m a fan of magical realism, so this book was right up my alley. "The Warbler" by Sarah Beth Durst is a charming story that follows one woman’s quest for answers, perfectly illustrating the saying “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”

Elisa can’t stay in one place for more than ten months due to a family curse. Stay any longer, and she risks turning into a tree. During one of her wanderings, she arrives in Greenborough, Massachusetts - a place where residents can’t leave. She must find the root of her curse and a way out of town before it's too late. I’ll avoid saying more to keep things spoiler-free.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. The premise is original, the world-building is evocative, and the main characters are richly drawn. The story moves between three generations of women across three timelines, with the focus mainly on Elisa. I liked Elisa's voice more than the others and found her story the most engaging. The double meaning of Warbler (a wanderer or a small songbird) was also a nice touch, cleverly woven into the narrative. Oh, and there's a bookstore and a cat, which I adored!

The book explores themes of choices, or lack thereof, the tendency to do what's expected rather than pursuing one’s dreams, the need for belonging, mother-daughter relationships, grief, and how even the best intentions can go wrong. I found it frustrating how others' choices were imposed on Elisa and her mother, and the assumption that everyone needed or wanted the same things felt condescending.

The book started strong, lagged a bit in the middle, and then picked up the pace. I liked the conclusion, though it wasn’t entirely satisfying. I figured out the mystery before the heroine did, but it didn’t dampen my enjoyment. A bit of tightening in the plot would have made it even more engaging.

In sum, "The Warbler" is a marvelous read with good writing, vivid imagery, and relatable characters. The author takes the reader into the mind of the book's main characters and exposes them to their emotions. I’d recommend this to Sarah Beth Durst fans and lovers of magical realism.

* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc. All opinions are my own.

Something about Sarah Beth Durst’s writing and imagination really clicks with me. Her stories are so captivating.

Loved the concept of this, although it was quite sad. Gotta love family curses and sinister small towns where it seems no-one can leave.

It worked so well to have a few chapters from the perspectives of the main character’s mother and grandma. It allowed for building up the suspense about how the tree curse began.

I really didn’t see where the plot was going at all. Though when it was revealed I was like - ahh of course!!!

I will say a few bits were a little slow, but it did add to the suspense. Also, I really appreciate it when an author takes lots of time for exploring main characters’ inner thoughts and backgrounds. Adore a character focused book. Would maybe have liked more background of other people living in the town too!

An imaginative, well written read. Sarah Beth Durst is likely to become an auto-buy author for me.

4.5 stars! ⭐️

This boo was very good.
I couldn’t put it down and the ending l.
I don't wanna talk about it.
Highly recomme t though.

This was a lovely book, all about the choices that we make and the how those choices can either trap or free us. It is also about family and obligation, and about how the way we look at a situation can change our reality.

Elisa has been a drifter for her whole life. According to her mother Lily, the women in their family are cursed : if they stay anywhere long enough to think of it as home and start putting down roots then their skin will turn to bark and their blood to sap and they will literally develop roots. The limit seems to be about ten months. Elisa has never been sure whether she believes in the curse or not but her mother certainly believes, and as the story begins Elisa is on her own for the first time. About a year ago her mother stopped running, married the man she'd loved for over twenty years, and died (or became a willow tree by the river). Unlike her mother, Elisa does not want to accept that she has no choice in her fate and she is searching for the origin of the curse, so that she can finally escape and create a home for herself. Her quest leads her to a small town that no one seems to be able to leave, and suddenly Elisa has to find answers before she's trapped forever.

The narrative jumps between Elisa, Lily, and Lily's mother Rose. Each timeline focuses on choices; how every choice that we make creates new paths, and closes off others. How choices can trap us, and how they can also set us free. The town where Elisa finds herself is mysterious and full of interesting characters. The parallel stories, and how Elisa finally discovers some answers and makes her peace with the past create a compelling and touching novel that reminds me of Alice Hoffman's work. If you're looking for an emotional but ultimately optimistic story about three generations of women and the lives that they touch then you will love The Warbler.

This was so good! First of all, the writing is stunning. Second of all, I'm always a sucker for magical realism, and throw in generations of storng woman and I'm sold!

The start is a bit slow., but there was never a point where I was upset about that. I feel like the writing, and different POV's helped a lot. I did find the ending a bit predictable but this didn't take away from my enjoyment.
Definitely would recommend this one for fans of Addie LaRue.

I did think that this magical realism book would be a little bit heavier on the magic rather than the realism, but that wasn't the case. That being said, I do think the emotional journey the character goes on was really well done. As a primarily fantasy reader though, I wasn't quite as interested as I would have liked. I definitely think this would be a great pick for a reader who prefers realistic fiction.

This book was astounding. I loved the mystery and the romance. I loved the prose and the three stories that were interwoven together. I do wish that there wasn’t a reference to the famous boy wizard series tho.

I want to read more books by this author as the storytelling is excellent. This book is poignant and full of emotions.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I received this DRC from NetGalley.

This was an interesting enough book. I was curious about the curse, but would've liked to know more. Some parts felt obvious. And the title seems like a bit of a spoiler. But I think it was still intriguing and a good read with slight sinister magic vibes.

This was my first Sarah Beth Durst book but it won't be my last! A good friend loves her work and has recommended this author to me for years and now I know why.

This is an absolutely delightful, cozy Urban Fantasy that is magical realism at it's "squint one way and you can see the otherworldliness" best. Magical Realism is not my favourite Fantasy subgenre because I think that, for all it looks like deceptively easy smoke and magic, "now you see it, now you don't" illusion, it is incredibly hard to do well in a way that truly feels magical and, well, actually real.

Sarah Beth Durst has mastered that art. If you like Alice Hoffman or Charles de Lint's Newford, I think you'll be charmed by this as well. It's a book that's best going into knowing little.

Like the other cozy fantasies I've read lately, major plot points are easily foreseen and predicted yet the journey is so compellingly written that I didn't mind at all.

Three generations are linked by a curse: the women can't stay in one place too long, because if they start to feel like they're home, they will root and turn into trees. In the present day, Elisa is determined to learn more about this mystery and find some way to break the curse. In the past, her mother had no choice but run from it - until she made a decision Elisa still can't understand. And her grandmother might have been the one who started it all...

Although the mystery is intriguing, this is also an incredible story about grief and the ways the legacy of family relationships affect us both past and present. And the importance of making our own choices, unhindered. It is incredibly moving and both heart-breaking and heart-healing at the same time.

<i>Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the eARC; Releases March 1st, 2025</i>

This novel has a lot going on. Obviously, magical realism which has some definite fairy tale vibes. But it’s also a cozy mystery and there’s a bit of coming of age in there as well. It’s a lot and I think maybe is trying to do too much at the same time. Sometimes the hits were heavy handed and the only one not getting it was the main character.

I think fans of The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue would love this book. It has a certain flow and vibe to it which I've only found before in Addie, add that to the cursed women theme and the traveling and there's a lot of overlap to enjoy. For all their similarities though they are wildly different stories. The Warbler is about family, society, expectations and the impacts the decision of others can have on our lives.

I never got bored reading this, I took it slow, sometimes going days before I picked it up again, but each time I came back to the story it effortlessly welcomed me back with a soft gentleness that made me feel like I'd never left. Durst is one hell of a writer. I don't even know how to describe the atmosphere this book has but it was a key part of what kept bringing me back to the book.

I loved the characters, although not Rose. It didn't matter how much I learned of her I found it difficult to feel sympathetic toward her, I just don't think I ever forgave her but she did resonate on a society level and I found myself highlighting a lot of commentary about the expectations and presures others put on us. Elisa was a great character but Lori was my favourite, for all her struggles and hardships she remained such a beautiful soul.

Unfortunately I didn't enjoy the mechanics of the curse. There were times the magical realism of the story was spot on and other times that felt jarring. I'm not sure how to get into it without spoilers so lets just say that the talk of coffins, trees and sicknesses didn't always line up and that got annoying. Allison blaming Owen for her situation doesn't make sense once you know her story, and I'm questioning details about the before of things like Mark's yard the undoing or not of curses.

All and all I enjoyed this book and I think it's well worth the read, I can think of plenty of friends who would just love this story and I will recommend it to them but I don't think I'll read it again myself. I need a little bit more consistency within the speculative aspects personally.

I enjoyed this book very much. Kept me thoroughly interested through one sitting. Look forward to much more by this author.

Interesting read! Sometimes a bit oddly paced but i enjoyed the unique premise, the exploration of family ties, and a little supernatural element. A fun fall read!

4.5 ⭐️ rounded up

First of all, have to acknowledge that The Warbler has such a unique premise. Elissa is on the run her entire life in ten month increments because the women in her family are cursed to turn into trees once they put down metaphorical roots. It could have easily gone hokey but ends up being one of the novels strengths by bringing in generational curses and traumas into play.

I’ve seen comparisons to Addie LaRue which is probably the closest to the premise I’ve read but it also reminded me a lot of the Unmaking of June Farrow in its writing style. That is, it was super readable. I flew through it in one day and essentially one sitting. I loved the characters of Elissa, Lori, Rose, and Allison. The town of Greenborough’s oddities were also super compelling.

Half a point off for Oliver, I wish his character was more developed, and I also wish I believed the ending’s loop hole more.

The Warbler by Sarah Beth Durst
☀️☀️☀️⛅ (3.5 stars)

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

A mysterious tale of magical realism that was an enjoyable, albeit predictable, journey of womanhood across generations.

This book had a strong premise which I had no problems jumping on board with despite its oddity. The first act was relatively slow but informative; the second act was significantly better, though it does get bogged down by the ever-changing POVs; the third act was unfortunately where things fell apart for me. I can buy into the vague curse logic but the resolution of it in this form felt contradictory. I don't mind having unanswered questions but when many other aspects of the plot are signposted a mile away, it is unsatisfying.

I liked Elisa as the main narrator, and her perspective is beautifully written - Durst's prose is generally very nice throughout. Being given Lori and Rose's context was helpful too, but it did slow down the pace significantly and left me ahead of Elisa by a long way in the final stretch. I struggled more with the male characters who all felt a bit underdeveloped in comparison to the women, though it's obviously a story focused on womanhood.

Overall I found this to be an enjoyable read but the predictability of the reveals and the odd logic of the magical realism elements left me a bit underwhelmed.


"I am a rock skimming the surface of a pond, wanting to make ripples but afraid I'll sink."