Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book. A gorgeous 4 star read book from me. What an exciting plot, vivid storytelling and relatable, rich characters. I could put this book down – absolutely loved it.

Witchy and mystical! Spells, Strings and Forgotten Things revolves around a coven of sisters devoted to Lightcraft - the nicer side of witching and their mission to safeguard the Dark Oak. When Calliope, the most magical of the three, notices signs that something isn't quite right, she investigates and becomes bound to Lucian, a Shadowcraft bad boy with a penchant for unusual nicknames.

From the get go, this book is busy - there's a lot of things happening and it's all happening quickly. There's a lot of characters to get to know and this is done mostly through telling rather than showing. The premise is very Charmed! The relationships between the sisters is very relatable and the chemistry between the two leads is fantastic. Wasn't really feeling the Pride and Predjudice vibes with this one though. Less Mr Darcy and more Angel from Buffy!

My favourite part? The excerpts from the Tea and Tome recipe book! Can't wait to make the apple cinnamon cookies.

"Hope doesn't have to be a blazing fire...Sometimes, it's just a flicker in the darkness, but it's enough to guide us through."

I was given an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this so much I was slightly dismayed when I realised it isn't out for months! I was looking for some witchy reads to fill my October tbr, and this absolutely fit the bill.

I loved the relationships between the characters, particularly how Calliope and Lucien grow throughout the story. The representation of magic itself was intriguing and original, even if it did take me a few chapters to fully make sense of it. It can be difficult to keep witchy novels from feeling cliché, and this one had some really unique takes that blended cozy romantasy with the sinister supernatural.

If you're looking for a supernatural mystery (and one that pays homage to Greek mythology!) this is well worth a read.

Books with similar vibes - The Once and Future Witches by Alix E Harrow, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna, Her Majesty's Royal Coven by Juno Dawson, and Hex and the City by Kate Johnson.

In the end I did not enjoyed this book - despite its "Charmed" vibes and inspired in a modern witch society, I just could not connect with the characters and the storyline in the ned just felt flat from me - it was somehow cozy but the same time the world was ending, so I just could not catch the right vibes. Calliope was a nice MC and there is a good love interest but was described way cooler than he actually his.

I read an eARC of this book on NetGalley so thank you to the author and publisher.

This is the latest book to join the cosy magical fantasy ranks, a wonderful genre that I hope we get more of! In this book we have three sisters battling against a hereditary secret and protecting their community from a historical evil. We have small town community, baked goods, woods, family bonds giving all the cosiness. But we’ve also got witches, magic with a cost and legacy feuds.

I really liked the setting in this one. The house, the woods, the small town. The way the heritage of the sisters shapes who they are. I also found the magic system intriguing. The sisters have to sacrifice a memory every time they want to use magic, leading to discussion about how does memory shape identity and knowing who you are. This was a magic system I don’t think I’ve seen used before and it brought a new lens to magic with a cost.

The feud between the two factions of witches was pretty interesting too. The history behind this and the long term ramifications of the descendants of those originally feuding was well explored and added some great colour to the book.

The vibes with this book were great and the way it looked into sisterly relationships was lovely too. The relationship between the three sisters is really central to the book and how bonding, trying to understand each other and working together can only make things better.

There was loads I loved in this book, the only thing that didn’t quite work for me was the romance. It went way too fast from enemies to lovers and some of the ‘spice’ felt a bit incongruous with the cosy nature of the book.

This is one of the best books I’ve read in a while. I love the story, setting and the characters.

I love a good witchy book and this ticked all the boxes.

It reminded me of the TV show ‘Charmed’ with a mixture of ‘Practical Magic’.

I can’t wait to purchase a physical copy of this when it’s out in the UK.

An action-packed witchy romance with cosy small town vibes (and a dash of spice?) Yes, please!

I feel like it took me a while to get through this one. It took a few chapters for me to really get into it, but I enjoyed it all the same.

A good small town witchy romance, with great side characters.
I expected a lot more in the terms of a sister bonds as that's what the book was marketed as but I felt it had more conflict and disharmony then the conflict with the 'big bad!.
I wanted to like the relationship between Calliope and Lucien but it had more of a 'the worlds ending' vibe compared to any actually genuine.
With that being said, I did enjoy it ( read it in 1 day) and looking forward to the sequel.

This was an interesting read that delves into repairing broken bonds, unravelling family truths, and finding out what you'll sacrifice for those you truly care about. From breaking their family curse to finding their partners in life this was such a wholesome read an i truly felt for the petridi sisters and what they've had to experience through their mum going missing and not knowing the true extent of the curse on their family.

Personally, i didn't love the spicey scenes but that is very much a personal preferences, but besides that I did love how lucien becomes a key member to the petridi sisters, and his sister becoming somewhat of a wider found family to calliope. An interesting take on family ties, and light and dark magic - the history between families that was revealed was unexpected but overall extremely well written with an engaging plot throughout.

Cosy, witchy vibes that are perfect for this time of year! I loved the characters and the storyline and I was fully hooked from the very beginning! A wonderfully created story!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC

Thank you to NetGalley & Random House Publishing for the ARC (my first ARC!!!) 🙌✨

SS&FT follows the story of the Petridi sisters, three Lightcraft witches, in the aftermath of their mother’s suspicious disappearance and her constant warnings that they need to protect their town. However, a coven of Shadowcraft witches have other plans, and their leader Lucien will stop at nothing to succeed. Will the sisterly bond between the Petridi sisters be enough to protect themselves & their town? Or will their own stubborness cause their downfall?

This book is the epitome of a Charmed x Pride & Prejudice witchy fantasy, which I didn’t initially gel with, but I was enamoured by the end! The sibling relationships throughout the book are so well written & realistic (and reminded me so much of mine & my sisters bond), the romance (the best romances have a shadow man love interest duh!) had me giggling and crying at one point, and I loved the inclusion of the family recipes at the end of the book.

A perfect book to get me in the October mood - Spells, Strings & Forgotten Things is out March 2025 🪄🧵