I feel like all the spooky, atsmpoheric YA books are coming out at the wrong time of year this year. This has all the witchy vibes to it, throwing in a little darkness here and there. I enjoyed the way that Albert wove the story, giving us flashbacks and allowing us to get pieces of the story here and there. It added to the overall tension of the book and drew you into the story even more.

I wouldn't say that the characters are necessarily all that likeable? But I think that's partly the point. Even if they aren't super likeable, they are well-developed, centering around this main event that happened with Ivy's mom. The characters in both the present day and the flashbacks were fully fleshed out, and that made the book more enjoyable to me.

However, I didn't quite believe the romance. Like, it's intertwined with the magic and the mystery, but it just didn't feel believable to me. But other than that, if you enjoy witchy YA books, you'll definitely enjoy this one!

It was entertaining although I don't think I would re read this, it was fun and I really enjoyed it while reading but I didn't find it all that standout, Especially to the point I would re-read this over my ever growing fantasy tbr; but I'm very happy to have read it. I loved the dual timeline writing style; having not only dual character perspective but also a current/past time pov was really interesting; it is a book you need to give a bit more attention though because it took me a few chapters to fully get a grasp of all the characters and their place in past and present timelines but it is well laid out for you to eventually catch on.

Other than the incredibly detailed animal deaths/dead animals, I enjoyed this but ultimately it was a fairly 'mid' fantasy book for me personally, I had fun while reading but now that it's over I am pretty indifferent about the book and can't see myself rushing to recommend or re-reading anytime soon.  

*Thank you NetGalley and macmillan audio for this arc in exchange for my honest thoughts and review*

An intoxicatingly eerie and deliciously riveting tale about mothers and daughters, secrets, witches and a whole lot of revenge that I literally devoured! From eerie flashbacks from her childhood to the creepy, unnatural offerings left on her doorstep, Ivy’s summer gets off to a spookily rough start. But it leads Ivy on a journey of discovery… into her mother’s mysteriously vague past and into her the fragmented memories of her own. 

I absolutely loved every second of this richly imagined and sinisterly delightful masterpiece of a book. As a huge fan of The Hazel Wood and Tales of The Hinterland I was soo unbelievably excited to receive an ARC of it, it was one of my anticipated books of the year and I can say it definitely lived up to my expectations. 

I am obsessed with Melissa Albert’s expertly crafted, layered and bewitchingly complex world and her prose is second to none. I absolutely loved the dual POVs which explore both Ivy’s life, both in the present and her memories of her childhood as well as her mothers’ teenage years and her actions and choices which lead to the events that take place in the present. 

The characters were well crafted (I really liked both Ivy and her mum, Dana) and I loved the exploration into their mother daughter bond—at first glance Dana appears distant, both physically and emotionally but getting to experience her POV really helps to humanise her and give depth to her character. It also highlights the fact that nothing is ever truly straight forward or black and white, that there’s always more than one side to every story. 

The parallels between them both however is startlingly obvious and I loved that it’s their decisions (made decades apart) which ultimately bring them closer together. Ivy spends the first half of the book constantly searching for answers, about why her mum is distant and evasive, why the boy next door seems to hate her and why she feels like a piece of her is missing. Teenage Dana is likewise looking for meaning in her life, something bigger than herself in the life she shares with her temperamental father and best friend Fee. 

The plot is intriguingly twisty with soo many nuanced layers, surprises and revelations around every corner and the pacing was amazing. It starts out slow but quickly begins to speed up and escalate as the story and action unfolds, creating a truly apprehensive yet utterly unputdownable experience. 

Overall, this was an absolutely incredible read that I highly recommend to dark urban fantasy lovers and fans of witchy books. 

If you’ve ever read any of Albert’s books you’ll know how vividly immersive and masterful her storytelling can be, and if you’re new then your in for a wildly riveting and utterly addictive ride in this richly atmospheric, paranormal mystery imbued with magic, mayhem and sinister surprises. 

I also wanted to say a huge thank you to Nina and Penguin Randomhouse for the ARC.

5/3/22 

Initial thoughts: holy shit this was so good! 

The steady revealing of the creepiness of Dana’s involvement with the occult was perfectly spooky. Ivys present and danas past hurtled toward each other in this perfect inevitable tenseness. 

Somehow I ended up sympathizing with the villain and wanting her to have a positive outcome. 

Loved how we came full circle and how the problem ended up being the solution and how Ivy was able to better understand her mother and her complex decision as a result. 

Honestly this book just sucked me in. Was creepy, but not too creepy, and also had some romance which I loved n