Thanks to Alcove Press and NetGalley for my advanced reader copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Actual rating: 3.75 stars.

A witchy coming-of-age novel set in the 1960s? Sign. Me. Up. This debut by Andrea Jo DeWerd is charming, heartwarming and magical. The Watry-Ridder family are infamous in the small town of Friedrich, Minnesota. Farmers seek their water charms and teenagers plump for love spells, and the Watry-Ridder’s charms and spells have long served Friedrich. Eldest daughter Elisabeth is on the cusp of graduating high school and her grandmother Magda expects her to marry her ‘high school sweetheart’ and take over the family ‘business’. Soon, Elisabeth discovers that magic isn’t all she’s inherited: the more she digs, the less she understands.

I really enjoyed dipping into the world of Elisabeth Watry-Ridder this autumn. What We Sacrifice for Magic is the perfect pre-fall read! Elisabeth is a likeable heroine and I appreciated a warm, witty and realistic representation of an eldest daughter. Living up to familial expectations is a big theme in this novel, and it made a fantasy story feel real and human. Of course there’s plenty of self-discovery here and a splash of romance along the way: I’d say the romance is a bonus not a key theme, which I personally do prefer. Magda, the matriarchal grandmother, is beautifully realised and wonderfully unlikeable. I found this to be a balanced, fun and warming little fantasy that I’d easily recommend for a cosy and autumnal, spooky season read. My only gripe is that it has another semi-fast reveal.