Spells for Forgetting

Synopsis

Emery Blackwood’s life changed forever the night her best friend was found dead and the love of her life, August Salt, was accused of murdering her. Years later, she is doing what her teenage self swore she never would: living a quiet existence on the misty, remote shores of Saoirse Island and running the family’s business, Blackwood’s Tea Shoppe Herbal Tonics & Tea Leaf Readings. 

But when the island, rooted in folklore and magic, begins to show signs of strange happenings, Emery knows that something is coming. The morning she wakes to find that every single tree on Saoirse has turned color in a single night, August returns for the first time in fourteen years and unearths the past that the town has tried desperately to forget.

August knows he is not welcome on Saiorse, not after the night everything changed. As a fire raged on at the Salt family orchard, Lily Morgan was found dead in the dark woods, shaking the bedrock of their tight-knit community and branding August a murderer. When he returns to bury his mother’s ashes, he must confront the people who turned their backs on him and face the one wound from his past that has never healed—Emery. 

The town has more than one reason to want August gone, and the emergence of deep betrayals and hidden promises spanning generations threaten to reveal the truth behind Lily’s mysterious death once and for all.

Synopsis source: Goodreads

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Review

This is my second book by this author. All I can say is that she has come a long way from Sky in the Deep, and I. am. here. for. it.

Between Sky in the Deep and Spells for Forgetting, Young wrote the moderately popular YA series, Fable, which I’ve heard great things about but haven’t read. The follow up novel to Sky in the Deep has been on my Want-to-Read shelf for a while, but time went by and I forgot about it. My thoughts about Sky in the Deep were essentially that it was a decent debut with compelling characters, but the storytelling was just okay. After 4 years of writing YA, Young steps into writing for a more mature audience, and now we have Spells for Forgetting.

This was such a fantastically atmospheric read. A small town mystery, an island that seems almost sentient, and witches, plus a bit of second-chance romance thrown in, this had all the hallmarks of a great fall read, and I was not disappointed.

I felt like the story lagged a bit in the middle, and I wish there would have been more magical elements, but, my gosh, what gets me is the atmosphere Young has created in this book! It’s intense, insightful, and downright creepy at times, with the creepiest parts being not any fantastical element, but the dark sides of humanity. I’m not sure how I feel about the ending yet, but it will make for some great conversation during our book club discussion!

Have you read this book? What did you think? Tell me (in a spoil-free way for others) in the comments below, or better yet, join in with us on November 29th, as we discuss it live! I have so many things I want to hear others’ opinions on! I hope you can join us!

Join the Discussion!

On Tuesday, November 29th at 7pm CST on Instagram Stories Live, I’ll be joined again by my friend Amber Cox of Yarn Vibes, who previously cohosted Every Summer After with me back in July, to catch up with her, work on a project, sip some bevies, and talk all about Spells for Forgetting. I’m super excited to have Amber back, and I can’t wait to see what she and all of you have to say about this book!

Find Amber on Instagram | Ravelry | Goodreads

Replay!

Missed the live discussion? No problem! You can watch the replay here! Don’t worry, we wait to discuss spoilers and give plenty of warning. 😉

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Happy reading!

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