The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling

 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Title: The Death of Jane Lawrence
Author: Caitlin Starling
Publisher: St Martin's
Release Date: 10.5.21

Publisher’s Summary
Practical, unassuming Jane Shoringfield has done the calculations, and decided that the most secure path forward is this: a husband, in a marriage of convenience, who will allow her to remain independent and occupied with meaningful work. Her first choice, the dashing but reclusive doctor Augustine Lawrence, agrees to her proposal with only one condition: that she must never visit Lindridge Hall, his crumbling family manor outside of town. Yet on their wedding night, an accident strands her at his door in a pitch-black rainstorm, and she finds him changed. Gone is the bold, courageous surgeon, and in his place is a terrified, paranoid man—one who cannot tell reality from nightmare, and fears Jane is an apparition, come to haunt him.

By morning, Augustine is himself again, but Jane knows something is deeply wrong at Lindridge Hall, and with the man she has so hastily bound her safety to. Set in a dark-mirror version of post-war England, Starling crafts a new kind of gothic horror from the bones of the beloved canon. This Crimson Peak-inspired story assembles, then upends, every expectation set in place by Shirley Jackson and Rebecca, and will leave readers shaken, desperate to begin again as soon as they are finished.



My Review
I was so excited for this book! A math-loving female protagonist, a marriage of convenience, a crumbling old house in the English countryside...this all sounded like the perfect setup for a smart, spooky, gothic Jane Eyre meets Haunting of Hill House thriller. What I read, however, was a mess. Such a mess that I totally gave up at 75%. That's right, it got so bad that I couldn't even bring myself to finish the story. I hopped over to Goodreads and read some of the "spoiler" reviews, and let's just say I'm not kicking myself for not reading the last 25%. I enjoyed the novel until the magic elements were brought in. Now, I LOVE books with magic, but the magic performed in this story had me questioning if this would be another unreliable female protagonist trope. The timeline is jumpy with overlaps from past and present alongside people coming and going from the house. Also, this book leans much more into the horror genre than I expected--lots of blood and detailed, graphic description of multiple surgical procedures. I'm not going to just keep picking this one apart, but I could go on and on. 

The Book of Magic (Practical Magic #2)

 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Title: The Book of Magic (Practical Magic #2)
Author: Alice Hoffman
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Release Date: 10.12.21


Publisher’s Summary
Master storyteller Alice Hoffman brings us the conclusion of the Practical Magic series in a spellbinding and enchanting final Owens novel brimming with lyric beauty and vivid characters.

The Owens family has been cursed in matters of love for over three-hundred years but all of that is about to change. The novel begins in a library, the best place for a story to be conjured, when beloved aunt Jet Owens hears the deathwatch beetle and knows she has only seven days to live. Jet is not the only one in danger—the curse is already at work.

A frantic attempt to save a young man’s life spurs three generations of the Owens women, and one long-lost brother, to use their unusual gifts to break the curse as they travel from Paris to London to the English countryside where their ancestor Maria Owens first practiced the Unnamed Art. The younger generation discovers secrets that have been hidden from them in matters of both magic and love by Sally, their fiercely protective mother. As Kylie Owens uncovers the truth about who she is and what her own dark powers are, her aunt Franny comes to understand that she is ready to sacrifice everything for her family, and Sally Owens realizes that she is willing to give up everything for love.

The Book of Magic is a breathtaking conclusion that celebrates mothers and daughters, sisters and brothers, and anyone who has ever been in love.


My Review
This series is a bit confusing in regards to release dates and story timelines. After the 1998 release of Practical Magic, the next book in the series, The Rules of Magic was released in 2017 as a prequel to Practical Magic, followed by Magic Lessons in 2020, a prequel to The Rules of Magic. The latest book in the series, The Book of Magic is a sequel to Practical Magic, picking up with Sally's daughters, Antonia and Kylie, as young twenty-somethings. As the youngest in a family of witches cursed to never love, Antonia and Kylie know nothing of the curse or their powers until tragedy strikes, sending Kylie on a mission to save her lover. As the final book in the series, it is both heartbreaking and hopeful and while I enjoyed reading each book, I am happy to put the Owens family to rest. All these years later, I still can't help but compare the characters and settings to the movie Practical Magic (released 1998.) I saw the movie before I read the book (released 1995) and I don't know if it is because of seeing the movie first, but I just don't connect with the books like I do the movie. While there are similarities between the movie and the book, I love the movie so much more. I am pretty sure this is an extreme exception to the rule of the book always being better than the movie, but I always feel let down by the books because I'm chasing that high of the movie. 

Spotlight: The Orphan Witch

 

Happy Pub Day to The Orphan Witch by Paige Crutcher 

Publisher’s Summary 

A deeper magic. A stronger curse. A family lost...and found. 

Persephone May has been alone her entire life. Abandoned as an infant and dragged through the foster care system, she wants nothing more than to belong somewhere. To someone. However, Persephone is as strange as she is lonely. Unexplainable things happen when she’s around—changes in weather, inanimate objects taking flight—and those who seek to bring her into their family quickly cast her out. To cope, she never gets attached, never makes friends. And she certainly never dates. Working odd jobs and always keeping her suitcases half-packed, Persephone is used to moving around, leaving one town for another when curiosity over her eccentric behavior inevitably draws unwanted attention.

After an accidental and very public display of power, Persephone knows it’s time to move on once again. It’s lucky, then, when she receives an email from the one friend she’s managed to keep, inviting her to the elusive Wile Isle. The timing couldn’t be more perfect. However, upon arrival, Persephone quickly discovers that Wile is no ordinary island. In fact, it just might hold the very things she’s been searching for her entire life.

Answers. Family. Home.

And some things she did not want. Like 100-year-old curses and an even older family feud. With the clock running out, love might be the magic that saves them all. 

Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery by Brom

 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Title: Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery
Author: Brom
Publisher: Nightfire
Release Date: 9.21.21

Publisher’s Summary
A spirited young Englishwoman, Abitha, arrives at a Puritan colony betrothed to a stranger – only to become quickly widowed when her husband dies under mysterious circumstances. All alone in this pious and patriarchal society, Abitha fights for what little freedom she can grasp onto, while trying to stay true to herself and her past.

Enter Slewfoot, a powerful spirit of antiquity newly woken… and trying to find his own role in the world. Healer or destroyer? Protector or predator? But as the shadows walk and villagers start dying, a new rumor is whispered: Witch.

Both Abitha and Slewfoot must swiftly decide who they are, and what they must do to survive in a world intent on hanging any who meddle in the dark arts.


My Review
I absolutely cannot watch horror movies because my anxiety goes through the roof and I always have nightmares afterwards, but over the last year or so I've liked dipping my toe into some horror books. While searching for my witch books (yep, that's a regular thing I do) the cover of Slewfoot caught my eye and I instantly requested it. When I received a finished copy I absolutely swooned at the cover and interior photos as well as the book's square styling and formatting details. I loved being transported to a village in 1666 Connecticut to experience the classism and jealously rampant among the townsfolk, but rather than the typical "outcast" story, Brom layers in folktales, myth, and feminine power. Most of the "bad" characters get some redemption and the "good" characters get what they deserve. Revenge is sweet in this story and I can't think of a better book to kick off spooky season. 

Blooming Buttercream Flowers by Amy Rose Yiannakou

 

Title: Blooming Buttercream Flowers
Author: Amy Rose Yiannakou
Designed by: Samantha Brooks

Instagram: @pandicupcakes (Amy) @vividincolour (Sam) 
ISBN Number: 978-1-5272-9337-3

Back Cover
Have you ever wanted to learn to pipe beautiful buttercream flowers? Amy Yiannakou is a self-taught cupcake baker, who runs a successful business in Surrey, UK making beautiful cupcake bouquets and toppers, as well as teaching fellow bakers and students amazing cupcake decorating techniques. In her book for all levels of piping skills, she shows you how to pipe 48 popular buttercream flowers, 12 for each season. If you love baking and flowers, this is the perfect book for you. With simple, easy to follow instructions, you will be piping amazing floral cupcakes in no time. 

My Review 
I was so excited when Amy and Sam reached out to me to ask if I'd like to review this amazing book. In this slim volume there are 48 flower styles demonstrated, each accompanied by 5-6 photos and detailed instructions. Also included with the intro cupcake and buttercream recipes are numerous tips and techniques to help readers achieve the gorgeous result seen throughout the pages of this book. It is obvious that Yiannakou has true cupcake decorating talent and I am so thankful for this guide to try my hand at her sweet creations myself. 

3 Witchy September Releases

 

3 fun, witchy reads releasing this September:⁠

The Orphan Witch by Paige Crutcher⁠
The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling⁠
Witch Please by Ann Aguirre ⁠
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I always want to love witchy reads and there were also comparisons to Gilmore Girls and Hocus Pocus being thrown around on some of these pitches so I was full of anticipation. Unfortunately, I didn't LOVE any of them. I am recommending The Ex Hex if you're looking for cute/funny and Orphan Witch if you're looking for a read to pull at your heartstrings. Witch Please is not making my recommendation list. It was awkward and the male main character is cringe-y. ⁠
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I've got several other witchy reads on my Sept/Oct TBR that I have high hopes for. What witchy reads are on your TBR?⁠