Nestled within an enchanted forest in the Grove, a community where witches and warlocks practice natural magic, brew mystical potions, and lock their cellars against beer theiving gnomes. Life is quiet and uneventful. Well, except when Hazel's long lost father uses necromancy to trap her dead mother's soul...
That simply won't do. Necromancy is forbidden in the Grove, and for good reason too. Nobody wants filthy corpses shambling around, messing up one's garden. Hazel is determined to find her father and undo his treachery.
But despite Hazel's plans of becoming a one-woman army, she can't do everything alone. It's not until wild sister Holly convinces her to leave the house for once and go to a party that Hazel finds a pair of unlikely allies in two bickering warlock brothers.
Together, the four of them go on a journey that takes them out of the Grove and into a world where necromancy reigns and the dead won't respectfully stay in the grave. Hazel will do whatever it takes to stop her father and save her mother's soul. Even if it means turning to necromancy. Even if it means losing her friends. Because they would never help a necromancer. Would they?
My friends over at Smith Publicity sent me this book to review, and I am so happy they reached to me about it because they helped me discover one of my favourite books.
Books about witches, magic, and enchanted forests have never really been my cup of tea (except for Harry Potter) so going into this book, I had a few reservations.
Let me start by saying that I LOVED the book and sped through it. The way it was written and the cute chapter names made it extremely easy to read which is always nice. The chapter pages had such nice designs and they really brought the story together.
Hazel and Holly's relationship was something that I thoroughly enjoyed reading through. I have siblings, and I love them dearly, but our relationship could never compare to that of Hazel and Holly's. it might be strange to say, but I feel as though they might not be able to exist without each other. The same thing goes for Hemlock and Hawthorne. As siblings, they rely on and live through each other greatly. They're a package deal. It's either both of them or none of them, and I love that.
I also thoroughly enjoyed the elements of romance that were present as well, ESPECIALLY between Hazel and Hemlock. They seemed so perfect for each other and they connected really well. Their relationship is one that I want: one with equality, adventure, love, and loyalty. It is so evident that they would do anything for each other, and it's amazing to go through with them. I feel so ocnnected to characters in books, and feel as though sometimes, I can feel everything they feel. It's cool. A "relationship" formed between Holly and Hawthrone as well, but it wasn't as proninent as that of Hazel and Hemlock's. I just love them so much.
Family was a really prominent theme in this book as well. The whole story is about a daughter's love for her mother, and wanting to do what she thought was right, for the sake of her family. We know that the girls' father uses necromancy- a type of magic used to communicate with the dead- is forbidden where the girls live, but drastic times call for drastic measures when someone you love is in danger, and Hazel realized that. Hazel came off as a young woman who was independent and could fight her own battles- someone who I look up to greatly. I always find ti refreshing when females are our main characters, heroes, and problem solvers. Hazel really did tick every box for me. I really feel like I could learn a lot from her and I kind of want to be her, but not just because she's with Hemlock... I PROMISE that I am not jealous.
I am really glad that I got the opportunity to read this, as it opened my eyes to a genre that I never thought I would be interested in. Thank you Sara for your incredible story and characters, and thank you to Smith Publicity for fueling my passion of discovering great books, and making them known.
Make sure to show Sara and Smith Publicity some love. They deserve it!
Talk soon...
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