This story hooked me in the beginning. I loved Aline throughout the entire book. The story was so creative and fun, full of witchy magic, perfect for this time of year. The world building was kind of vague so I felt confused about a lot of things. That, mixed with the fast pacing and riddled dialogue, I didn't understand a lot that happened and I had to reread many scenes multiple times. I still don't have a good grasp on how exactly everything happened, but I enjoyed the plot a lot still. I would read more from Crutcher.

My summer of witches has extended into an autumn of auguries by dint of my reading schedule attenuating in these waning days of 2023. What Became of Magic is a book I was looking forward to reading on my deck at the end of August, but it also worked well in the cooler days of September. Paige Crutcher brings a dazzling dash of creativity to her storytelling. Alas, I didn’t enjoy her narrative style or her characterization. My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the eARC in exchange for a review.

Aline Weir was always the loner kid. One day at a sleepover, a ghost of a girl named Dragon befriends her. Aline grows up and grows into her witchy power to help spirits cross over. An accident with a boy her age, however, reverberates across the world and will have consequences for more than Aline. Practically raised by Fates, she finds herself drawn to the magical town of Matchstick. Soon she is in a pitched battle against an ancient enemy who has designs on the personifications of magic themselves—unless Aline and her allies can find a way to restore the balance.

What Became of Magic keeps insisting that Aline is special—indeed that she is inextricably bound up with Magic, who is both a force and a man. But I don’t see it. Aline is boring, at least from the distance at which we get to know her. Crutcher’s narrative choices don’t work for me. There is a veritable montage of Aline’s childhood at the beginning of the book. Instead, bits and bobs of flashbacks spread out through the narrative might have kept me more interested. As it is, I never felt myself connecting to Aline. Like, Crutcher makes it very clear that her parents were always distant and never thought Aline would amount to much of anything—but we never really see Aline feel it, you know?

Then, after Aline leaves the bookstore for the town of Matchstick, the plot spins wildly out of control. Suddenly Crutcher throws us into a quest-like structure. Again, she puts a lot of work into establishing both allies and enemies, as well as laying out the stakes. It should all come together to create a great story. Yet it’s messy, convoluted—the rules are constantly shifting. And none of the characters are three-dimensional enough for me to care about them. Not even Aline.

I also can’t stand romantic subplots premised on destiny, for it veers uncomfortably close to removing agency (or even consent). To be clear, that’s a personal preference of mine; I’m not trying to say that is what Crutcher implies happens here. Indeed, if anyone is going to enjoy this chaotic book, it’s going to be romance fans who want to swoon over the idea of True Love between a witch and a magic man.

As it is, there was just nothing for me to grab onto as I read this book. I felt like I was listening to a child tell me the fantasy story they had just made up—each time they jump to a new scene, I need to stop them and ask questions because I cannot keep it straight in my head. Crutcher’s imagination is unquestionable—but the organization of this book, its editing, the plotting and pacing and protagonist—none of it works for me.

In the end, What Became of Magic felt like a missed opportunity. I say this not to be harsh. I don’t think it is a bad book. But I came really close to DNFing it.

3ish stars

This book was okay. The premise sounded intriguing, but honestly, it didn’t capture or keep my attention the way I’d hoped. The writing style was fine, and a few parts of the story made me smile, but overall, it just fell kind of flat for me. I think/hope others may be able to enjoy it more.

Perfect for fans of Lana Harper and Hazel Beck.

I cannot get enough of these magical town books! The setting really blew me away.
I found the dialogue to be a bit murky at times, the plot was fine. I found Aline a really relatable heroine and I enjoyed her personality.

This was the perfect book to pick up before bed, the mood is just right for a fall night. Again, the setting makes the book.

Paige Crutcher continues writing creative stories about magic and the people who wield it. What Became of Magic was another interesting take on this theme with Aline Weir as our main character. She is a witch who can talk to ghosts. Because of this, she's often been isolated and has few friends because most people think she's a little crazy for "talking to herself." But when she turns thirty, she discovers there's a town known as Matchstick that is completely in the world of magic.

Aline begins to feel like she belongs for the first time ever. But she can't enjoy that fact because she is soon trying to figure out why her good friends have suddenly disappeared. Of course, in trying to find them, she makes new friends. And ends up officially meeting Magic. Yes, that's correct...buckle up because magic is someone that she can actually meet and talk to. So, jump in and enjoy this story about magic, who and what it is and how to find where you fit in the world.

AUDIOBOOK: I actually had a difficult time initially following the audiobook and had to flip over to the ebook for most of my early reading. It was confusing for me to listen to the audio when Aline's story was going back and forth. Once the storyline settled in a bit, I was able to move back to the audiobook more. I liked the voices for the narration. The struggle I had was just that the storyline made the early part of the story a bit challenging to follow. As it progressed, everything balanced out. 4 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for early copies of both the ebook and audiobook. I voluntarily chose to read/listen to and review them and the opinions contained within are my own.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review. Thank you to Netgalley.

What Became of Magic follows Aline Weir who has never quite fit in. In middle school, she finds that she can speak to ghosts. After this discovery leads others to fear or ostracize her, she finds a home in a bookstore with three women that run it and seem to not need customers to keep it open. As she ages, Aline discovers the Book of Mischief an learns of the town of Matchstick. When her friends disappear and the ghost, Dragon, that has kept her company her entire life also vanishes, Aline knows that she must find Matchstick and discover how she can save magic. But Magic is a person and has been waiting for Aline for centuries.

This book was trippy. I mean that in the nicest way. Time moved so quickly but slowly at the same time without significant indicators. I also found myself confused and having to go back pages and chapters to try to discover what I missed. Aline did not feel like a solid character with growth and interest, but that could be because she was almost always so self assured that there wasn't much room for anything else. I struggled to continue to read this and eventually just found myself skimming pages. I think it would be a better read for people looking for literary fiction with little to no character development and a slow moving plot.

While this wasn't for me, I will say that there are people who will enjoy this book and see the witchy magic as intriguing.

It's an upward-leaning 3.5 stars for this one. It took a while for this one to decide what kind of story it wanted to tell, but it wound up being an emotional and action-packed rollercoaster that still felt a tad confused but definitely entertained.
We start out meeting Aline as a little girl who is just different enough for other kids to bully and ignore, especially when she befriends Dragon during a slumber party and it turns out Dragon is a ghost. Her parents tend to forget she even exists and make her home life anything but pleasant. It's one super sad thing after another until she meets three sisters who own a bookstore and give her a place to feel safe. She also finds the book of Mischief and with it finds herself transported to the magical little town of Matchbook where Magic is an intriguing and beguiling person.
It's a safe and fulfilling life until the sisters fail to return from a trip and Aline suddenly finds herself in the town of Matchbook, meeting the real Magic, and tasked with saving all magic if she doesn't want the world as everyone knows it to end.
There are tons of twists and turns and little things that I wish were better explored/explained, but Crutcher knows what she's doing when crafting characters that leap off the page and pull you into their adventures. I might not have always agreed or understood how things happened, but I certainly enjoyed where it took me.

Happy thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the magical read!

What Became of Magic was definitely a middle of the road book for me. I wasn't as drawn in as I was when I read Paige Crutcher's other book, The Lost Witch. It's still a good story with a bunch of twists and turns and romance. I can't seem to figure out what it is that didn't click with me this time though.

Aline is a witch who can talk to and help lost ghost move on. This book is listed as an adult book, but the main charachter is in middle school when it starts at a slummer party that goes terribly wrong. It was a hard book to follow, as it jumped around in time and place very quickly.

I'm not too sure how I felt about this book. I didn't hate it.... but I didn't love it. It's been a while since a book left me "Huh?"

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.

I really liked Paige Crutcher's previous book and was looking forward to this one. What Became of Magic features Aline Weir, a witch who talks to ghosts. It begins with her as a child and rapidly covers a lot of time. Thus, the bulk of the book focuses on a woman in her thirties. I enjoyed the fascinating prose, personification of Day and Night, and many references to Anne of Green Gables.

Once character in the book says, "Everything is topsy-turvy," and I thought that summarized this book well. The magic system is rather confusing, and characters and actions are never quite what they seem. It was hard to keep track or to know what is real. The book started quite slowly and then became faster and faster as it became more confused or confusing.

The author's note references this book being written in a fever dream in six weeks. I think this kind of writing might be a good fit for some readers, but it did not keep me engaged.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

This is possibly my favorite Crutcher book so far. The early portion of the book in particular is so beautifully written, the setting so wonderfully described, I was completely enthralled. However, from the time Aline arrives in Matchstick and the riddles begin and the odd characters manifest, it became more difficult to just get lost in the story.

Eventually I just gave up on the riddles, read through the remainder for the atmosphere and general story line, and still found pleasure in the reading, but not to the degree promised at the start.

What Became of Magic by Paige Crutcher was very hard for me to read. The blurb sounded awesome, and the author is a good writer and highly descriptive. I really enjoyed the first quarter of the book, but the last 3/4 took me over a month to read….I’m not huge into fantasy and just couldn’t get into all the overlapping plot lines and confusing characters. Aline was lovely, but everyone else was really underdeveloped. It was just a case of too much happening at once. For me personally it was a 2.5 but I’m rounding up since Crutcher really did have a cool idea and nice writing style.

Thank you to NetGalley and Griffin for kindly providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. I love a witchy novel but really had a hard time with this one. Some of the riddles were just odd. It just wasn't for me.

I really like the premisces of the book, the way the character found magic to help her alleviate her life. She has such a hard life with an absent family and no friends apart of her ghost, Dragon.

I really loved Dragon and her love for Anne of the Green Gables.
But I have a hard time following the story. It was confusing on many levels. It took a long times to really understand what it was going on.

It honestly felt like a child wrote this. It jumped from idea to idea. It really just needed another draft I think because it had potential.

Dnf around 100 pages in. The cover is stunning and the synopsis sounded so good I just couldn't get into this book unfortunately.

Thank you netgalley and St Martin's Press for the earc in exchange for an honest review

If you are a fan of the writing styles of Holly Black and Maggie Stiefvater, i think you would enjoy this book. this book also reminded me of the fairytale retellings written by Robin McKinley. i loved the sense of mystery and magic in this book. i loved the setting and characters. this booked seemed like it was a real place to jump into.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a perfect read during this magical time of year. Another great book by Paige Crutcher.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC of What Became of Magic in exchange for an honest review.

What a sweet and charming story! I loved everything about this book straight from the beginning of the story- a young girl who is desperately trying to fit in with her classmates, her selfish, oblivious parents who simply don't see her, three sisters bookstore owners who give her unconditional love and acceptance...and magic that helps lost souls find their way home- how can you not fall in love with the story?
Paige Crutcher's simple and elegant writing style draws you in and makes you care about Aline's lonely, solitary life and the comfort she finds in making a new friend called Dragon. But years pass and when our Alin is thirty, it seems once again that everyone is leaving her- her parents move abroad, the Moirai sisters go on longer and longer trips, and Dragon hasn't been seen for a long time. When a suspicious looking stranger invites Aline to visit a hidden magic town Matchstick and find out where Dragon is, Aline doesn't have to think long before embarking on this new, enchanting adventure.
If you are a fan of witchy stories with slow-burn romance and lots of riddles, here is a perfect book for you. Paige Crutcher's writing left me spellbound and I know I'll be looking forward to reading her next book.