I wasn’t able to finish this book. Because of this, it is my policy not to review the book on my site or on Goodreads/Amazon. I also didn’t mark it DNF.

I ended up putting this down around 30% because I just couldn't get interested in the characters, and the plot felt so slow.

The writing style was quite nice, very thick and silky, however The story line was...eh. I think this book would have done better targeted as an adult instead of YA, and if it had been written for a more mature audience.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. Unfortunately I have been unable to get into it. DNF @ 17%.

This was a really interesting read! Like Walton's prior book, this one involves generational threads with magic. In THE PRICE GUIDE TO THE OCCULT, we have a family, whose magic was lessened by the effects of a spell several generations ago, living on an isolated island. The spell is set to 'expire' with Nor, a teen girl traumatized by a mother who wanted everything and was willing to sacrifice anything, including her daughter, to have it.

The voice and setting are strong. You can really get the feel of being a local at a place where tourists flock seasonally, where the atmosphere always has a tinge of magic (and as the novel goes on, not always good magic). Like many young adults in small towns like Nor's island, Nor and her friends wonder about the future, if they'll always be on the island (which some would like, while others would feel trapped by) or who might leave (and not return). Nor left high school and got her GED, if I remember correctly, which was refreshing to see. Sometimes she and her best friend joke about homework, but Nor's decision is never looked down upon.

There was much to enjoy here, but I found I couldn't connect with it. I'd read more from this author in the future though.

Right up front lets talk about my love for The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender, that book messed me up for a considerable amount of time. I struggle with magical realism, but that title is a perfect example of how it's done right. I've literally fought with people on how amazing it is.
That high expectation is how I went into The Price Guide to the Occult. Maybe that's where I went wrong? The book read at a snail's pace and I just couldn't sink my teeth in. I've promised myself to reread it and give it another go, but I'm probably lying to myself and won't pick it up again.

This was a middle-of-the-road read for me. While I liked a lot of aspects, there were some things I disliked, and overall, I just didn't feel strongly enough about the book to really warrant adding an in-depth review to the blog.

this book was soooo cool. i loved the language and the witchy vibes that just emanated right off the page. this book was really well written and i enjoyed it so much

The vibe of the premise reminded me of my obsession with The Secret Circle/The Raven Cycle. It ended up having a completely different vibe though.

Unfortunately I didn't really enjoy it. The writing is superb and Leslye Walton clearly excels at doing whimsical magical stuff, but other than the writing, the book is just so... YA. And I'm saying 2013-2014 YA complete with insta romance, bad antagonists and the lack of action from the main character.

This is not a bad book however, but it wasn't my piece of cake.

This was a strange little book and not quite what I was expecting. Though I'm not the biggest fan of magical realism, I actually liked it in this book. I especially loved the small island community setting. It exuded a sometimes beautiful, sometimes quaint, sometimes creepy atmosphere. I really liked a lot of the characters, as well. I felt like their personalities really shined through. The book was extremely fast-paced, which kept me interested and turning the pages. However, as I got closer to the last page, I found myself wondering how everything would come together by the end. By the time I finished, I was wondering if this was the first book in a series, rather than a standalone. I feel like many parts of the story were left unexplored and questions were left unanswered. In this case, I wish the pacing would have been a bit slower so that the relationships and histories and magic could have been examined in more detail. Still, I think this would be a good pick for fans of books with witches and/or magical realism.

Ok, so I enjoyed this book, but I'm so mad at that ending. It rushed right into "here, have a cliffhanger, instead of getting a proper wrap-up" real fast there at the end. I'm ok with cliffhangers, it's not that, but this one felt so rushed! But anyway....
I did enjoy the story quite a bit. It's not perfect, it has its faults, but nothing too major. It was darker than I was expecting, but still had the magical feels I wanted. I really hope there's a sequel in the works, because I need to know certain things. I'm hoping to learn more about the past witches as well, hear their stories. So, I will recommend this book, but know you're gonna get stuck on a cliff at the end.

First of all, I have to admit that magical realism is not exactly my thing. I tried multiple times, with multiple authors, but maybe I have to give up to the fact that this genre is just not for me. However, I requested this book because I wanted to give a second chance to the author; a few years ago I read her novel, The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender: I liked it, but I didn't find it amazing. However, everyone around me seemed to love it, so I really wanted to challenge one of her novels once again.
Overall I found the premise captivating and I really liked the main character Nor. However, I found the development a bit underwhelming. I had hoped for developments about the curse of the Blackburn family; I also found the characterization a bit bidimensional, so that I couldn't really care for what was happening to any of the characters.

Honestly, this book was incredibly forgettable. I looked forward to this book for so long and it was a bit of a let down. I think in the end I had similar feelings to when I read Walton’s other book The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender.

The characters were hard to connect to. It always felt like they were being held at a distance. And personally, the characters make or break the story. You never get to know any of them and it makes for zero stakes in the plot. When you can’t connect to the characters, you have no real opinion on which side concurs. Additionally, with so many characters and none that were fleshed out, there was no hope in me ever keeping any of them straight or understanding who they each were in relation to the main character.

Ultimately, I think it comes down to not liking the writing. It is very passive and never left me on the edge of my seat wanting more. About half way through the book the only reason I continued was to get it off my shelves.

Books featuring witches are some of my favorites to read, so I’m sad that I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I hoped. But honestly, at the same time I’m not surprised. I can see a lot of people enjoying this book. But personally, it came down to me not liking the writing style and the disconnect it gave me.

Okay, so I really wanted to love this book especially after hearing so much praise about The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender. But unfortunately, it didn't work out for me. I loved the cover and the title, but not the book itself and that's disappointing.

I loved the beginning and probably it was the best part of the book. In the rest of the book the author was trying too hard to make us involved in the story but I felt it over-sweetened. The setting of the book was fantastic but the magical realism didn't work out for me despite the oceanic-lush-green setting. After a while the book just felt boring.

The Price Guide to the Occult is a spell book title that plays an integral part within this book. Though I love stories with a book as an integral part, this story doesn't quite specify how and why the certain things happened. There was no explanations for so many things.

This book had so much potential but it failed to deliver it.

Good day! Before anything else, I would like to extend my deepest, sincerest gratitude for sending me a digital review copy of this book (via NetGalley). Thank you very much for the opportunity!

Unfortunately, I am sad to say that I have lost interest in this particular title, and consequently, I have decided against finishing it. Forcing myself to finish a book I am disinterested in (solely for the sake of finishing it) can only negatively impact the entirety of my reading experience, which, in turn, could result in me writing an unfairly negative review. That is a circumstance I hope to avoid. With that said, I believe that the best course of action is for me to simply not read it and to refrain from publicly posting any feedback regarding this book.

I hope you understand where I'm coming from. Again, thank you for the lovely opportunity!

After reading this authors last book and adoring it, I had super high hopes for this one.
However this book was just okay. The writing and story didn't really pull me in, and it was a struggle to get through.

This book had some very beautiful writing, unique atmosphere, and I loved where it took place (the Pacific Northwest). It had a lot of things I enjoyed, but some of the plot just didn't work for me.
I would have liked this book to be maybe one or two hundred pages longer than it is. While the set-up and introduction were well-done, things got a bit messy toward the end of the book. It might have needed a little more attention to detail, more time and room to unfold. All of a sudden there was a brewing storm, a winged bear and an army of zombies. A little too much to take in at once.
Also, trigger warning for self harm.

This is such a great read for fall! I always love to read books with a witchy or magical element during Halloween time and this one definitely fits.

An interesting small-town-with-history setting, and Nor is a great protagonist. Weird galley text formatting meant it took me a little while to get into this book, but I can imagine the finished, published novel would be very engaging.