The Price Guide to The Occult mixes very serious and mature situations with witchcraft. From family troubles to selfish mothers and being a Blackburn woman in general life for Nor is anything but magical.

After Rona set a curse in motion, life as a Blackburn woman is only half lived. You’re destined to fall in love with one of the founding families for only three days and bare a child. The next Blackburn woman to go through the same cycle. And once all eight families have been cursed what happens to the ninth? Nor is the ninth Blackburn woman and unlike all her grandmother’s before her she’s different.

Each Blackburn woman is only burdened with one magical ability, but Nor has many. And if a witch practices outside her burden, she starts dabbling in black magic. But is Nor doing black magic? Or has Rona’s curse ended with her mother?

The story revolves around Nor with lots back reference. Most of the story refers to things, Nor’s childhood, that has happened years ago. Nor’s mother, Fern wasn’t the motherly type and would sacrifice even her daughter to get what she wants. And what she wants is just sly if not completely 100% world domination. Everyone bowing to her. But Fern’s burden is persuasion. And all the spells she granting to gain millions of followers costs more than money. It costs blood. And Fern’s selfishness lands on her daughter once more.

There are many great descriptives of Anathema Island where the Blackburn women live. The fairytale names of the streets, little mom and pop shops, and lure of tourism. There are great sub characters from the remaining Blackburn women. Judd who is referred to a giantess and Apothia her lover. There’s Savvy, Nor’s best friend that has blue hair and an even more fun loving personality. There’s love interests and unexplored relationships as well as fear of being sucked into the cursed of three day love. Then there’s the family that took Rona in and protected her, who have took on the responsibility of protecting all Blackburn women if need be. And when Fern and her black magic come back home, more than Nor and her family are the ones that need protecting.

I will say that not much happened throughout the novel until the last three or four chapters. It was a relatively quick read which can be a good thing. You get immersed just enough without it being too drawn out. One thing that irks me with novels is when I can guess what was happening while the character has no clue…even when there are bits that can easily be put together. I’m not sure if the character just didn’t acknowledge it or she had no idea. The ending was satisfying overall, but still leaves the reader wondering what is going to happen to the Blackburn women. Are the witch trails going to make a comeback? Is someone willing to exploit them for their powers?

This book had a lot of potential, but it didn’t work for me.

I really liked the beginning of the story. The way that Rona Blackburn’s story was set up was exciting. It reminded me of The Scarlet Letter, because Rosa was excluded from the rest of the island for being a witch.

I didn’t like the main character, Nor. She was very one dimensional. She only focused on what her mother was doing and she pushed everyone else away. She was strange and boring.

Another problem was the title. It is the title of a book that Nor’s mother publishes, where she uses to sell spells to people. But it doesn’t really make sense as a title for the whole story.

Many events could have been explained better. There were gaps in the story. For example immediately after the final “fight” happens, everyone ends up back at a house to celebrate. There was no transition, or explanation to how people survived. I think some people even showed up who were supposed to be dead, so I was really confused.

I wish this book had been a little more thought-out and detailed, because that would have made it much better.

It seems I'm one of the few who didn't read the previous book :) As far as this one is concern I can say it's really good.
It's dark, cruel, sometimes really violent on the psychological side. But it's also a real page turner and once you start reading it it's quite hard to stop.
I appreciated the very complex characters and the histories in the background that are quite important for the story.
I'd like to read a follow-up to understand what the future will be and how the scars left by the event healed.
Strongly recommended.
I'm not a teen but I think this book can be appreciated at any age.
Many thanks to Candlewick Press and Netgalley

Nor Blackburn is a witch. A cursed witch. She is the descendant of Rona Blackburn, a powerful witch that was one of the first settlers of Anathema island. Unfortunately for Rona, she was not welcome among the other settlers and as revenge she cast a curse that ended up backfiring and affecting her bloodline. The Blackburn women now have to live with the curse that affects both their magic, and their love life.

Nor Blackburn is your not-so-average 16 year old who wants nothing more than to be anonymous. She didn't as for her powers (or "burden" as she likes to refer to it) or to be part of the Blackburn curse. Her wishes of living a quiet life come crashing when her estranged mother releases a book titled The Price Guide to the Occult. As her mother's popularity grows, Nor can't shake the feeling that something terrible is about to happen.

My thoughts:

I really loved the writing of this book. I really enjoyed The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavander and this book was just as beautiful to me. This definitely felt like some modern fairytale. The way that the island was described and the characters really pulled me in and kept me captivated. I do have to say though that the main reason that I could not give this book a perfect review was because there were so many loose ends. At this point I am not sure if this book will be part of a series, but I sure hope it is. I was left with so many questions! I definitely want to know more about certain characters and the consequences of the many things that transpired throughout the book.

I think that Leslye Walton has an amazing gift of creating characters and worlds that are so otherworldly and fairytale-like but she is able to make them seem plausible in our world. I definitely enjoyed this book and I would recommend it to anyone that is a fan of magical realism.

Please be aware that there are strong themes of self harm throughout the book.

Like so many others, I completely adored Walton's first novel The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender so when I saw she was coming out with a second, I was quick to jump on it. Unfortunately, The Price Guide to the Occult was underwhelming.

That's not to say I didn't like it. I did! And I don't regret reading it. But it wasn't as awe-inspiring as Ava Lavender and of the two, I have to recommend Ava Lavender over this every time.

The Price Guide to the Occult follows a family of witches who all have one burden, but final daughter Nor might be the exception to this. Except she really, REALLY doesn't want to be. Nor just wants to be a normal girl, living a normal life. Unfortunately, her mother doesn't want that to happen. Nor's mom is the estranged Price daughter who uses black magic to get what she wants, and now it seems that she's released a book promising spells that's taken over the whole world.

This book just didn't have that same UNF that Ava Lavender did. The writing wasn't as good, which was a same because in her first book, Walton's writing was to DIE for. There also just wasn't that connection to the characters like in her first book. In The Price's Guide, we again follow a family but not as closely as we do in Ava Lavender, and their struggles aren't as relate-able, at least in my opinion. Nor's struggle with her mother and her self-harm is presented and could perhaps some could relate, but they also weren't explored in depth. Instead we are introduced to a bunch of characters that we don't get to spend enough time with to love.

This novel read, in a lot of ways, like a made for TV movie. Especially the ending and the "great boss battle." It felt cheap and made more for a really young teen demographic than the other teens. I hate to keep comparing this book to Ava Lavender but that book was a masterpiece and I just wish this book was as well.

I would still recommend people to read The Price Guide to the Occult especially younger teens. I think they could find a lot to like about this book. Unfortunately for me, this book just didn't live up to the hype. Read The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender instead.

When Rona Blackburn landed on Anathema Island more than a century ago, her otherworldly skills might have benefited friendlier neighbors. Guilt and fear instead led the island’s original eight settlers to burn “the witch” out of her home. So Rona cursed them. Fast-forward one hundred–some years: All Nor Blackburn wants is to live an unremarkable teenage life. She has reason to hope: First, her supernatural powers, if they can be called that, are unexceptional. Second, her love life is nonexistent, which means she might escape the other perverse side effect of the matriarch’s backfiring curse, too. But then a mysterious book comes out, promising to cast any spell for the right price. Nor senses a storm coming and is pretty sure she’ll be smack in the eye of it. In her second novel, Leslye Walton spins a dark, mesmerizing tale of a girl stumbling along the path toward self-acceptance and first love, even as the Price Guide’s malevolent author — Nor’s own mother — looms and threatens to strangle any hope for happiness.

Another book about mystery, dark magic and witches. All the ingredients for the witches lovers. I really enjoyed this book, though there are certain triggers you might be aware. Self-inflicted injuries are present throughout the book, which are the outcomes of the worries and sadness the main character carries on. Though sometimes blood can disturb you, it gives you a true picture of the darkness of the story.
Published March 13th, 2018

This book was a darker story than I had imagined from the jacket description. That being said, I think this was a great YA coming of age story. The heroine, Nor, is from a long line of Blackburn witches. Her mother, Fern, deserted her when she was young in the care of her grandmother. Fern, however, did damage Nor before leaving her. This story is about Nor overcoming her childhood trauma to become stronger. When Fern starts gaining notoriety by publishing a Price Guide to the Occult (actually a catalog of spells and their fees), Nor starts to worry that Fern will return to her little island. Nor has steadfast friends and great support from her grandmother and others on the island. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in YA fiction involving the supernatural. I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I recently read Walton's first novel and highly enjoyed it, so I was stoked to be able to get an ARC of her second novel.. ARC formatting issues aside, I enjoyed this story quite a bit and would highly recommend it to the YA set looking for a fun fall/halloween type read. Walton writes beautifully, and there is some incredible imagery here. I loved the whole bit with the fern tattoos, just incredible. And the island itself was described in such a way that I could really picture it. That aside, this story just didn't engage me quite the same way that Ava Lavender did. The plot was a little confusing and most of the characters could have been fleshed out a little bit better.

I was intrigued by the premise of the book, but just could not find a connection with any characters. Did not finish.

Nor is a ninth generation, modern day witch. Nor is just 17 and trying to live life as a normal teenager and recover from the wounds inflicted by her disturbed mother, Fern, who abandoned her years ago. But when Nor's mother appears on the national scene as a witch who can perform miracles - for a price, Nor knows she is practicing black magic - the kind that requires a blood sacrifice. When Fern comes for Nor, not out of love, but to use her for her own nefarious plans, Nor resists. As Fern attempts to destroy Nor's world, and Nor herself, Nor must summon the deepest parts of herself to save those she loves. Walton deftly creates a realistic world in which witchcraft and normalcy can go hand in hand. I really enjoyed the book but I wished that Walton had spent more time on the backstory, which seemed fascinating. A prequel would be great. Fans of Alice Hoffman and Sarah Addison Allen will enjoy this book.

The Blackburn women are cursed, ever since Rona Blackburn arrived on Anathema island long ago and was shunned by the eight original settlers. The Blackburn witches are doomed to have a brief whirlwind romance with a descendant of the original eight. The curse has side effects- like diluting the Blackburn supernatural powers.

But that's fine with Nor Blackburn. All she wants is a quiet normal life. She hopes the curse has worn off but when a mysterious book comes out, promising to cast any spell for the right price, Nor knows something is coming for her and Anathema Island.

First off, this cover, how gorgeous is it?! 😍 This is the first book I have ever read by this author. The storyline and writing are great, it kept me reading, but some parts were just too drawn out that I felt myself wanting to put the book down. Based on others recommendations I really want to read The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavendar now.

A PRICE GUIDE TO THE OCCULT immediately drew me in. With it's intimate voice and rich magical backstory, Nor's story started strong. Though readers should be warned that A PRICE GUIDE TO THE OCCULT deals with issues of self-harm and child abuse.

Unfortunately, by the time I'd made it halfway through A PRICE GUIDE TO THE OCCULT, my attention began to waver. While the impressive beginning was enough to keep me reading, the pace immediately slowed. Nor doesn't actively do much except go for runs around the island and attempt to ignore her multitude of powers. She knows a storm is coming, but she doesn't talk about it with the other characters or do anything to prepare for it. She's stagnant and remains that way until the storm finally hits the island, but by that time I hadn't been convinced I should care.

With beautiful writing and intriguing lore, A PRICE GUIDE TO THE OCCULT had tremendous potential but ultimately fizzled for me. Many readers may be enraptured by the slow romance and dark atmosphere of the novel. While that was enough to keep me reading, I was disappointed by the rushed ending, which felt undeserved after pages of Nor's passivity.

While I didn't find this book quite as captivating as the author's previous one, "The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender", I did enjoy it quite a bit. This book has witches and witchcraft at the heart of its story and while there are tons of books out there that deal with similar tropes, I was pleasantly surprised by the uniqueness with which the subject was dealt with here. Because even though the focus is largely on witchcraft, the story is first and foremost about relationships, including the relationships that exists between our main character, Nor, and the members of her community. In that respect, I think the book did a great job establishing Nor's connections to the other characters.

However, speaking of the characters themselves, I did feel that they could have been fleshed out better. The book has a huge cast of characters and because many of these characters' descriptions are left a bit vague, it did get hard at times to remember who is who. Or even to properly picture them in my mind.

That being said, Nor herself was a great main character. She has her flaws and her weaknesses but throughout the book, we get to see her come in terms with her situation and slowly set out to conquer her problems and fears. Nor was largely the reason I finished the book as fast as I did, because I just really enjoyed following her character growth.

Now regarding the execution of the book, I will admit that while the plot itself was pretty interesting, overall I found the pacing too uneven and the descriptions and explanations often too vague. Whether it's character or setting descriptions, or explanations about things that were happening in the book, things were often left rather vague, which I did occasionally find a bit confusing and frustrating.

With regards to the book's ending, it seems that future sequels are a possibility. While I did overall enjoy the book, and while I really liked Nor as the main character, I'm not sure if I'll be continuing with this series, should it become one. That being said, if the potential future books offer clearer explanations regarding some of the story elements I had issues with, and if the issues regarding the pacing and characterizations are fixed, I wouldn't mind giving a sequel a fair try.

This story deals with tough subjects such as child neglect and self-harm which makes it more interesting. The author has a magical way of weaving words and creates good, strong characters. Loved some of the witchcraft, mystery and the atmosphere.

Walton's first book is a beautiful oddball in that not every reader will love and appreciate it, but those that do are over the moon about it (me). This second one (we've been waiting) is still an acquired taste, but not as specific and with the fusion of witchcraft, atmosphere, and family dynamics (along with a more contemporary romance and a quirky friendship-- Savvy, how I adore you) this does open up her audience to more readers than the niche of those from Ava Lavender.

It's her creation of generational stories with heavy atmosphere and feeling. Not everyone is comfortable with the emotions Walton presents nor do some readers have the family network to understand her generational dynamics but Walton does it so well.

In her story about the founding of an archipelago of islands by eight settlers and one witch, Rona Blackburn as the matriarch of a line of female Blackburn's with different but significant powers who are swept up in three-day romances with men that leave them to carry on the next generation (reminds me a bit of Impossible by Werlin). The contemporary story of Nor, the teenage Blackburn who hasn't finished high school, lives with the older generation of Blackburn's, and has suffered greatly (physically and emotionally) at the hands of her mother, Fern Blackburn, who is making a living dealing in the black arts of casting spells using "The Price Guide to the Occult" and making herself a household name... until she comes back to descend on their island and Nor must harness her own power, weakened by the abuse her mother has meted out, with the help of other islanders and understanding the power dynamic, loyalty, and friendship.

It's another moody book with moments of levity with the setting an additional delightful character. I can imagine walking through the streets of the town, being in the woods, in the houses and when the action really picks up, all of these other locations. Plus... when Nor meets someone very specific in the basement as the water builds... oh! The beauty and suspense and loveliness!

I really enjoyed this book, but I would give a warning to those who aren't comfortable with reading about self harm or scars etc. as it does describe this and other topics in great detail. The book itself had a great story, of a witch finding a home on an island and being hunted by men as they feared her. It stems from there and how the witches descendants have powers and what they do and do not have. I can see this book becoming a sequel and I definitely shall read it.

Leslye Walton has been a voice in YA since her debut The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender took the world by storm. It was lyrical, dark, and above all else, hopeful. So, her second novel was waited for with baited breath. The Price Guide to the Occult was not what I was expecting and while I wouldn't call it a disappointment, I'm hard pressed to call it something worth while.

The Price Guide to the Occult follows Nor, the youngest in a generation of witches who live on the island her great-great something grandmother lived on. Her family, the Blackburns, is somewhat cursed. They have none of their original witchery, save for a single magical talent that manifests itself at an early age. In addition, they are doomed to a loveless life, with only a three day passionate love affair that eventually results in the next generation of Blackburns to sustain them. It's a sad sort of premise, but I was intrigued. Walton's proven she could expertly wrap a dark story with hope and love.

Except she didn't.

The Price Guide to the Occult is an exercise in surface level darkness. There's so much blood and self mutilation in this story it should be right up my alley. But it;s all superficial. Now's life is hard, her mother is abusive and she's practically ostracized from everyone, but there's never any emotion to her. The entire narrative is devoid of the emotion we need to connect with Nor and her struggle. Instead, it's substitute with imagery of blood and mutilation that seems interesting, but only exists to make the writing style seem "edgy."

When you boil this story down to it's bare bones, there isn't anything that unique about it. It's a run of the mill paranormal romance with witches that just so happens to have more blood in it then the average novel. Nor's story, her life, her family, are all emotionless voids that don't do anything for the reader. I think Walton was so concerned with one upping her first book she took a huge step backwards in not only alienating her readers, but telling a story without weaving the beautiful words I know she has in her. It's just...disappointing.

Walton’s new novel is an interesting tale about a local witch who after arriving in a small community is burned at the stake and curses those and generations to come. Even though the premise is very promising, I did find the writing very flowery for my own tastes. This basically comes down to personal preference and not about the writing style of the authors.

She paints an ideological sense in the environment and setting and she has a keen sense with characters and their relations with each other. The plot flows at a good pace and there is lot to really relish with the pages. It felt like a teenage novel written for the female sensibilities.

The story is very richly written and although the writing style is not my regular reading, I found Walton to have an interest grasp and handling of her subject material. Although I struggled through the first few chapters, eventually I was wrapped up and involved in the tale.

The book is not necessarily something that I would recommend for everyone but for the right audience, they will dive into and it will be on many people’s favourite reads list. Unfortunately, due to my own preferences, I will mark this down slightly. Overall, this is a solid involving novel and very impressive. For a general audience, I would definitely rate this four stars but for my own personal tastes, it unfortunately gets marked down to a three.

3.5

Generations ago, Rona Blackburn landed on Anathema Island and was henceforth shunned by the original eight settlers. When Rona finds herself pregnant, the settlers’ aggressively turn on her for being a witch. Being every part the powerful witch they think she is, Rona doesn’t let the settlers’ violent actions go unpunished, unfortunately in Rona’s rage she also unwittingly curses future generations of Blackburn women: Each woman will be doomed to carry out a brief, illicit affair with a descendant of the original eight. From this affair the next generation of Blackburn witches will be born, but this also dilutes their magic until each woman is only gifted with one “Burden”. To cast magic outside of one’s Burden is considered to be black magic.

Nor Blackburn, the ninth Blackburn witch, is happy with her less-than-extraordinary gift of being able to communicate with nature. She’s ok with a non-existent love life, and she’s hoping the curse has just run its course. After suffering years ago at the hands of her power-hungry mother, Nor would almost prefer to just disappear completely. But when a book shows up, written by Nor’s mother no less, offering to cast spells for anyone who can pay the right price, Nor sees the glaring red flag, and as the threat of her mother’s reappearance in her life looms large, like it or not, she’ll have to embrace the gifts she was given if she even wants a chance to save those she’s cares about.

A little background: Leslye Walton’s debut book The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender is a book that I hold very near and dear to my heart. We’re talking desert island type book. So while I went into Price Guide not exactly wanting Ava Lavender 2.0, I would be lying to say that it had no bearing whatsoever on my expectations. Keeping that in mind:

With Leslye Walton’s writing style I wouldn’t be surprised if Price Guide is truly infused with some kind of magic. The descriptions of the manifestation of the Blackburn’s magics and the images they conjure simply fly off the page with such uniqueness and beauty, yet it never overpowers the narrative. As with her previous work, Walton doesn’t shy away from the grotesque or difficult subject matter as shown by Nor’s struggle with self-harm, but these topics feel like they’re handled with such care in the way they’re conveyed on the page.

Nor has survived a lot in her sixteen, going on seventeen, years of life, and for much of that survival she’s still struggling. We see her contemplate the ease in which she could hurt herself pretty consistently throughout the book, but each time she keeps from going back over that threshold. This speaks to a great strength in character, and shows her strong will. I do wish that Nor had confided more in regards to her power, especially to her grandmother. I also thought it felt a little off center that Nor was surprised that people (namely her best friend) knew about her family being witches. I mean pretty much the whole town is an homage to the mystical and magical. This should be no surprise.

Where the book lost a little for me was the incongruity between this being a story about generations of a family of witches overcoming a curse, and battling a power-hungry bad seed in the family. This book could clearly lead into a series if the author so chooses which makes me think that’s the reason the latter is the main conflict of the book.

Overall, Leslye Walton is definitely an author who needs to be on your To Read list no matter what. While Price Guide was a bit unexpected for me, I was drawn into the story, and the writing is spectacular. I look forward to whatever Leslye Walton writes next

I must confess that I still haven't read The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender, but it's been on my TBR for years now. Having read this book I might have found a new incentive to actually read it: I absolutely adored Walton's writing; it is simple, yet elegant and lyrical - maybe even magical.

As I started to read this novel my hopes shot up to be sky-high; there was so much promise in the world building and characters, plus the beautiful writing. Sadly, the plot didn't really keep the same high standard. But there was an important message in the in the story which made me add a star to my my final grading, more on that later. Somewhere around the middle of the novel the plot lost something, it got a little hazy as to why things were happening, and some things were never really resolved. The epilogue was the final straw, I did not get it at all. It totally shifted the essence of the story, and even transported it into another genre.

The underlying theme or subject in this book is self harm, and the issues and struggles it brings with it. The subject in portrayed in a very nuanced way, and Walton ends her acknowledgements with strong words about how the courage of those who struggle with it inspired her to write the book. It is clear that she has done a lot of research, and that she also based a lot on her own experiences.

I adore witchy books, and this book is witchy. And not only the standard, pointy-hat-black-cat kind of witchy - the witches of this book are, to me, real witches, strong women with magical powers, connected to the world they live in (and often accompanied by two large hounds). They're both human and raw magic, rolled into one - and isn't that what witches should be? The setting is beautifully portrayed, dark and moody, yet still beautiful. Oh, and there's alpacas, do I need say more?

Sure, I had a few issues with this book, but all in all I ended up liking it. I believe I'd liked it even more if I'd read it five years ago (gods, I'm getting old), and I do recommend reading it to everyone interested in witchy books, or to those just looking for a moody, dark, magical read (but skip the epilogue).