Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the E-Arc copy of this novel. It is funny and wicked rolled up together. I loved Hazel and Holly. I am hoping to read more from this author.

Hazel and Holly is the perfect novel for those who love witchcraft and magic. Living in a little place called the Grove, Hazel and Holly are sisters trying to find their way in a world without their parents. Their mother, Willow, passed away but has been trapped in a geas by their necromancer father. And now, Hazel has made it her mission to track down their father and make him release their mother’s soul so she may finally be at peace.

Filled with quirky characters and a compelling storyline, Hazel and Holly is the best of the magical worlds. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, however, I did get a bit frustrated with the sisters here and there. Through making bad decisions and generally being annoying, they eventually became some of my favorite witches to read about.

There were a few moments where it felt as if the story dragged a bit but it quickly picked up again. I was expecting a epic ending to their journey but found it a bit anticlimactic for me. However, I do believe Snider left it open for more adventures from these two witchy sisters. Something I hope she delivers soon. Look for Hazel and Holly to hit shelves May of this year!

**I received a copy of this book from NetGalley for an honest review.**

I found this work to be mostly confusing. Very little world explanation is offered, meaning I spent the early part of the novel adrift and the latter part utterly indifferent. I'm sure this book will find its audience, but that audience absolutely does not include me. I'm also a bit perplexed by the categorization of this title as YA.

Unfortunately, this book is not for me. After reading about ten chapters I had to walk away from this book. It felt as if the reader had been abruptly dropped in the middle of a story they are already supposed to know. There was no real development or explanation of the world of the story or back stories. Some of the characters seemed as if they were in a different book than the other characters. I just couldn't get into this book.

This was a perfectly serviceable new adult fantasy about two witch sisters looking for their necromancer father but it never really drew me all the way in. The elemental magic system and world was interesting but the slow pace and the confusion of the four H names of the main characters weren’t really working for me. It was originally published serially on the author’s blog, maybe the pacing felt better that way.

I did end up liking Hazel though and I warmed up to Holly after she grew beyond how overly childish she was in the first third of the book. I think this would be a good read for older teens who still enjoy YA fantasy but are ready for a step beyond.

Thank you to Double Beast Publishing for the arc of this book.
I absolutely loved this book, a great story of two sisters and two brothers going on an adventure and along the way they find themselves, you have the strong sister Hazel, and the soft scatterbrained sister Holly, then you have their unlikely friends brothers Hemlock and Hawthorne, and we can’t forget Tum, he gave me so many laughs in this.
I hope there will be a second book, I would love to see how they develop.

Hazel and Holly is a fast-paced, new adult, fantasy novel about two sisters on a quest to find their father—but not for the sweet, sentimental reasons you may be beginning to conjure up. The sisters are in search of their father so he can release their mother’s dead soul (which he inconveniently trapped with necromancy, a magic that is forbidden in the Grove). In this novel, the reader follows the journey of two sisters, accompanied by one very self-important, and one not so much so, warlock brothers on their quest on undoing their father’s treacherous deeds.

As stated, this is a young adult novel, but personally, I felt that the writing catered to the younger end of this genre, reasons being the writing is simplistic and very easy to read. The dialogue is very witty and a there is a dry humor weaved all throughout the narrative, though, it became a little “cheesy” in some occurrences.
The character I appreciated the most was Hazel’s—the perfect embodiment of the “rebellious new adult”. I loved her humor and quick wit; she’s the type of character to make a reader snicker while they’re busy saving her witty quote on their Instagram bio. With that being said, I found some characters to be slightly over-dramatized or unnecessary to the progression of the plot. I would have loved to have seen the story written solely around Hazel, though, Hemlock (one of the warlock brothers) would also have been an interesting character to delve deeper into.

With this being a fantasy novel, there is, of course, a fantastical world in which the reader must navigate. I quite adored the world that Snider created. It felt authentic and original and homey. One thing I would have liked to have known more about was the structure of this world. Who’s in charge? How does that affect the people living in this world? What are the witches like? The warlocks? I loved the interactions between the witches, but I found myself with the same problem of wanting to know more about their customs and rituals. We do catch glimpses of it here and there, but I would have liked a better exploration of this world, which could possibly be done in a future novel.

I recommend Hazel and Holly to the younger age of the YA readers. This novel is fast paced, witty, and has an inexplicable, yet blatant, classical quality.

Read with an open mind, and most importantly, an open heart. Enjoy!

This is a book about witchcraft and necromancy. I was pulled in by the necromancy and I liked learning of the magic system. I liked sing witches, warlocks, gnomes and other magical creatures. It is a very magical story and if you like magic then this might be for you.

At the beginning we see Hazel who goes to meet her mother who was brought back from the dead by necromancy. Hazels father used necromancy and Hazel wants to try and find him to free her mothers trapped soul, the only problem is that she does not know where he is. Necromancy is forbidden magic but is used.

The writing is very simple and easy to read, it felt like a book for someone younger than me. It is a YA book and if you only read YA then you will like this more than I did. The plot is fun and there is quite a bit of humour which I enjoyed.

On to the characters. Our main characters are Hazel and Holly. They are sisters, Hazel is the older sister and I liked her more than Holly. Hazel is the one who is trying to find a way to free her mother from her fathers necromancy spell. Holly is seventeen but there were parts where she felt younger, childish and there were parts where she annoyed me.
Then we have Hawthorn and Hemlock who are brothers who want to help the sisters. Hawthorn wears a glamour nearly all the time as they are old but Hemlock does not. Hawthorn also admits that he doesn't like women. Hemlock and Hazel have a great friendship and relationship and I liked them both.
Tum is a cellar gnome and I really liked his character. He's a fun character.

The book leaves it at a point where another book could be written so that it could become a series. Overall I enjoyed the story and the necromancy was interesting but I probably won't read it again.