Edgewood was an experience. Haunting and beautiful and fierce. It was So Refreshing! I was immediately sucked in to the story and excited to see where it would lead.

Emeline was a strong, distinct character and it was engaging to see her both know herself and still be finding her footing in the way her dreams were coming to life. I was particularly intrigued by the woods and their calling to Emeline and their place in her life. I loved how the town knew and accepted the lore of the Edgewood and the Wood King’s tithes. It was the opposite of what you usually get, which is the MC constantly saying it can’t be true, it can’t be real- over and over annoyingly. Emeline doubted only in the very beginning, and only until she saw proof with her own eyes.

Emeline’s interactions with her Pa were so heartbreaking. My Nana suffered from sundowners more and more frequently before her death and it’s a strange experience to watch those who have taught you so much, lose themselves. Ciccarelli wholly nailed the emotion and experience of becoming caregiver to someone who once was yours.

On to the Woods! I don’t want to spoil anything by going in to too much detail, but the woods were a character unto themselves and so were the King’s Court. The curse was terrifying and made reading Edgewood the embodiment of a haunting fairy tale. You know the ones, with sprinkles of life truths and that you’ll be thinking about long after the telling. I loved that aura. The mystical and the frightening in this new world as Emeline tried to survive and help those she loves.

I want to note, I was so wrapped up in Ciccarelli’s writing. The tone was like a ballad of old, achingly beautiful and entrancing. The Author’s note broke my heart a little bit. I think it was so good and so authentic and so well written, because it was so personal and the haunting notes of Emeline’s voice come through on every page, every line and pull you right in to the Edgewood. I loved it.

*Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Wednesday Books for an Arc! Thanks also to Netgalley.

EDGEWOOD had a slow start for me; I could see Ciccarelli settling story threads all around me but I couldn't make sense of how everything connected. What I didn't realize was while I was noticing individual story threads, Ciccarelli had built a web with these threads, fully ensnaring me in the story as a whole. EDGEWOOD demonstrates expert storytelling, with everything tying together in ways that make you reflect upon earlier events in awe of the realization of how expertly crafted and placed everything was. I have not read a story in which the prominent themes have been weaved into every facet of the story quite so beautifully. This is a magical standalone about loss, memory, persistence, and hope that you won't want to miss!

4.5/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
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Thank you to the publishers and Net Galley for giving me a copy of this book! This is my honest review, all views are my own.
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Edgewood is a dark tale about singer Emeline, her small hometown, and the mysterious magical forest that lies beyond the borders of her childhood home. When her grandfather, Pa, goes missing, and the only clue left behind is a tithe marker, Emeline does what no other townsperson dares: she ventures into the forest to seek an audience with the Wood King and demand Pa back. This story was full of magic—from the shiftling side characters and the fey Wood King to the dangerous curse that rotted and decayed the forest. The love interest felt a little insta-lovey, but the chemistry between the two characters was solid otherwise. I felt like some of the side characters needed to be utilized more: I feel like I barely saw Rooke and Sable! The writing itself was beautiful, and I enjoyed the 3rd person perspective. The plot was a wild ride, since I didn’t predict much beyond Emeline’s parentage. That being said, I felt some things were thrown in just to be a shock to the reader. No spoilers, but let’s just say the book evolved at a few key points to be a similar but different plot. And while the ending (the epilogue, more specifically) was good, it wasn’t my favorite because it felt a bit flung together. Overall, the story was very enjoyable and I have very few nitpicks, which is why it deserves a 4.5 star rating!

Pretty average and decent overall but I don’t typically read fae stories, anyway. I felt like I guessed the main plot twist way too easily?

Also gotta say I wish there was a bit more justice in this book toward the end for some of the events here!

If you like teen romances and fae you’ll probably like this book. It does delve into some more difficult subject matters, which I did appreciate but won’t spoil here.

I received this NetGalley ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the publisher, St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books for this opportunity! I will be sharing on NetGalley, Goodreads, Instagram, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon. (I truly tried to be as concise as possible, but my love for this book is too vast.)

For my first ARC approval, this book hits it straight out of the park! Emeline Lark has done everything she can to escape the town of Edgewood to pursue her dreams of a career in music, being signed by a top label and performing daily for as long as possible. Despite being on the cusp of her dreams come true, the forest of Edgewood won’t let her go that easily. Every performance, the woods make themselves known, creeping closer and closer to Emeline and becoming more sinister every visit. In Edgewood, the forest is cloaked in mystery and long told folk tales, except its residents believe the tales to be true.
When her grandpa disappears from his nursing home with only a relic from the town’s folktales as a clue, Emeline must enter the forest against her better judgment to find him. Only she finds that the town’s tales aren’t just tales – it’s been true all along. With the help of a mysterious boy and two other citizens of the Wood King’s city, she works to free her grandpa while righting past wrongs, and discovering the truth behind her strange entanglement with the forest of Edgewood.

- I absolutely LOVED this book! Kristen Ciccarelli’s writing was haunting, ethereal, and absolutely gorgeous. No detail felt extraneous, the atmosphere was beautifully described without becoming overly wordy, and she sneakily placed important details throughout the entire story with us being none the wiser. As the story and plot progressed, those small details began to weave themselves into complex revelations, leading to a big shock that ended up being right in front of us all along.
-The character development was A+. Every interaction was meaningful and either heartwarming, or utterly heartbreaking. Emeline’s relationship with her grandpa was one of my favorite parts of the story as a whole, and the journey of dealing with the grief of slowly losing a loved one before your eyes is crucial. Just about everyone can understand that pain, having gone through it themselves in real life. Her neighbors were the perfect “found family”, creating a quirky and endearing little community she was able to rely on. The slow culmination of camaraderie between Emeline, Rooke, and Sable was joyous. I laughed out loud at some of the dialogue more than a few times! Lastly, I would do just about anything for Hawthorne, including dive in front of a bullet. Haha! Their relationship added the perfect amount of intrigue and mystery, and was just the right of romance woven throughout the story. The twist at the end caused me to shed tears!
-The world building was wonderful. We were given enough information and characteristics about both the forest and city, as well as their inhabitants, to make it creepy, enchanting, haunting, and captivating. But we weren’t bombarded with facts about the fae world, so it wasn’t able to overshadow the key points and story arc. The magic and the world was different than a lot, if not most of the YA fantasy books that have been out thus far. I can’t wait for this release to get my hands on a physical copy, and I’m hoping it gets special edition treatment! One of my favorite books now.

First of all, modern fantasy is not my cup of tea. I usually prefer to be immersed in a high-fantasy world devoid of any resemblance to the current world and all its charms. Therefore, I had a faint inkling that I would not like the book as much as everyone else when it started and Emeline was on tour. I suppose this is entirely my fault as I should pursue the description a little more and realized that this was not going to be a book about the Wood King and his inner circle.

If you're looking for a modern fantasy about uncovering family secrets and less complicated fantasy world-building then this book is for you. It is about a mysterious town and its connection to an ancient wood; it's about a character attempting to find her place between these two worlds as her heart is torn between her musical career and the handsome tithe collector in the woods. Ultimately, this is a tale about a town that not everyone is meant to find and settle down into, but some people find their place in Edgewood.

This was such a fun read! Edgewood is one of the best books I’ve read this year. I loved the world Ciccarelli created, as well as the layers of Emmeline’s past that were slowly revealed throughout the book. I loved all of the characters, and the world building was just amazing. I was in tears by the ending.

Wow! This cover summons me to be part Edgewood universe, dancing with fairies, getting lost in the enchanting wood! This magical world building is well executed and the characters are militia dimensional. Eventually you’re getting drawn into this unique, complex, fairy tal-ish world more at each chapter you devour.

Poor Emeline Lark, aspiring singer, getting too close to make a contract with famous recording studio, trapped between real life and distorted reality she left behind or let’s say she couldn’t still leave behind even though how hard she tried. Her situation made me remember the lines of famous Cavafy’s “the city, the spirit and letter poem”: “The city will follow you. In the same streets you will return. And in the same neighborhoods you will age; and within the same houses you will turn gray.” But at least this time the magical city she left behind will blossom at each second.

The tempting atmosphere, deeply layered characterization, slow burn romance, the way of mysteries and secrets’ revealing in small steps which keeps your focus intact made me enjoy every second of this pure blissful journey!

Emeline wants to become a famous singer,
joining tours, living a different life she’s left in the Edgewood. But each time she sings, the images of enchanting woods start covering the bar stools, appearing around the stage as the bugs infesting her clothes. Yes, it’s challenging to keep it cool without alarming people who may be suspicious about your mental state! But she gets used to it! She’s so close for her big start!

Then a phone call from her friend informing her that her grandfather, her only living family is missing, changes everything! Is it about the tithes which have to be collected by Wood’s King. To find out what’s going on, she races back to Edgewood to search her grandfather’s room. She finds a cold marble which is strange! Because the last time she’s seen it, the time her young neighbor Grace has walked in the woods and never came back! It proves the theory that cold marble is sign of Wood’s King. Her grandfather may have been taken because of tithe.

She finds herself in the court of Wood’s King as soon as she enters the Edgewood, searching for the traces of him. For releasing her grandfather, she trades her own voice which means she’s so close to lose everything she’s worked so hard.

I loved this journey! I loved Hawthorne and Emeline’s slow burn/ enemies to lovers/ hating you but I also want to tear your clothes so bad kind of hot chemistry and surprising, heartfelt conclusion!

I also enjoyed the well played, smart twists.
When I loved so many things and found everything I adored in a fantasy world, it was obvious to give my five magical I had amazing time I wish this book would be longer, I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to the characters stars!

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/ Wednesday Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

4 1/2 STARS rounded to 5.

The cover of this book is simply gorgeous! I loved this book. It took me a handful of chapters to get into it, but once I did, I was hooked. Excellent writing. Incredible world building. Very atmospheric. Beautiful imagery. Great chemistry between characters. I loved that the author gave you just enough clues, sprinkled throughout the book, that you could slowly figure things out, little by little. But even then, there was one twist I didn’t see coming until after the fact. The book kept me interested.

I would recommend this book to older teens and up who love a great, stand alone fantasy story.

Thank you Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press/ Wednesday Books for this digital arc in exchange for my honest review.

#NetGalley #Edgewood

I really enjoyed this book. The writing captivated me right off the bat and I liked all of the characters. It was beautifully written! The story was so good and kept me wanting to read more to see what would happen. I highly recommend this one. Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for a copy of the arc in return for an honest review!

I thoroughly enjoyed this! I finished it in one sitting, the Edgewood draws you in to its world and doesn’t let you leave.
Really beautiful story with such significance behind it.
Thank you!

Oh my god everybody needs to read this. Every part of it was so beautiful. The world building in the magical woods was everything to me. The imagery was stunning. The magic was perfect. Each character provided something so important to the story. The dialogue was addicting. The entire story was addicting.

I want to own this book forever. I want every person to read this. It's a perfect fantasy novel through and through. It's got romance. It's got monsters. It's got magic. It's got a creepy ass woods setting. It's perfect.

I love the idea behind this novel, it is something that a lot of people should have some experience in. This was well written and definitely something I will recommend to my reader friends!

Hauntingly atmospheric without overburdening the reader with unnecessary details, Edgewood was everything that I hoped for in a fantasy story with the Fae. Wonderfully executed world-building, dynamic characters, and one of my favorite tropes - enemies to lovers! I am a sucker for slow-burn romance and morally gray/neutral characters. This was my first time reading work by Kristen Ciccarelli and I am so glad that I read Edgewood! I love her writing style. I can't wait to read her other books now.

I literally squealed when I received the e-mail I'd been approved for an eARC of Edgewood and let me tell you, it did not disappoint! I've loved Kristen's work since The Last Namsara first came out. The Caged Queen was the book that cinched Kristen as an auto-buy author for me. Edgewood is another one to add to her ever growing list of fantastic books and will have a home on my favourites bookshelf.

The cover is absolutely stunning, and let me tell you, the book within is just as beautiful and gripping. The setting is so lush it leaps off the page. The characters are real, multi-dimensional, complex, and you will fall in love with them and their secrets. The relationships are the heart of this story, and the portrayal of Emeline's relationship with her grandfather made me ache for my own. It filled me with sweet anguish, heartbreak, and hope all wrapped together.

And the romance ....? The slow burn kind that makes you melt when the characters finally admit that they have feelings for each other. And it's the complicated kind of romance that keeps you reading right up until the last page, dying to know how it will finish.

This is definitely one to add to your TBR pile for 2022!

Thank you #netgalley for this eARC in exchange of an honest review.

READ THIS PEOPLE! READ IT. IT'S SO SO GOOD!

Honestly this is one of the books that I can easily see myself rereading for years to come. It reminded me of the old magic in the stories we all grew up reading. The ones that told us of a pulsing, tender love, stretched like cords between us, always tugging at our hearts, our essence, our souls to come back and find the kindred ones we long to rest beside.

It's not often that I put down a book and grieve it coming to an end. I found myself slowing down near its finish, dragging my fingers slowly across the page, savoring the sweetness of this warm lovely drink, longing for, yet fearing the arrival of the last of its drops. It takes a special kind of writer to instil this in readers and Kristin is indeed a special kind of writer.

What the story is about?
Emeline wants to sing and tour and chase after her dreams, but her grandfather, her only family, goes missing from the care home he was in. When she races back to Edgewood, their hometown,  to search for him, she finds something peculiar in his old room; on the pillow, in a pool of light, is a cold marble; one she has seen before when the neighbour's daughter went into the forest and never came back. It's a mark that the people of Edgewood know to be the Wood King's. The mark of a tithe; the mark that means Emeline's grandfather hadn't gone missing.
He was taken.

The journey to bring him back takes her to the cursed woods, and the court of the wood king beyond it.
A deal is struck for her grandfather's release but at a price that Emeline needs to sneak out of so she can return to her life.

What is great about this book?

What I liked most is how simple the writing is. Very straight to the point without the "beautification" and fancy ass narrations that dull stories and make them tiresome.

The adventure is fast paced and full of trials, monsters, court drama, cuniving villains and the giddy awkwardness of blooming love that will surely hook fans of fae and good old I-hate-you to will-you-just-kiss-me-already fans.



And the world building!!! Gosh, it's just *chefkiss*
I saw everything! every silver scale of the dragon, every droplet of water rushing down the wood King's cursed head, every stone bridge and every vine crawling up the white walls of red bricked houses.
The world digs its thick roots in your imagination, rises up from the earth with mighty branches that stretch to paint your mind with the colours of the Wood King's city and court.
But through all this, what shines most are the characters. I blush to think of their yearning, and long to feel a love as deep as theirs.

I envy how honourable Hawthorne is, how sweet and brave Grace is, how mighty yet delicate Sable is.

The characters will grab a hold of you and when it's time to say goodbye, you're not going to want to let them go.
But as the king said; moving on doesn't have to mean forgetting.

I certainly won't be forgetting.

When aspiring singer Emeline Lark's grandfather mysteriously disappears from his nursing home, she returns to her childhood home to find him. She's soon drawn into a folktale forest -- full of darkness and magic -- that once haunted her youth. When she finds herself in front of the fabled Wood King himself, she strikes a deal to save her grandfather and becomes part of a story much bigger than herself.

Kristen Ciccarelli created a beautiful world here, and like Emeline, the forest drew me in from the first page. I loved how she married the mundane and magical by creating a hidden universe in plain sight -- one that you simply walk into. My feelings about our heroine, Emeline, vacillated a bit. When the book opens, we learn that the forest is literally attracted to her voice and all sort of plants and creatures creep in when she takes the stage. Despite this, Emeline is insistent that none of the folktales she grew up with could be true. There was such a disconnect there that it made her character less believable and a little bit frustrating. At the same time, I think there's some really interesting underlying commentary here about what it's like to sit between two worlds or two identities. The plot was also a mixed bag. There were certainly some twists and turns that surprised me (always a good thing!), but there were other parts that were utterly predictable (e.g. the song mage).

Overall this was an enjoyable read and beautifully crafted world, but some aspects of character and plot development prevented it from being stellar.

THIS BOOK?? IT WAS INSANE. I actually think it might be my favorite fantasy read of all time. The author really took everything I love and want in a fantasy novel, and served it in one book. Actually so angry this doesn't come out until next year, because I need it on my shelf right now. My life will be complete the day I can get my hands on the physical copy of this book.

First off, her writing is just beautiful. I hate when writing is too simple or too overwhelming, but Kristen Ciccarelli found the perfect balance here, and it really made the book so easy to read and enjoyable. I also loved that not one sentence in this book felt pointless or like a filler, even the briefest things mentioned all ended up having some greater meaning or importance to the plot and characters. The plot-twists were crazy too?? I never really find myself plotting and thinking in my head too much when I'm reading, but with this book it was the exact opposite. I was constantly pausing and thinking so deeply about what I was reading, trying to draw conclusions for what was happening in this book. Along with that, the pacing was just as well done. The chapters were a perfect length to keep me engaged, not too long but not too short. I was constantly just wanting to start the next chapter to find out what would happen.

The fantasy world is the book was what really made me love it so much. It was so interesting and intriguing, but not too confusing. I think I'm pretty good at following fantasy plots, but sometimes they just get too heavy and hard to understand. But this one managed to be complex, while also staying understandable completely throughout, which I don't see often. What really made this fantasy world so unique to me was the extremely well executed mix of the modern world with the magical land beyond the trees. I've really only read a few books where modern and magical worlds bordered one another, and none of them have even come close to this one. The settings inside the woods were also amazing. They were so well described and easy to make an image of in my head.

The main character Emeline Lark, was a perfect fantasy main character. She wasn't perfect by any means, and was in the real world trying to find her happiness through music. Her storyline throughout the book, of fighting between the pull of two worlds, and fighting to save the one person she loves was astounding to read. The issues with her Pa were heartbreaking to read, but I have so much respect for the author for incorporating these very real problems into the plot.

I LOVED THE SIDE CHARACTERS IN THIS BOOK. They were so important to the plot as well, which I loved. Getting to see Emeline bond with them, while also simultaneously learning that they may be more important to her than she previously realized, was so compelling.

The romance here??? I was already sold when I heard it was enemies to lovers, but I was actually shocked of how of it there was in this book. The chemistry between Hawthorne and Emeline was intense, and learning more about their relationship throughout the book left me so shocked. The flashbacks that were included...the author had no right to rip my heart out like that. Their ending?? Although I did truly love it, it was still heartbreaking, the openness but also certainty within it was so insane.

I DEFINITELY recommend checking this out when it releases on January 18th, 2022. I need everyone to read this so I have someone to scream about it to.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press (via NetGalley) for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. It seems this publisher never disappoints!!

First of all, I'd like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the e-copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, where to even start. Edgewood is about a girl, and a boy; a curse, and a gift; a city, and a forest; and above all, family. Kristen Ciccarelli weaves an amazing, beautiful, and at times, infuriating story that truly encompases what it means to be human, and to have dreams, and to make sacrifices for those we love, all while using the backdrop of a cursed forest and a Fae Court.

I will admit, at the beginning, I wasn't sure if I liked Emeline, our main character. It drove me crazy that she pushed things down and purposely put her head in the sand, to ignore the painful things, but as the story went on, and I learned more and more about her and her world, I have to admit - I probably would have done the exact same thing as Emeline, which is why it was so frustrating for me.

I connected to Emeline so deeply, and she was written so beautifully. She is a character who has some deep flaws, but also amazing strengths - I believe that she embodies what it is to be human.

I don't want to give anything away, but the ending is both amazing and heartbreaking, and so so perfect. It was the perfect ending for this book, but even as I say that, I desperately hope that there will be a sequel, because I am not ready to let go of this world and these characters.

Frankly, this book was amazing, and I'll be thinking about it for a while - I'm excited to buy a physical copy when it comes out.

Beautiful, evocative, lush. This was my first Ciccarelli book and I loved it so much. Music and creepy, woodsy/fae vibes are favorites of mine and this story did not did not disappoint as it mixed the two!