Instead of the regular magical/supernatural creatures like vampires, fae and witches the Fairy Godmothers take the spotlight and i loved it. Although they are a bit set in their ways, but luckily there is new recruit Lexi who shakes things up. Deliberately or not. This was a cute fun read with magical characters, budding friendships and a hint of romance set in a magical world. Definitely worth the read.

I got this arc in exchange for an honest review.

To start, I’d like to thank Corrie Hathaway, Green Elk Publishing & Net Galley for providing me with my first free book. I didn’t expect to love this as much as I did. The magic, the fairy god mothers… were such a delight. I immediately found myself diving right in and couldn’t put it down. I was so invested!!! Lexi’s character was often frustrating but in a good Way!!! Really found that connection early on with the MC. Love how the author gave her great character development which you will see in this story. This book focuses on friendship and some romance. I appreciate the authors writing, it was a breath of fresh air. I def recommend this and look forward to the second book!

What happens if you enjoy giving advice and support to others? You can easily become one of the Fairy Godmothers!

A bewildered teen named Lexi finds herself unexpectedly enrolled in a school of magic where she is being trained to become a Fairy Godmother.

Nothing goes as planned; her classmate is obviously a better student than her; the older teacher makes her nervous; and she experiences issues with magical abilities and with her enigmatic crush, Oliver.

Yet pure evil, which can override all of the fairy godmothers' goodness, is just around the corner.

This book has it all: adorable characters, a mystical setting, a dash of romance, and some humor.

It was enjoyable to read.

This book was super cute! It was sweet and adventurous. I'll be honest, a little too tweeny for me. That being said, I do give it a solid ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5.

I recommend this to tweens/teens looking to get into YA Fantasy. It's clean with a very adorable "slow burn".

Absolutely loved this book. I read it in 2 days and loved how it kept me involved. I have read a few fantasy and have to say this one tops what I have read so far. The main character is surrounded by people seeking her advice and a "fairy godmother" appears out of nowhere to ask her to join them. I would recommend this book to anyone who is new to the fantasy genre as a first read.

Through Smoke and Sand by Corrie Hathaway. #TSAS #NetGalley
Thank you to Green Elk Publishing and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
YA Fantasy
This book was a fun, magical and refreshing read!
Lexi has always helped others solved their problems. But when she turned 19 it was out of control and heightened. Gussy, a fairy godmother, turns up to take Lexi for training to be a Fairy Godmother. Follow her and the fairy godmothers with their fight against evil while also granting others their Happily Ever After.
I enjoyed the characters of the older Fairy Godmothers. I also liked Lexi’s love interest, Oliver, who is always there to help Lexi but is also mysterious…. What is he??
I’m excited to read the second book when it comes out!

Thank you Green Elk Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book. I loved the magical world that was laid out and this is the first story I’ve ever read centering around Fairy Godmothers. The writing style was easy to read while keeping the reader invested in the story. I enjoyed the sassiness and strength Lexi showed and really enjoyed watching her grow. Oliver was definitely my favorite and I craved more of this character. Overall, this was a super cute and enjoyable book that I would recommend to those who mystical and magical ya stories.

“But a true romantic attachment with the right person gives you a home personified. Their heart provides a roof over your head with your name on the mailbox. Not any relationship and love will do that. But when the right one is found, that level of belonging is the happily ever after we strive to bring to those we serve.” This was my favorite quote of the book and made me really connect with the story on a deeper level. To me this showed truly heartfelt writing from the author.

This fantasy novel was my first read from this author. Hathaways twist on the traditional Disney fairy godmother was a welcomed adventure. This story is great for preteens 12 and older along with being great for adults of all ages! I really enjoyed Lexi’s character and seeing how she grew and learned throughout the story. Her relationship with Oliver was so heartwarming and I enjoyed watching how their connection grew throughout the storyline. The elder fairy godmothers were also nicely written as each one had such distinct characteristics that showed their different personalities. Fairy godmother Wilhelmina was my least favorite but a necessary antagonist and Harriet the other new fairy godmother recruit didn’t win me over until the last 1/3 of the book. I loved the creativity of the setting of the godmothers home in Spindle Peak and loved how their poofing would transport the reader to other settings within the same story. The two things I would have liked to see (which maybe will happen in the next book) would have been multiple narrators to give different POVs and for Lexi and Oliver’s relationship to get just a touch deeper because they were such a sweet duo! Over all this was an excellent book that will be especially great for young teenage girls since there was a great balance of love, adventure, good and evil without having adult level romance or violence. I look forward to recommending this series to my daughter and reading the next book this series has in store!

A warm thanks to Green Elk publishing for introducing me to.this title. Though I did enjoy the world created by the author. I prefer New Adult titles . For this reason, I have choosen to.Dnf..

This book will transport you into a fantastical world of magic with wildly creative and lovable characters. The enchanting storylines will have you hanging on to every word until the end.

Corrie’s take on this style of fantasy surprised me in the best way! It gives considerable Once Upon a Time/Disney vibes, with enough darkness to make it edgy, and a fairytale style of storytelling that will not disappoint. I’d love to see this as a TV series!

As an adult fantasy reader, I personally wanted more of a deep storyline between Lexi and Oliver, but their connection was palpable and very well written. As far as a good, clean book for all ages, it doesn’t get much better than this.

I cannot wait for the next book in the series!

Being honest, I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about this book as I don’t read a lot of fantasy but I absolutely loved it! It was magical, charming and an absolute breath of fresh air.

“𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴. 𝘐𝘯 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳.”

Lexi has spent her life helping other people with their problems but on her 19th birthday this trait of hers is excessively heightened, causing her a dilemma of her own to try and solve. However, whilst she is drafting her own brainstorm, in enters Gussy, a Fairy Godmother who is there to recruit Lexi to their cause against restoring good and banishing evil. What follows is a journey of mystifying magic full of twists and turns.

I felt like nearly every chapter ended on such a cliffhanger that I just had to continue reading which definitely helped me to finish the book faster than anticipated.

I adored the character of Oliver (😍) and loved the mystery that surrounded him. I also enjoyed the different personalities of the Fairy Godmothers and getting to know each of them individually. In the future I would love more development around their history and their becoming Fairy Godmothers.

After reading the prologue I was worried that the story was going to be hard to follow but Hathaway did such a good job of world building that this wasn’t a problem whatsoever. My only negative was that I felt it lost it’s way slightly for a few chapters in the middle of the book but the ending was captivating so this more than made up for it!

I am so pleased that this is the first of a trilogy and I honestly can’t wait for the other two books to come out. I also think this would make a fantastic TV series!

What a fun read! I have honestly never considered the role of a fairy godmother outside of Cinderella. The way Hathaway captures the importance and dark edge to this job was engaging and the reader can’t help but read on, hoping for answers. With elements of budding romance with another fantastical entity, our protagonist is daring, sassy, confident, and fearless. I definitely recommend this one and can’t wait to see what happens in the sequel (hoping it’s already in the works)!

Lighthearted, magical, cozy and extremely well written. This intro to fantasy is a must read for anyone looking to be transported into a different world. It doesn’t take many pages for the author to suck you in as you follow along the FMC, Lexi and her fairy godmother. This is a YA book so it reads a little on the young side coming from the 25+ age category but overall a great read!!

We follow Lexi, a 19 year old with the uncanny ability to help others. On her 19th birthday, she finds herself overrun with requests for help. That’s when we meet Gussy, a fairy godmother. Gussy invites Lexi to join the order of fairy godmothers and help others find their happily ever after.

Although I do enjoy fantasy, this one wasn’t really my cup of tea. I found the writing to be not my style. It was at times too many words and too much telling. I think that this would be better suited for a young YA. Lexi felt much younger than 19 to me, but I did enjoy watching her mature throughout the story line. Oliver was a huge redeeming character for me, and I wish more time had been spent focusing on their friendship, as well as character development for Harriet.

Also please! We need more world building! The opening chapter describing how Acacia came to be was not nearly enough. I found myself confused for a lot of the beginning of the story. I would love to read more of a prequel to the story in the opening chapter, describing what the fairy godmothers do or the evil they keep at bay. Reading the few journal entries near the middle of the book was almost too late. I think this would have been more powerful if we’d already been given a better understanding of what’s at stake and then we see WOW Mavis was involved?!

I received a free ARC, but this review is my honest opinion of the book
Rating: 4 stars
This book is perfect for anyone interested in a unique twist on the concepts of fairy godmothers in the YA genre or anyone looking for a fun read.
Premise-
The premise is pretty unique. I haven’t read any books with fairy godmothers before, so I found the nature of the characters’ powers to be intriguing. I think it would be interesting to see the main villain developed more in future books, as well as the powers of the fairy godmothers.
Characters-
I was a bit skeptical about the book when I realized that a lot of the characters might be old ladies, but I actually found that there was a good balance of characters in the book.
The main character, Lexi, is a good combination of genuinely sweet but also strong-willed and independent. Oliver, the mysterious love interest, was my favorite character and definitely a highlight of this book. The rest of the side characters are also quite loveable.
Pacing & Writing-
I enjoyed the writing style, and I like reading from Lexi’s point of view due to her sense of humor and independence. Perhaps Lexi could initially seem juvenile, but I actually enjoyed her personality, and she does undergo a good level of character growth throughout the book. Towards the middle of the book, the pace slowed, but it picked up nicely for an exciting ending that made me eager to continue with the series.

Smoke and Sand
By Corrie Hathaway

This book has it’s pros and cons. So I’m going to put it in the 3 star category (not one I’d necessarily recommend, but also not one I’d discourage people from reading). Interesting plot ideas, interesting character ideas, but the writing didn’t live up to the ideas in a lot of places.

The main character could be funny, interesting, and clever. But also could be kind of annoying, a lot of her jokes weren’t funny, and I had to shake my head at her fairly frequently. But to the author’s credit, so did the other characters, and her jokes fell flat with them too, haha. I feel like the author could see some of the flaws and just kind of leaned into them which actually made it a better reading experience than it would have been otherwise.

I agreed with the main theme (why does a happily ever after need to involve “true love”) but I don’t think it was explored as fully as it could have been. (Maybe in the next book). And the budding romance between the MC and her love interest was both sweet and way too fast, haha.

So basically this book was such a mixed bag. But it’s possible I’ll still read the next one when it comes out because despite it all, I still had a good time reading it.

Thanks to @netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First of all I would like to thank Corrie Hathaway , Green Elk Publishing, and NetGalley for providing me with my first ever ARC/free copy of a book.

We follow the main character Lexi as she navigates the feeling of never fitting in but always wanting to help people… is compelled to help, actually. She finds herself one day, being asked by an overwhelming amount of people to help them with their various problems.

Enter: Gussy the Fairy Godmother

Lexi resists the call by this stranger but later, feeling so overwhelmed, is accompanied by another new friend, Oliver to join The Order of Fairy Godmothers.

Will Lexi finally find a place where she belongs or will her modern views of what a “happily ever after” looks like keep her on the outskirts?

For me Lexi felt a lot younger and more juvenile than the 19 years she was supposed to be in the novel. However, you do see Lexi grow throughout the novel, but I found myself rolling my eyes at things she did and said throughout. I would definitely recommend this to someone more into YA or in a slightly different age demographic.
I had a hard time connecting to the characters at times and also would’ve liked to see a little more world building. However, this is the first book in a series so maybe more of that will be fleshed out in book 2!

I enjoyed the author’s take on what goes on when the Fairy Godmother isn’t granting you your happily ever after. And what really does a happily ever after look like! I found myself the most engaged in the second half of the book as Lexi’s story and choices played out.

Overall a quick and fun YA Fantasy read!

A solid 4.5 stars!

Through Smoke and Sand is one of the most original books i've read this year with it's take on Fairy Godmothers and their special brand of magic, that of the HEA!

“The magic comes only to those who have the gift of seeing into a person, to what stands in the way of their happiness, what will help, and to care so genuinely for another to be able to will that solution into reality.”

I love the idea of fairy godmothers. I’ve read about witches and vampires and werewolves and mermaids… but never fairy godmothers. This book was a breath of fresh, supernatural air.

Lexi has a gift. Those who know her come to her with their problems and she can help fix them. When she turns 19, 💩 hits the fan. Help comes in the form of fairy godmother training a quick train ride away from her home.

This book is joy, with the threat of evil looming. It’s magical and heartfelt and wondrous. There are good lessons about self-discovery, being different, overcoming adversity, and kindness. There is a hint of the sweet beginnings of new love.

Lexi faces adversity in the form of a particularly difficult godmother and a being made from 3 different pieces of pure evil.

The cliffhanger on this book was cruel; I felt it cut off the conclusion of this book! 😭

I’m not really sure what I expected when I requested this book, but I didn’t get it…in a good way! This book is filled with wonder, angst, action, a little romance, and a lot of fun. Poor Lexi is a more mature teen who isn’t sure of her path in life, but she finds a path when she’s offered the chance to be a Fairy Godmother. The fun just begins from there. I loved all of these characters, and I loved how this book was filled with a little joy and magic, and while it did seem a little YA-ish to me, it didn’t feel too much like one to turn me off. The book could have been pared down a little as there were places it dragged and were unnecessary, but that was not really too noticeable. I’m ready for the next one to find out what happens after a certain someone wakes up. Highly recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.