I didn't expect this book to blow me out of the water because I liked but did not love the above average first installment. This book lived up to those expectations. This book did an adequate job further expanding the world and the magic. The plot and character development in this book focused on Collin rather than Anna which disengaged me just a little. Additionally, the actions of the character who turns out to be the antagonist I could clearly see but I suspended a bit of disbelief because of the book's target audience. Ultimately, I feel the same way about this book as I did the first, slightly above average.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

The first book in this series was one of my favorite reads in 2022 and this followup with just as enjoyable! I loved seeing more of Anna and Colin and seeing how they have been developing their magic! This is such a fun book with the perfect amount of scary. I hope we get more books in this series!

I struggled with this one compared to the previous book. I feel like Anna spent most of her time whining through this book which grated on my nerves to no end. I feel like if they had just actually talked to each other we could have avoided a lot of the issues that kept coming up. I know they're very young teens but it just ruined my whole experience reading the book. Writing style is still absolutely beautiful and this series is still a lot of fun and unique.

I really loved Ravenfall, so I was excited to dive into the sequel and Hollowthorn did not disappoint! I also really appreciate the recap the author provided of book 1. I wish more authors would do this for later books in sequels. Anyway, it was great to be back with Anna and Colin. Their magical world is so fascinating, and I love the Jewish mythology sprinkled throughout. If there is another book, I will definitely be reading it.

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for granting me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this book was such a fun read. I think the pacing at the start was a bit clunchky but overall this was great adventure based story. This book was very different from book one but liked it. this book was in addition to diving more into jewish mythology has friends and family dynamics. I thought this book was a fun adventure read and i am excited for book 3!

I absolutely adored Ravenfall and was so excited for the sequel.

I have to applaud the author for including the recap because I didn’t remember the first book as much as I thought.

This was an excellent follow up and just as much as a blast to read as the first book was. It took us to some new and exciting places and we met some new faces.

Such a fun book.

I was sent an e-ARC from the publisher via Netgalley though all thoughts are my own.
This was a fascinating book full of adventure, Jewish mythology, the power of love, tested friendship, bonds of family and how following your intuition can often save your life.

I really enjoyed watching Hannah and Colin learn to become more comfortable with their powers, Hannah being able to spend time with her Dad who she learns has a different reason for seeming so distant than Hannah or her sisters know, learning more about Jewish mythology and I adore the magical House who is just trying to protect those it has come to care for while also having to deal with feeling not right due to an interruption in its magic which is later revealed.

This was a great follow up to Ravenfall and I loved being back in this world. Looking forward to reading more in this world!

Trigger warnings: death, violence

I enjoyed this one better than the first and can’t wait to read book three when it comes out next year! Although I guessed the twist that happened in this book, I thought it was a great read and I throughly enjoy all the characters we have met so far!

What I loved about this book:
* Anna and Colin. What great main characters. SO true to what real life might be like with magical friends.
* The recap of book 1 at the beginning of this story. I wish ALL books that are direct sequels would do this; even though I didn't read this all that long ago, I DO read at least 4 books at a time and a recap of one I read 10ish books ago was absolutely fantastic. I cannot thank the author enough for this treat.
* The Jewish mythology and mysticism. There was so much I didn't know [and even more I WOULD like to know], and it was very cool to see that be a vital part of a story and in how the group used it to learn which in turn helped them defeat the monsters.
* Max. Always and forever.
* The House. It was SO cool to have little chapters from the House's POV and I loved that. It could have been gimmicky in any other hands but our fantastic author and it becomes a very cool part of the story.
* Reconnecting with family.

What didn't work for me:
* There wasn't enough about the Jewish mythology/mysticism. I would have loved a lot more.
* I knew what was going on pretty early in the book so the whole reveal wasn't much of a surprise. I felt there could have been more to the story before we realize what is going on, but that is just my take.
* I would have liked more time in the Otherworld. That felt too short [and the whole Anna/Henry thing felt a teeny bit rushed] for me and I hope they go back there and explore some more.

Overall, this was an outstanding read - I love this world and again the MC's and the surround characters are just fantastic and I was so happy to learn there will be another book next year!!! I cannot wait to dive back into the world of Ravenfall. I highly recommend this series; so so so good.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kalyn Josephson, and Random House Children/Delacourte Press for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher and the author for a chance to read this. I heard so many things about this glad i got the chance to read this. It gave me young adult vibes which is good i felt like i was back in middle school reading a book for points to the library system for a free pizza at our local gas station. It was as good as i was hoping. Perfect book to read for Halloween gave of those spooky season vibes. But not spooky enough for kids. It would be a book that when my kids are in middle school i would let them read. I cant wait to read more. I would recommend very highly.

A delightful follow-up to Kalyn Josephson’s Ravenfall. Anna and Colin, having found their places in their world in the first book are now digging deeper and learning more about their gifts during an adventure in the Otherworld with new characters, Henry, Anna’s father, and Salem, another Raven. My favorite part of this story was that the Ravenfall house itself gets a voice which provided an interesting view of the real-world event that were happening while Anna & Colin are in the Otherworld. While the series is a mix of Celtic and Jewish Folklore, I really enjoyed that the Jewish roots took a front seat in this tale especially as this played a major role in helping Anna and Henry connect. I can’t wait for the next installment in this series.
Thank you NetGalley and Delacorte Press for early access to this title in exchange for an honest review.

First off, THANK YOU for including a brief summary of what happened in the first book. I wish more authors did this.

Anna and Colin further explore their newfound abilities and powers and readers finally get a chance to meet Anna's father Henry (I'm glad he shows character growth, but it was hard to read HOLLOWTHORN and watch how horrible of a parent he was) as they travel into the Otherworld. The chapters from the house broke my heart but I think they add a lot to the overall story.

I'm really enjoying where Josephson is taking this series and that space is given for both Anna and Colin to express and work through their anger and insecurities about not being enough. And we got more of Max's story! The conflict was good and the resolution was satisfying.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley, Random House Children's, and Delacorte Press in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved the first book of this series, RAVENFALL, and I enjoyed continuing the story with this sequel. It was so fun to read more of these characters' adventures and to dig even deeper into who they are. I also loved, loved, loved the inclusion of stories from Jewish lore, especially with a winter setting! This is definitely a series I'll be rereading in the future!

(Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change upon final publication.)

This book begins pretty much right where RAVENFALL ends. Anna and her family are in the midst of running the inn at Ravenfall, but something has gone weird with the inn’s magic. Anna and Colin get what they’ve been truly hoping for: a magical quest with Anna’s dad and a possible new mentor for Colin.

Lots of scenes feature everyone’s favorite cat-who-is-not-a-cat, Max, the cat-slash-jabberwocky. I loved getting to know more of Max’s history and learning how his magic works.
Anna also gets to hone her magic and has chances to make big moves in the story. That was a lot of fun. I also liked the development in the friendship between Anna and Colin, though it wasn’t a central part of the story. They were more living out stories side by side in this book.

I felt like the ending was really satisfying, but it also leaves some room for the third book in the series, WITCHWOOD, which will be out next fall.

I think readers who enjoy stories about magical woods or family magic will find lots to love in this book. Fans of RAVENFALL will enjoy revisiting the quirky, magical world of the first book.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions my own.

In this spooky sequel to Ravenfall we join Anna and Collin as they venture to the otherworld with a new Raven and Anna’s mysterious father. There they must seem out the Tree of Life to keep Ashmedai from erasing all Magic forever. But things are never as clear cut as them seem and neither are people always who they say they are.

I adored this return to Ravenfall. And I loved and appreciated the recap of book 1, in a format that read as a recap on a tv show. I love the Jewish mythology and representation, especially from Anna’s point of view. Anna and Collin are such great characters and it was really nice to get to know Henry and more of Max’s backstory. I can’t wait for the third installment to the series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author via Netgalley, Delacorte Press, and Random House Children’s in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a cute follow-up to Ravenfall! It was lovely seeing the characters develop each in their own strengths and also to read from the house's point of view as well. I can't wait to see what the author has in store for the next book in the series, what adventures Colin and Anna will go on, and what hijinx Max will get into.

My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and Random House Children's, Delacorte Press. I'm voluntarily leaving this review.

Genre: Fantasy, Jewish Fantasy, Paranormal
Age: Middle-grade (age 7-11)

Hollowthorn is a delightful novel for kids!

I love how the parents and other adults are dealing with their own problems while helping the kids. No one is perfect! The kids are front and center in all the action and are making their own decisions on what they will do.

There are mistakes.
Betrayal.
Surprises.
And lots of fairy creatures.

I'm a big fan of this book and recommend it to you.

Happy reading!

Let me just start by saying how grateful I am for the little summary of the first book, it’s been a year since I read Ravenfall and my memory is not that great so I was super happy for the little throwback, more authors should do that, it would certainly make my life easier.

Hollowthorn continues following Anna, Colin and the Ballinkays, but this time there’s a new danger in the horizon, a powerful demon is looking for the Tree of Life, the source of all magic, so Salem an old friend of the family comes to Ravenfall asking for help from Henry, Anna’s father and they all embark in a journey through the Otherworld to try to find and protect the tree from the demon.

I have such a deep love for this characters and I’m glad this book only made it deeper, Anna is trying to learn more about her powers and I loved seeing her journey to discovering more about herself and understand more about her relationship with her dad and Colin.

Max, as always is my favorite character, I love that Jabberwocky! And I was so happy we got to see more about his past, it was very surprising.

Overall it was a very good book, I can’t wait to see what new adventure Anna and Colin are going to embark in the next book.

Thanks Netgalley and Random House Children’s, Delacorte Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review

Hollowthorn takes us back to Ravenfall Inn and it's good to be home!

If Ravenfall was Anna's book, Hollowthorn felt more about Colin, growing into his role as a Raven while navigating the traces of the King of the Dead still lingering within him, sending spooky visions.

Anna's dad is back in town, but when he immediately decides to go back out to assist family friend Salem to find a magical artifact, she cons her way on the trip to spend some valuable quality time.

Meanwhile, the Inn is overbaking bread, it's not responding to requests. Something's awry and the woods seem to be creeping closer.

This was such a fun little follow-up to Ravenfall. I loved this world and loved that for it's wintry series entry the book discussed Judaism and Chanukah and brought stories from Jewish lore to live. Because of that, it felt like something that I'd might expect to be under Rick Riordan's mythology umbrella.

The plot felt a little one note and linear so that's why I went four stars instead of five, but I loved this follow-up to one of my favorite books of 2023.