The Woodsmoke Women’s Book of Spells by Rachel Greenlaw is a great contemporary fiction that felt very real, raw, and yet magical at the same time.

Boy I am really into these autumn-ish feeling, atmospheric, magical, and mysterious novels lately.

I loved how the author balances love, loss, finding oneself, magic, real-world problems, and mystery all into one nice package.

Carrie is so realistic and relatable, but she also has access to something that is just beyond our comprehension. The interweaving of this fine tapestry created a novel, that for me, was unique and I was drawn in after catching on to the vibe that was presented. I like the emotions that this novel was able to provoke as it continued onward, especially with the ending.

4/5 stars

Thank you NG and Avon and Harper Voyager | Avon for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 10/22/24.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC of The Woodsmoke Women's Book of Spells by Rachel Greenlaw.

Carrie Morgan returns to her hometown of Woodsmoke after ten years of running from her past. She has always felt like an outsider, in a small town where the Morgan family women have a book of magic and a relationship with the mountains surrounding the town that sometimes draw people in, never to be found again. With the death of her grandmother, Carrie returns home to fix up her cottage and find closure with her town for good.

Carrie's great aunt, Cora, has run the Morgan magic for decades, with some things saved, and some things feeling forever harmed. With Carrie's return, she is desperate to set things to right.

Jess, Carrie's former best friend, is also anxious over ten years of silence and for Carrie to come back to town.

When Carrie begins to renovate the cottage with the help of a man no one else has seen and who comes with the frost, Cora begins to suspect the mountains may be at work again...

This book very much vibed with The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic or a less dark Spells for Forgetting - it's definitely a book that feels like being in fall/early stages of winter. It also is not just Carrie's story, but equally that of Cora and of Jess, which I had not anticipated. In its own way, this split narration helps to move the plot and to further character growth in three people intertwined with each other. It also then greatly dilutes that this is a story about Carrie and a man who arrives with the frost - with that being just a microcosm of the larger story. I think this split made me feel less connected to all of the characters and more that this is a story of women and time and not of a romantic relationship. That being said, it is still engaging and interesting - it's just not what I expected from the description. I actually don't even think I'd classify it as fitting under romance, and I would have loved a bit of a deeper dive into each of the women as well to better connect with them.

The story was nice, but it lacked the depth to make a lasting impression, leaving me unlikely to revisit its pages.

4 ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley for the E-ARC!

This was such a not quite cozy, witchy read if that makes sense. There’s something about the Morgan women that makes the town suspicious of them. When Carrie returns to town after leaving in a hurry years earlier, old emotions get dug up. Carrie’s trying to find her place back in her hometown and wondering if the mountains will accept her. All while trying to figure out if she believes the folklore.

I loved the story between Carrie and Matthieu and the nagging feeling of the frost story. You teeter right on the edge of disbelief but not quite going one way or the other. The ending felt like the perfect closure. But, boy did the mountains take their price and it was steep.

4.5 / 5 stars
From the first paragraph of this book, and everything that followed, the reader sees beautifully detailed sentences, that creates the perfect picture through description. This is truly the most detailed book I have every read, each sentence playing out like a movie in the readers head. The characters are complex, never showing their true motives or meaning until the last second, or in some cases, the end of the book. The Woodsmoke Women’s Book of Spells using previous generations experiences to guide the future, unless you want history to repeat itself. The spell book reveals that even though each generation of Woodsmoke women are unique and individual, the generations to come still have those major similarities. Something really beautiful and that shows these similarities is the perfect parallel relationship

I really enjoyed this book! The characters in it are complex and well written, and even though I didn't like some of them, their presence in the story helped move it along. I liked how the magic system is a mystery but that you get hints thoughout.

The only thing I didn't love is that the chapters were broken into POVs, but sometimes it seemed like we were getting into the mind of the other person in the scene. Or that we were getting too much insight into that other person's thoughts.

Overall, an absolutely great book!

(This is a review of an Advance Reader Copy, thank you to Netgalley and the publisher)

I was given an advanced copy in exchange for my review. This is my honest opinion that I am giving voluntarily. Everyone is right in saying this is kind of a practical magic retelling but I still enjoyed it. I love the different POVs we get and the mystery is thrilling and engaging. It doesn't give you a happy ending per say but it does end in conclusion. I really like the mind of this author and I will be following.

I enjoyed The Woodsmoke Women's Book of Spells. The questions of belonging and being fulfilled are well expressed. Well done.

This book felt very similar to The Unmaking of June Farrow and I was not mad at it. I loved that book and ended up thoroughly enjoying this one too. As a huge lover of Practical Magic, I enjoyed the family curse element and “old Magic” themes throughout the book. I loved the progression of Matthieu and Carrie’s relationship, watching them fall in love was quiet and easy. I also loved watching the characters fight their own selfishness, second guessing themselves and fighting their own demons head on. Thank you NetGalley and Avon for this ARC!

If you liked Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young with a hint of Practical Magic, I think you’d enjoy this! This book was such a surprise. I expected to like it but I didn’t expect it to be so heartbreaking and impactful. All of the characters are very real and flawed. They make mistakes, meddle, keep secrets, but that’s what makes this story feel so real. The lingering uncertainty and mystery kept me reading till late in the night. I wanted to understand the magic, the town of Woodsmoke and the people that inhabit it. But magic, like the town isn’t meant to be fully understood. That, for me, is what made the story so enjoyable. There were not clear cut choices and answers just like in life. I really loved the writing of this story. Incredibly atmospheric, allowing me to escape into the frigid temperatures of autumn and winter. I love the journey each of our characters went on and how they developed. The ending was bittersweet but felt like the perfect ending. The story was almost perfect for me. I wasn’t the biggest fan of two of the characters subplot, but it was important to the story and our main character. It took me till about the 30 ish percent mark to finally feel hooked in and get an idea of where the story was going. I still would give this a solid 4.5 stars. Not a new all time favorite but incredibly memorable and one of my favorites of the year.

I really enjoyed this! If you're in-between longer, more intense books and need a somewhat low-stakes witchy palette cleanser, I think this is a good one. The plot wasn't remarkable, but I enjoyed the characters. I agree with the blurb; I think if you like Adrienne Young's books and also Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Fairies, you'll vibe with this.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free arc in exchange for an honest review.

Who says you can't come home again? Well, if you're Carrie Morgan, everyone. She left Woodsmoke after realizing what her family legacy meant and never intended on coming back. She was forced to when her grandmother died, and has to deal with past hurts, family legacy of witchcraft, and what it means in the community. Fans of Practical Magic will love this book. It's thoughtful, introspective, while dealing with life and coming to terms with who you are and how to deal with things outside of your control.