Spells, Strings, and Forgotten Things
By Breanne Randall

As someone with 2 sisters of my own who grew up watching charmed, I was instantly intrigued when I read the blurb for this book and I was so excited when I was approved for the ARC!

This book was absolutely magical. I had such high hopes for this story and every single one was met! I loved The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic and this book was just as good if not better! The magic system, the curses, the romance, all were done so well and I really hope this story continues!

I cannot wait to read every story Breanne Randall decides to tell and I am so grateful I have found her books!

Spells, Strings, and Forgotten Things by Breanne Randall is a tale of the Lightcrafter Petridi sisters and their responsibility to keep the powerful magic trapped within a tree out of the grasp of Shadowcrafters. When an ancient evil magic threatens to break the Peteridi sisters’ magical bond, Calliope accidentally binds herself to Lucien, the leader of a rival coven. Calliope, her sisters, Lucien and his coven have no choice, but to learn to work together to prevent disaster.

I had such high hopes for this one after reading Randall’s debut novel, “The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic,” but this one didn’t do it for me.

Starting off with what I enjoyed:

The representation of LGBTQIA and non-binary characters in the book.

And that was really it…

The pace of the book was off. Some parts of the book felt unnecessarily outdrawn while other parts went too fast.

The plot sometimes felt like it lost itself and the explanations of how magic worked in the world / history of magic was confusing and convoluted.

Without giving too much away, the storyline with the sisters’ aunts felt too convenient and also too obvious.

Though the book is marketed as “Pride and Prejudice meets Charmed,” I felt like the book relied too heavily on the Charmed parallel. The “three in one, one in three” magic was too much like “the power of three will set us free.” Even to the point where the three sisters find a “fourth sister” in another character. Calliope and Lucien falling for each other despite one being “good” and the other “evil” was too much like Phoebe and Cole.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Kind of a let dawn after the first book. I was hoping for more exploration and character development but instead got confusing timelines and characters I wound up disliking despite them being tolerable previously.

Thank you for the ARC Read! It was a cozy fun time and would recommend! While reading I felt like the story/plot was moving nicely and kept me wanting to read more and more. The enjoyed getting to know the characters as well

Thank you NetGalley and RHPG - Ballantine for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This story is about a witch and her sisters cursed to sacrifice memories to cast spells and guard a magic tree that holds ancient evil. Calliope unknowingly binds herself to a sworn enemy (but is he?!) all while trying to understand what’s happening to her town and the secrets in her families past. All before she and her sisters lose their Magic forever.

I enjoyed the book overall but felt the story was lost a little in the amount of words used for description. Especially in the narration. My attention was held and the story moved along better with actual straightforward context and conversation.

There were some “found family” moments that could’ve used more connection. It felt like a last minute add-in.

The building love connection was good but the spicy scenes were a little bit cringy.

With all that being said, I would have liked to see this story wrapped up in one book. I don’t think that’s the case.

A magical, cozy, romantic story of the strength of sisterly love.

A family of witches cursed to sacrifice memories in order to practice magic. A rival wizard with the goal of destroying the one thing the sisters have sworn to protect. A rivalry going back generations, what will happen when they are forced to work together?

This book is beautifully written. You will be immediately immersed in this story. If you enjoyed The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic, you will definitely enjoy this book!

**Book Review:**

*Spells, Strings, and Forgotten Things* by Breanne Randall brings an intriguing concept of magic at a cost, but unfortunately, it falls short in execution. The story follows Calliope, a Lightcraft witch, who continues to suffer from her mother’s sudden disappearance fifteen years ago. She and her sisters, Thalia and Eurydice, have managed a cozy life running a local tea and bookstore, but their inability to use magic without sacrificing memories creates a painful dynamic. When dark magic threatens their family’s guardianship, Calliope is thrust into a dangerous situation, inadvertently bound to the mysterious Shadowcrafter, Lucien.

The premise holds promise, particularly with the enemies-to-lovers dynamic and the “Pride and Prejudice” meets “Charmed” inspiration. However, the magic system, while creative, relies too heavily on clichés and suffers from over-explanation, detracting from its intrigue. The dialogue, especially between Calliope and Lucien, often feels jarring. The mix of formal, magical language with modern bickering doesn’t flow well, making the characters hard to connect with. Calliope’s character, in particular, was frustrating—her ceaseless talking and self-created martyrdom made her difficult to like. In contrast, the supporting characters like Thalia, Eurydice, and Lucien were far more compelling.

The plot itself was predictably drawn out, with pacing that fluctuated between rushed moments and overly slow stretches, leaving little room for the emotional buildup necessary to root for the characters. The romance, intended to be a slow burn, felt forced and disconnected from the plot, especially with the out-of-place intimate scenes that lacked meaningful character development. Calliope and Lucien's relationship never fully convinced me as a romance, and their constant bickering felt more like foreplay than actual emotional growth.

The book’s redeeming quality came in the ending, where the characters and their chemistry finally showed some promise, leaving me wishing the story had started there. While *Spells, Strings, and Forgotten Things* may appeal to some, its pacing, predictable plot, and inconsistent character development made it a tough read for me. Unfortunately, I won't be continuing with the series, but I hope others can find enjoyment in the elements that worked for them.

I absolutely loved everything about this book and really hope there is a sequel! When I want to keep track of a series, I always mark it on my calendar to make sure I don't forget about it, as there are so many other books out there. I will be putting this on my calendar to look for a sequel, or even just to see what else this author is writing.

Lucien is part Mr. Darcy (Pride and Prejudice) and part Rhysand (A Court of Thorn and Roses series). You know he is up to something, not sure exactly how evil it is, but you love him anyway. It's so easy to ignore all those red flags in books that you would be yelling at your friend about in real life. But, really, besides all the evil planning and everything (lol), he had less red flags than so many other characters I read about this year. I ranted in quite a few reviews about that. Lucien was pretty great that way.

I definitely could tell that the author was a fan of Pride and Prejudice, with a few casual quotes from the book (nothing you will notice unless you know the book). They never refer to the book, just use popular quotes in conversation. I would not say this is anything like Pride and Prejudice, other than Lucien reminding me a bit of Mr. Darcy. I am sure tons of readers will disagree with me on that point. Not even sure what it was, just a feeling.

Calliope is attracted to men and women, so if you have any issue with any same sex attraction, here is your warning. Really is sad that I need to include that, but I hate for the author to get lower ratings because people get upset because there are gay characters in the book.

Loved the book so much! Thanks so much to NetGalley for the free kindle book. My review is voluntarily given and my opinions are my own.

Spells, Strings, and Forgotten Things by Breanne Randall was interesting because of the curse on magic to forfeit memories for spells. There were so many rules and sometimes they became confusing and contradictory.

Calliope lives with her sisters in her Northern California town, having been tasked by her mother with protecting their town and their powers...even if it means she must work with Lucien, a Shadowcrafter despite her mistrust and fear of his magic.

In addition to being an incredibly entertaining read, the book asks who we are without our memories. In order to perform magic, Calliope must relinquish a memory - the more emotional, the more powerful the magic. The book forces the reader to consider what they would trade for magic, especially magic that protects other people. I also really loved that the book had witches who were strongly connected to their Greek heritage. It's a diaspora that is much less represented in fantasy, and so really made the book stand out by all the mentions of Irish-influence mythology (some better appropriations than others.) The book handled it very well, and some of the descriptions of their Greek food - and baked goods - made my mouth water. I was desperate to come visit their tea shop/bookstore.

Ultimately, Calliope and Lucien form a relationship that makes both of the two better -Calliope becomes more open and accepting while Lucien becomes more compassionate. I really enjoy romances where they help each other grow. I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed The Spellshop or other cozy fantasies.

This book is marketed as Pride and Prejudice meets Charmed, but I didn’t quite feel it lived up to that comparison.

The character and plot development were painfully slow and it was very hard for me to keep reading. I get that it’s being set up for a sequel, but it fell short of holding my attention.

Who hasn’t, at some point in their lives, wished that they could trade a sour memory for a bit of magic? That’s what Calliope must do in order to use her magic. She slowly gives up memories, pieces of herself, to be able to use her magic.

Spells, Strings, and Forgotten Things has it all:
There’s a dash of enemies to lovers
A sprinkle of spice
A splash of Chosen family
Delicious recipes that make you feel like you are in the book; sitting at the dinner table with Calliope and her sisters and so much whimsy and magic.
4 stars- I gobbled it up until the early hours!

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC. Opinions are my own!

I loved the layers of this story. The layers of their sisterhood and how they had to come back together and trust in each other. I enjoyed watching them all come to terms with their magic and find their happiness. I loved the layers with Lucien. I wanted the tiniest bit more from their story but their ending was beautiful. And the layer with his family and coven and the betrayals.

3.5

I loved the sisters bond with each other and all the secrets they were discovering. The love interest was on the fence about. I was having a harder time getting through this since at times it flowed and then other times my brain realized it was third person and I would get confused. There were times I had to reread sentences cause I wasn’t sure who was talking.

But overall I enjoyed this book

I liked Breanne Randall’s first book, and I loved her second! “Spells, Strings, and Forgotten Things” loved up to the Charmed-meets-Pride and Prejudice marketing. I enjoyed the character development, the plot, and the setting and dialogue. Overall, this was a tight romcom/fantasy novel with an interesting magic system and interesting stakes!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dell for an ARC of this book. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.


I really struggled to get into this book. It wasn't awful in any way, but it wasn't great either. If it wasn't an ARC, and I wanted to make sure it got a fair review, I would have DNF around 30% in.

The pacing was all over the place, and I struggled to really like any of the characters. This book is also very trope and cliché heavy. It felt way overdone.

I do love the story itself and the interesting world, but it wasn't enough to make up for the flaws for me.

A generational curse, slow burn enemies to lovers, sisterly bonds tested. I really don’t want to give too much away, Calliope/Opie is a witch but to use her magic she must give up a memory for every spell she casts. How many memories can she lose before she loses herself and how many memories is she willing to give away before the shadows take over? The banter between Opie and Lucien is just ::chefs kiss:: I just wish the epilogue was longer.

I wanted to love this story, as it has so many elements of stories I am drawn to including mystical elements, family, found family, enemies-to-lovers. However, this one was a miss for me. Too much of the story drug on, and I found myself not caring about the Forbidden Forest, the Dark Oak, or the outcome for ANY of the characters. The slow burn was painfully slow. This is clearly set up for a sequel, but it would be difficult to convince me to attempt reading it. If I read the phrase "Little muse" one more time, I was going to throw my phone against a wall. Similarly, WE GET IT--the MMC smells of apples and amber. It was unnecessary to include that in every chapter.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to love this book but it just wasn’t for me. I had a hard time getting through it. I like the idea of the story/plot but the execution kind of fell flat for me. It felt like certain aspects were over explained or really drawn out - and others, like character and plot development, were lacking.

The spicy scenes were well written, I think, but the lead up to them was kind of abrupt and out of no where. I guess not really believable which makes it hard to be sucked into the story.

I like the first book by this author, but unfortunately this one was more of a miss for me.

There were many things I enjoyed about this story. It was well written and the magic system that was created was throughly designed to withstand the flow of the story. The backstory following the coven was very well done and it helped intertwine the main male lead as well. Strong focused plot, you knew exactly what the story was about. Sometimes it can get muddled, very impressed with the clarity.
Only “big” problem: The main female’s self sabotaging ways, were definitely not my favorite part. I found myself yelling at her more than anything.

Overall, I did think this is a fantastic start and foundation to this series.