This was such a cozy read! I love anything that has to do with magic and witches, but I really loved the fresh take that this book had on that concept. The writing was very smooth and lyrical, and very well-paced as well. Perfect spooky-season read.

Was this good? Sure. Was it amazing? No. My favorite characters weren't the main ones, unfortunately. The plot itself was quite predictable and nothing that happened ever really surprised me. The banter made me wonder "who actually talks/acts like this?" Our FMC constantly went back and forth between being angry/resentful to being like "omg he's so charming why do I like him so much" her attitude was irritating to say the least. There was not nearly enough connection or yearning between the main love interests for me to care what happened with them. So by the time the spicy moments happened, I was like like, eh. Despite some of my negative feelings, I think the ending wrapped up nicely. I was worried where it was going for a minute there. Would I recommend this? Maybe to someone who's never read a witchy fantasy book before. But otherwise, there are better options out there. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

This was a little bit hard to get into but once I did I had to finish it I needed to know how it ended and I loved it this is definitely on the YA genre but I still really enjoyed it

Another great hit! Absolutely loved this enchanting witchy book. It had all the wonderful things I fell in love with Randall’s first novel and then some. The found family, trials and overcoming the troubles. I cannot wait for this novel to hit stores to get my hands on the physical copy. Definitely pulled at my heart; broke me and wrapped me back up all in one go.

Unfortunately this missed the mark for me! I really wanted to love it. It was overly descriptive and I wasn't able to relate to the main character - at times I found her really childish and annoying. The plot felt really predictable, but maybe I just wasn't in the right headspace for this at the time.

Being a mood reader, I started and stopped this book a couple times before settling in. The story itself is very fitting to my preferred genre of reading. I love tales of magic and witches...and the unintentional forbidden romance that always happens while breaking a deadly curse. Spells, Strings, and Forgotten Things did not disappoint in that.

The premise of the book is good vs. evil; Shadowcraft vs. Lightcraft; Dark vs. Light. The book tells the story of three sisters who are born Lightcraft witches. Their family legacy is to protect their town from the dark oak by ensuring the enchantments surrounding the tree are strong. The protections are upheld in each generation by three Petridi family sisters. Always three.

Thalia Petridi is the eldest sister who took the place of guardian when the girls' mother disappeared. Eurydice is the middle sister, even tempered and always the peacekeeper. Calliope is the youngest Petridi sister. She is reckless and broken, and wildly unafraid to practice her magic willingly. After all, practicing magic is what all witches do, right? Well, for the Petridi sisters, magic comes with a price. A memory. The bigger the spell, the stronger the memory that will be sacrificed.

While Thalia and Eurydice have stayed away from magic since their mother disappeared, Calliope has used the curse as a way to forget the painful things happening in her life. Sensing that something is wrong with the enchantments, Calliope goes to the dark oak with the intentions to repair an enchantment and ends up attaching herself to an enemy.

Lucien is a Shadowcraft witch...known rivals to Lightcraft witches due to their power-seeking agenda. When Calliope and Lucien are forced to work together to break the attachment spell, they find out that there are more serious things at play. But, is Lucien trustworthy, and is Calliope ready to face her demons instead of using her magic to forget her past.

Spells, Strings, and Forgotten Things is a wonderful journey into the bonds of family, sisterhood, and overcoming prejudices for the greater good. I loved that the characters in the book were very relatable, and their actions were appropriate to the events they were living through. There is a tremendous theme of sacrifice throughout the book, and also a beautiful theme of protection for those they love. I am always a sucker for a found family trope, and we see that throughout the story as well.

While some of the story line was very predictable, there were several instances where there was a nice twist in the plot. The biggest twist was at the end, and I was so upset to see it happen so close to the end of the book. Even though the reader knows how the characters would move forward...for the most part... I still felt like I'd been left hanging. I was happy to see the epilogue, and get a little glimpse into the future of the characters, but I would have liked everything to be tied up a little better at the end. Either that...or... another novel???

Give me a witch-y romance any day and I’m probably going to love it. As you can imagine, I was so excited to be chosen as an early reader of this book. And Spells, Strings, and Forgotten Things did not disappoint.

I loved the “power of sisterhood” storyline which follows Calliope Petridi and her two sisters, witches who are tasked with guarding an ancient Dark Oak and the evil contained in it. The cost of their magic is their memories, though, and each sister deals with that price differently.

Calliope, the youngest, is all too happy to sacrifice memories in an attempt to forget the pain of her past. And when the dark magic contained in the Oak threatens to unleash, she makes a risky move that binds her to a dark and ruthless stranger who’ll stop at nothing to undo everything Calliope, her sisters and all of the Petridi women who’ve come before them have done to keep their town and the people they love safe.

As the story unfolds, the connections between Light and Shadow become more entwined. And the tension is well-paced.

I was deeply interested in each of the main characters and felt they were all relatively well developed. I didn’t want to leave them and their world. While the beginning took me a bit to get into, the pace of the story picked up quickly and I didn’t want to put it down.

The romance element was sweet with a bit of spice.

I loved the storyline and the ending was satisfying (although there’s definitely room for a sequel here, which I’d love to see).

Thank you to Breanne, NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

If you let them steal your joy they have already won. My favorite quote from this book. It’s the little things that matter.
I tend to love a sister book especially if they are witches. It took me too long to get into this cute story, and that could be on thee. However, it was poetically written and a fun if predictable plot. Chosen bonds can be stronger than blood ones forced on you is another strong quote.
The main character is trying to save her family and coven and can only do that by bonding to a brooding bad boy with daddy issues. No longer my type but I get it. Chaos ensues and magic happens. The good, the bad and the ugly. Thank you NetGalley for this arc!

Thank you, NetGalley and Ballentine Books for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a cozy fantasy novel with some romance elements. I definitely enjoyed the author's creative vision with regard to the unique magical elements. Sometimes it read a bit slow for some reason and that made it difficult to stay engaged. I would recommend this book if you are looking for a cozy fantasy book with relatable characters and a lot of cool magic.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC of Spells, Strings, and Forgotten Things. I loved this book. It is centered on Calliope, the youngest sister who uses her magic most often. The eldest, Thalia, refuses to use her magic and is very much the first born, type A sister, Eurydice, the middle sister, rarely uses her magic and plays peacekeeper between her sisters. The family line has been cursed that in order to use their magic, they must sacrifice a memory. The stronger the memory, the stronger the magic. This really got me thinking about what memories I’d sacrifice. I’m sure we all have a lot of mistakes in our pasts we’d love to forget about, but sometimes those mistakes lead to good things in our lives, or send us on a better path. What would you do?
Enter Lucien, love interest and dripping with sex appeal. He is definitely the grumpy in the grumpy/ sunshine romance trope. I absolutely loved the banter between Calliope and Lucien. I couldn’t get enough of it.
The pacing of the story was great! I especially enjoyed all the sensory details in the writing that made you feel like you were in Gold Springs. I felt like I was in the Tea and Tome Shop with the sisters. The town seemed like such a quaint place that you’d want to live.
Overall, I thought this was a feel good, cozy read with the perfect amount of cinnamon and spice.

3.7⭐️

El libro me trajo recuerdos de la serie Hechicera: tres hermanas que son brujas y el poder de tres. No es que el libro sea una copia, simplemente, conforme lo leía, me traía a la mente la serie (que, por cierto, me dio ganas de volver a verla).

Las hermanas Petridi son brujas que, para poder utilizar su magia, deben sacrificar un recuerdo por cada hechizo. Thalia y Eurydice no usan sus poderes porque no quieren terminar como su madre, mientras que Callipe abusa de los suyos, todo por querer encontrar a su madre y proteger a sus hermanas, lo que genera conflictos, sobre todo con Thalia. Además, aparecerán otros brujos que pondrán en duda todo lo que saben sobre su familia.

No diré más para evitar dar spoilers.

¿Por qué no le di las 4 estrellas? Porque la parte del romance (sobre todo en la última parte) desentona con lo que está pasando y con lo que deben hacer. Prácticamente están luchando por sus vidas, pero de repente hay escenas de sexo que no aportan nada a lo que está ocurriendo, es como si estuvieras viendo una película y, en la parte más importante, te ponen un comercial.




Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a cute fun story about the power of sisterhood and how long stemmed prejudices affect us and the generations to come. It did feel extremely long though. I felt myself losing steam between 55-75% but the ending I flew through. Very cute, fun read.

I was genuinely excited for this book. A charmed inspired book, yes sign me up. However, I was only able to get through 27% of this book. I tried so hard to keep reading it. But the story did not hook me and I was a little lost at time with the characters. My favorite thing about the book was how the spell book would talk to her by the words appearing on the page, I really liked that concept. But I just could not get into this book at all.

My Rating: 2.75/5
Overall, I find the cozy vibes of this authors writing style enjoyable to read. I liked her previous book well enough and this one, while not the same, is on par. I'm never super in love with the plot lines or the writing style sometimes but if a cozy magic filled book is what you are looking for than than this might just be it for you

This book is pure magic! This whimsical love story weaves together the power of family—both the one you’re born into and the one you find.
The cozy descriptions of the sister’s storefront- Tea and Tomes in their charming town completely stole my heart. It’s everything I dream of in a bookstore, and I wish it existed in real life!
The touch of Greek spells and recipes sprinkled throughout the story added a layer of charm. With my husband being Greek, those moments felt like a special nod to something close to my heart. I also loved the inclusion of the recipes at the end of the book and plan on trying to cook some!
This book is a cozy, heartwarming brew of magic, love, and community. If you’re looking for a story that feels like a hug in book form, this is it. Highly recommend!

What if you and your sisters were witches but doing magic came at a high cost? How much of yourself would you be willing to sacrifice? That’s exactly what the main character in Spells, Strings, and forgotten Things is dealing with.

Then one day something happens that changes everything. Meeting the handsome stranger was jarring since she was taught to hate his kind. Now there’s no choice but to work together for everyone’s safety. Can they put their differences aside for the greater good?

This book was incredible! If you liked the charmed tv show you’ll love it. The twists and turns just keep coming, there’s romance, dealing with prejudice, family issues, and learning to accept yourself. It’s a powerful read!

Spells, Strings, and Forgotten Things by Breanne Randall offers a unique blend of magic, mystery, and personal growth, making for an intriguing premise. The world-building is creative, and the magical elements, centered around music and forgotten memories, provide an interesting twist on fantasy conventions. However, while the concept is promising, the pacing can be uneven, with some sections feeling slow or overly detailed while others rush through pivotal moments. The characters, while likable, occasionally lack the depth needed to fully engage with their emotional arcs, making it harder to connect with their journey. Despite these issues, Randall’s writing is imaginative, and Spells, Strings, and Forgotten Things holds potential for readers who enjoy light, whimsical fantasy with a touch of heart.

The best books make you never want to finish them becuase then you have to leave the characters. That is how I felt about this book. With every chapter I was transported to a town I wish I could visit, a kitchen I wanted to sit in, and a tea shop I know I could spend the whole day in. But not only did Breanne Randall create and amazing world she also created the most perfect characters to live within it. And within this world she created a story that drags you in and keeps you hooked. With each new surprise I had to keep reading late into the night to learn how everything turned out. This cozy yet suspensful story is well worth the read!

I received this ARC in exchange for any honest review.

I can say that I did not have high expectations for this book after attempting to read "The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic" by this same author because while I wanted to enjoy that book, I couldn't force myself to finish it.

This book however, I really enjoyed. I'd give is 3.5/5 stars, so I rounded up! The overall plot was extremely interesting and kept my attention to drive me quickly through the pages. Calliope's character I loved. She was reckless and chaotic but with all good intentions in her actions. Nothing was funnier to me then her socks and her sassy sentient book. I also loved Lucien, he was the mysterious bad boy who for 95% of this book, I couldn't decide if we could trust him even if we loved him. I do wish there would've been more build up and development between their relationship because it went very quickly from enemy to lover without a lot in the middle so the first spicy-ish scene was kind of awkward and felt forced. The way he talked though.... please give us more book boyfriend aka shadow daddy. There were times that I think there was too much fluff in chapters that didn't add a lot of substance to the storyline, but I can say while maybe extra, the writing was mostly well written with a great flow and had beautiful descriptions. The ending was chef's kiss and I would be interesting in seeing a second to this book.

I'd love to see more from the side characters like Danny and Elea and PLEASE what happened to the mother. I NEED TO KNOW.

My thanks to NetGalley &Penguin Random House, for the opportunity to read this, I really wanted to like this. Magic that comes with the price of losing your memories sounded like a cool concept. But alas this book tries too hard and was not for me. Its billed as Charmed meets Pride & Prejudice and what it has in common with Charmed is 3 witch sisters that have to save the world because they’re 3 super special witch sisters. and as for P&P, well any enemies to l0vers can be billed as being like that. And that’s the thing, we aren't really told why the bad guy is the bad guy and why the fmc is prejudiced against him other than oh we’ve always hated and feared his kind of magic wielder cuz they’re Evil. But of course he's hot and she’s instantly attracted to him, and of course he’s actually a good guy. but what really threw me was the author kept changing how the sentient magic book thats named Grim (haha get it cuz he's a grimoire) was referred to; sometimes as him and sometimes as it, and it’s like please make up your mind, and I really hope the editor fixes this in the final copy.