ARC BOOK REVIEW

Spells, Strings, and Forgotten Things by Breanne Randall

Thank you, Dell, for the #free eARC of this book and another thank you to PRHA for the #free audiobook! #PRHAudioPartner

SYNOPSIS: “In the small town of Gold Springs, Calliope Petridi and her two sisters carefully guard the secret of their magic and the price they must pay to practice memories. The more powerful the magic, the greater the memory required. Luckily, all Calliope wants to do is forget. Forget the mother who left them without a trace. Forget the cracks in her relationships with her judgmental oldest sister, Thalia, and her distant middle sister, Eurydice. Forget about the very cost of her magic. And most of all, forget the way the love of her life shattered her heart two years ago.

But when an ancient evil awakens in their town, the fragile thread that holds the sisters together breaks. As their magic slowly begins to fade, Calliope accidentally binds herself to an annoyingly handsome leader of a rival coven infamous for their ruthless pursuit of power. Battling a sizzling chemistry to a man she can't trust, Calliope needs to confront her sisters and the painful memories of her past, dark family secrets, and ancient magic in order to keep the town and all she loves safe. But will she have anything left of herself?”

REVIEW: After reading Randall’s first book, I was so very excited for this one! With this one, we get a steamy enemy to lovers, with a long-standing curse and a forgotten history, all of which is wrapped up in a small-town world of magic, spells, and familial lore.

One absolute highlight of this book is the queer representation, with bi rep with the character Calliope and non-binary with the MCs good friend. I love that this book was about queer folks who were relatable and complex characters—in no way were the characters caricatured or tokenized. Queer love, queer joy, queer existence so beautifully depicted.

Narrator Saskia Maarleveld does an absolute stellar job with this audiobook! I could listen to her every day.

Spells, Strings, and Forgotten Things is a clear nod to Pride and Prejudice, which I love! However, this is where I struggled a bit (and I’m so sad that I did because I love P&P). The nods to Austen were nice at times, but often incredibly heavy-handed to the point where it started to take me out of the story. It served more of a distraction than a joy for me. Additionally, I found myself struggling with the world building, which is usually not the case. There was a lot jammed into this first book, especially with two more in this series planned.

All that being said, if you like witchy stories, romance, long-standing family curses, and queer rep, this is a book for you!

Publisher: Dell, PRH Audio
Pub date: 3/4/25

Tysm @prhaudio for the #gifted listening copy and @randomhouse Ballantine for early reading copy

I really enjoyed the Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic so when I saw Randall had a new book coming out I was excited!

This was an atmospheric and cozy romantasy with small town vibes that I ADORED!

It reminded me a lot of the tv show Charmed mixed with Gilmore Girls and if you are a fan of rich character development and some pretty immersive world building, pick this one up!

I also really, really loved the magical system in this one. It is quite unique and explored what you would be willing to trade for your memories which made me think a lot!

This book also reminded me so much of my two sisters. You get to see how the main character Calliope navigates her own sibling dynamics which really added to the story for me.

I really enjoyed Saskia Maarleveid’s narration of this one and tbh, when the story was dragging a bit for me, I turned to the audio and it really brought it to life and kept me engaged.

I was really excited for this story and the unique magic system, but unfortunately I found I had a really hard time getting into it. It was well written and had interesting elements, but nothing grabbed me. I was confused at the beginning, but not in a way that motivated me to continue reading. I do think people who like cozy fantasy may enjoy this one, but unfortunately it wasn't for me.

Spells, Strings, and Forgotten Things by Breanne Randall had such an intriguing premise, but unfortunately, it didn’t quite hit the mark for me. The story centers on the Petridi sisters—Calliope, Thalia, and Eurydice—witches in Gold Springs who sacrifice memories to cast spells. This unique magic system initially drew me in, but as the plot unfolded, it felt more like a hindrance than an asset.

The pacing was uneven; certain sections dragged, making it difficult to maintain interest. Additionally, the characters lacked depth, and their development felt superficial. The enemies-to-lovers subplot between Calliope and the rival coven leader seemed forced, lacking the tension and chemistry that make this trope compelling.

On a positive note, Randall's depiction of Gold Springs was atmospheric, capturing the essence of a small town imbued with magic. The concept of memory-linked magic had potential, but its execution left much to be desired.

In summary, while Spells, Strings, and Forgotten Things offered an original concept and a vividly described setting, it fell short in character development and plot execution, resulting in a less-than-enchanting read.

Rating: 2.5/5

I'd like to start off by saying I am more of a high fantasy than a romantasy reader. So, my review comes from a "not for me, but for someone" perspective.

I think if you go into this expecting some cringy moments and being okay with an entertaining story that you can't dig too into the world building on, you'll have a good time!

Unfortunately, though, overall this book fell a bit flat for me. I wasn't really rooting for Lucien and Calliope's relationship, and felt a bit disconnected from it. Many of the side characters felt a bit one dimensional, which prevented me from getting very drawn into the plot. I also had some issues with the pacing, with a slow start and rushed end.

Like I said, though, this was a risky book for me to jump into as it is more romance forward than I typically enjoy. I'm sure other readers loved this story and really connected to the characters!

I wanted so much to love this book but I just couldn't get invested in the story. Comparisons of what this was like had me hopeful of the journey but in the end fell short of the high hopes I had. The dialog and magic system were a bit lacking and the spice seemed forced like it was added as a filler.

"A young witch cursed with sacrificing memories to cast spells must decide how much she’s willing to lose to save her town in this thrilling tale of magic, love, and self-discovery"

THANK YOU, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell, for providing me with this ARC! ♥

what to expect:

🪄small town
🪄enemies to lovers
🪄atmospheric
🪄cozy & magical
🪄witches x shadow crafters

This book had a lot of potential but ultimately fell short for me; it felt more average compared to others in the genre. I really enjoyed the overarching setup of the storyline, which combines elements of "Charmed" and "Pride and Prejudice." The prologue immediately hooked me, and I appreciated the logic of the magic system - using memories to craft magic is alluring and clever. The dynamic between the sisters was also enjoyable, along with the concept of 'shadow crafters.' There’s plenty of action throughout, making it engaging and fun. However, I’m not sure how this story will span a trilogy. Some stories are meant to be stretched out, but others, like this one, would work better as a standalone or at most a duology.

3.5 stars, but rounding down for consistency on GoodReads.

Thank you to NetGalley & The publisher for allowing me an advance copy in exchange for an honest review!

I think for this book I'm settling on a 4 star rating. There was quite a bit I liked about it, but also some small annoyances I didn't. Overall I think it was what I wanted it to be, I just wish it wasn't so "obvious". We read this genre because we like fairy tales and happy endings right? Thats part of it? This was a little too "Disney, add spice" for me but does it work? I'd say so, if you don't mind some faulty logic/poor character choices here and there.

I think my least favorite bit was the relationship, which is unfortunate when it's obviously a main feature of the book. It felt rushed. Our MFC caved to everything too easily for being entirely brainwashed to hate everything the MMC was. And also, the language in their dialogue to one another was very YA which is not my vibe. However, there's a bit of spice in here and since I try to stay away from YA, I'm unsure how much is too much spice for the YA genre, but this book does feel like it belongs in the category.

I will say though, the overall writing style itself was fine and I enjoyed the parts where the MFC was alone just being herself (in the beginning). I really appreciated that she was bisexual and enjoyed that we got to explore that a little with her (not enough imo). Though frankly I think ALL of the characters could have been more fleshed out. There wasn't much personality to them that made them any better or different than every other character in every other novel out there.

The universe could have been more fleshed out too. Ultimately, everything that was important or should have had a lot of pages dedicated to explanation/exploration felt rushed, especially the ending, and we needed more time with those pieces to HOOK us. The book might have benefited greatly by having another 100 pages focusing on the LORE surrounding these sisters, their found past, their mother/aunts, Lucien's family, etc. Things we didn't need repeated were spoon fed to us multiple times though. It just felt off in the end and I needed that time to feel like we actually had a resolution.

I didn't agree with specific character choices. Lightly stated a bit above, I will say this:
**SPOILER ** Anyone who has ever even suspected their partner of cheating on them would not behave the way Calliope did. You're telling me you caught this asshole in lies like twice and you loathe shadowcrafters since birth, but you immediately forgive him and trust him no matter what? Excuse me but what? There were multiple points within this book where the characters just made dumb, unrealistic choices and Calliopes whole relationship with Lucian was one of them.
**END**

Overall, I did enjoy the story though. I appreciated the Greek Mythology ties, but I wanted them to mean more. I'm hoping we get to explore these concepts more in book 2 and uncover deeper lore into this universe and these characters that inhabit it.

Thank you for this ARC! (3.5 rounded to 4 stars)
I enjoyed Randall’s last novel, The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic, so I immediately requested this one (especially when I saw it had Charmed vibes).
There were lots of things that worked for me and some things that didn’t.

What worked:
The nods to Charmed (one of my favorite TV shows). Give me some strong women with magical powers, and I am game. I loved having three sisters working together to break a generational curse. I loved the descriptive language of food. I could taste almost everything that was described, and I especially loved the bonus recipes at the end of the book. There were also many strong side characters that added to the overall story. It is described as a “witchy romantasy” and I agree, it is. I enjoyed the romance for the most part, but there are a few open door scenes that didn’t add much to the story (in my opinion).

What didn’t work quite as well:
I’m sad to say I didn’t always buy into the magic. I was way more invested after 70%, but it took me a while to get there. I was very annoyed with the main character for being so willy-nilly about sacrificing her memories, although it did come full circle at the end so I’ll give her that. It was also a tad bit slow, but never quite to the point where it fully irritated me.

Overall, I do think Randall is a beautiful writer, and I’m intrigued enough to continue on in the series if it does continue.

As soon as I started reading, Spells, Strings, and Forgotten Things, I was instantly transported back to my 90's witchy era. This gave me Charmed, Practical Magic, and Sabrina the Teenage Witch vibes all wrapped into one. I could picture the house, the clothes, and the town vividly, which gave me a very cozy and nostalgic feeling. I really enjoyed Lucien's character, and would enjoy a side story about his life prior to this timeline. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Unfortunately, this book was a DNF for me at 38%. I went into it very excited about the premise and the story, but was almost immediately disappointed and frustrated by the execution. The writing itself was inconsistent in terms of style and skill, the story felt too heavily influenced by many other popular books and movies, the characters felt like caricatures, and every time Lucian says “little muse”, my skin crawls. I can tell from other reviews that this book has already found many fans, and that’s great. I’m just not one of them.

Calliope Petridi and her sisters, Thalia and Eurydice, run a tea and bookshop in the small town of Golden Springs, California. Their mother up and vanished when they were young, and they have been on their own ever since. The sisters also happen to be witches, and their specific brand of magic requires them to sacrifice a memory for every spell they cast. Ever since her mother left, Calliope took a more self-destructive path, all while learning to harness her magic, gladly sacrificing her memories one by one. The town's safety is suddenly in peril as an enemy witch clan discovers a secret that the sisters have been entrusted with hiding, and things only get worse as Calliope's recklessness puts her in an even more dangerous situation. Through a series of unfortunate (or perhaps fortunate?) events, the sisters unravel hidden truths and half-truths, ultimately realizing that sometimes, only by joining forces with the most unexpected allies can they truly see the bigger picture.

This was my first time reading a book by Breanne Randall but I know it certainly will NOT be my last. When I heard her latest book, Spell, Strings and Forgotten Things, described as a Pride and Prejudice meets Charmed mash up with a good dose of fantasy, I could not wait to jump in. And jump in I did as I devoured this book in a little over 24 hours!

In Spells, Strings, and Forgotten Things, we meet Calliope Petridi, the youngest of three witch sisters, whose supernatural lineage has brought with it much tragedy, pain and responsibility. Along with her sisters Thalia and Eurydice, Calliope runs a tea and bookstore in a charming CA town. However, Calliope is haunted by the traumas of the past, particularly the disappearance of her mother, whose warnings about guarding the Dark Oak are etched into her mind, a sacrifice born by many generations of Petridi women before them.

That legacy weighs heavily on Calliope, as she recklessly dives into her magical powers. Unfortunately for the sisters, their magical abilities come with a heavy price, a curse that demands memories in exchange for each spell cast. Thalia and Eurydice have kept a distance from their magic, a painful reminder of what they have lost. However, Calliope holds tight to this connection to her mother and becomes increasingly willing to sacrifice more of herself as a darkness threatens to unleash the evil bound within the Oak.

Tensions rise when Lucien Deniz, leader of a rival coven and a wielder of the darker shadowcraft magic, comes to the Petridis hometown with his own secret agendas. The sisters have been warned about those who wield shadowcraft, yet Calliope finds herself inadvertently bound to Lucien. As time passes, Calliope finds that Lucien doesn't fit the longstanding prejudices she has clung to all of her life. More than that, she finds herself drawn to the enigmatic man, whose fire and power burn bright, and who challenges her in ways that no one ever has. As the magic containing the Dark Oak's evil weakens, threats from unexpected places seek to destroy the tenuous trust that Calliope and Lucien have built. Will harsh truths and revelations from a buried past, tear the bonds of family irrevocably and shatter the understanding forming between our main pair? You will need to dig in to find out but let's just say that as with much in life, that which is worth fighting for always comes with sacrifice.

The banter between Calliope and Lucien is expertly done. Randall puts on a master class of what it means to really build the tension between two enemies who are on a collision course for a passionate path they could never have planned for. Some of my favorite aspects of the book were the many banter filled verbal sparring sessions between Calliope and Lucien as they struggle to work together and break down generations of mistrust. I was giggling in delight at how these two never backed down from one another. Trust me when I say that you will be adding Lucien and his saucy mouth to your top book bf list. For any lover of Pride and Prejudice, there is so much of that Darcy-Elizabeth fire baked into what inspires Randall's story that you can't help but love these two characters.

Additionally, there is such an incredibly warm and cozy quality to Randall's writing that as a reader you can almost feel the scents and sounds of the Petridi sisters' kitchen, home and store, come to life right off the page. I wanted to tuck myself into a cozy corner of their store, Tea and Tome, and watch as the action unfolded before me. Randall leans into the Greek heritage of the family in such organic and perfectly subtle ways, that the sisters memories and inspiration almost feel like one's own. She beautifully captures the complex nature of the sisterly bond, as the trio fight to protect their connection while simultaneously struggling to claim their own independent dreams and paths. As the eldest of three sisters, I really appreciated how honestly Randall portrayed the many sides of sisterhood, which are beautiful but also very challenging.

This was a wonderfully crafted story with a unique magic system, characters whose strengths and flaws made them even more relatable, and a supernatural plot that kept you guessing until the end. I was completely sucked in from the beginning and didn't want to leave this addicting world. Randall has created a fangirl of me and I will definitely be looking out for her next story.

I loved this book- the characters, the romance, the multi-generation family history... the magic! So far Breanne has created amazing magial worlds for her readers and I can't wait for a sequel with the Petridi sisters and to learn more about the Deniz family.

I received a copy from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review.

2 stars
——————

This was a DNF at 20% for me.

Over the course of weeks, I picked up and put this book down so many times. I just could not get into it. The writing was overly descriptive to the point of being frustrating. I could not find myself engaging with it for that reason. In the bit I read, the plot was slow moving and pretty boring. The characters were boring and the names of locations and/or events felt ripped or heavily influenced from other pop culture areas. I just couldn’t convince myself to finish something I wasn’t vested in.

I won't be reviewing elsewhere.

Thank you to Dell for the e-review copy. My opinions are my own.

A cursed witch and her sisters sacrifice their memories to power their magic to protect their town. A rival coven leader shows up and inadvertently bonds Calliope, things start going wonky.

My thoughts:
I really enjoyed the vibes of the story and the characters. Calliope is the reckless light witch who sacrifices her memories willy nilly and Lucien is the shadow witch who is in town for reasons that he guards fiercely. The chemistry initially felt off, but more because Calliope is missing pieces of herself and Lucien is holding his pieces close to his chest. I loved the sisters relationship and if this is a first in a series (which I’m guessing is the case, I am intrigued into who the next story will be about).

Happy to recommend, similar vibes to The Crescent Moon Tea Room, a little Practical Magic, a touch of The Very Secret Society Of Irregular Witches, and some of the queerness of Payback Is A Witch.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Randall's debut book was one of my favorites of the year when it was published. I absolutely loved the story and her writing. So, I was so excited to receive an e-ARC of her second book! I had such high hopes for this book, but it didn't have the same magic, no pun intended, that her debut book did.

I had a hard time liking the characters and getting into the story. Her writing itself started out strong and lyrical and beautiful, which is one of the things I enjoyed about her first book. But, the plot and the characters just didn't pull me in. The two main characters, who start out as enemies, were both just so unlikable and her sisters were also just not lovable.

This book appears to be book one in a series and I wouldn't engage in the next book, but I will definitely still try any other stand alone books she comes out with. I wanted to like this one so much based on my experience with her first book. I'm hoping this is just the sophomore slump.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This story was absolutely adorable and cozy — I devoured every single page! The world-building was so warm and inviting that I felt like I was wrapped in a big, comforting hug the entire time I was reading. I especially loved the addition of recipes throughout the book; it added such a charming touch and made me want to recreate them all while sipping tea and diving deeper into the story.

The heart of this book is the bond between the three sisters, and I loved how their connection and sacrifices were explored. Watching them navigate their magic, especially with the cost of sacrificing memories, made the story feel even more heartfelt. The enemies-to-lovers romance was so much fun to read — although I’ll admit Calliope was a bit stubborn at times, I completely understood where she was coming from given everything she and her sisters had been through.

If you’re a fan of Charmed, Gilmore Girls, or Practical Magic, then you need to add this book to your TBR immediately! It’s packed with cozy vibes, sisterly love, a touch of romance, and plenty of magic. Honestly, I wish Tea and Tome was a real place because I’d be there in a heartbeat. Until then, I’ll just be counting down the days until the next book in this series releases!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 — Pure magic from start to finish!

Absolutely loved this story! There were so many twists and turns and little pit stops for beautiful moments of life. The magic and world building for the cursed was intricate and well thought out. I loved watching each of the sisters grow on the page, and the foreshadowing for different events and relationships was so good. Definitely recommend this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballentine for an early copy!

So this book was a little hard for me to get into, it was a slow start but once I got further into it the book was a really nice cozy read. I loved the world and witchy vibes that it gave, I was also intrigued by the idea of trading memories in order to be able to practice magic, this was something I had not yet seen in a book.