This book was dnf about 30% in. The beginning was a little slow for me and I wasn’t enjoying. I do not have anything else to add.

First off, a huge thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ARC—I’m incredibly grateful!

I would just like to start by saying that I enjoyed this book. We have our grumpy but secretly lovable MC and the sunshine and fierce FMC. Their instant attraction, mixed with the fact that their worlds are not allowed to collide, made for a great push-and-pull romance. The cast was refreshingly diverse along with LGBTQ+ inclusion.

One of my favorite things about this book was the way the author built the magic system, the history, and her unique take on witches (and how their magic is drawn). It felt familiar in some ways but still had its own fresh spin, which kept me hooked.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. The mystery kept me engaged, the romance had just the right amount of tension, and the world felt so rich and intriguing. If you love witchy fantasy with romance and a bit of mystery, this one is definitely worth giving a try!

3.25

When I saw a new book from Breanne Randall, I could not wait to get my hands on it. Sadly, this did not pack the same punch as The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic, at least for me. Once again, Randall created a very unique witchy world. However, this time around a lot of the magic system felt vague. The characters were “pulling from this source” or “tapping into this bond” which kind of feels like a cop out of an explanation to me. The storyline was decent, but a bit drawn out with superfluous details that made the overall plot confusing at times. The characters and relationships were fantastic, and Randall’s writing is absolutely gorgeous, utilizing vivid imagery and lyrical prose. However there were quite a few repetitive phrases (sounds that “rent the night” used WAY too many times). Sadly, this one missed the mark for me, but I do look forward to Randall’s future novels for her witchy world building and lovely storytelling.

I would classify Spells, Strings, and Forgotten Things as cozy fantasy. It took me a little while to fully get into it and I found it to be a bit too much of a RomCom for my taste. However, I enjoyed the lbgtq+ representation, the strong family bond, and the house itself, which added a lot of charm to the story. As I was reading, I kept wishing I could try out the recipes and drinks mentioned, so I was pleasantly surprised to find a recipe section at the back of the book! I also loved the book of spells and certain aspects of the magic system and curse, though it was perhaps a bit predictable at times. Overall, it's an entertaining read—perfect for a palate cleanser or if you're in the mood for something light-hearted.

I found this to be a really delightfully cozy read, while I didn't see much "enemies to lovers" I did see a lot of found family, healing, and relationship building. I loved the side-characters and wished there was more detail for some of them. At times, the pacing was a bit quicker or slower than I originally thought it would be but that didn't take away from the overall story.

I also loved the magic system and how the curse and the payment for the magic used by the main characters reflected in their actions and their behaviors when they lost memories of events that they didn't actually think were that important when they were sacrificed.

I gasped SO LOUD at Roz's death I was so sad that she died!!

I fairly enjoyed this read! It gave Charmed vibes for sure and I looooved that!! It was very well paced and the magic in this was very fun to read about. I would recommend for sure! I will say the FMC was hard to love all the time but she was still alright! My reason for not rating higher is that the start of this was a bit slower but it picked up as time went on.

Trading memories to be able to practice magic? Throw in a love story? Epic sister relationships? This book has so much going on, in a good way. I really enjoyed this book.

I genuinely wanted to love this book. I was so excited about it- we even added it to our bookstagram’s 25 of 2025 list- but it just didn’t quite work for me.

The biggest issue for me was the lack of creativity. Not the entire time, but let me explain. I recently read books by TJ Klune with the same character names, and of course, every romantasy lover knows a Lucien. The Forgotten Forest is was straight out of Harry Potter. Leathe Manor immediately reminded me of Leathe House from Ninth House. “Bewitched me body and soul” is straight-up Jane Austen. Midnight Margaritas? That’s Practical Magic. And isn’t Tomes & Tea another series? There may have been more, but every time I came across something so blatantly unoriginal (and already popular) it pulled me out of the story. Instead of feeling like an original book, it read more like a parody of other ones. I get that we all find inspiration in things we love, but this felt too lazy to be written off as merely inspired by.

When Lucien first called Calliope “little muse,” I actually thought it was a typo for “little mouse” given the context. But then he kept using it, and near the end, we find out it’s just because that’s what her name means- except there’s no real reason for her to be his muse. The book never shows us why she is or even that she is his muse at all. Their relationship also lacked buildup; every intimate scene felt randomly inserted rather than naturally developed. The same goes for the sisters’ nicknames- it took me forever to figure out who the heck Dissy and Opie were.

That said, I did enjoy parts of the story when I wasn’t frustrated. The concept of how the sisters create magic was wild, and the descriptions of the locations and emotions were beautifully ethereal and magical. If the book had put more effort into crafting original names and building up the romance, it would have been much stronger.

One thing I absolutely loved (10/10 stars for this!!!!!!!!) was the inclusion of a nonbinary character and other characters that weren’t just basic white folk. We need more of that in fantasy, and I applaud the author for making that effort.

Overall, the book felt like a mashup of popular tropes and references, thrown together in an attempt to create a story. I just wish it had done more to stand on its own.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

Amazing book! I loved it. It was really good. I found it was comforting and familiar while also being fresh.

"My god, you’ve turned me inside out, little muse."

A wonderful, witchy experience worthy of numerous highlighted quotes, crushing over a fictional villain, and absorbing as much as you can.

I read this at a much slower pace than normal to savour every minute of this flawed and stubborn heroine as she accidentally binds herself to her mortal enemy and fights to lift her family's curse,

Deliciously slow burn, mysterious and magical, this is a fantastic second book from Breanne Randall. Greek hints and more than a few Pride & Prejudice influenced moments - I can imagine Lucien clenching his hand so very well!

Breanne Randall is a new author for me. I pick this book up because the title grabbed my attention and it has a beautiful cover.

Description:
For as long as history can remember, there have been three Petridi sisters. Three sisters whose legacy is to protect the town from dark magic and other covens of ill-intent. For where magic gathers, there will be those who seek to claim it.

It's a thankless task for a town that knows nothing of magic, and the price of the sisters' magic is memories. The more powerful the magic, the greater the memory required.

Luckily, all Calliope Petridi wants to do is forget. Forget her judgmental oldest sister, Thalia, who refuses to do magic because of the cost. Forget how her other sister Eurydice only uses small magic for small memories, yet her spells are still more powerful. Forget about growing up with a grimoire that was more of a parent than their mother or father. 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 something is coming. Something that is slowly fraying the strings of protections that generations of Petridi sisters have put in place...

My Thoughts:
This was a fun adventure, although somewhat dark. There's a curse and a feud between the Lightcraft and Shadowcraft witches that lies at the heart of the story. Things get difficult when Calliope, a Lightcraft witch accidentally binds herself to a Shadowcraft witch. I was fascinated by how the strings worked. The romance in the story was enjoyable with all the hurdles. The story was paced well and the characters were well drawn. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend to anyone who enjoys stories of magic and witchcraft.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell through Netgalley for an advance copy.

This is such a sweet story that came out of nowhere for me. This isn't my usual genre (low fantasy, witchy), but I was hooked right away. Great writing style, beautiful characterization, interesting magic system.

Spells, Strings, and Forgotten Things by Breanne Randall was absolutely enchanting!
Randall’s writing is captivating. She knows how to pull the reader into a magnificent and intriguing place.
The story was absolutely engaging and the work that went into the settings was noticeable and superb.
The attention to details in this authors writing really set the scene and tone.

Spells, Strings, and Forgotten Things is the first book in the Sisters of Light and Shadow series by Breanne Randall. This story had a lot of things going for it, including the 'cost' of magic. Nothing is easy or free, there is always a price to be paid. That is the most positive thing I can say about this story - it really had so much promise. The pacing is uneven, most things are over explained, there is a really immature FMC - it's described as Charmed meets Gilmore Girls, and it is, but not in the best way. I feel the relationship does mimic one from Charmed but the FMC is annoying, the banter was not bantering. Overall, it was just okay. I know it's the first book in a series, so there is room for her to improve on this good premise. I need to thank Net Galley and Random House Publishing for my advance reader copy.

I wish I had DNF this book. The writing style was overly descriptive and repetitive. I really wanted to like it because I was so excited when I heard it was supposed to be like charmed meets pride and prejudice. It also has some of my favorite tropes like enemies to lovers but it all just felt too unrealistic yet simplistic.

I should have learned my lesson with the Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic, but yet again, I got lured in by the description. This novel was a lot more cohesive and better written, I thought, but still not my cup of tea.

What I liked:

- inclusivity and representation, from nationalities and cultures to LGBTQ+ characters
- the cozy atmosphere of a little town protected by generations of sister witches
- the character of a sentient book that can teach a young witch magic, give advice, fly around the house freely, and even attack a perceived intruder
- some elements of the world-building and the explanation of the magic origins and curse the sisters live with

What I didn't care for:

- this read like YA, from the dialogue and inner turmoil to the obvious romance setup of a dark stranger-danger with a ditzy heroine who hates him for what he represents.
- Calliope does not act or speak as a 25-year-old, and every conversation she has with her sisters is full of teenage angst, which only adds to the YA feel.
- I couldn't figure out if the book wanted to be a cozy witchy story or a sexy and dark fantasy (both? but neither done well)

Overall, I am sure this novel will find its readers, but to me, it was overwritten and lacking logic at times.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, for sharing an advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed the cozy, witchy vibes in this book. It felt a bit slow in the beginning with lots of world building, but once I made it through that it paid off! Definitely reminiscent of the Ex Hex - if you enjoyed that, give this one a try!

A fantasy novel with magic, witches, and romance .. count me in everytime! This book reminded me so much of Charmed and The Craft. I also saw a lot of reviews comparing it to Pride and Prejudice.

The world building, characters, and overall storyline was descriptive and easy to follow unlike most fantasy books. I was mostly intrigued by how the Petridi sisters’s magic worked. In every movie or book, it always says “magic always comes at a cost”. Whenever they used magic, they would have to sacrifice a memory. The bigger the memory, the stronger the magic. I understood why Thalia and Eurydice was upset at Calliope when she would use her magic especially after what happened to their mom. I loved that Calliope would do anything to protect her family and their legacy but she was kind of reckless at times. She knew she needed her sister in order to save the Dark Oak, but when they didn’t listen to her she took matters into her own hands. I love the growth between the sisters as the story continued.

Calliope and Lucien 😍 a forbidden romance between a Shadowcrafters and Lightcrafters. Their banter kept me laughing. I wasn’t expecting Lucien to be so willing to help the sister but I knew he didn’t have much of a choice once Calliope accidentally bonded herself to him.

I loved the idea of this book which is why I wanted to review it, but it fell short for me.

The FMC was all over the place with her emotions. She would be happy one moment, then be crabby in the next. She so freely gave up memories just to preform small task such as making tea or lighting a candle. I feel like she didn't even care about a lot of things with the attitude she gave off.

I liked the two sisters more than the FMC. The sisters held the story together because they maintained the some personality throughout the book. Plus they evened each other out like some siblings do in real life.

I also didn't think the spicy scenes were necessary. The didn't add to the story especially since the two people had only known each other for maybe one to two weeks when they "fell in love". Insta-love is not a trope that I like.

I'm not sure I would keep reading the series unless the focus for the next book is one of the sisters.

I received an ARC from netgalley, in exchange for my honest review.

This book was so cute! I wasn't quite sure how it would go in the beginning because there seemed to be a bit too much unnecessary world building that seemed a bit overcomplicated. I have read a few different books that are slightly similar to this one, but the premise, resolution, character arcs, and plot points in general were better than the other books.