I don’t like to say it but I did not enjoy this book at all. When I read the description of this book on NetGalley I was so excited. A paranormal skeptic that entire family believes in magic stuck in Ohio? I was in, but I was wrong. Both Zelda and Morgan are so unlikable, with the latter being a creep that you don’t know the majority of the book if he even likes her. There were so many random side characters and little plots thrown in that I thought it was too much and unnecessary. Also, Zelda always talking down to her niece was INFURIATING. This book also took me forever to read. If it wasn’t an ARC I would have DNFed.

Thanks to Netgalley & PENGUIN GROUP- Putnam for the E-ARC! Really enjoyed this! Liked all the cozy vibes & the characters. So glad I gave this author another chance!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book. This is book two and in the Moonville series but not necessary to have read book one. The male lead did NOT do it for me. The romance felt blah and not worth my time. I did enjoy the magic part but overall not a big fan of this book. 2/5 stars

The Folklore of Forever is another easy 5 star read from Sarah Hogle.

At first glance, this book is about Zelda Tempest managing her creativity/writer's block and coming to terms with the fact that she can't run from her witchy ways and Moonville's magic forever. But this book is so much more. It is a sonnet to stories. It is a love letter to reclaiming yourself, owning your magic and the parts of you that have been hidden. It is an ode to the weird girls and a shining example of how when you stop running and hiding away the things you desire, the universe rewards you.

This story is a romance, but in my opinion it is not romance first like a lot of her other books. Zelda truly has to "find herself" before she is open to the MMC love interest. BUT, the romance in this is one of my favorites from Sarah Hogle. Morgan is truly crafted in a lab for Zelda. He is funny and charismatic. I ADORE a story where the girl is an odd duck and the man is in love with it. He just gets her. Truly, to be loved is to be seen.

The whole book is enchanting from the beginning, but once they got into the woods I could not put it down. I was laughing out loud in every chapter, and literally crying during the arc of finding Hither again.

Word association: when I hear the word Magic, I will think of this book.
No one does magical realism & whimsy rom-coms like Sarah.
I am on pins and needles waiting for the announcement of Luna Tempest's book.

It is with a heavy, heavy heart that I DNF this book. I absolutely LOVE Sarah Hogle - she's my favorite romance author and she hasn't let me down once. Until now. I am putting this one down BUT I will be purchasing a final copy and giving it another go because I can't give up on Sarah that easily!

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc.

Such a cute and whimsical read! I finished this book in one sitting, I am a sucker for witchy rom coms and this one is pretty high on the list!

📖 Book Review 📖 Do you believe in magic and ghosts? What if you are an author who writes paranormal without actually believing in it? While Moonville is rich in legend and lore, Zelda just cannot wrap her mind around the possibility that it is all real. Sarah Fogle delivers a deep dive into what happens when the unexplainable becomes all too real…

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for providing me an early ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I wanted to love this book, I really did. But unfortunately, I just could not get into it and DNFed it at about 50% of the way through.

WHAT I LOVED:
- Weirdness - This book has very eccentric characters and I loved how odd the whole town was and how each character had their own eccentricities. Their unique personalities, dress, and oddities helped the book have a more charming, relatable tone and added a layer of coziness to the story.
- Zelda - Zelda was such an interesting character and I really loved her. She’s a bit macabre, sarcastic, witty, and has a kind heart. I particularly loved the auction scene and how she just fully puts herself out there authentically, with her 1800s style dress and dark aesthetic. She’s quite brave and confident, which is awesome to read. She had an April Ludgate feel to her a bit, which I really loved, and it endeared me to her.
- Banter - The dialogue and back and forth between the characters felt realistic and I liked the sarcasm, particularly from Zelda in responses to other characters. Zelda and Morgan had some great back-and-forth moments, and I won’t lie, there were several scenes where I laughed out loud at Morgan’s dialogue because some of his responses were just ridiculous in a larger-than-life comedic way that endeared me to the character (in those moments, at least). I also appreciated Gilda, as much as she was kind of cast as a menace, because she just added some fun dialogue to the story and was well-written. She was also quite funny at times, if a bit insufferable lol.

WHAT I LIKED:
- The Town - The lore of the town, its layout, and its magical feel was pretty interesting to read about and I enjoyed how the town almost became another character in the story.
- The Sisters - I quite liked Romina and Luna. They don’t think the same way as Zelda, but they still love her a lot and show up for her in several ways that I appreciated. They check in on her, ask her opinion, and Luna always tries to remind Romina to be civil when arguing with Zelda and that they can have different opinions, but still love each other, which I like.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE:
- Morgan - I have to be honest. I wanted to like him. I really did. He’s a very childish, immature, chaotic MMC with ADHD tendencies and he had potential to be sweet and endearing. But I had some problems with him I just couldn’t put aside. First, when we first meet him in the story, he gives major creepy watcher-stalker vibes with the dialogue and the window scene. It’s just very off-putting and I immediately wanted to put the book down upon that introduction, but I kept going anyway. Had I not gotten this book from NetGalley, I probably wouldn’t have continued since that really creeped me out. I am glad I didn’t, since Morgan does grow on you after a time and you learn he’s not harmful. But it wasn’t the best introduction. As other reviewers mentioned, Morgan comes off as a user and doesn’t treat the FMC very well. He comes off as very selfish and even 50% of the way through the book, he’s still acting incredibly immaturely and his interactions with the FMC revolve around his goals. You have the feeling that he would drop her immediately if she didn’t have anything to offer to help him pursue his goals or interests. In other words, if she didn’t provide anything for his gain. He’s not interested in HER - he’s interested in himself and completely absorbed in what he wants to do, not in her or her needs. Not very romantic at all.
- Lack of Romance - This brings me to my next point, which is the romance. I was 50% of the way through the book when I DNFed and there is really no indication of the two main characters ever getting together. It’s more like he’s annoying her and she goes along with it, but is still pissed off at him for being a user. She likes him aesthetically, but other than that once he opens his mouth there is no attraction there because he doesn’t treat her well and he’s childish. For a romance book, I expected more romance to be built up or at least starting to build up at this point, but I’ve really got nothing to point to as a sign that they’re going to get together and if I’m honest, I don’t really want them to because I think she deserves a better partner.
- The Worldbuilding - As much as I loved the town and its little magical eccentricities, the worldbuilding was a bit all over the place. I never really fully grasped the magic system or how it worked - it seemed more haphazard than like an organized system - and that made the story really hard to follow. I also couldn’t see how the paranimals fit into the story. I mean, they’re a large chuck of the blurb but at 50% are a small feature in the story - we see them a handful of times and yes, the plot revolves around them in that the main characters are trying to learn about them, but it didn’t feel fully developed and the descriptions felt underbaked.
- Slow Pacing - I normally don’t mind slow pacing. I’ll admit I’m more of a mid-pacing girl. But the pacing on the story felt like a very, very slow-burn and I didn’t like how the main plot point with the animals took so long to develop and the romance is basically nonexistent at 50%.

Overall, I think this book was just not for me. I would give it a solid 2 stars out of 5. It had potential to be great, but the execution wasn’t as well developed as it could have been. This will not turn me off the other books Sarah Hogle has written because I’ve heard they’re very good. I still have Just Like Magic on my list and will look forward to reading it. If you’re someone who likes chaotic, immature MMCs/love interests as well as slow burn mysterious/paranormal romance, you might love this. It just wasn’t for me.

I have to be honest I had a hard time finishing this book. It can’t keep my attention and at some point I was more interested in the chapter headers than the actual story. I wish there was more background and introductions so we can connect to the characters more but I think this would be a fun halloween read.

Thank you Netgalley and Putnam Books for this ARC.

Was it cute, yes, was it my favorite no, did I enjoy it, yes. Thank you NetGalley for providing me this ARC to review!

I loved this book! I power read the first in the series to get caught up for this ARC, and I really feel like this was the perfect sequel to a cozy, witchy story. I actually loved following Zelda’s POV, especially as she was working with Morgan to uncover the true source of magic in the woods. Morgan really grew on me as an MMC too- his quirkiness won me over in the end. I would absolutely recommend this book when it comes out and I can’t wait to purchase it for my shelves when it does!

Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons, Sarah Hogle, and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Folklore of Forever by Sarah Hogle is a whimsical and imaginative exploration of love, magic, and self-discovery, set in a world where folklore and reality intertwine. Hogle’s writing is lush and atmospheric, with a unique charm that brings the story’s enchanting elements to life. While the book's premise is intriguing, the pacing can sometimes feel uneven, with certain parts of the plot dragging while others race toward a resolution. The characters, though likable, occasionally fall into familiar romantic tropes, and their emotional arcs don’t always feel as fully developed as the world around them. Despite these minor drawbacks, The Folklore of Forever is a sweet, magical read, perfect for fans of light fantasy with a strong focus on romance and personal growth.

2.5/5

Was immensely excited for another Moonville novel, but unfortunately, I don’t think this was at all comparable to Old Flames and New Fortunes. While OFNF had its faults, I still loved the chemistry between the main characters, dialogue, plot, and setting. This book, however, kind of missed the mark on that. I think Morgan wasn’t compelling enough for me as a love interest - especially the way he was portrayed in the first book. I found myself not really rooting for them as a couple. I also struggled to follow the magical/fantasy or just any world-building parts. I would have liked more focus on the romance between them rather than so much focus on the adventures.

Zelda is a really interesting character though and I’m glad we got to explore her story. Sarah Hogle writes extremely descriptive, imaginative, and thought-provoking prose. I do love her writing, but sadly, I think this particular work was not for me. Although I still look forward to the third one (as far out as that release will be).

Thank you to Sarah Hogle, Penguin Group Putnam, and NetGalley for the ARC.

A whimsical cozy style fantasy! What a fun read with a magical twist. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to preview this book!

This was my first book by this author and I LOVE her writing!! I’m very excited to explore more of her books. This did take me a bit to grasp the style of writing though but once I did I realized how creative and funny it was.
The MMC really flirted with the line of being charming and funny vs obnoxious but I did find him charming and funny instead. This book was just delightful and extremely different than anything I’ve read. I will for sure go back and read the other book in this series.

I love everything Sarah writes! Ive been a big fan ever since i read You Deserve Each Other and I am loving this new paranormal/magical realism route that she is taking. A fantastic follow up to the first book!

Sarah Hogle creates whimsy magical romance with the folklore of forever!

a steamy enemies to lovers with a paranormal twist that I ate up as we go back to Moonville, Ohio. One thing I loved about this story was all its eccentric charm filled with ghost hunting, tension, magical creatures and fun adventures. It felt like a 90s sitcom that we all love and enjoy. Zelda and Morgan have such a fun and hate filled dynamic where they are just doomed to fall for each other. I thought the chemistry between them worked well and I also loved how they slowly fall and the vivid imagery that Sarah hogle paints in this folklore of a romance with magic and whimsy. An absolute must read! It's cozy and spooky romantic fun!

This was a whimsical story of self discovery and romance but… the romance part of it just didn’t land with me. I don’t think I’m the target audience for this one. I thoroughly enjoyed the magical creatures and elements but while Zelda struggles to accept her magical background, I just found Morgan insufferable and not complimentary to her growth at all. The first half of this was too slow and I found myself counting pages, then once it picked up I was really hoping for Morgan to grow on me/ have a redemption arc for how he treated Zelda in the beginning but it just never happened. I didn’t realize this was the second book in a series when I requested it from NetGalley, but I don’t feel like there was any missing information I should have needed. It was pretty easy to understand the background scene setting and history. However, now that I know I’ve basically jumped ahead, I will be reading that first book and then maybe revisiting this again for an updated perspective.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

I LOVED the first book. Alex and Romina were so cute and the way they bantered was so funny.

Morgan just didn’t do it for me. I love Zelda and how magical she was, but I can’t get over the feeling that they aren’t a good fit. He just wanted to be with her for her magic and he was very immature at times.

When they were in the forest I felt like I was reading a fever dream. I was very confused, but maybe that was the point. I will return to read book 3 because I love how clues Luna is in thinking love is going to find her easily. I’m curious to see who she falls for.

Thank you, NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I absolutely LOVED this book.
I cannot wait till it comes out to buy a finish copy.

Zelda Tempest is such a unique character that embraces her quirkiness. She is the Morticia Addams - childhood wannabe vampire, that grew up to be a well known author. Curious about many that leads her on multiple dives into books. One thing she is skeptical about is magic. She writes about magic but doesn't believe in it. Until Morgan wins a date with her and indulges in all her interest from dates at a haunted house to trekking in the forest.

There were so many scenes that were HILARIOUS.

Their code names had me cracking. "Papaya!" or "Call me Hot Drama"
Excellent excellent bantering!

I love that Sarah reference some of my favorite books like The Silver Kiss by Annette Curtis Klause.

And at the end I love the epiphany about books. How many people can read it and have different experiences reading it.
That is really the JOY of reading and has become one of my personal favorite novels.

I also found the scene when all of the characters run into each other = being chased by different animals. I kept on rereading that scene! PURE GOLD