Kiki's Delivery Service meets the remote wilds of Appalachia in this coming of age story about a young witch learning what power actually means.

I was initially drawn to this book because of its setting. I'm originally from Georgia, and regularly traveled through the foothills and occasionally through the heart of Appalachia, so the setting was home-familiar. Hearing the comparison to the Ghibli movie Kiki's Delivery Service only sweetened the deal. And those two draws did not disappoint. The setting of Foxfire was rich and fleshed out by a cast of background characters that breathed life into the small town. Our central ensemble of characters was similarly lively and notably women led. From Gilly to Mae Miller to Tacita, this story features strong women that each support Verity in their own way. Verity herself was a fascinating character so full of pep and confidence while also being notably naive and at times uncertain in her choices. This story really is about her growth and her honing of her power, so it was fun to see those characteristics shine through and show where she could grow.

I did feel like it slowed around the 70% mark. The story really builds up to Verity's first face-to-face confrontation to Earl and it felt lackluster when it finally happened. Then the book seemed to drag on with constant confrontations that seemed very similar each time. I may not have been in the right headspace reading the last third of this book, but it felt super repetitive. It also seemed like, after Earl's return when Verity let him into the mine and she strikes her deal with him, that could've been the end of a first book and the rest of the story could've been expanded into a second book. I feel like a lot of the repetitive-ness could've been resolved by expanding the remainder of the book into a second story.

Overall, I did enjoy this story. I think it's a great early-YA story (or advanced MG) with really rich writing. Despite some of the drawbacks of the later half, Verity Vox and the Curse of Foxfire is a sweet coming of age story.

Verity Vox and the Curse of Foxfire by Don Martin is a delightful blend of witchcraft, folklore, coming-of-age dynamics, found family and the ethics of power. The cursed town of Foxfire has an authentic Appalachian feel, one of those long-forgotten places where only the residents themselves seem to be aware of its continued existence.

In a town full of people who mistrust magic, Verity manages to find a place for herself, through hard work, trust building and a deep determination to prove herself as a capable witch. Along the way she forges real friendships and discovers the value in not taking your gifts for granted. I enjoyed the way certain relationships developed and how Verity, and familiar Jack, found a family of sorts and a place that felt like home for a while. Her struggles with mastering magic, learning to wield it more effectively and with integrity added to the coming-of-age trope.

The good vs evil aspects highlight the difference between service to self and service to others, a recurring theme throughout the book. To me, this aspect was the core of the story and its overall message. One particular line in the story sums it up beautifully, 'Power must be measured with wisdom, humility and care.' This line is a gem well worth remembering.

I'd recommend this book to the teen-YA audience, as there are some more mature elements including dismemberment, that younger audience may be uncomfortable with. The sapphic elements were incredibly mild and felt more like a deeply connected friendship and naturally unfolding dynamic than what many would consider 'sapphic'. It was so mild it was barely there and wasn't a key storyline at all. Again, very age appropriate and simply sweet feeling.

Thank you to Netgalley, Toppling Stacks Book Tours, Page Street YA and Don Martin for the opportunity to read Verity Vox and the Curse of Foxfire. All opinions are my own.

This book gave me Kiki's Delivery Service vibes! It has a young witch, still learning the ropes, she flies around on her broom and she has a black cat familiar. There were a lot of fun and unique side characters who really grow on you. I will say this book was a bit slow paced for me, however I think it really added a lot of charm to the book! You got a sense of the town, the settings, the characters and how the town came to be cursed. This was definitely a cozy read.

This was a good book, but somewhat uneven in tone. At times it read like a middle grade book, but then toward the end it had some mild body horror and elements that were certainly more mature and better for a teen audience. The story was somewhat interesting and the characters were believable. I guess my biggest criticism here is just that I *wanted* to love it and in the end I could only mildly like it. I think it had some elements of true potential that were somewhat squandered; I kept waiting for something more climatic or engaging to happen, or deeper explanations or understanding of Verity's magic to occur, and then those things kind of happened, but they fell flat. I feel like this is a book that people will be excited to read and then forget about a few weeks later. I just wanted more from it, overall. Still a decent read, and perhaps it just didn't connect with me and others will love it.

This is a charming book with cozy vibes. I found the characters to be well written and unique, and I especially adored Jack. I very much enjoyed the found family aspects of this book. I felt that the ending could’ve been better explained, as I was a little confused on Earl and the mountain lore. I thought that incorporating the lore was a great concept but I didn’t feel like I understood it as well as I would’ve liked.

This book brings me back to some of my favorites growing up - notably, Miss Switch comes to mind in terms of vibes. We love a quirky, capable witch. The characters of Foxfire are beautifully drawn, I felt like I knew each one of them. I'm really looking forward to recommending this book - there is a bit of a "gap" in options for this youngerYA/Upper MG age group and i think this is a great one.

Absolutely adorable, while also carrying elements of darkness and challenge. This is - as promised - a book for older children (as opposed to “young adults”), but I didn’t find it at all pandering or patronizing like so many books for this age range are. Martin’s background in poetry is on quiet display, creating analogies and pictures that dance through the mind. Verity is lovely and thoughtful, the other characters well-rounded and their motivations are deeply human. The only thing it was missing was a Dixie Chicks reference, and knowing Mr. Martin’s online persona, it amused me to imagine him wrestling with whether to sneak one in or not.