*Posts may contain affiliate links.* That means if you make a purchase through any of the links posted, I will receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.
All reviews and opinions are solely my own.
Showing posts with label magic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label magic. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 26, 2018

Book List of Witches, Magic, and Superstitions


Welcome.
I am finally getting into the Fall season. I wasn't quite ready to welcome all the changes last week.
I was clinging to the last bits of summer. Trying to wrap up all the tasks I was working on. Which included cleaning up my Goodreads account. I had a few books I wanted to put into new categories and ended up making a new "shelf".
I realized I had a few that really didn't fit anywhere, except plain old fiction or my "read" books.
I decided to add a "witches" category/shelf.
I thought, now is the perfect time to share that list here with all of you.
I'm not into gore or horror so much, but I am intrigued by old time witchcraft. As in healers and using mother nature instead of modern day, first world medicines. I also love anything about superstitions, rituals, old wives tales. The sort that make you question what could be. What you've heard or been taught. Maybe even a little chill up your spine. 
Those things, to me are what make a book more of storytelling. A good old fashioned..."Grandma used to say..." kind of story.
If those are the types of books you enjoy or are looking for, then you will love this list!


*post contains affiliate links




Named for a flower whose blood-red sap possesses both the power to heal and poison, Bloodroot is a stunning fiction debut about the legacies- of magic and madness, faith and secrets, passion and loss-that haunt one family across the generations, from the Great Depression to today.

The New York Times best selling author of the Girl Who Chased The Moon welcomes you to her newest locale: Walls of Water, North Carolina, where the secrets are thicker than the fog from the town's famous waterfalls, and the stuff of superstition is just as real as you want it to be.


The women of the Waverley family--whether they like it or not--are heirs to an unusual legacy, one that grows in a fenced plot behind their Queen Anne home on Pendland street in Bascom, North Carolina. There, an apple tree bearing fruit of magical properties looms over a garden filled with herbs and edible flowers that possess the power to affect in curious ways anyone who eats them.


In this irresistible novel, Sarah Addison Allen, author of the New York Times bestselling debut, Garden Spells, tells the tale of a young woman whose family secrets- and secret passions-are about to change her life forever.

Sixteen-year-old Kit Tyler is marked by suspicion and disapproval from the moment she arrives on the unfamiliar shores colonial Connecticut in 1687. Alone and desperate, she has been forced to leave her beloved home on the island of Barbados and join a family she has never met. Torn between her quest for belonging and her desire to be true to herself, Kit struggles to survive in a hostile place.


From Nora Roberts comes a trilogy about the land we are drawn to, the family we learn to cherish, and the people we long to love... With indifferent parents, Iona Sheehan grew up craving devotion and acceptance. From her maternal grandmother, she learned where to find both: a land of lush forests, dazzling lakes, and centuries-old legends. Ireland.

Also Books #2 and #3


Susanna desperately wants to join the circle of girls who meet every week at the parsonage. What she doesn't realize is that the girls are about to set off a torrent of false accusations leading to the imprisonment and execution of countless innocent people. Susanna faces a painful choice.

Fledgling witch Morgana must defend her love, her home, and her life in this enthralling tale perfect for fans of Discovery of Witches. In her small early nineteenth century Welsh town, there is no one quite like Morgana, who has not spoken since she was a young girl. Her silence is a mystery, as well as her magic.


I hope you all will enjoy these books as much as I did. You can also check out my shelf and any reviews I have done on them.
Happy reading and Happy Fall!





Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Review: Garden Spells

Garden Spells
by 
Sarah Addison Allen

Quote: " and no one forced it on you. In fact, you ran as far away as you could from it and no one stopped you."~ Claire  pg.90
“You are who you are, whether you like it or not, so why not like it?” 

Started: Jan. 30, 2013
Finished: Feb. 5, 2013
447 pages/ paperback- large print edition

From the cover:
The Waverleys have always been a curious family, outsiders in their hometown of Bascom, North Carolina. Even their garden has a reputation, famous for its prophetic fruit and edible flowers, imbued with special powers. Generations of Waverleys tended this garden. Their history was in the soil. But so were their futures.
 A successful caterer, Claire Waverley prepares dishes made with her mystical plants. She and her elderly cousin, Evanelle, are the last of the Waverleys-except for Claire's rebellious sister, Sydney, who fled Bascom the moment she could. When Sydney suddenly returns home, Claire's quiet life is turned upside down. Together they must deal with their common legacy-if they are ever to feel at home in Bascom- or with each other. Enchanting and heartfelt, this novel is sure to cast a spell with a style all its own...

My Review:
I am liking Miss Sarah Addison-Allen more and more after each book I read of hers. Garden Spells is a fresh take on Practical Magic. Hoping there is no plagiarism intended...It was very close to this story. Two sisters who couldn't be more different, a mother that died while they were young, and of course a little bit of magic in the mix of things. Claire is the practical, guarded-heart while Sydney is the rebellious wild-child. Each have their own issues, fears and insecurities they must find a way to overcome. 
Anyway, it was such a good book. I loved all the characters. Each one was so well written and created. I would love to see this and also The Peach Keeper made into movies. 
The message I got from this book is, to be yourself. Don't let others determine how you feel about yourself and also that family is most likely your best asset.
I will definitely recommend this book to several friends!
Way to go Sarah Addison Allen!
5 stars*

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Review: The Night Circus

The Night Circus
by Erin Morgenstern

Quote: " You're... not fighting, that's not  really the right word for it, but there's something unseen, something shadowed that's hidden from you." ~ Isobel pg. 242

Started: June 1, 2012
Finished: June 21, 2012
607 pages/ hardcover
large print edition

From the cover:
 The circus arrives without warning. It is simply there. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Reves(The Circus of Dreams), and it is only open at night. 
  But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway- a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. They don't realize that this is a game in which only one can be left standing. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love- a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.
  True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

My Review:
 This is definitely a fairy tale romance.  It has magic, love, entertainment, mystery, deceit, and rivalries. I really enjoyed it. There were a few parts that really didn't click at first but eventually became clearer. Which is a good thing. I didn't want it too be a mushy, predictable blah from the beginning. To me a good love story is all about the struggle, the suffering. I like to feel the emotions of each characters. This book makes you feel like you could really be there. The characters are very personable and realistic. 
 I only gave it 3 stars because there were a few parts that I felt were left unfinished. I wanted to learn more about the "after". I'm hoping this book becomes a series. It will definitely be recommended to friends!

AddToAny