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My Starry Rating: 4/5 Stars
Reason for Rating: Rustic magical realism story that hit all the right notes with its magic and mystery and folktale vibes.
What I Learned: Only you have the right to tell your story, no one else
Cover Rating: 4/5 Stars- the cover is rustic and whimsical which fits the story pretty well
Publication Date: September 25, 2024 by HarperCollins
Genres: Magical Realism, Women’s Fiction, Witchy Fiction
DESCRIPTION:
In a magical new direction for One Christmas Morning author Rachel Greenlaw, an evocative and mysterious story about lost love and the magic of coming home, for readers of Adrienne Young and Breanne Randall.
There is an old tale woven through the mountain town of Woodsmoke about a stranger who appears as the first snow falls in winter, who will disappear without a trace as the frost thaws in spring, leaving a broken heart behind.
Carrie Morgan ran from Woodsmoke ten years ago, and the decision has haunted her ever since. Spending a decade painting and drifting around Europe, she tries to forget her family’s legacy and the friends she left behind. But the Morgan women have always been able to harness the power of the mountains surrounding the town, and their spells—and curses—are sewn into the soil. The mountains, they say, never forget.
Sure enough, when Carrie’s grandmother dies and leaves behind her dilapidated cottage, she returns to renovate—certain she will only be there for one winter. She meets Matthieu as the temperature dips, a newcomer who offers to help refurbish the cottage. Before long, and despite warnings from her great-aunt Cora of the old stories, Carrie finds herself falling for the charming stranger. But when the frost thaws in spring, Matthieu goes missing.
Carrie is convinced he’s real, and he’s in danger. As she fights her way across the mountains to find him, she must confront all the reasons why she left Woodsmoke and decide whether the place she’s spent the last decade running from is the home she’s been searching for.
Rachel Greenlaw, the beloved author of One Christmas Morning, returns with another beautifully crafted, emotionally charged, and romantic tale about lost love and the magic of coming home.
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REVIEW:
The Woodsmoke Women’s Book of Spells by Rachel Greenlaw is a magical realism story about wild women, their loves, their bargains, and the magic and mystery of the mountains.
Carrie Morgan returns to her mountainous hometown of Woodsmoke and meets a mysterious stranger triggering a curse written down in her family’s book of spells. Passed down from grandmother to granddaughter, the Morgan women have recorded their lives , legends, and magic in the book which has also bound them to the mountains by blood and bargain. Carrie’s great aunt Cora notices the stranger and Carrie’s relationship grow and become something cursed, reminding her of a secret bargain she made with the mountains many years ago. The Morgan women will need to find a way to write a new story in their book of spells or else suffer a cruel fate.
This story read like a folk fairytale with its rustic charm and dark whimsy. I loved the plot and the characters and the multi-generational aspect of the story. It was cozy and suspenseful at the same time, and had just a drop of magic which created an enchanted woods atmosphere. If Practical Magic and the Brother’s Grimm joined forces, this book would be the result.
I liked the message about free will and choice but thought that Carrie’s curse could have been darker or more consequential. I also felt that the book did not need Jess’ perspective. I also am not sure where the location of Woodsmoke was? There were some British words used in the writing, but I do not think the story was set in England?
Overall I really enjoyed The Woodsmoke Women’s Book of Spells (fabulous title by the way) and look forward to reading more by the author in the future.
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a free arc via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Rachel Greenlaw is the author of One Christmas Morning. She grew up in North Cornwall, surrounded by wild moorland. She studied English with creative writing at Falmouth University before moving to an island in the middle of the Atlantic, where she lives with her husband and two children.
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