Spells for Forgetting: A Novel

by Adrienne Young

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • “Lush with secrets, magic, and a past that won’t stay where it belongs, this novel is (quite fittingly) spellbinding.”—JODI PICOULT, author of Wish You Were Here

A deeply atmospheric story about ancestral magic, an unsolved murder, and a second chance at true love

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: She Reads

Emery Blackwood’s life changed forever the night her best friend was found dead and the love of her life, August Salt, was accused of murdering her. Years later, she is doing what her teenage self swore she never would: living a quiet existence on the misty, remote shores of Saoirse Island and running the family’s business, Blackwood’s Tea Shoppe Herbal Tonics & Tea Leaf Readings. But when the island, rooted in folklore and magic, begins to show signs of strange happenings, Emery knows that something is coming. The morning she wakes to find that every single tree on Saoirse has turned color in a single night, August returns for the first time in fourteen years and unearths the past that the town has tried desperately to forget.

August knows he is not welcome on Saiorse, not after the night everything changed. As a fire raged on at the Salt family orchard, Lily Morgan was found dead in the dark woods, shaking the bedrock of their tight-knit community and branding August a murderer. When he returns to bury his mother’s ashes, he must confront the people who turned their backs on him and face the one wound from his past that has never healed—Emery. But the town has more than one reason to want August gone, and the emergence of deep betrayals and hidden promises spanning generations threaten to reveal the truth behind Lily’s mysterious death once and for all.

• ISBN10: 0593358538
• ISBN13: 9780593358535
• Publish Date: 8 August 2023 (first published 27 September 2022)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Random House USA Inc
• Imprint: Dell Publishing Co Inc.,U.S.
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 368
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780593358535

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

Book Summary:

Emery Blackwood lost everything over the course of twenty-four hours. Her best friend died, and Emery's boyfriend, August, is the only known suspect. It broke Emery's heart when he up and left the small town. That was more than a decade ago, and she thought she had gotten over it. It turns out not so much.

August Salt is only heading back to Saoirse to bury his mother. He wants nothing to do with the town that blamed him for a murder he didn't commit. He saw how quickly they turned their backs on him and his mother. But one person is drawing him near...Emery.

“There are spells for breaking and spells for mending. But there are no spells for forgetting.”

My Review:

Pretty sure that, at this point, I'll read anything written by Adrienne Young! Spells for Forgetting is no exception to that rule. Any book that promises ancestral magic, isolated towns, and a magical thriller will get my attention.

There is something so compelling about a mystery hidden within a small town. I think it's because we know that everyone knows at least a piece of the truth, given the nature of their town, which means that everyone is complicit in the secret-keeping to a certain extent.

Throw in magic, and wow! You've got one compelling mystery. It took a bit for the truth of the mystery to come to light, but when it does – it makes the whole novel worth it. It packs an emotional punch, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Can't wait to see what Adrienne Young writes next. Though honestly? I would do something along these lines again. It's the perfect balance of magic and mystery.

Highlights:
Magic
Magical Thriller
Romance
Ancestral Magic
Small Town

Trigger Warnings:
Death
Drowning
Abandonment

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[Lindsey Gray]

4.5 Stars

 

Small towns are often seen to be idyllic from the outside. Yet, you never know what grows up from the roots and the twisted lies the people tell. Saoirse Island has even more secrets than your typical small town. There is magic in the blood of some of the residents of Saoirse Island and an orchard some people are willing to kill for.

 

In this chilling story of love, magic and murder, Spells for Forgetting is an immersive experience that one won’t soon forget.

 

Emery Blackwood and August Salt were bound together by the magic of the island, the friendship of their mothers, and a love that will stand the test of time. Both have ties to the island at the age of eighteen, but August can’t imagine taking over the orchard from his abusive grandfather. They make a plan to runaway the day after their graduation. By the time the sun rises the next day, rows of the orchard are reduced to ash and Emery’s best friend, Lily, is dead. While August is never charged with Lily’s murder, small town small minds have already judged him. To save himself and his mother, August and his mother leave for the mainland and disappear. Emery spends years looking for them, but eventually gives up looking for her true love. Fourteen years after he left, August returns to Saoirse Island to bury his mother’s ashes and stirs up the past to the point of placing several lives at risk.

 

This story is told from several points of view in current day and critical moments in the past. One chapter that I was absolutely thrilled to read is in the point of view of the island. We get an in depth look at the residents of the island along with August and Emery. I understood the heartache Emery experienced every day since August left and how his actions changed the path she never wanted to follow. I grieved with August as he struggled to face the town and follow his mother’s last wish. Young describes the island in-depth and pulls the reader into the twisted lives of many island residents. You will cry, laugh, be afraid, and hold your breath as you flip from one page to the next. Every single emotion is worth getting to the last page where everything you wanted to know about the past, present, and future is revealed. I will be reading more of Adrienne Young’s books in the future as she has cemented her name on my favorite author list with Spells for Forgetting.

 

I received Spells for Forgetting for free. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.