I went into this book with high hopes, as I’d read and loved the Hibiscus Daughters duology by the author’s alter ego, Lana Popović. And I was definitely not disappointed!
The writing style is very smooth and beautiful to read, and the author’s attention to detail and description are on point without being too much. I was so easily able to envision the sights, sounds, and smells of the the magical town of Thistle Grove. I’m from northern New York, and I could easily imagine this town as anyone of the small towns near my own. The characters, too, were fantastic. It is told in the first person from the perspective of Emmy Harlow, but the other characters are just as well developed, which made me feel like I knew them as well as I did Emmy.
Books with witchcraft and magic can often be rather hit or miss for me. Sometimes it’s because the witchy parts are borderline absurd, sometimes it’s because there isn’t a good balance between the paranormal and the other aspects of the book. Neither thing was a cause for worry in this book. It was a lovely balance between the paranormal, the romance, and the rest of the book. And the witchiness was fun to read!