This is a story about Dora, a florist who lives in London with her only family, her aunt Lenny. One day, a creepy guy called George appears in her shop and raises all kinds of red flags for her aunt, who convinces Dora to go visit Salem.
There she finds not only that they are witches, but that she has two more family members, a beloved pet and a long-lost love.
With their help, she embarks on a voyage of self-discovery and the process of learning about her blocked magic powers. She has to do it fast in order to recover the book that will save them from a curse to relive their lives over and over, hunted by the witch-hunter, George Corwin.
I highly enjoyed the story, it is very entertaining and fun in the right places.
There are flashbacks to tell the story about their several past lives, but they are not the typical flashback chapters, instead appearing as passages where the main character regains her memory. I found it very original and beautifully accomplished.
However, just as an improvement, I found that the learning process could have been more meaningful. With time being of the essence, everything goes kind of smoothly—or let’s say, too smoothly. I would have liked her to struggle a bit more. She achieved everything important she set out to do on the first attempt.
Furthermore, I would have liked the bookstore to have more weight or presence, almost like another character. I found myself a little (just a little) disappointed by the title (maybe I like bookstores slightly too much, and that’s the reason!).
Overall, it was a beautiful and entertaining read. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys stories filled with magic, self-discovery, and a touch of romance.
And now spoiler time! (You can continue after next separation line)
These are some ideas that took me out of the story:
Dora's friend's final situation does nothing to portray Corwin as the bad guy the English sisters try to describe. He suggests Katie is nothing to him and announces what he’s going to do to her; moreover, we later learn that taking women’s souls makes him stronger, so it makes no sense he does with her. Dora is not even going back to London, so she’s going to abandon her anyway... (Am I a bit too cruel? Uhm).
There are two other incidents later on that have no balance either. Dora meets these two characters at the same time, but one’s “incident” is more relatable than the other’s, and it feels a bit unethical.
Hades’ incident is one that really gets to you. It makes you feel something deep, even more than the previously mentioned incident maybe, as that one you could see coming. But then, the sentiment goes to waste and it felt like a betrayal to our feelings.
End of spoilers!
In addition, I didn’t find any sense in the epilogue. Even though I read it twice or thrice, I could not understand the logic to it. It does not relate to the English family (apparently), it doesn’t add to the story, nor does it sound like a cliffhanger for a future book (apparently), so I found it unnecessary. A new character cannot be introduced at the end of a book that adds nothing to it, and not explain who she is or will be. Also the woman does not seem worthy of finding such a treasure (she is described as a reader but not obsessive about it). Furthermore, she finds a black magic book, didn’t Ambrose know about having such an item and alert the English family? Unlikely.
After all the magic and joy of reading the book, with its enchanting journey and satisfying conclusion, this epiloque did not quite align with the sense of fulfillment I hoped to carry with me after finishing the story. Instead of enhancing the narrative, it introduced an element of detachment, which lessened its impact, and failed to deliver the lasting impression a book should leave behind.
If you read this review before reading the book, skip the epilogue, at least for a couple of days. Savour the ending, as it is.
Overall, it was a beautiful and entertaining read. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys stories filled with magic, self-discovery, and a touch of romance. And just look at its marvelous cover! Won't it look amazing on our bookshelves?
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