Spells For Forgetting by Adrienne Young | ARC Review

"There were some things that were a part of you, no matter how badly they hurt.."

Synopsis : 

A rural island community steeped in the mystical superstitions of its founders and haunted by an unsolved murder is upended by the return of the suspected killer in this deeply atmospheric novel.

Emery Blackwood’s life was forever changed on the eve of her high school graduation, when the love of her life, August Salt, was accused of murdering her best friend, Lily. 

Now, she is doing what her teenage self swore she never would: living a quiet existence among the community that fractured her world in two. She’d once longed to run away with August, eager to escape the misty, remote shores of Saiorse Island and chase new dreams; now, she maintains her late mother’s tea shop and cares for her ailing father. 

But just as the island, rooted in folklore and tradition, begins to show signs of strange happenings, August returns for the first time in fourteen years and unearths the past that no one wants to remember.

August Salt knows he is not welcome on Saiorse, not after the night that changed everything. 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 the 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 that span generations threatens to reveal the truth behind Lily’s death once and for all.

Evocative and compelling, Spells for Forgetting is a vivid exploration of lost love and the unraveling of a small town and its many secrets.

Review : 

A lush fall read that should be accompanied by smoky candles, strong cider, and Evermore on the record player. 

Young's adult debut is some of her strongest work yet and Spells for Forgetting is the perfect solution to any Practical Magic-shaped hole in your heart. 

My favorite thing about Spells For Forgetting is the writing. Adrienne Young used such atmospheric, descriptive language in her story that she created a magical reading experience in which she transports readers into her world. I loved the small town island setting, and the eerie, mysterious mood that came right off the pages. 

Young did an incredible job describing and building Saiorse for readers. You could see yourself strolling the island right along with the characters as well as “feel” the island. 

Young has written an atmospheric read that balances the romance, fantastical elements and mystery plot with aplomb. The dual timeline works well and I really appreciated the multiple character narration, which allowed insights into not only Emery and August’s viewpoints, but the other islanders. The fall vibes are on point and are enhanced by the otherworldly happenings in the story. 

The characters are complex and I like how the story is told through multiple points of view and from different points in time. And the pacing is fantastic. It left me in the perfect balance of being desperate for answers and, and the same time, never wanting the book to end.

But as much as I loved sitting in the setting, I kept wishing more would actually happen within it. I kept catching myself skimming the pages because I was waiting for more page-turning plot. And as slow as the story moved, the ending was even quicker. The abrupt ending was fairly jarring, mostly because it didn’t match the pace of the rest of the plot, but also because it left more unanswered questions than I would have liked.

I would have preferred a third-person viewpoint used to reveal the story. Without revealing spoilers, I found it disappointing that some major things that drove this story were never explained. Yet, it had a great ending chapter that was an epilogue and solidified the thrilling spookiness that floated above this story. 

Overall I thought the book was great and would definitely recommend it! I'd like to end by thanking NetGalley and Random House for the ARC!

Review by : Sabani Das

Audience : 

16+

Trigger Warnings : 

Death, Dark Magic, Fire Accident, Encounter (Mentioned)