The Woodsmoke Women’s Book of Spells

This is a vividly written story about the roots that tie us to places and people, the holes they can leave when you sever them, and the true costs of meddling with magic. There are secrets and mystery, gossip and rumors, all set under the foreboding shadow of mountains whose magic can just as easily break you as fix you.
The tension underneath the plot rises steadily throughout the book. The more answers you get about the past the more you can see where things are headed in the future. I honestly didn't expect to be surprised by the end of it but I was. I was so sure for most of the book where things were going but there was just enough ambiguity that it left me curious and I'm glad I followed it through to the end.
I enjoyed this enough to recommend this to other readers but not so much that I think I would read it again. Unraveling what happened in the past was the most interesting part for me. I appreciated the focus on the deep love that can exist between friends and family. The romance aspect sort of fell flat. Carrie falling in love is a pretty key component of the plot but I didn't really sense the chemistry there at all. Matthieu as a character needs to be somewhat mysterious, but I think it goes too far in that he feels like a plot point instead of a fully rounded character. That combined with the multiple perspectives and the time jumps left me wanting a lot more from their relationship.
If you're interested in subtle magic, family drama, non linear timelines, and a bit of mystery then this would probably appeal to you.

This book was provided by NetGalley and Avon Harper Voyager in exchange for honest feedback