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A Non-spoiler Synopsis
In the small quaint town of Gold Springs, Calliope Petridi and her two sisters guard their secrets well. They’re lightcrafting witches bearing the responsibility of guarding the power of the Dark Oak. But their magic comes with a price. With each spell they cast they must sacrifice a memory to fuel the magic. After watching their mothers memory and personality slip away until she disappeared, Calli’s sisters, Thalia and Eurydice, have turned their backs on their magic. But Calli is ok with forgetting. Who wants to remember the mother that left or her growingly distant relationship with her sisters?
But the Dark Oak is awakening. And with that shadowcrafters and an unspeakable evil are drawn to their small town. Calliope accidentally binds herself to one of the shadowcrafters. Not only is he annoyingly handsome, but he is the leader of a rival coven known for their ruthlessness and power. Can Calliope over come her prejudice of shadowcrafters to work together with Lucien? She must confront the painful memories of her past and her tumultuous relationship with her sisters to protect the town she loves from an ancient magic. But how much of herself will she have to sacrifice?
My Thots on the Smut and Vibes of “Spells, Strings, and Forgotten Things”
“Spells, Strings, and Forgotten Things” got me out of a reading slump. This was a refreshing read that had wonderful world building. As much as I love paranormal romance/romantasy, at times the genre can feel a bit formulaic. I really enjoyed the strong plotline and character development. While there was definitely a strong romance plot in this book, family relationships took center stage.
Calliope has a strained relationship with her sisters. They all suffer from the generational curse that takes their memories away with each spell they cast. But Thalia, the oldest sister who raised them after their mom left, has completely turned her back on their magic. Eurydice, the peacemaker, cherishes her memories too much to sacrifice them for magic. They don’t understand Calliope’s decisions to continue to practice magic and are reluctant to believe her warnings about the Dark Oak. Following their journey back to sisterhood was heartwarming and the way Breanne Randall explored complex familial relationships was a joy to read.
The romance did not disappoint. I had seen this book advertised as being influenced by Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”. Lucien, our MMC was definitely influenced by Mr. Darcy in the best way. He is dark and brooding and falls hard for Calliope. There is a lot of opposites attract between Calliope and Lucien. Lucien is self contained and tidy where Calliope is more free spirited. While there is definitely and element of enemies to lovers, I appreciate the way Breanne Randall used the trope in this book. The focus was more on Calliope overcoming her prejudice to shadowcrafters (another nod to “Pride and Prejudice”).
While there was some spice in this book, the focus was on the magic plotline, sister relationships, and the romance between Lucien and Calliope. I highly recommend this read!