"She counted a dozen nightmares in the darkness."

In this dark fairytale, once Edgewood has gotten its roots in you, you can never truly be free.

Whenever Emeline sings, the woods come to her and call to her, but no one else can see them or hear them. She's not sure if it means the scary tales she grew up with about the Wood King are true or if she's losing her mind. Either way, she's determined to focus on her record deal, until her beloved Pa goes missing, leaving a tithe marker in his place. He's been taken by the Wood King, and Emeline needs to venture deep into Edgewood to try to reclaim him.

Emeline obviously never heard the warning to never make deals with the fey, because she keeps on doing it. Unbeknownst to her, she has a history with the Wood King's court, which both gives her power and places her in grave danger. In a world filled with shiftlings, fairies and courtiers with shadowy motives, Emeline struggles to learn who to trust. Emeline also finds herself strangely drawn to Hawthorne, the collector of the Wood King's tithes, despite his part in her grandfather's disappearance and a warning that he will betray her from a dragon who can see the future, the present and the past, but he can't tell you which is which.

This novel serves up atmospheric, creepy haunted woods along with a spark-filled romance between Emeline and Hawthorne. This novel is an instant fantasy favorite.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy of this book.

Based off the description, I really wanted to love this book, but it just wasn’t it for me. I thought the writing was good, but I just didn’t connect with the characters.

4/5 stars. To be released March 2022.

Edgewood is one of those books that surprised me about how much I enjoyed it in the end. I was on the fence at the beginning - it felt like insta-love and the plot just didn't click with me. It was confusing about why the Wood King acted the way he did towards Emeline (because really... he gave her so many passes for no reason when she messed up). But about halfway through, when the twists started to unravel, I became very engaged in the book. All the oddness I felt before was voided as the book progressed. It was one of those books where you think you know where it is headed and the storyline takes you a completely different way. I do wish there was a bit more character development or that we could have learned more about the side characters and the magical world in the woods. Regardless, my feelings about the book towards the end solidified my jump from a 3 to a 4 star book.

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got this through NetGalley to review.

Thoughts: This reminds me a lot of Charles DeLint’s earlier books. The story is about Emeline who is an up and coming musician on the brink of getting her big break. Things are going well for Emeline except for one odd thing, when Emeline plays music the forest intrudes in a very literal way. Then she gets a call that her grandfather is missing and ends up back at her home town of Edgewood. There she finds herself swept up in a curse involving Edgewood forest and the fae there.

This was a decent read. It really did remind me in tone of some of DeLint’s earlier books (Spiritwalk, Moonheart) and I enjoyed the nostalgic feel to it. I liked the music discussion and enjoyed the relationship between Emeline and Hawthorne. I also liked some of the twists and turns later in the book and thought they were well done.

So, I did enjoy this, unfortunately, it wasn’t a book that really pulled me into the story. I found it very easy to put down, even mid chapter. While I didn’t mind reading it, I also wasn’t really eager to pick it back up either. I think part of it was just that the characters weren’t that relatable for me and the forest didn’t have the in-depth description that I was hoping for, I just didn’t feel immersed in this world.

My Summary (4/5): Overall this was a fine read and I enjoyed it. It was different from a lot of modern day YA contemporary fantasy reads, but very similar to some older urban fantasy I have read (deLint’s books). I would recommend it if you are a fan of books about music or books about modern day humans wandering into fae realms. It was well done.

Oh man, this might be one of my new all time favorite books. It was so delicately enchanting, with twists and turns that tugged at my heart. The themes of love and sacrifice were so beautifully intertwined. It was atmospheric without being overwhelming, giving just enough rules and background to set the scenes. Most importantly, this book made me FEEL things. I honestly don't cry often at books but this one hit me real hard. 10/10, in the last two weeks of 2021 this is my #1 read. Fans of Holly Black and Marissa Meyer would LOVE this.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Wednesday Books.

This was a beautifully written fantasy romance that was not entirely my cup of tea. I'll be honest. I didn't really like Emeline as a character but the writing is excellent.

It's got a great slow burn, enemies to lovers so if you're into that it might be up your alley

Thank you to Wednesday Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review .

I'll be honest, I couldn't quite finish this one. Okay, so I LOVED the beginning. The first 20% of the book was strong and intriguing. And then we find out she has sexual relations with her manager who has a grown son (making him around 40 or more?) Which is brushed off. Uhm, I'm sorry, this character is 18 or 19 and her manager is more than twice her age and her MANAGER. Talk about power dynamics, ew 😬

And then we get into the fae world. I wanted to like this one because I've liked Kristen's previous works, but I was immediately turned off after finding out about her manager, and and I have come to the revelation that I'll probably never enjoy a fae/urban fantasy novel.

Let me preface this by saying that I think this book will have a very enthusiastic audience who loves absolutely everything about it. Edgewood has so many popular YA fantasy components that I almost don’t get why it didn’t work for me. But it didn’t, and though I wish I enjoyed my time with Edgewood more, unfortunately it was a slow, resigned march for me towards the end.

I should have known Emeline would be at least somewhat insufferable the moment she was revealed to be a musician. But alas, I was thinking about Taylor Swift and missed all the signs. Emeline is trying to make it as an up-and-coming folk artist and things seem to be finally turning in her favor. She’s abandoned her own songs and vision, and as a result might be on the edge of her big break. But everything in her new life has to be put on hold when her old one comes knocking. Her grandfather who raised her has disappeared from the assisted living facility where he was staying, and Emeline must return to her hometown of Edgewood to find him.

But Edgewood isn’t only a little backwater town, the residents are highly superstitious and believe that Emeline’s grandfather hasn’t just wandered away—he’s been tithed. Every year the town’s citizens leave offerings to the Wood King in the hopes that they are spared from tragedy, but Emeline has never believed this. Regardless, she goes searching for him in the woods beyond the town, only to stumble head-first into a world she could barely imagine. And now if Emeline wants to save her grandfather and herself she will have to use her talents and intuition to escape the wrath of the creatures that reside beyond the border.

I don’t think there are any specific fantasy tropes that I’m turned off of, but sometimes there are just so many piled on top of one another that it’s hard to see an actual plot underneath it all. And that’s what I feel like happened here. There’s no real rules to the magic of the forest and everything seems made up as they go along. None of the character interactions feel genuine. She goes on almost the same ‘quest’ a half a dozen times, like the author just hit copy/paste in the middle so she could get to the later bits. Most of the conflict isn’t super well thought out, the entire story written with a destination in mind but only a half-baked plan on how to get there.

The ‘real world’ parts weren’t any better for me, unfortunately, and didn’t feel as urgent as the portions in the forest. Any time people gushed about Emeline’s singing or songs, I found it cringey. Not sure if the author has her own experience with the music industry, but it’s hard to effectively capture music in writing. So much of the story is centered around Emeline’s ~amazing talent~ as a singer, and there’s nothing for the reader to base that belief on besides being told she is repeatedly and a smattering of so-so lyrics.

I see some of what the author was going for, though, especially with the themes of forgetting and remembering. The note at the end was a sweet tribute to someone in her life, and makes me wish that it all came together for me. The cover art is beautiful, and I could have seen myself falling for Edgewood if there was even half as much character development for literally anyone that’s not Hawthorne or Emeline. But oh well, maybe next time.

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for this ARC.

3.5 Stars
I really like Kristen's writing so this was enjoyable to read. I am not much for urban fantasy books but I knew since I enjoyed her other books that I would also enjoy this one.

This book doesn't spend a ton of time in the human world, which was nice. Once Emeline reaches the woods it turns into this exciting adventure where you meet a dragon and a deadly curse approaching the woods. I liked Emeline enough to care what happened to her toward the end, which is a good sign that the book was enjoyable.

I didn't care for the chapters that were in the human world, but they were short enough to get through that I didn't mind them as much.

The ending also was good. I feel like the author left a little room for another book if she wanted to.

Emeline Lark wants to sing her songs and make a career for herself, but her tour which just might finally get her there is interrupted when word of her grandfather's disappearance reaches her and she returns to Edgewood, the superstitious town she was born in.

Only, she discovers the townspeople aren't so superstitious when she enters the woods upon finding evidence and meets the Wood King, makes a deal with him for her pa where she must become the next minstrel and please him with her song, or lose her voice and perhaps even her life. With the help of Hawthorne, a handsome mysterious yet somehow familiar man, Emeline discovers there's more to the woods and to her voice that she never knew.

I just want to start by saying the cover is beautiful, I always enjoy a lovely cover. I also enjoy a lovely story, and this book is just that. When I entered the enchanting world of the cursed wood, it blossomed into something more than I was expecting. It surprised me at many turns and the magic and characters drew me in even more. Ciccarelli's writing is beautiful and the poems referenced and songs are absolutely wonderful too.

Emeline is a captivating character, a woman who just wants to sing her soul out, nearly gets the chance to but she still goes after her pa. There's pieces missing to herself that she discovers along the way, pieces that help her better discover her voice. She shows great character growth throughout the book as well.

Hawthorn, Rook, Sable and Grace were all awesome characters too. I adored Sable and Grace and the love they have for each other. I wish there had been a bit more of them and Rook.

The somewhat slow burn, enemies to lovers romance was just a yes please! I loved the thick tension that hung between them in many scenes. My favorite kind of romance!

Overall, 4.5 out of 5 stars!

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for giving me a chance to read a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

Just like Edgewood itself, this story slowly pulled me in and held me tight. I have to admit that I was way more intrigued by the magical forest part of this story than the real-world-music-career part of this story, so I was glad to discover that the vast majority was to my taste. I enjoyed the way that Emeline was rooted in our world, trying to adhere to our rules of reality, but eventually had to admit that there was more to Edgewood. Edgewood itself was fascinating. The dangers felt real. The fairy-like world was mysterious and intriguing and inviting-yet-scary, which was very satisfying. The descriptions of music and Emeline's singing were very well done, in my opinion. You get a bit of lyrics, but mostly you get the FEELING of the music, which I think is quite a feat to capture well in words alone. The infusion of music and the forest and mystery and memory all throughout this tale created a rich and believable world. I'd say this is a bit of a slower-paced book than others in the genre, but I wouldn't want it any other way. Really enjoyable, solid 4-star read for me!

This book was honestly so good? I could not put it down and read it in one sitting. The pacing, the characters, the plot.. I loved everything about this book.

This was such an enjoyable read! The story was filled with unexpected events - every time I thought I knew what was going to happen, something else entirely did. The real world and fantasy overlap in this story, which is something I normally don't care for, but it worked so well in this one! I found myself yearning to read about both worlds. All in all, I can highly recommend it!

Do you ever read a book, and when you try to write a review you just...can’t think of anything to say that isn’t about the last 100 pages??

NO SPOILERS, but very little information because my brain is STUCK in those last 100 magical pages.

I LOVED this book. It sounds like it would be beautiful and romantic, and it was. I loved Emeline, our up-and-coming singer/songwriter leading lady. And I loved Hawthorne - any man who cooks is A+ in my book.

Did I cry? Yes. Do I cry at everything? Also yes. Did I cry because it was sad? Did I cry because it was happy? Did I cry because it was beautiful? NO SPOILERS so you’ll have to read the book to find out.

Also, the original pub date was January but it got moved to March...so my bad about teasing this so far in advance. Pre-order it anyway. You’ll be so excited when it shows up in March.

The vibe feels a little like Shadow and Bone to me. It is as steamy as a YA novel gets, but oh-so swoony.

*Trigger/content Warnings* last slide

Thank you to @the_neverending_bookshop @netgalley and @stmartinspress for my ARC of Edgewood.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!!
This book is very dark, creepy and haunting. If you loved Lakesedge by Lyndall Clipstone and The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw you're sure to love this book!
I was invested from the starting of the book and was eager to know what happens in the end. The entire book was dark and unsettling for me but it was fitting what with the theme of this book, so yeah the author did an excellent job capturing the vibes! The friendships were very cute and the revelations and betrayals shocking. I loved the idea of a hidden civilization in the forest. Though one thing I didn't like was how one minute the MC hated a certain person and wanted to avoid him and then the next minute she loved him deeply. Very perplexing behaviour.😂 There is an open ending in this book which I'm not a fan of and I just wanted to know what really would happen. Anyway, this an entrancing book fantasy lovers should not miss!
My rating is 3.5 stars!

Reading  this one was an emotional rollercoaster. I absolutely loved the first half, it had me captivated. After that, the story slowed down a bit, but I was still enjoying it. Around the 80% mark though, I was tempted to throw this at the wall. I'll elaborate more later, but I wasn't a fan of the direction things went. Thankfully, the last 20% of this saved the book, and I ended up liking it.

The thing that ruined this for me was the main romance. Around 80% in, things just got creepy. It's never explicitly stated that the forest inhabitants are immortal, but those are the vibes they gave me. So when certain things got revealed, I got less romantic interest and more creepy uncle vibes

Other than that, I really enjoyed this! The world it's set in was beautiful, lush and haunting. It was creepy in some ways, horrific in others, but enchanting all the same. I'm not usually a fan of urban fantasy, but this one did a really good job if it.

I'll admit that I wasn't the hugest fan of the ending. It was well done, don't get me wrong. It was just bittersweet. I wanted a happy ending for all of our characters, and I hated that they didn't it.

Id out reading this one off for quite some time, but I'm super happy I picked it up. I'm discovering I'm a fan of fantasy with some horror elements, so I really loved how this meshed them super well.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

This was such a hauntingly beautiful and magical story that I could not put down! It was the perfect dark romantic fantasy. I didn't want it to end - I could have stayed in their world and now I cannot stop thinking about the characters! There were so many emotions reading this - especially with the relationship of the main character dealing with her grandfather 's dementia that was so touching and heart wrenching. This is definitely one of my favorite fantasy novels now! It was the perfect bittersweet ending!

more urban fantasy than the cover would suggest. not a bad thing but it’s worth noting. a solid romance too, even if i got a little impatient with them sometimes

**Review will be published February 24th, 2022 on my blog/Instagram/Goodreads**

MELODIC & HAUNTING.

Well if the cover isn’t already drawing you in, let me tell you, this was a GREAT standalone fantasy. They’re often hit or misses. This was a hit. Happy I read it. Couldn’t get enough of it.

I really liked the main character, Emeline. She had limits, yet didn’t let that stop her. She used her strengths and her heart to make the decisions and I never found myself wanting to roll my eyes at her choices. I love a heroine who grows and comes into her own over the course of a book.

The romance with Emeline and Hawthorne enchanted me way more than I was expecting. I like a long haul, yet this quick paced romance got me good. I liked the reveals, the quiet, tender moments and the clear passion emanating from their bond across time.

A well thought out plot that touches on some tough subjects (see trigger/content warnings). Reading the author’s note at the end brought the novel into an even better light. I like the way things were handled and the acknowledgement of how tough getting older and coping with those changes can be. While at the initial moment, I didn’t love the ending, the further I thought about it (and now writing this review), I see the connection. I see the intention of the author in this choice and really think it fits for the book.

This isn’t a full fantasy, it’s got a dash of urban nature to it. I love a good urban fantasy + fae though so no complaints here. I love all of the music components and everything else this book offered. I had a hard time putting it down.

Overall audience notes:
- NA Fantasy Romance
- Language: very little
- Romance: brief/vague open door (2ish scenes)
- Violence: physical altercations, weaponry, creature attacks
- Trigger/Content Warnings: a grandparent with dementia, loss of memory without consent, kidnapping

Loved this YA tale. A beautiful story with a strong and courageous heroine. I couldn't put this down! The beautiful writing kept me turning the pages, and I was captivated by the story.