Atmospheric, full of mystery, a little touch of magic and superstition... I absolutely loved it! Definitely a great book for anyone who enjoys a good fae story. Will highly recommend!

4.5/5 stars
Recommended for people who like: magic, Fae, two worlds, curses, deadly courts, fantasy

This review has been posted to Goodreads and my personal blog as of 11/3/21.

I, as always, like the concept of a town at the edge of the woods where the woods hide some dark secret or magical world. Having grown up in a place like that, it's kind of confusing how Emeline just brushes it off once she's out, but despite her non-belief in the world beyond the woods, she still gets drawn in. I liked how Ciccarelli created tension between Emeline's normal life and the woods. I can see the draw to both of them, though both also have their downsides/dangers. As a somewhat side-note, I also really liked the people of Edgewood as well and the tangle that they both help create and help solve (sort of).

Emeline/Emmie is an interesting character. She's headstrong and prone to self-recklessness, but is pretty protective over the people around her. She carries a lot of guilt over her grandfather, Pa, but is also pulled by her desire to see her dreams through. Emeline also holds the burden of her grandfather's slow descent due to Alzheimer's. Ciccarelli writes this relationship really well and you can see her love for her grandfather, the responsibility and guilt, and the desire to both see him and stay away because it's painful.

Hawthorne was obnoxious at first, though never downright terrible, so there was potential for recovery. He and Emeline end up actually making a good team as she attempts to barter back her grandfather. I did end up liking him and I liked that Ciccarelli included small details about him, like he likes sketching and the sheer number of books he has, which made him feel more real.

Grace, Sable, and Rooke were also all good characters that I enjoyed. Grace was an interesting foil to Emeline since she is the only other human in the king's city and, thus, like Emeline is in a unique position (also the two came from the same town and sort of knew each other). However, unlike Emeline, Grace is in the city to stay and has built a life there of her own choosing, so we get to see a somewhat different side to things with her. Sable and Rooke are both characters I'd've liked to see more of, especially since they seem to have good material for friendship with Emeline.

The Vile as a villain is something I thought was clever. There was a cool interplay going on here between façade and reality, memory and truth. I don't totally know how I feel about the Vile, but I think it worked out in a way that makes sense and kind of smoothes over some of the more uncomfortable edges of it.

I will say that this book was fairly predictable, which is one of the reasons I docked a half star. I guessed the three major twists fairly early on, however, that being said, it wasn't a bad kind of predictable. I enjoyed the read and the plot and there was still enough Ciccarelli kept hidden aside from the major twists that I was surprised at certain parts of it.

I'm also not sure how I feel about the very end. The rest of it I like, but I wish the '5 months later' part had been done slightly differently at the end. The way it is now, it just kind of feels like a place switch and it doesn't feel like a proper ending for the story. Again, this is really just the very end and I think the rest of the ending fits well with the story.

Overall I enjoyed this book. I liked how Ciccarelli played around with this idea of memory and identity. I also liked the characters, both in the normal world and in the fey one. While the plot was somewhat predictable, there was still enough that was surprising to keep it worthwhile.

Rating: 3.75
Author: @kristenciccarelli
Publication Date: 3/1/22

I listened to the audiobook version and the narrator Caitlin Kelly did a great job. She really brought the main character Emeline to life. I enjoyed this book and thought it was well done. In the beginning I did feel a little overwhelmed but I think that was a me thing. I struggled to get into the world or really pay attention to what was going on. I think it had a little to do with the story starting a bit slow but luckily it picked up halfway through and from there I felt invested. I enjoyed learning more about the lore and what really was happening in the forest. I didn’t really care about the romance in the story. It felt a little too ‘typical YA’ but again, could just have been a me thing. It didn’t help with how certain things were described between the characters and also how Emeline acted in general. I found her character to be a little immature and I struggled to connect with her at times due to this.

Overall, I thought this was a good YA fantasy and I can see others enjoying it as well. I would definitely recommend this book to teens or anyone who wants to enter a different world.

Even though I struggled to get into the world in the beginning this is definitely a world I would love to be a part of. The author did such a great job world building and describing the setting that the reader can easily picture planning a visit there. Also, the cover for this book is absolutely gorgeous! They did such a great job on the design. As soon as I saw it I knew I had to read the book.

Thank you so much @macmillanaudio & @wednesdaybooks for a #gifted copy on #Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was an awesomely unique read! I was literally hooked from the first sentence. I usually don’t read a lot of urban fantasy, but I absolutely loved how this story was written. The romance is beautiful and heart wrenching and, again, the uniqueness of the plot just sucked me in. I literally stayed up all night to finish this book! The characters are all great, though I really wish we could have gotten more of some of the side characters, especially Rooke!

I’m a sucker for any book with a magical forest, so I knew right off the bat that EDGEWOOD would be a book I’d enjoy. And enjoy it I did. This book reminds me a bit of The Raven Boys and We Were Restless Things, where part of the story takes place within a magical fantasy forest that’s set within our modern world. The forest in this one definitely ticked all my boxes — mysterious, dangerous, secretive, but with an underlying beauty that makes it easy to see why characters would be drawn to it. ⁣
⁣
The main character finds herself running off to said forest after she gets a call that her Pa is missing. In his bed she finds a tithe marker, a small marble that until now she thought was just part of the forest’s legends and lore. Turns out, all those stories were true and now she’s faced with entering the place she’s always been told to stay away from. ⁣
⁣
The author did a phenomenal job creating these characters, and I loved Emeline and her protectiveness towards those she loves, particularly her Pa. He’s the only one she has, he’s raised her since she was a newborn when her mom ran away. The rest of the characters were also quite interesting, as each one holds *secrets*. There really isn’t anyone Emme can trust in this book, as no one really is who they initially appear to be. ⁣
⁣
Bottom line — gorgeous, immersive world, phenomenal characters, and filled with fae and magic, EDGEWOOD is another beautiful magical forest book that I’ll be putting on my favorites shelf.


*Many thanks to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the digital arc.

This book spoke to my fairytale loving heart. As a musician myself I really enjoyed the idea of Emeline and her love of music, but also her sense of duty at the word that her grandfather has disappeared. I was not expecting the story to go as deep into relationships and the emotional weight that comes with making decisions for aging family members. The emotions that Emeline experiences regarding the position she and her grandfather are in are very real and raw, and I really appreciated the way that aspect of the story was written.

The writing itself was super atmospheric and perfectly suited to the magical story. While it was a little slower of a read for me, I thoroughly enjoyed the journey as Emeline grew.

***ARC received from Wednesday Books and NetGalley in exchange for honest review, opinions are all my own. Thank you!***

There is so much in this book that should speak to me, lovely cover, an interesting fantasy that mixes in an urban setting, mythical creatures and folklore. Yet, while it hit a lot of the right notes it never felt like they went very farther than surface level.

The world shifts from an urban setting in Canada and the fantasy setting of the woods and the Wood King’s city. Most of the urban settings are mostly in a bar and thankful the book doesn’t spend a huge chunk of time there because compared to the more fantasy setting its boring. The rest of the book takes place in the court of the Wood King, a fantasy world that at times feels woefully empty. The concept of the world is very interesting, the curse that is slowly driving the King mad and threatening the entire world. The truth of the curse takes a lot time to unfold and there is a bit of a twist with it that I actually enjoyed, the book had a chance to do something a little different and I appreciated that. I wish though there had been more to the world, the magic that filled it and how it worked. Like, was Emeline’s voice actually magic or does the magic just amplify her natural gifts? Are there more than just shifters in the world and another question that borders into spoiler territory so I’ll just ponder it in my head. There are so many opportunities to explore when it comes to world building that never show up, left me wanting more.

I found myself both disliking and than tolerating Emeline as a character. She’s incredibly stubborn, reckless and makes deals with strangers despite the fact that she realizes that she is in way over her head. Especially at the beginning and even as she continues to make dumb deals and puts herself in dangerous situations there is never any real sense of danger for her because the book is going out of its way to protect Emeline from all her own mistakes. I did appreciate that the book has reasons for Emeline’s seemingly singular drive to throw everything away that seemed to have meant a lot of her just for this dream of being a singer. Hawthorne as the secondary lead is fine, by the end I liked him well enough and understood the reasons behind why he made some truly awful decisions. Its hard to talk about the romance because I don’t like the concept of enemies to lovers with no real build up to it but the reasons why Emeline comes to love Hawthorne make sense when the truth is explained. I simply wish that it had happened earlier in the book, it could have created some interesting dynamics that would have done well. Too much is crammed into the back of the book that should have been spread out more, it would have helped the pacing of the story and made some of the information that comes at the end feel like forced in to complete the story.

At the end, I did appreciate the way the book dealt with the struggles Emeline’s grandfather had with the loss of his memory and the hurt she felt, knowing that her very presence was causing him pain when that was just where she wanted to be. I with that the book had focused more on that as its clear from the way the author wrote it she has dealt with that experience before and its an emotional impact that the story could have used more of.

**Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books/St. Martin's Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. This in no way changed my rating**

This book was a rollercoaster. I had a lot of emotions about it, so let's get to it.

Edgewood is about Emeline Lark, an up-and-coming musician about to go on her first big tour. However, when her grandfather goes missing, she returns home to save him, teaming up with the surly tithe collector of the Wood King to do so. I went into the story expecting something completely different than what I got, in both great and frustrating ways.

What I expected was a book kind of similar to The Cruel Prince where the heroine falls in love with the Fae and that's the focus of the story. And while there ARE Romance aspects, the focus is much more on Emeline's family dynamics with her grandfather and her absent mother, as well as loss and memory and forgetting. In this way, the themes are so well done and unexpected that I was truly stunned by Ciccarelli's work. I was really invested in this beautiful story about family and showing up even when it's hard. I think this really helps the book to stand out from the sea of other YA Fantasy books about Fae or Wood Faeries or similar topics. I also really enjoyed the romance between Emeline and Hawthorne and how that developed over time.

What I didn't love was that the beginning was a little slow. It took me until about 20% to get really invested. I wasn't as interested in Emeline's music career as I was the magic randomly showing up and ruining her sets. Once we stopped focusing on record execs and labels and a potential deal and got to the Fantasy aspects, I was all in. Until the ending, which...I am still confused by. I won't spoil anything, but I think the ending is going to be very polarizing. I fell in the camp of it being unnecessary, but I have a friend who read it and loved it, so that could be your case, as well.

This part may be seen as a spoiler, but just to give people a head's up as these are delicate topics, the book does feature plot points about dementia, kidnapping, implied rape and sexual abuse, magical coercion, and a nonconsensual relationship. It is a book that I found deeply respectful of these topics and that I still found had something to say, but I know that these situations can be hard for some, and therefore, want to make sure I don't lead anyone into this book blindly based on my recommendation.

Overall, I really enjoyed Edgewood. I think it's a fresh entry in the Magical Fae section of YA Fantasy with important things to discuss and explore. The only thing that kept it from being a five for me was how long it took me to get into and that ending.

4.5/5 rounded to a 4 for Goodreads.

I am always on the search for stand-alone fantasy books; I feel like it's so rare to find them! Edgewood is a captivating, beautifully written YA stand-alone fantasy that had me positively entranced! I loved the mysterious Edgewood forest and its magical denizens. This story felt like a fairy tale, but the way fairy tales were before they were cleaned up and made into cheery happy ever afters for children. This felt like a callback to the original darker types of fairy tales. I will definitely be looking into other books by this author!

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. I am reviewing of my own free will and all opinions in my review are my own.

Sigh…it would seem it is once more time for an unpopular opinion.

This book isn’t poorly written, but it isn’t for me.

I’d say if you’re a fan of House of Salt and Sorrows or The Waking Forest, this book is for you. Unfortunately, I didn’t like either of those books. Some books are about the plot, some books are about characters, some books rely on the atmosphere. I'm starting to realize that books labeled atmospheric, lush, etc., are not my cup of tea. There are readers who will love this and find it a lovely dreamscape. I found myself mostly disinterested.

The romance was...okay. Nothing to write home about. Honestly, the relationship that touched me the most was the one between Emeline and her grandfather. I truly felt for both of them.

The woods, while interesting, never immersed me in the way I think they were supposed to. Alas, I think this book and I simply were not meant to be.

Edgewood is a Holy Black goes to Rivendale kind of book. Emeline Lark is on the verge of having the success she’s always wanted, but, she might also be losing her mind. Every time she sings her heart out on stage, the room begins to change around her, turning into a forest. When her Grandfather (Pa) mysteriously goes missing from his care home, Emeline is forced to return to Edgewood where she grew up. Emeline must go deep into the forest she’s fled to save Pa.

A big theme I saw throughout Edgewood is how our life or goals can look different than we thought they might. What I really admire about Edgewood is it’s a fantasy book with touchstones in heavy, significant human experiences. Emeline’s relationship with Pa as he ages is so sincere. While, there is a beautifully developed and rich fantasy world, the relationships and goals of the people in the book feel very real.

Not a huge fan of urban fantasy, so thankful this was limited!

Fans of YA and fantasy will really enjoy this one! The fae kingdom, Edgewood, all of it. Can't put it down. Sweet dash of romance, just fitting!

Would love to see another novel in this realm!

5.3/10

Somehow, "dark magical forests" have become a buzz word that instantly piques my attention and Edgewood had so much potential when I first heard of its synopsis. There's a forest ruled by a king who demands tithes from the neighboring town and a girl who brings the forest to every venue she sings at. It brings the promise of a chilling atmosphere where music somehow plays a role in the magic and I was very intrigued. While parts of Edgewood may lean more towards the older side of YA, the writing and overall reading experience felt geared towards a younger audience and that was where I felt some disconnect from the story.

I wanted to enjoy this book so much and just become enveloped by the woods, but the delivery relied so heavily on standard tropes in YA fantasy that at some point elements just started blurring together. The relationships between the main character and her love interest follow a familiar trajectory as many couples with a lot of explained tension and an emphasis on betrayals. It took away the actual experience of getting to connect with them individually as we were presented with their relationship as this united front. I wanted to learn more about the side characters and their arcs, the history and lore of the Edgewood, all elements which were presented well but overshadowed by the push of romantic tension.

With such a unique premise, Edgewood relies too heavily on common tropes and storytelling arcs for me, but if you love tension, a brooding love interest, and many layers of secrets, this will still deliver a fun and action-based fantasy story.

I have conflicted feelings about this book. On one hand, Edgewood has everything I love: a strong female character, an enemies to lovers romance, and creepy woods full of mysterious creatures. The prose was also gorgeous and I generally thought that the book was well written. However, I did not vibe with the main character Emeline. She was so unbelievably naive and behaved insufferably throughout the novel. That being said, I realize that this is a personal opinion and it does not reflect on the author’s talent whatsoever. I think this book will find a huge audience

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the arc of this book. All opinions are my own.
This was such a fun and intriguing read! I adored the setting and magic. This was a pretty good urban fantasy! It wasn't the best I've ever read, but far from the worst. It did have a little bit of a lag to get into, but once I did, I was enthralled by the whole book. If you enjoy fantasy or paranormal, you should definitely pick this up!

Emeline Lark has only ever wanted to be a singer, but she is haunted by the trees from her hometown that keep appearing whenever she performs. When her grandfather goes missing, she has to return back home and venture into the one place she was always told to avoid: Edgewood. Emeline is thrust into a world of magic, where she faces lies and mystery at every turn. Her only weapon is her voice, which may also end up being the key to everything.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book, I did not anticipate how well the two worlds were juxtaposed while also not being too out of place. Emeline is a determined and ambitious singer trying to achieve her dream while denying the superstitions she was raised on. I enjoyed how this was a different type of faerie wood, and how much of an entity they were. Her relationships with the people of the wood, and the relationships with her family back home were such great ways to view her growth throughout the book. This book did an amazing job of creating a magical wood in an unlikely world.

4 1/2 stars

This author had me the minute I saw this cover. It's absolutely gorgeous and drew me right in. From there, I was pulled in by the storyline. I love all things fae so I was eagerly anticipating where the plot would take us. I can say that I was immensely relieved that it was a complete story without being split into a continuation. I always hold my breath when I start a book that it won't get a full resolution, but this one did and I'm grateful for that.

All of that said, the story centers around Emeline Lark. She's an up and coming musician from a village where mysticism and folklore are still a strong part of the culture. Despite what the people of her town believe, Emeline has always scoffed at the superstitions. When she's called home after her grandfather goes missing, there is evidence that points to him being taken to the court of the Wood King. Emeline has no choice but to enter the woods in search of him. When she does so, she'll find so much more than she ever anticipated.

This author did a nice job of keeping the storyline flowing and giving us bits and pieces as we went. It kept me reading on to see how everything would be resolved. I was definitely not disappointed. I also have to point out that I was touched by what she wrote in her author's note at the end and it made the book even more special to me.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to read and review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

Special thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my own opinion.

Thank you. I don't like YA books, fantasy books, or love stories, or magic. This book restored my interest in all four things. If you're like me and aren't a fan of these things, this book just might change your opinion.

4 stars. Especially loved the world building, something I do like!

This is *not* a typical "Little Mermaid" tale. Nor is it a "I do not know why flowers follow me everywhere". It is so so much more. I was enthralled with the characters, loved the dark atmosphere, and speechless at the turmoils.

A well written book that already seems to have a dedicated group of fans. I am not part of that target demographic so I’ll just say it was a well written book but not for me. I would still recommend it to others as it had me hooked right from the start. This will be a good read for fantasy lovers.