I'd read and enjoyed something else by this author (The Vine Witch, also a historical fantasy book of sorts though its sequel didn't quite live up to it), so was happy to request this from Netgalley as it sounded interesting.

The basic premise of The Raven Spell is that it's set in faux-Victorian London with an undercurrent of magic to it. We first meet the two main female characters as they're mudlarking on the banks of the Thames, looking for items they can sell in their shop, only to come across the near-dead body of a man. One of the Blackwood sisters, both of whom are witches, (Mary) has a thing about collecting the dying spark of the dead and takes it upon herself to do the same with this man, adding his memories to her collection. Which work out fine if the other sister (Edwina) hadn't then told the police just in time for him to be taken to hospital and survive, without his memory of course.

Naturally, because there's a crime element to this story as well, there's a series of brutal murders taking place and our main male character (yep, the guy in hospital without his memories) is a detective looking for a missing man. He (Ian) manages to find his way to the sisters' shop and Edwina becomes involved with his case, as well as wanting to try and restore Ian's missing memories.

There's some quite nice overall world-building but also quite a few Americanisms sneak their way into the plot (e.g. the sisters early on are eating boysenberry jam, despite the fact boysenberries were first cultivated in the 1920s) and there's also an annoying thing around how names work for people who've been knighted that should be immediately addressed by any editor with experience of books with English settings. There's also the issue around writing the vernacular for Ian, who is Scottish, which rarely works quite as well as people think.

Overall, it's still pretty readable and the plot moves along at a good pace. The characters are less convincing, with our villains in particular being a bit too close to the moustache-twirling end of the spectrum. I appreciated the decision not to push for a heavy romantic sub-plot, which wasn't a massive surprise given that I've read this author's books before and she's not usually too heavy-handed in that area. As the first in an apparent series, will I go on and read the next one? Probably not.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, via Netgalley. This is my honest review of the book in question.

Fascinating… A beautiful story that captures your attention and your heart from beginning to end. Bares all the hallmarks of a great thriller/mystery I defy anyone not to get swept up in it!

The Raven Spell takes place in Victorian London. Twin sisters Edwina and Mary Blackwood are witches with unusual powers. They had a second-hand shop that they would find items to sell. Mary would take people’s memories when they died. Mary took the memories from Ian, a detective, but he was still alive. The story tells the tale of how Ian and Edwina try to solve two mysteries, Ian's missing memories who is murdering local people.

It was slow in spots, but read other reviews and new I had to finish it. I was glad I did. It had a very unexpected ending.

Thank you NetGalley and 47North for the opportunity to review “The Raven Spell”.

The Raven Spell by Luanna G. Smith was a lovely read. I read one of her books earlier this year and fell in love with her storytelling. This book has AMAZING world-building. Being the visual person I am, I could picture the world perfectly, which is a must for me. I did struggle at a few parts but I’m glad I pushed through.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A delightful book full of adventure, action, and thrills. Fun to read, engrossing world building, and very descriptive imagery made it feel like it was cinematic. It's hard to resist the story as it drives forward. Would recommend.

It started very promising but then it just didn’t seem to go anywhere, they kept talking for what it seemed the same and just dragged the story for way too long. I really struggled to follow through this book , It’s a shame I really thought it was going to be a good one but unfortunately it wasn’t.

The Raven Spell, which takes place in Victorian England, is rich with characters that seem to jump off the page. Twin sisters Edwina and Mary are witches and due to their unusual powers they have never felt like they truly belong in any place that they live. After being outcast in the country they have moved to the city for anonymity that city life can provide. I enjoyed reading how the twins interact with each other and also with the detective, Ian, as they to solve the mystery of Ian's missing memories and to discover who is murdering locals.

Overall, this was a very good book. It was a little slow in the middle but I was glad that I stuck with this book until the end because the ending was amazing. I can't wait the read the next book in the series.

Let’s start with what I loved. The prose was excellent, felt lyrical. Great writing for the scene descriptions. Writing styles either make or break a book for me, so I was glad to find that I actually really liked it. The plot was well developed in my opinion. I loved the magical aspect of the book, I’m a sucker for anything with magic and witchcraft.

Cons however would be that some of the book felt like it dragged on. I stuck with it and I’m glad I did, but I wish it had kept up with the consistent pace.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Luanne Smith is a wonderful author who excels at world building and creating complex characters.

The Raven's Spell was a fascinating book and I esgerly await the next.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me an ARC. Thisvis my honest review.

Overall glad I stuck it out and finished The Raven Spell. The beginning caught my attention but about a quarter of the way through I felt everything became stagnant. Characters were doing stuff but the story got stuck. I’m glad I powered through because I really liked the ending.

A mystery set in Victorian London that has a detective pairing with a pair of witch sisters to help find a serial killer.
The premise of this one sounded so interesting, but it took so long to get to the mystery for me. A lot of the early part felt like set-up, which made it hard to get pulled into the story. It was also hard to tell if this magical world or if just those sisters were magical.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader copy of The Raven Spell by Luanne G. Smith in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book. I wasn't sure about it but was interested in the premise. I really got into it the more I read. I liked the sisters Edwina and Mary and their uniqueness. I liked Ian, a magical private detective. The story was fun and interesting and a nice break to the turmoil of life.

How could I not want to jump into a Victorian murder mystery where witches and detectives team up? The Raven Spell did a great job of setting a gothic theme that was both cozy and creepy. The story was fast paced and was a refreshing pairing of the fantasy and crime genres. While the story and theme were top notch, I struggled with Smith’s writing at times. The rich detail and world building created a wonderful environment, but the quirky dialogue and the unlikeable characters often distracted me and pulled me out of the immersive atmosphere that Smith was building.

Overall, I give this 3.5. The story and vibe were top notch, but at times it felt like Smith was trying too hard to create depth in her characters with a verbosity that was uncomfortable.

I will certainly be picking up the next book in this series!

A murder mystery that has magic and witches? Sign me up! Twin witches Mary and Edwina Blackwood are trying to live a normal-ish life in the city, when they stumble across a seemingly dead man-Ian-while looking for lost trinkets to sell in their shop. Soon Edwina and Ian are on the hunt to find a missing person, but there is a killer on the loose and some people aren’t as innocent as they seem to be.
The story was entertaining, and was fast paced. I thought the magic system was interesting. I liked how the two main storylines connected at the end with satisfying results-although it does leave on a little bit of an open end.
The writing style was hard for me to get into-I typically like more of a first person view, but all in all, it was an enjoyable read.

I love Smith's Vine Witch series. Her writing is so fluid and vivid. The Raven Spell had me hooked from the first page and I couldn't help but begin guessing how the raven aspect of the title ties in. I love the way Smith weaves in the tiniest breadcrumbs that lead you to the end. Sometimes I will end up rereading one of her books right after I finish it because I was so lost in the story I missed those seemingly innocuous details.
I don't know if I'm happy to have received an ARC so I could read it early, or if I'm sad that I can't binge-read the series because it isn't finished yet. Both?
I've already purchased the audiobook and preordered the next one. Her choice of narrator is perfect for her style of writing.

The Blackwood twins, Edwina & Mary don't fit in with mortals, or their own kind. Left to fend for themselves in Victorian London, by selling second hand baubles & trinkets they find takes them to the river's shores, where they find a body. Mary who has a rare gift, she can collect memories from the dead to create shiny orbs, may have been too hasty this time with the dying man on the beach.
The man survives only to awaken with no memory. With a serial killer on the loose, and a missing person to track down, regaining Ian's memories becomes vital. Edwina tries to fix her sister's mistake by helping Ian, along the way there are many twists and surprises.
Thanks to 47North for the ARC on NetGalley, I am looking forward to the next book in the series.
#TheRavenSpell #LuanneGSmith #NetGalley

The Raven Spell revolves around Edwina and Ian. Edwina is a witch who owns a store with her twin sister Mary. Things take a turn when one night, the sisters find the body of a deadish man. Mary has a thing for people's memories, and thinking the man is dead she takes his memories away, which are stored in a little ball. However, the man was not dead as they had thought.

This is how the story starts, and the premise sounded very promising. A murder mystery with witches and magic? A big yes for me! The plot line was fun and the characters were pretty likeable, however, the narration did not do it for me. I wish the author had showed the characters doing more things rather than just telling us straight forward. Overall it was an enjoyable and fast mystery.

From the bestselling author of The Vine Witch series comes The Raven Spell, a witchy detective whodunit full of mystery and intrigue.

Edwina and Mary Blackwood spend their days mudlarking and casting spells in Victorian England. One day while out scavenging for bits and bobs on the river shore to sell in their shop, they discover a dead body and have their lives forever changed. A dangerous battle between memory and magic ensues with both Edwina and Mary’s deepest darkest secrets being exposed, while an elusive serial killer seems to be lurking in the fog and shadows that surround the Blackwood sisters and their strange ways.

Spinning a web of murder, mystery, and mayhem, 'The Raven Spell' is a thrilling detective story featuring witches, wizards, and elves. The story itself is a bit of slow burn, full of twists and turns and beguiling magic that draws the reader into the enchanting fantasy version of London. I wish that there was more of a backstory about the sisters because I found it hard to believe or understand their motivations (although this may be intentional due to an upcoming sequel). The memory orbs reminded me too much of the prophecy orbs from Harry Potter, although I really liked the idea and appreciate the author’s inspiration for writing a story about memory.

I am a big fan of Smith’s first three books and I was highly anticipating 'The Raven Spell.' I thought the storyline was highly original and atmospheric, but like the foggy and murky setting of the book, the background information and motivations of the Blackwood sisters were a little unclear. Also, the plot needed a bit more action because the mystery itself was not as interesting as I hoped it would be. I do look forward to reading the sequel.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a free arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Victorian serial killers, detectives and witches. What's not to love, right? 

I read most of the book in the airports and on the plane Wednesday starting around 6:30am. I have since arrived at my hotel, obtained libations, and continued to read. The book was finished by 5pm.

When this autoposts on the blog early Friday morning I will be fully on vacation and hopefully I will be sleeping... or at least happily distracted from little things like phones and blogs and life. Speaking of being distracted, I was quite thankful that everyone else near me on the trip was too distracted with their own stuff to notice my audible swoons and sighs. I would have happily told them all about how wonderful the book was -- wherever I was in it at the time. I was hooked from the beginning and stayed entranced until the end.

I can't wait to see what happens next in the series and by the time I return home Smith's Vine Witch series should be waiting for me in the mail.

A very atmospheric and immersive read. It would have been better if the author had provided more information regarding this world. But overall I had a lot of fun while reading so I think it deserves a high rating.