A beautiful small town story with magical realism and characters you can see yourself in. I really enjoyed A spell of Rowans by Byrd Nash

A maneira como a escrita da autora é fluída, tornou a história dinâmica e instigante, foi um ótimo primeiro contato com as obras da autora.
Os poderes casaram muito bem com os personagens e o pano de fundo entorno da morte de uma mãe narcisista foi muito bem construído, raiva do começo ao fim. Todos os personagens tiveram uma ótima construção.
Os plots finais me pegaram um pouco, não curti tanto, mas ainda assim, é uma leitura que vale a pena, além de fantasia tem muito mistério e suspense.

... review in english:

The way the author's writing is fluid, made the story dynamic and thought-provoking, it was a great first contact with the author's works.
The talents matched the characters very well and the background surrounding the death of a narcissistic mother was very well built, angry from beginning to end. All the characters had a great build.
The final plots got me a little, I don't like it that much, but still, it's a worthwhile read, besides fantasy it has a lot of mystery and suspense.

This was fantastic! Fantasy and magical realism are my favourite genres. But at the heart of this book there was the theme of dysfunctional families which I loved!

We are told the story from Vic’s perspective and I thought she was a great character - headstrong but shows signs of vulnerability making her a respectable and relatable figure.

I kept gravitating back to this book and wanting to pick it up. I think it got a little slow around the midway point but overall it was a beautiful and fast paced read that I would recommend! Definitely want to read more from this author

An interesting story about an intriguing family. Although I was disappointed it didn't lean as much to the magical side as it did to the detective side.

"𝐷𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑑𝑜𝑛𝑔, 𝑀𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑡𝑐ℎ 𝑖𝑠 𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑑. 𝑌𝑜𝑢'𝑟𝑒 𝑔𝑜𝑛𝑒, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖'𝑙𝑙 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑑𝑎𝑚𝑛 𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒- 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑔𝑜𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑛."

Who knew magic, mixed with murder
and a police investigation, would make a good mix?

The author has this written in her bio "Writes what you need, not what you expect.", and I can't help but think, that's absolutely true.
I had no idea what to expect when I requested this book, only that it could be magical because of the title. But the rest? I saw none of it coming.

I couldn't put this book down once I started it. I just had to know what was going to happen next.

I loved all the characters, except for Rachel, she's evil incarnate.

This book also mentions child abuse and healing from childhood trauma. I appreciated that, because it shows that its not easy at all to heal from such a thing.

Thank you @netgalley & the publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review💕

"𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑖𝑡𝑠 𝑑𝑖𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑡𝑖𝑒𝑠. 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑠. 𝑃𝑟𝑜𝑏𝑙𝑒𝑚𝑠. 𝐵𝑢𝑡 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑠 𝑖𝑡 𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑖𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑜 𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑙 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑖𝑡."

ℝ𝔸𝕋𝕀ℕ𝔾: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5/5

A Spell of Rowans by Byrd Nash.
Victoria, Liam and Phillipa.
The siblings return to their small hometown of Grimsby to use their abilities to find their mother's killer.
Received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

I really don't quite know how to rate this book as I felt so mixed about it. Started off very strong, but I quickly lost interest. A little too whimsical, and a little less depth that I would've liked in my family-stories. I did really love the atmosphere and writing style and would be interested in reading more from the author in the future.

I really enjoyed this book! I loved reading about the main character, an empath that can feel others feelings. This was a Murder mystery with a bit of magic. I can’t wait to read more by Byrd Nash. I read this in one sitting!

I thought it was going to have a serious protagonist but a quarter of the way in I got Stephanie Plum (a character written by Janet Evanovich) vibes. I think the serial part of the murderer was a bit random, they could have just been a murderer. The story didn’t flow that well and I wasn’t that fond of Vic. It felt messy but the overall story wasn’t that bad.

A story centered around 3 siblings, all with magical abilities, whose evil mother has just been murdered.

This mystery was an interesting one to solve. I wasn't expecting the big reveal, but maybe I wasn't paying attention.

I think my favorite parts of the story centered around the relationships between Victoria and her brother Liam. Victoria being his protector when they were younger. I'd love to have their adult relationship explored a bit more.

I loved the magical elements and had hoped there would be more of them as well. Especially focused around Liam's abilities.

There was also a second chance romance storyline, along with 2 other romance storylines just to keep it interesting.

Magic, mystery and romance - who wouldn't love this story?

There was so much going on in this story that I was able to get little tastes of all kinds of things that I wanted to go deeper into. I would be really excited to see a continuation of the Rowan storyline in another book. Since book one mostly focused on Victoria, perhaps Liam could be the main character of a book 2? Please?

Rounded down from around 3.5 stars ⭐️

A Spell of Rowan’s follows three siblings, who are thrown back together after the sudden death of their mother. The siblings have a dark past, with many buried secrets. They also have special powers but will it be enough to protect them?

I started off absolutely loving this book, I did not want to put it down! I loved the powers of each of the siblings, which created such unique characters. Unfortunately for me, I lost interest in this book about half way through. I struggled to connect with any of the characters properly, apart from Liam. Which affected my enjoyment after a while. I was invested in the storyline but not the people involved. That being said, I loved Liam and wish I’d been able to see more of him!

I really liked the mix of small fantasy elements in a detective/mystery novel. It’s something I’ve not seen before and I loved it. Although I hadn’t guessed ‘who dunnit’, I wasn’t really shocked when it was revealed. That being said, I really loved the important topics that this book touched on. Please be aware of possible trigger warnings for this book as some topics may be difficult for some. These scenes were so vivid but well written, I think my jaw dropped at one point! Overall, I enjoyed this book like I have previous books by this author. If another book was written about these characters I would definitely read it!

I would recommend this to fans of detective novels who don’t mind a bit of fantasy thrown in. I want to thank Netgalley, Rook and Castle Press and Byrd Nash for allowing me to read this book and give my personal thoughts.

Idk if it was the writing style or the characters but this book just was not drawing me in. I had to DNF. I may come back to it later and give it another chance. Maybe I just wasn’t the right audience.

This is an engrossing thriller or mystery, with the backdrop of family trauma and bonds, sprinkled with some hints of the supernatural. Practically estranged from their mother, three siblings return to their hometown when their mother passes, reconnecting with each other and being confronted with the proverbial sins of their mother. They come together to deal with the fallout of their abusive childhoods, and to help their neurodivergent brother who is falsely accused of murder.
The mystery unfolds quite well and it does not have a very predictable climax, but the mystery becomes a focus only halfway through the novel. Otherwise the family drama and their emotional lives are a dominant theme in the rest of the book. It’s the very best form of genre bending and I kook forward to more from the author!

This was a great plot and the magic was an added positive for me. Fantastic story.
Many thanks to Rock and Castle Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Rowan children’s magical abilities were distorted to suit their narcissistic mother’s demands. Rachel’s children must address the past to have a future after she dies. Rachel Rowan had a nose for secrets, and her antique shop, Rosemary Thyme, was a front to harass Grimsby’s citizens. Her children are faced with the fatal consequences of extortion, murder, and magic when mom dies. Victoria, whose empathic skill allows her to read people’s hidden emotions, Philippa, whose glitz can beguile, and Liam, the brother who can read people’s secrets by touching them, are all in peril. Vic must uncover the truth to put her autistic brother free when he is jailed. Vic has built a profession out of disregarding her history and disguising her unique abilities as a successful art restorer in the large metropolis. With Rachel’s death, she must risk her secrets to confront forces bent on destroying her and her siblings. And what about that local lad she dumped years ago? He’s in Grimsby and knows all there is to know about her.

The novel had a fantastic start. It developed a plot that I couldn’t put down, with just the right combination of mystery and magical realism and a rapid speed. Even if the whys and hows of the magical components were not addressed, I liked every minute of it. However, the novel shifts its concentration toward a criminal investigation in the middle, which looked like a sudden shift in focus. The tale then attempts to strike a balance between a crime thriller and a fantasy drama and succeeds just somewhat. The conclusion, on the other hand, was far-fetched, with far too many coincidences and last-minute twists that made no sense. The narrative drew me in from the first page and kept me reading to the end. Vic is our narrator, and we view the world through her eyes. She’s the type of heroine I enjoy reading about—vulnerable, headstrong, impetuous yet rational, resolute, compassionate, and capable of carrying the plot on her shoulders. Philippa, Liam, and Reed, the other characters, were all well-drawn, though Hunter needed a bit more. Having said that, I really liked Liam’s character. He’s a kind young man who’s gone through a lot, has a lot of baggage, and is yet sensitive.

The mystery factor was one of my favorites. Even in hindsight, there wasn’t much foreshadowing, and there were no clear clues as to who was responsible. We are familiar with all of the major characters in the plot, but some appear more prominently than others. Overall, the narrative kept my interest and made me want to read more of the author’s work. Brilliant writing, captivating people, a puzzle to solve, and healing. From beginning to end, A Spell of Rowans is a fantastic narrative. Every reader should read this book, in my opinion.

Truthfully, it was the cover that drew my eye to this book. There was something very haunting about the presentation. Coupled with the title, I knew I wanted to read it. It took me a while to get to it, but once I did, I really enjoyed it.
It was a highly unexpected setting. I would actually recommend going in without paying much attention to the blurb, or if you have already read it, to try and phase it out of your mind. I say this because the introduction to the situation, to the Rowan siblings and why they work well together even if they now live apart is quite absorbing.
Our leading lady is the middle sibling, who left home never to return. She is forced to go back because her mother has now passed, and she must be present at the will reading. There is a very strong presence of the idea and use of magic here. It is treated as part of the narrative, and a reader who is not fond of magical realism in any form should avoid this.
It is not for the faint of heart; the Rowan kids' life history makes for some hard reading. The thing that binds all of the factors of the story is the writing. I was held in place by the writing style and the imagery provided and finished this in a sitting or two. When I think about the plotline, as I write this review, it was never my primary focus. The individual people, as described by the author, was the reason I enjoyed this book as much as I did. I will definitely be reading another by this author if I get the chance.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

This one had so much potential for me at the beginning but fell flat towards the middle. I thought this was going to be centred around a generational witchcraft story but it was more mystery than fantasy.

This story follows Victoria and her siblings, Phillips and Liam as they reunite back in their small hometown of Grimsby to uncover the truth of their mother’s death. There was a reason why Victoria left Grimsby, to get away from her narcissistic and controlling mother. The siblings also share a secret. Each of them has a gift which they used to uncover dark secrets their mother has hidden but the truth also puts them in danger. How will they save themselves and move on from their mother’s clutches?

I love how the siblings complemented each other and are very supportive throughout their time together even when they have their own painful past to manage. I only wished there a chapter on their mother because she is such an interesting character. I would have loved to read more on her gift and why treats her family this way.

Although I enjoyed the mystery, I wished more fantasy was added to it. The story started off great with a brief explanation of what each sibling can do but towards the middle, it focused more on the investigation rather than on the history of their gifts which I would have loved to learn more of. There were also a few unexplained plots in the story which would have been nice if it was clarified.

I still enjoyed the story overall but I guess I was expecting it to be more fantasy than mystery which made me enjoy the story less.

Thank you Netgalley and Rook and Castle Press for the arc.

To summarize it in one sentence I would say murder mystery investigation with magic.

Otherwise I didn’t hate it but I also didn’t like it. I think it’s fairly well written and has a story arc and character arc and fairly interesting circumstances. But it just seem to be very always sad and was just missing that special something for me.

I thought this would be more fantasy from the blurb and was a bit surprised when it wasn't, felt like a bit of a mishmash of genres which sometimes worked well, and other times didn't However still very enjoyable!

Raised by a narcissistic mother, the Rowan children’s magical talents were twisted to fit her needs. When Rachel dies, her children must confront the past to have a future.

I am not certain exactly what I thought this books would be, but I was engrossed from the beginning. It was part murder mystery, part magical realism, part family drama, part romance and I couldn't put it down. My heart was pounding as I got closer to the climax of the story and I loved the way the author ended the book. I will definitely be reading more books by this author. A solid 4.5 stars.