I’ve been reading Byrd Nash’s books for a few years now. I have thoroughly enjoyed all of them. But, I have to say, this book, A Spell of Rowans, is my favorite so far. While it’s still full of magic and the unexplained, it is a step away from the Fae worlds she has created in the past. I get a definite Alice Hoffman vibe here.

Tragedy drove Victoria Rowan away from home 15 years ago. And, now, tragedy has brought her back home. Phillipa has been the dutiful daughter and stayed home to take care of their ailing mother. Liam was forced to stay.

Rachel Rowan, the siblings’ mother, was a controlling and abusive narcissist who was ruthless when it came to her children. To say that Vic, Phillipa, and Liam were glad to see her gone would be putting it lightly. Rightly so.

These characters are so well-written. They behave like grown children who were subjected to abuse and they could be anyone we know. But, these children had special abilities. I think their mother was afraid of them and maybe a little jealous because she didn’t have those abilities. We don’t know if Rachel used Vic or Phillipa’s abilities for her own gain. We do know that she forces Liam to use his ability for her evil schemes.

Liam is probably my favorite character. I love his quirkiness and his to-the-point way of talking. Sometimes it’s comical. Most of the time it’s endearing. We get clues all along the way of his Autism. I like how he communicates with inanimate objects. The one scene that I love is when he is asked about how he knows a certain piece of information. He replies,

“I went for an early morning walk. Before the world gets busy with people. I was standing outside
the Rosemary Thyme, talking to one of the new street lamps. They aren’t really old. It’s a
reproduction, but many people stop there to cross the sidewalk, so it picks up gossip.”

The Rowan siblings are products of their traumatic childhood and now they just want it to be over but strange things begin to happen. One mystery leads to another and pretty soon all hell is breaking loose. Those scenes are intense and scary and done really well. Things aren’t overly graphic but enough so that you can feel what the characters are feeling.

There is more than one villain in this story. They are all despicable and deserve their comeuppance. You think you have it figured out and, surprise, you don’t. I love how Byrd winds everything up and ends on a “Yes!” Family really can be stronger than anything that comes against it.

Small, quaint towns all look perfect when you drive through but more often than not, there are secrets behind the friendly waves and manicured lawns. I got a Stars Hollows facade with a Stepford Wives behind the scenes vibe. It was just so good and I hope Byrd takes us on more rides like this one!

I gave this book 5 stars and highly recommend it to fans of mystery/thriller, magical realism, and family drama. But please note the trigger warnings mentioned earlier. If talk of child abuse, death, violent attack, and childhood trauma is hard for you to read about, then take care with this story. It isn’t graphic but it is unsettling sometimes.

A Spell of Rowans is a page- turner about 3 siblings. As the two sisters struggle to find proof that their brother didn't do it, there is more than just a who killed someone story.
I love the flashbacks to explain their relationships and abilities. And how they work together as siblings so naturally that it hurts.
Plus, totally shipping Reed and Victoria!
Truly spellbinding, and I hope it's not a standalone.

Family drama with some fantasy elements. Kind of basic writing, but still sucks you in to an extent. I wanted more world building and more in depth characters.

This was focused on a murder mystery, a hauntingly terrifying murder mystery and an extremely well developed cast of characters. First of all, it’s difficult to suggest why people do things the way they do. I think and feel this book explores that. Childhood abuse is difficult to read about so trigger warnings for that when you go in. I think the author did a great job of mixing up different genres and sub plots when you usually only see authors focus on one. Furthermore, the author does an amazing job at tackling childhood trauma. This was a 5 out of 5 star read I ended up enjoying it a lot more then I originally thought I would.

3.5 Stars

I needed to put some distance between myself and this book, it felt a little overwhelming just after I finished it. I did not like it at fist, but after I got into the story, I could not stop reading. I guess you could brand it as a fantasy, but also as a family drama, a trauma and abuse recovery story. It is set in the modern age smallish city of Grimsby, somewhere in the US. It is told in the first person's voice from Victoria Rowan.

The first few chapters give us a pretty comprehensive set up for the story: Vic tells the story, she and her siblings have some sort of talents (she can detect emotions in people, Phillipa is loved by everybody, Liam can feel the stories behinds objects by touching them). The book starts with the death of the matriarch, Rachel Rowan. Pretty soon we discover that Rachel Rowan was NOT a nice person, she was deeply disliked in Grimsby, her kids mistrusted. We also find out that the three siblings hated their mother, that their dad died in mysterious circumstances and that some people are still trying to find out what happened the day he died. And we meet Reed, Vic's ex from high school, son from the retired police chief, now an FBI agent, and the book's love interest.

By now as a reader you have realised that this is not your usual fantasy book, but rather a family drama with some fantasy element. As the three siblings try to make sense of the family history while deciding what to do with the house, the furniture, the body, we find that abuse leaves its marks on people in very different ways, and that the path to recovery is deeply personal and cannot be forced.

I loved the setting, the house with its beautiful rooms and furniture, but imho this could have been explored more. I felt like the memories haunting the rooms and objects could have given them more of a life of their own. Or maybe I just like creepy ghost stories. Additionally, and I admit this is personal taste, but for me that language is too casual, too everyday, it lacks some depth, and I would have welcomed more lyricism.

TRIGGER WARNING: Obviously child abuse but NOT of a sexual nature. It is sometimes quite disturbing (lake scene, for instance), also, much less graphic, attempted sexual assault, suicide, drowning, murder.

The figure out why everyone hatecover of this book is absolutely stunning, and the description intrigued me; so of course I had to read it. This book follows The Rowan Family. All of them have magical powers and each have their own past. One thing they all have in common, however, is their controlling mother Racheal. Racheal owns a Rosemary Thyme store and is known in town as a scorned woman who you do not want to be intertwined with.
After Racheal's death, her 3 children Vic, Phillipa and Liam come together and use their powers tod their mom, and also Liam gets accused of killing her and they know he did not do it.
I really liked how the story took turns when you least expect it, and it was not predictable at all. Just when you think its all said and done, boom another turn it takes. I was impressed of the flow of the book and found myself reading past my bed night.
What I would have liked more of is the back story of their magic and how they learned to use their gifts. Also in the description it states that Racheal (the mom) was narcissistic, however I felt that part did fall flat. Having my own narcisstic mother, I felt that the mom could use more snark and passive aggressiveness. Was she controlling? Absolutely, however I would have liked a little more.
All in all, this book was solid and would recommend it to my friends and family if your looking for a thriller that touches on magic, murder and mayhem. Thank you net Galley for my ARC and honest review.

The description for “A Spell of Rowans” implied that the book would be an interesting magical mystery and Byrd Nash delivered. I appreciate the sense of naturalism Nash incorporated in the story through their choice to place the setting in the reader’s world and the characterization of the stories. The story is first-person narrative told from the perspective of the main character Vic who is a bit tricky to understand initially. The magic isn’t an overwhelming aspect but allows the story to slowly progress as you read and discover more.

The only thing I didn’t necessarily like about the story was the constant repetition of names and use of full names. A character’s legal name could appear up to 4 times on the same page across a couple of paragraphs and it became a bit annoying. The pacing of the story at the beginning was also a bit awkward and fast but became more manageable and natural as the novel progressed.

Vic left home fifteen years ago under a dark cloud and she hasn’t been back since. Her new life in the city is built carefully around privacy and solitude and painstakingly constructed boundaries. When her mother dies, finally, Vic is finally drawn home to deal once and for all with her ghosts – and there might be even more ghosts than she remembers. In order to solve her mother’s murder she will have to join together with her equally traumatised siblings, hoping that they can forgive her for abandoning them. Only when every sordid truth has been unearthed will they finally have peace.

The magic in this is a thread throughout, tying together the family and the mystery and the town. I enjoyed the unique approach to introducing magic into a setting; the town seemed aware of the magic, but didn’t fully understand it, and they appeared in equal measures to be accepting of its presence whilst also rejecting those who practiced as ‘different’. Outside of the family it doesn’t seem to be talked about, but when it is mentioned people don’t seem overly surprised or suspicious. This allowed the magic to be integrated seamlessly into the narrative without being a big focus that detracted from the mystery. Liam’s magic was particularly fascinating, especially with the difficulties that it presented to him in his everyday life.

Overall this book was an easy read. I was intrigued by the mystery without being overtaken by it, meaning that I could take my time in reading the book and enjoy the smaller scenes which added their own magic even if they didn’t aid the overall plot. Whilst everything did end up being solved in a bit of a rush at the end, I found I didn’t mind as much because I was reading for the characters and their emotional journey more than anything else.

“A room that would always be perfect”
“Ding dong, Mother, the witch is dead.”
“When evil dies, do you mourn its loss?”
Have you ever watched “The Hunting of Hill House”? Well if you haven’t , then read this book and then go and watch it.
There’s no lie in saying that it completely caught me off-guard and it was so surprising, I literally couldn’t put it down.
The story , as well as the characters, completely enchanted me to the point that I didn’t know what was real and what was not.
“This return to normality could not last”
I loved how the author decided to develop the plot , mixing mystery , magic and thriller all the while dealing with terrible and problematic issues.
Brotherhood, children abuse, trust issues, past trauma, skeletons in the closet, magical abilities, empathy and romantic love… this book has them all.
“Like a scene from a romance, I thought he might kiss me.”
“The lid is off Pandora’s box. You can’t keep it shut now.”
I loved each and every one of those characters despite some of their evident flaws. They all taught me something during the reading experience that I’ll deeply cherish.
I really liked the writing style the author used; it made the book not too tough or complicated to read while trying to pass as many important messages as possible.
“Creating art leaves room in the spirit for little else.”
“Life has its difficulties. Challenges. Problems. But love makes it easier to deal with it.”
“Love is magic. And magic comes in threes,Pip. I don’t make the rules”

This book grabbed me right away and I was captivated all the way through. A mix of magic, evil, family issues, and murder in a small town. I really loved the gifts of the Rowan siblings, and Vic’s gift of empathy felt so real. I loved the unusual connection with Reed. I loved watching how characters changed through the story. I loved how both the home and the town (well, and every object!) seemed to have their own personalities or characters. I admit to being surprised by the ending. It was good, though, and I plan to reread because I think it would be just as good but also fun to pick up hints I may have missed.

I read this as an arc from netgalley but am buying my own copy.

I really did want to love this. I loved the concept and plot however I wish it gave more detail and substance. More magic? More family? I’m not sure but it felt like something was missing.

A fun paranormal mystery, but the story doesn't really delve into the family's magic or work very hard to develop the characters. The pacing is very good, though.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this book.
I liked this book.
It was fun enough and I did finish it,
but i kinda felt like the story was lacking something that could have made it great.
I'm not really sure what it was, maybe I just read this book at the wrong time.
I don't really know...
If this book sounds interesting to you, I would recommend it as I feel like a lot of people would love it.
Sadly I just was not one of them...

I wanted to love this book. I thought the promise of witches and magic and magical realism and mystery were the perfect combination. I read all of those things. I am not sure if it was that the characters didn't do it for me, or if it was the tragedy of the parents and the dysfunction of the family but I really didn't care for this book. I think I am in the minority as there are all positive reviews on goodreads.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

love this sort of book

magic and curses with a bit of murder and blackmail thrown in as well, whats not to like

the rowan children each have gifts

ding dong the witch is dead...that's what the rowans siblings said to each other

interesting read, getting to know rowan family and their gifts, hope this is the beginning of a series as i really enjoyed this book

a new author for me but one i will be keeping an eye out for

I have to say I was incredibly excited for this book — a suspenseful thriller with magic, murder and romance? It’s all a bookseller could dream of! Unfortunately, I was not nearly as enchanted by this book as other readers. It fell enormously flat for me, particularly by the stale and vaguely eye-roll inducing conclusion.

The world-building was half-finished instead of being delightfully vague, leaving me with questions about how magic works in this world — or, just this town? — that drew me away from the plot.

Characters were one-note and frequently felt stilted as puppets. The setting should’ve been an important anchor — the childhood house, the strange little town all gentrified — but instead it felt like a middle school theatre backdrop, painted by inexperienced hands in the wrong colors.

All in all, the blending of genres is so much fun and I think the depiction of abusive parents (and the characters surviving such a household) is enormously important, but as a story, I just simply struggled to enjoy it.

Great book! I really enjoyed this paranormal murder mystery and will be looking for other books by this author. The pace was perfect, the romance not overblown, and the murder mystery very well set up. I read the book overnight because once started could not put it down.

My Recommendation ⭐️⭐️⭐️

“A Spell of Rowans”
by Byrd Nash

A Magical Mystery Tale about Siblings of a Wicked Mother

In the small town of Grimsby, an almost universal sigh of relief is experienced by the community when death notices are announced for prominent widow, antique shop owner, and so called “witch,” Rachel Rowan.

In the funny, cute and romantic tale of a very serious topic, “A Spell of Rowans,” both the psychological and physical abuses that three children experienced growing-up under the care of a cruel mother and a weak father are addressed.

When middle child, Victoria (Vic), an artist and empath, receives the call from elder sis, Phillipa, a realtor and enchantress, with news confirming their mother’s death, her first words are reminiscent of a song from the ‘Wizard of Oz’—“Ding Dong” (the witch is dead).

Upon returning to their hometown for the funeral arrangements, Vic is confronted with chaos on all fronts. Her brother, Liam, with a gift for psychometry (a method of reading an object’s past by touching them), is charged with murder of an employee; her mother's death is investigated as suspicious; her former boyfriend is now FBI and in town hunting a killer; and the new sheriff is out to get her.

Things keep spiraling out-of-control for the Rowan siblings before their mother's estate is settled. Multiple mysteries must be solved before the conclusion of this fast and fun read with a grave underlying issue that should not be downplayed—child abuse—nor ridiculed.

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The Book Maven’s Journal—Reviews for Word Connoisseurs
REVIEWER: J. Hunt
STAR RATING ⭐️⭐️⭐️


“A Spell of Rowans”
by Byrd Nash
Genre: General Fiction (Adult) | Sci Fi & Fantasy | Women's Fiction
Publication Date: 25 October 2021
Publisher: Rook and Castle Press

With Sincerest Appreciation to NetGalley, Author Byrd Nash, and Rook and Castle Press for Providing this Advance Reader’s Copy for Review.

Wow. A Spell of Rowans by Byrd Nash is a beautiful work of art. Loved the story, the siblings bond, the misteries, the twists... I’m really glad for Philippa, Vic and Liam.
This is about families, and the truth is that there’s not a single perfect family. Some are more sick and twisted than others.
This is really an emotional page-turner. I am looking forward for other books from this author.

Once I started this book, I could not put it down! Not only does it have suspense which is my favorite but it also has magic. This book will keep you guessing. This is an absolute must read for anyone who loves suspense! I will definitely be keeping up with this authors books in the future!