This book had me in its grip right from the first page. It starts with a death and the hooking is the part where people seem to have expected it and not grieving it.

The three siblings, the Rowans, their powers are really interesting and elaborated on enough that you start seeing the complexities, the curse and the blessing. How it impacts their lives, and how they might use them to their advantages.

Their relationship is also really well established and complicated. They love each other, and still fight, and make up. There's good memories and bad, regrets and resentment and gratitude. I just loved every interaction between the Rowans.

The trauma depicted in the story, from being abused to being assaulted, is real and not downplayed. The small glimpses we see of their history, the traces it left on them, are horrifying and makes you want to murder a dead woman.

The presence of their mother even in death, the impact she's having on everyone and everything around them even from beyond the grave? Profound and so very well written.

The love stories weren't slow burn, but they didn't feel like insta love at all. I could see what chemistry they might have together, and I could see myself rooting for them.

Although I was a little disappointed at the lack of explanation as to why Victoria's empath abilities didn't seem to work on Reed.

The murder mystery part? I did not see that coming. There were clues everywhere, you just didn't notice them until the very end. Everything fell into place little by little, forming the full picture.

Things about their past, about the extent of their abilities, information about different characters, everything was revealed slowly and at the appropriate moments. The writing is brilliant and well paced.

I was a little curious about a few things that were left open at the end, but all in all everything was wrapped up quite nicely. I can definitely see this book becoming one of my top reads of 2021.

Spoilers!!!

Byrd Nash really put her heart heart and soul into this book. The characters and plot were very well written giving a very engrossing story, I was hooked from the first chapter! The hints of magic through the story but not being completely out there fantasy was great. I loved Liams power, it was unique and something I hadn't seen a million times. Speaking to objects and getting a feel for the histories, for the way the families cherished the item left me wanting more from his point of view. I would have loved to know the gossip the street post picked up as everyone passed it going admit their day. The slow romance between Vic and Reed was beautiful, the way he was always patient and understanding of her not liking random touching, of her trauma from her parents. Reed never shamed the Rowans for who they are and what they could do. I truly hated Rachel Rowan, the trauma she inflicted on her children left me wishing I was in the book so I could punch her for them. The scene where Rachel almost drowned Liam made me need to take a break from the book, it was so well written and I could feel how sad and guilty Vic felt for not doing anything even though she was a child and her mother would have definitely punished her for trying to help her brother. How could Victor just sit there and listen to his children suffer all those years? I wish we could have heard what was going on in his head in his last moments.

The epilogue was quite the surprise, I never thought that Rebecca was the ghost killer! Rebecca definitely deserved a reward for ridding the world of Rachel but I'm glad she will be taken out by her own death curse.

I loved this book, this is the first book I've read of Byrd Nash's but I'll definitely need to be reading more, I really enjoyed her writing style.

Alright alright alright - This was an unexpected hit with me. This was not I repeat this was not a fantasy or romance book. It was (imo) adult fiction, with a bit of fantasy, and some (maybe minor) elements/influences of mystery. I was completely immersed in this book, and I connected with the characters more than I expected. I loved it because instead of the normal who dun it book, we all knows who did it. Nash is famously meticulous with character development, and her writing is (again, as always) a wild but really well written ride to the end.

The balance of this book is what makes it - the actual plot was so well aligned with the subplots, and honestly every time I thought I knew what was coming I didn't. Great writing, and as always I'm here for worlds with a more... subtle magic.

A fun, twisty, magical mystery that I did not see coming

Victoria is called home to the small town where she grew up when her mother dies. She needs to tie up the loose ends of her mother’s estate with her sister Phillipa and her brother Liam. Questions begin to come up about the suspicious nature of her mother’s business and whether Rachel Rowan was actually murdered. The siblings are forced to face the effects that their abusive childhood had on each of them and in some cases, seek redemption for past deeds of their own.

The story is a little slow to start and the writing style isn’t my favorite. The author is skimpy on the descriptions, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it just forces the reader to fill in the gaps. The story makes up for it though with great dialogue and a mystery that makes the book a real page turner.

Thank you to NetGalley for an arc of the story in exchange for my honest review.

"This is a place where the odd and the unexplained happen every day."

Ding dong, the witch is dead.

'A Spell of Rowans' definitely was a wild ride! In this novel, we follow the three Rowan siblings as they deal with the aftermath of their mother's death. The death, was by no means viewed as a tragedy, as Rachel Rowan was not beloved by her children, nor the entire town of Grimsby. The Rowan family has always made the rest of the town wary; they did not trust the strange family that appeared to possess unnatural abilities and seemed to leave death in their wake.

The characters were flawed in each of their own ways, but that's what made them feel so real. You could feel the love the siblings had for one another, despite their differences. No matter what, they protected their own. Their family was certainly dysfunctional, and because of that, I would like to throw out a trigger warning for familial abuse (child abuse specifically), as well as for rape (one does not actually occur but there is a scene where it is made to seem a strong possibility).

Overall, I highly recommend this book. There's mystery, drama and dark humor. It was full of magic, twists and turns; surprises that kept you on the edge of your seat. It's a story about heartache, death, family, and redemption as the Rowan's try to clear their family name and make amends for their mother's dark deeds. There was never a dull moment, and the reader is left wanting more after is was all over.

Trigger warnings: childhood abuse, attempted sexual assault, drowning, murder, suicide. Not very graphic but read at your own discretion.

This is the weirdest, most wonderful mishmash of genres. It is adult general fiction with a little bit of fantasy and a whole lot of mystery that also tackles childhood trauma.

I've seen some users categorise this as romance and it is very much NOT a romance. If you go into this with that expectation you're going to be disappointed. Throughout the story there is a vague impression that couples will form, but there is no actual romance until 85%.

When the abusive Rachel Rowan dies, her (adult) children are caught up in a murder mystery and left to deal with the many enemies that their mother made with her blackmail scheme. All of this must be dealt with while battling bad memories. I definitely did not guess who the murderer was, but I don't think there was enough foreshadowing to.

A Spell of Rowans is absolutely fascinating. I was totally, totally immersed in the story. It certainly succeeds in provoking emotional responses. I felt deep sadness for what the children endured, pure rage for how horrible their mother was, and great uncertainty over where the danger is coming from. There were definitely some gasp-worthy moments!

I didn't like the writing style at all, it just wasn't for me. It seemed slightly amateurish with a dependence on telling rather than showing. However, the content is so good that I'm not even going to consider lowering my rating.

This book is definitely worth 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐.

This amazing magical fantasy novel follows a unique story line that has currently been untapped. Focusing on specific magical skills that each of the Rowan children have rather than having an arsenal of magic a their fingertips is a direction that I didn't know I needed to be popular until reading this book.

The book deals with difficult family dynamics, and also social issues such as autism and mental health in a way that was considerate and not too in your face.

The plot left you wanting more with each page, and the character building was everything I always hope for. There were twists and mystery that Nash built well.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of magic integrated into the modern day.

Only when their evil mother dies does Vic return to her hometown and her brother, Liam and her sister, Phillipa. All three have mystical powers and together they want to get rid of their mother’s ashes and house the quickest way possible, but even beyond death their mother will not easily let go of them. As another murder is committed in town suspicion is once again cast on the Rowan family, and they’re pulled in to solve the mystery, with the help of old boyfriends Reed and Hunter.
Interesting story line and characters, a quick read that’s fun.