Thank you to netgalley for the e-arc of this book for my honest review!

Dnf at 30%

The Missing Grimoire had a promising premise, but I had a hard time following the story. The magical elements were interesting, but the plot felt somewhat disjointed, and I often felt lost or confused about the direction of the story. The characters were initially appealing, but they didn't develop as well as I had hoped, and their motivations were hard to understand. The pacing also affected my decision to stop reading, as the story didn't seem to move as fast as I had hoped. I think this book will appeal to fans of slow-burning fantasy, but it ultimately didn't hold my interest.

If you're into fantasy novels, this is such a magical read! Tons of awesome things like witches and vampires! Loved how whimsical it was plus how the author built this world inside the book that just too you on a journey. So many fascinating things going on throughout the book. However, that cliffhanger ending got me! I didn't realize this was the 2nd book in the series however I never read the first and thoroughly enjoyed this one.

I received this book by NetGalley and the publishers to read and review. All statements above are my true opinions after fully reading this book.

I really loved this book! The magic and adventure that I got to experience reading about Luna and the Blackhill Manor children is out of this world! I will be reading the rest of the series as soon as possible just to get back into the Blackhill manor world!

Thank you to NetGalley and Cranthorpe Millner Publishers for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This novel was very suspenseful and incorporated many types of old folklore from Celtic folktales to Eastern European legends. The story reintroduces characters from the first novel in the series, sometimes too many early on in the book. However, the novel's plot helps the reader to follow along, even with the review of the large cast of characters. The plot really starts to take shape as the characters learn about the history of the lost grimoire of the Witches of Jonas.

Luna's powers as a Celestian develop more as the story develops. She is able to do a variety of magical tasks like traveling to the land of the dead, traveling into a cursed painting, and even confronting Vlad Dracula in his own castle. I enjoyed all the twists and turns. The ending was bittersweet but was appropriate to the overall story, as we lose a character to the portal of the dark underworld.

I would recommend this to both older juvenile and young adult readers who enjoy a fusion of horror and fantasy. It has some frightening moments but isn't too graphic for older juvenile readers.