Threadneedle was an interesting read that kept me wondering what was about to happen. It was predictable in its nature but I wasn't quite sure how it was all going to play out in the end. I do feel however it was very slow paced and several bits could have been left out, especially the comings and goings of school. Mostly though I feel it is a disservice to the book to market if as an adult fantasy book when it is very clearly YA.

Threadneedle reminds me very much of a CW fantasy show - this isn't a bad thing. In fact, I greatly enjoyed my read of Threadneedle. It is well written, dark and funny at times, and I am very much looking forward to the sequel. I was honestly expecting something more adult, but the book ended up feeling more YA, maybe NA at times. Our main character is a 16 year old witch and as such all of her life experiences--her very sheltered life experiences--and of that her friends are that of 16 year olds. There are a lot of subplots (or filler episodes) to help us get to know each of the characters, as well as a mean girl element that goes too far, because of course, its high school.

And boys, we cannot forget about the boys! Thankfully there is no insta-love going on, just typical teenage hormones. Rowan's interests were my favorite because I believe she would date half the school if possible.

There is also a darker, mysterious back plot that occasionally pokes its head in through out the daily life of our gang of witches, and comes to fruition in the final chapters. The dark elements are fairly dark in this novel, though still appropriate for YA/NA feel. There is a good amount of at home abuse that people should be aware of before diving in.

Even though Threadneedle is the first book of a trilogy, it wraps itself up nicely with only a few loose ends in regards to the larger, overall plot that I'm sure will be addressed in the sequel. These loose ends have the potential to lead to a much darker story and I am cannot wait to read it!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

From the start of the story, Threadneedle introduces a complex and unique magic system. I loved the concept of spells being cast through threads and knots of sewing, stitching, and embroidery. Unfortunately, by the middle of the book, I feel like this system took a bit of a backseat and we started to see more stereotypical witchcraft like herbal and Norse pagan rune magic, which was just a little too many types of witchcraft happening for the sake of the story.

The plot also fell away to a very juvenile high-schooly cliquey kind of story with scenes I felt were not needed, making the entire middle of the story unengaging. There was also quite a lot of fat-shaming and slut-shaming from the bullies, and while I'm not against these things showing up in media, I do wish the ideas were challenged more than "oh, that character is just mean".

Being that the prologue featured the Six Faceless Women, I thought it would be a major part of the story, lending a mystery aspect to the novel, but sadly, it was rather insignificant to the rest of the book. It was mentioned here and there, but not really a focus.

I did, however, adore seeing Anna grow into her own person, and separate herself from the abuse she's known her whole life. Seeing her friendships develop, and seeing Anna become less afraid to stand up for herself spoke to me in inspiring ways.

Though the middle of the story dragged, the end was just as exciting as the beginning, introducing unexpected twists that finally had me wanting to read more.

NetGalley also had this book listed under Adult Fiction and Romance, and the book was definitely Young Adult. The romance, too, though present, was an insignificant part of the story and didn't really make itself known until the last quarter of the book, so I'm not sure I'd categorize it that way.

Anna has been forbidden to do magic by her aunt. When a new student transfers into her school, Anna begins interacting with other witches and learning about their powers. Chaos and heartbreak ensue.
Mashup of Carrie and The Craft without the buckets of blood plus a pinch of Sabrina The Teenage Witch (1990s tv show version). Big content warning for intense high school bullying.
I would have rated it higher if there weren't so many tonal shifts, ideas, and plots that did not quite cohere for me. I liked the worldbuilding. Maybe my expectations were too tuned into the idea of a world of sewing-based magic when it turned out there were many, many, many different ways to practice magic. Maybe the next books in the series will be more focused.

I couldn’t take this story seriously. The bland world building mixed with the one dimensional characters just didn’t do it for me.

I really want to say I loved this book, but unfortunately I'm only at I really liked parts of it. I think this book could have used a heavier editing hand. There were long sections that were painful to get through, especially with the Aunt's treatment and high school drama. The book would have pulled me in better with less time spent in those areas.

That said, I enjoyed the story. The magic system is interesting! The world building was excellent and I wish we had seen more of Anna and friends interacting with the world instead of things being very focused on high school life.

I think my main issue with the focus on the high school element, is that this book is listed as Adult fiction. And while some theses were dark and complicated, the age of the characters, the immaturity, and many of their conflicts made this novel read as purely YA.

The more I think about the book, the more tempted I am to move it down to two stars, because I also did not like any of the characters... even the ones we are supposed to like. Anna's three female friends actually seemed like horrible people to me. I get that they are teens making mistakes but they did not have enough of a redemption to make up for the horrible things they were doing.

Overall, I would say give this book a try. The beginning is slow and painful but once you get to the magic, it really picks up. I am intrigued enough to be interested in more of the story but I will hope that the maturity is bumped up a notch.

Threadneedle follows Anna, a young witch who falls under her aunt's care after her parents are killed by magic. Her aunt is part of a restrictive magical contingent called the Binders, who feel magic not to be used. Anna has grown up waiting for the day when her magical abilities will finally be bound; however when she meets others with a different magical perspective, she begins to question everything she thought she knew.

What Worked:
• The writing style and vocabulary felt very elevated.
• The scenes focused on the high school dynamics, bullying, etc felt very real and not at all cliche.
• The intersection of magic and the contemporary London setting was melded very organically
• The world-building and descriptions of the magic were very rich and detailed.

What Didn't:
• At times the scope of the story and subplots felt too big; could have been a bit more focused with fewer subplots.
• Pacing felt a bit off, was a fairly slow start.
• The "twists" felt a bit predictable and not very innovative.

Overall I rate it 3/5; fairly enjoyable and definitely has some promise.

Thank you Netgalley, author, and the publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read this e-arc.

As I go to review this book, I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it. It starts out as a meditation on suffering in lyrical and poetic language. It then segues into a YA coming of age book similar to the movie the Craft. (In fact, a lot of the beats of the Craft are present in this book down to the party and the curse going wrong.) It then moves into something like the movie Practical Magic. The parts are all present and correct, but they don't mesh together well.

Moreover, this is all compounded by the _very_ leisurely approach this book takes to the plot. After I'd been reading for some hours, I remember thinking "15%? How can I only be at 15%?" I agree with other readers that this could have been tightened up by a lot and not missed anything.

Another issue is the intended audience of Threadneedle. I _think_ it's meant to be a YA book, but at 576 pages, it's too long and a lot of the plot would normally push this into being an adult book. However, the surviving high school plot will probably put some adult readers off. As another note, if you have any abuse in your background, I almost guarantee you'll be triggered by Aunt's treatment of Anna.

Am I sorry I read this? No. Will I read the next book in the series. Probably not.

Overall a very fun read! Anna was a wonderful MC and I am really looking forward to the next one!

If you enjoy cool magic systems/ magical realism also set in contemporary London this book is perfect for you.

This sounded like a really unique ya fantasy and the cover is very eye appealing. I liked the different types of magic unfortunately that was all I enjoyed. I ended up dnfing this book about 15 chapters in. I felt no connection to the characters and it read a little too young adult for my liking. The school setting led to some high school drama that I no longer enjoy at my age. The story dragged on for me and I felt at its length I'd be forcing myself to push through each chapter.

ThreadNeedle is set in contemporary London and follows teenage Anna on her journey to uncover the truth behind her parents' deaths along with finding out some uncomfortable truths about herself and her own magic. Raised by her Aunt, Anna's magic has been suppressed. It's only once she joins a coven at her school and connects with her cousin and some of the other girls, that she starts to understand what her magic is capable of.

I liked the last 20% of the book the most - the ending was filled with some fun twists and grand reveals that I did not see coming. I enjoyed the witchy aspects and honoring the Sabbats within the text, but the story itself fell a bit flat. There were fun moments that the coven has being naughty teenage girls causing mischief with the extra dose of magic.

Thank you to Harper 360 and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review - 3.5 stars!

I do not understand why this title is up on NetGalley. It is available for purchase in both Hardcover and Kindle format on Amazon and elsewhere. Is this just for the paperback release? I could just go buy this and read it without the obligation of providing a review. I don't think it's right to put this out here where reviewers rely on a good feedback ratio to receive books from publishers.

3.5 stars. This book started off a little slow for me but got better once Anna and her friends started their coven. The high school drama aspects make it read a bit young, but I loved the witchy parts and all of the spells and mysteries. There were several twists which made for an exciting ending and a good setup for the next book without being too much of a cliffhanger.

Part of why I gave this less than four stars is because I only found a couple of the characters to be likeable and even those ones didn’t really make me feel any sort of connection. That being said, it did hold my interest overall and there are things I’m still curious about, so I would be interested in reading the next book.

Thank you to Harper 360 and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“The potion wants your stories! There’s nothing more powerful than a story.”

Threadneedle was magical - and not just because of the actual magic that took place. The author creates a hidden, detailed, unique world throughout this book that draws you in with starry-eyed wonder.

This is a story where you’re in the thick of it with the main character; you don’t know who to trust, what some people are, the twisted and mysterious histories of the characters, etc.

This book gave me second half of the Harry Potter series vibes; dark, mysterious, immersive, magical. The main character is 16, so it was (unexpectedly to me) a YA book. It took me longer than normal to finish this one. It’s dense and has a lot of detail packed into its 576 pages!

2.5 stars

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for a honest review.

This book read a bit too young for me. The first two-thirds of the book was tough to get through, mostly focused on the characters and their experiences in high school as they explore their witch powers. I was more interested in exploring some of the dynamics of Anna and her Aunt’s relationship and the mystery surrounding the murders of some witches. However every time we made some progress with those plot lines we were pulled from them as the characters sneaked out to attend parties, skipped classes to go shopping, or made rumors about the school bullies. These moments took me out of the story and made me struggle to continue. This jump between these sections was jarring.

The last 25% book was significantly better and I enjoyed the twists on the story. I actually had a hard time putting the book down when I got to that point and I really liked the ending.


For a younger audience who wouldn’t be bothered with the high school drama bits, I think they would enjoy this book, but it didn’t quite work for me.

I didn't care for this story. I found myself getting bored or struggling to keep up with it. Might be good for someone who really likes fantasy and whimsy, but I didn't. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to try, though!

Anna's story is colored deeply by her highly abusive aunt. It makes sense that she wants to get away and that she is scared to even try. If you can read through the abuse, which is hard and brutal at times, you are rewarded with this story of found and natural families. What really makes it sing is the intricate magic system Thomas develops here. I am very curious to see where the next volume goes.

Absolute perfection. There's a reason she's a bestselling author! She knows how to weave magic into words, and vice-versa. The words just suck you into the world she's built, and it's such a wonderful escape.

#Threadneedle #NetGalley Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this novel. I encourage you to check this one out! Really solid read.