Threadneedle follows the story of Anna, who has grown up learning about how dangerous magic can be, and is taught that it is a sin. Until the day she joins a coven, and has to question everything she’s ever known.

I enjoyed parts of this story. I really liked the premise, the magic school setting, the complex characters, and the magic system quite a bit, particularly because I love elemental magic. However, I thought overall that the book was slow-paced. I also felt that the subplots felt unnecessary and didn’t add much to the main story. By the time I got to the end, I felt unsatisfied with the direction of the story.

While it didn’t fully work for me, I do think that in the hands of the right audience, this is a great start to a new series. I would recommend this to readers who enjoy YA coming of age stories, fantasy set in London, and the idea of magical high schools.

Threadneedle, by Cari Thomas, is a witchy, fantastical story set in modern-day London. The characters are complex and well-developed, the societal and familial relationships are relatable, and the world Thomas has created made me reluctant to put the book down.

Anna Everdell, an orphaned 16-year-old who lives with her maternal aunt, has been brought up under the strictest conditions. Aunt has raised her with the tenets of the Binders, a group of witches that believe magic is a sin and must be controlled. Anna has learned to keep her head down and her mouth closed at school so as not to draw attention, and thus far in life she has sustained a solid reputation as Nobody.

Anna’s quiet, restricted life is sent into an upheaval with the arrival of Selene, a friend of her late mother, and her teenage daughter Effie. The opposite of Anna, Effie thrives on attention, does not care what others think of her, and soaks up all the benefits of being a witch. Along with her best friend Attis, Effie begins attending Anna’s school and wastes no time shaking things up. Along with two more outcasts, Anna is thrust into the spotlight by Effie and shown the joys (and dangers) that magic can bring. With her initiation into the Binders upon her, can Anna decide to give up this newfound world of magic? Or will Aunt force the decision for her?

This book has magic, murder, romance, and plenty of teenage angst. Youth, magic, social media, love interests, mean girls, and family secrets – what could go wrong?

Threadneedle is a dark, witchy coming-of-age story about a deeply repressed girl finding herself, escaping her abusive aunt, and learning the truth about her family and her magic.

For some reason, based on the premise and synopsis I was expecting something more historical, but this story is fully contemporary (smartphones and all). This wasn't a dealbreaker for me, but it was a bit of a surprise, as was the formation of the coven. I had a bit of an expectations mismatch with this book - I was expecting the primary plot to revolve around the Binders, and while the Binders are woven throughout the story, there are a lot of plotpoints that don't directly involve Binding. This includes most of the coven's escapades and the struggle of Anna and her friends to fight back against the popular girls who are bullying them.

Once I adjusted my expectations, I found this book quite enjoyable, although I'm not sure I would continue the series. Cari Thomas did a good job of sketching characters that felt realistic even when they weren't likable. Anna felt complex and real and her yearning to escape the life her aunt has set out for her was palpable from the beginning. Some of the reveals at the end felt a little bit confusing or convoluted, and I wish we had gotten less sequel set-up and more resolution between Anna and Effie. However, given that this is apparently a series, I expect we'll see those loose ends picked up in future installments. But again, I think I would have preferred this as a standalone, personally.

One of my favorite parts of this book were the magic, particularly knot magic and the idea of all the magical languages, and I would definitely recommend this book to fans of witchy stories (especially if they also enjoy some good old-fashioned mean girl drama). It may not be a new favorite of mine, but I think it's a very respectable debut and I am curious to see what Cari Thomas will write in the future.

Thank you netgalley for providing me with a free e-book of Threadneedle for review. I absolutely devoured this book! The writing is filled with rich details and anyone who loves a magical world hidden in plain sight, will love this one! The story centers around Anna, who has always known she was a witch, but has been taught her entire life that magic is evil. Her strict Aunt has been preparing her to have her magic bound at the end of the year. However, when a family acquaintance moves to town, Anna, befriends their daughter, Effie, who has been raised to believe that there are no limitations to magic. Under Effie's influence, Anna is opened up to the real world of magic and possibility, also unlocking her potential as a witch. There are strong themes of friendship and betrayal as Anna navigates this new world as well as digging into the secrets of her past. Really, this book has all the things could have asked for! Strong characters, great world building, and some twists and turns that I certainly didn't see coming!!

Told from the perspective of 16 year old Anna, who we quickly discover is an orphan who lives with her disciplinarian Aunt Vivienne. An aunt who has rigorously warned Anna about the dangers of magic and belongs to a coven called “Binders” who believe that magical abilities should be literally bound away as a form of self-protection from the witch hunting of the past. Anna has always wanted to believe in the wonders of magic, and when her mother’s best friend visits with a daughter of the same age, Anna begins questioning everything her aunt ingrained in her.

The world-building is fantastic! Such an interesting new explanation of magic in the form of different "languages." There's rich history in the different covens, and use of magical plants. Contemporary London woven together with the hidden-in-plain sight magical world was delightful to me--I recently visited Britain and I was able to recognize real places. The characters are all beautifully complex; it's their struggles and growth that is more of a focal point than any "action" in the book. That being said, the "plot", for me, was a bit meandering, and can it got a bit lost in the middle of the high school teenage popularity contests and parties. As this is the first in a series, I'm excited to see where the story continues in the sequel.

This magical world was incredible. I loved learning about the different types of magic in it. It's full of mystery and plot twists. It's definitely a dark story. There were moments it reminded me of scenes in The Craft. It I can't wait to read more of this series. I would highly recommend this to anyone that likes stories about magic and witches.

*TW for abuse and bullying.*

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Threadneedle is an exciting fantasy that transports the reader to a world of witches, magic, and lore. Anna has grown up believing that both magic and love are destructive and need to be bound. Anna is content at going through life in the background. That is until she meets Effie and Attis. They open her eyes to a world of wonder - where everyday items hold living memories, where libraries are extensive mazes to be lost in, where magic is freedom. Now, Anna must make a choice - to be bound like her Aunt or to let her magic free. Of course, it's not as easy as one or the other. Anna also finds out that she may be cursed and her new friends may not be who they say they are.

Throughout Threadneedle, the author writes unique, well-developed, morally gray characters. I particularly loved Effie and Attis; however, with that said, Aunt is an extremely well-written villain, and Anna is a fascinating narrator. The book does read somewhere between YA and adult, which I actually enjoyed. I cannot wait to dive back into this world. The sequel cannot come soon enough! I highly recommend Threadneedle!

Threadneedle is one of those books where it doesn't feel like much is happening, but somehow you can’t put it down. The world building is immersive, the characters are well developed and the story contains all our favorite witchy tropes: hidden magic, academia, teen hijinks, spooky mysteries and young women discovering their (literal and figurative) power. Straddling the line between YA material and a very adult voice, I would call this a New Adult read that will be a hit for readers who love a witch-core coming of age story. My only gripe is that the resolution feels slightly Agatha Christie-ish in that the mystery gets solved in a big rush at the end with a reveal of information that no one (either the protagonists or the reader) knew about. Plenty of clues were left in the narrative, but the hand waving in of mystery solving, and the hand waving out of a few loose ends, felt a bit out of tune with the rest of the novel.

I was so ready to fall in love with this book after seeing the gorgeous special edition from Goldsboro and that Jay Kristoff had recommended it. Unfortunately, it didn't seem that it was being talked about or even really known at all in the USA. I desperately looked for a library copy, then a bookstore hardcover, to no avail. I was so thrilled when Netgalley sent me a digital copy for review, so thanks to them I was finally able to read one of my most anticipated books of last year!

Threadneedle deals with witches. Our main character Anna is a witch whose powers seem dormant. She has been raised by her strict aunt following the tragic deaths of her parents when she was a child. Her aunt sees magic and practicing magic as an evil that will only bring pain and death upon Anna. When the story begins, Anna is 16, about a year away from her Binding, which will lock her magic away forever. She is introduced to some new girls her own age and slowly begins to form a safe haven against the cruel treatment she receives, both at home and at school. Secrets from her past are gradually revealed, and she is left with some very difficult and heart-wrenching choices.

I really loved the atmosphere and setting of this book. It felt very reminiscent of A Series of Unfortunate Events, in the way that the kids in this book seem to be facing their problems alone, with no help from the adults. It felt like classic British children's literature (think Harry Potter and Matilda) but for a YA audience. The mysteries were very intriguing and kept me reading. I really loved the friendship aspect. As someone who was very lonely and isolated through my own childhood, I really related to the way Anna was always putting herself down and fearful that she was hurting or inconveniencing her new friends. This book at times felt a little too dark for a typical YA audience; there's obviously abuse here, many sexual situations, language throughout, and some very convincing witchcraft rituals. If you're buying this for your kid, don't expect it to be just like Harry Potter, because it isn't.

I'm left very intrigued after the ending of this book left so many ends to tie up! I haven't heard anything about when the sequel comes out, but I certainly hope it's soon! Highly recommend this book!

Thank you HarperVoyager and Cari Thomas for allowing me to read and review the eARC of Threadneedle.

Threadneedle is about Anna's coming of age, not just in years but also in her magical capabilities. As readers we follow along as the closed off world of magic is unveiled before Anna's eyes, making her question everything she has ever known. Cari Thomas did a great job of developing well rounded characters and a plot that left me breathless at times.

Threadneedle is an easy, enjoyable read for anyone who loves urban fantasy!

This book was described as fantasy fiction, but it was very much Young Adult fiction. This book was told from a 16 year olds perspective. While well written, with magic spells and curses that were well thought out, it was too young for me. Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishing for allowing me an ARC. The opinion is entirely my own.

So let me start with some praise: the magic systems are really interesting, and feel like they match the setting well. All the characters feel quite realistic and like real people. However, this book is not perfect, so I do have some criticisms.

First is the pacing. It felt like I had no idea what the book was even supposed to be about until about halfway through, and the ending felt like things escalated way too fast and resolved far too quickly.

Second is the ending. I quite liked that Aunt Vivienne died, because I have honestly not hated many characters the way I hated her. However, I don't love the whole siblings falling in love with the same person thing like it's a little too gross for me idk, especially with the moment of Attis being asked to have a threesome with Anna and Effie. (To be fair it's not like Effie knew and also that's probably why Attis refused but still makes me feel gross reading it ngl.) I'm not sure what age range this book is meant for, but it felt like a YA book almost the whole time, and then it feels like it escalates into adult/new adult territory at the end, which really left me confused as to who the audience for this is meant to be. On top of that the rumor spell and bonfire actually affecting the plot at the end felt like a stretch to me, like are you seriously telling me that none of them noticed cameras? And not only did it affect the coven but all witches?? Idk it just feels like the stakes for that are higher than the actual binding itself and that just doesn't feel correct to me.

I must admit that I did find this book quite entertaining though, so I can't rate it too low. This author is clearly talented, but this book wasn't for me.

This book is one that isn't easy to fit in a category. The age of the characters and the themes seem like this book should be YA, but to me the tone felt very much like an adult book. Whatever category this fits into, the story sucked me in and kept me reading until late at night. I hope there will be more because I was drawn to these characters and hope to read more about their story. I also have some theories about some of the unresolved plotlines that I would like to find out if I'm right or not!

This book really came to me at the right time. I adored Anna, Effie, and Attis. They were an incredible trio that really carried this entire story, in itself the book has an interesting story but really the characters made this incredible.

This book is fantastic it involves magic, family, and academia. It reads very smoothly and is written very well. When a girl is from a family of people who can do magic and is raised by her aunt because her parents died and is forced to give up her magic. This is the first time I have read a book with this being the main plot. Then add in her mom's best friend and two teenagers, the high school drama, and so many more exciting things the book keeps getting better.
However, I wish we got more background about the main character's mom's best friend in the beginning and what happened between her and the main character's aunt.

First off, the cover is absolutely gorgeous. I enjoyed this book a lot, I thought the storyline was very clever and the characters were all interesting. I did have a problem with the last third of the book, though. There was too much teenage drama for me and the ending was just strange.

Had a bit of trouble getting into this one, as the story is slow to begin with. Might just be me, but ended up skimming a bit to get to the fun parts. Gets better as the story goes along.

I felt like the story took too long to develop. I admit to skimming through a good bit in the beginning because i found the aunt to be so hateful, unsympathetic and unlikeabe.

It’s giving…Matilda meets Practical Magic.

I’ve been excited to read this book since I first heard about it. I mean, thread magic? Yes.
And overall, it delivered. The book did start a bit slow but the last 10-20% of the book was SO GOOD that it made up for it.
For romance fans, the first taste of romance didn’t occur until 75% into the book and I honestly wasn’t sure if I should even be rooting for the couple to get together anyway. This was slightly frustrating and disappointing, but there was enough angst in the last few scenes to make it worthwhile. In the sequel I really hope we get a real taste of some romance though.
I was intrigued by the magic system and thought it was explained well but not to heavy-handedly. It goes the practical magic route of having fantasy elements interwoven with real life, which was cozy and enjoyable. I did kind of wish we spent more time on these elements though. A lot of the book was in a typical high school setting or dealt with the MC not having access to her magic, so I felt like I was doing a bit of waiting.
The scenes where we see magical locations or the MC really connecting with her magic we’re excellent, I just wish they came earlier and more frequently.
There was a bit of choppiness to the flow of the book in my opinion. When it started, I thought I was in a sort of dystopian magical world setting because we only see the MC’s rather extreme home situation, and then I felt surprised and out of place when dropped into a highs school setting. It also took a veryyyy long time to get to the magical library mentioned in the synopsis. I definitely think all of this could have been woven together more quickly or evenly.
Still, I enjoyed the book overall. The ending truly is worth the slightly slow build up, and I think the next book will be even better.

What a great start to a story that i couldn't put down! Full of interesting magic, characters, and a world I wanted to come back to time and time again.