I was not expecting to like this book this much! I enjoy mysteries and thrillers, but this was bordering on horror. I typically don't like horror books. I'm so glad I didn't shy away from it!

The Witches of Bone Hill is a captivating story of two sisters who inherit an estate from their great aunt. Cordelia, on the cusp of a messy divorce and is having financial troubles, and Eustace, her free spirited older sister head to Connecticut to find out what awaits them. They find more mysteries than answers at their great aunt's dark Victorian mansion.

They must work through these mysteries and family secrets to uncover what is really in store for them. Mysteries about their mother, their health, and generations of women in their family.

What I liked:
All of it. Everything. I could not put this book down. It drew me in. The author revealed just enough to keep you guessing, but kept all of the details close to the vest until the very end.

What I didn't like:
Other than some of the horror elements that I don't normally prefer (but willingly chose to read here), I didn't really dislike anything!

Thank you to author Ava Morgyn, St.Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Title: The Witches of Bone Hill
Author: Ava Morgyn
Publisher: St Martins Press
Publishing Date: Sept 26, 2023
Pages: 416
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: ☆☆☆

A wonderful story that I would highly recommend to my spooky, witchy bookish friends!
The story was pretty immersive and well written. I really enjoyed the characters and there was great development! The story wasn’t necessarily action packed but it was plot packed (if that’s a thing?). There was always a lot going on. It got a lot darker than I anticipated but that was actually one of my favourite aspects about this book! I really liked the dark corner it went into and got really into the thriller/horror of the story.
I didn’t find myself overly excited about this book, even though I enjoyed it. The romance kind of fell short for me and I wasn’t really into it. I know it’s just me as a reader, and my personal style, but it just didn’t have IT that really hooks me in!
I would actually re-read this book around October time when I’m really in my spooky element and would really love it then!

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for sending this book for review consideration! All opinions are my own.

Masterful storytelling creates an atmosphere of suspense and tension, with twists and turns that leave you guessing until the very end. The well-developed characters are complex and intriguing, adding depth to the thrilling plot. The pacing is relentless, never giving you a moment to catch your breath, making this book an exhilarating and addictive reading experience for all fans of the genre.

Thriller/horror/witches are not genres I would typically gravitate toward, but holy cow, I’m so glad I did this time! The Witches of Bone Hill is dark and creepy, disturbing and uncomfortable; at the same time it’s uplifting and full of love (both familial and romantic). At its core, it’s a story of two sisters learning to accept themselves for who they are, and becoming who they hope to be. Also, Gordon is hot and amazing.

I received a copy of this book from St. Martin’s Griffin.

The Witches of Bone Hill begins with Cordelia, one half of the Bone sisters, in financial ruin after her husband took off with her assistant and left her with a mounting pile of debt—oh, and a loan from the mob. Then, out of the blue, she gets a call from her estranged sister Eustace, whom she hasn’t spoken with for the past five years, to tell her they’ve inherited their aunts estate.
Cordelia assumes she’ll go to Connecticut and make a quick sale, but nothing is that simple when it comes to Bone Hill. Reconnecting with her sister they delve into the family secrets and find much more than they bargained for—witches.
The Witches of Bone Hill was full of mystery, horror, familial connections, humour, and a dash of romance. I loved how rounded this book was with all its rich descriptions and spooky happenings. The ghosts, the ancient Norse magic, and two sisters trying to navigate their past and their family history.
This was a book I didn’t want to put down! Thank you St. Martin’s Press for the arc and the chance to read early!

Thanks to author Ava Morgyn, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I’m always down for a good witchy book, but sometimes witchy books just aren’t witchy enough. That was not the case with The Witches of Bone Hill by Ava Morgyn.

Cordelia Bone’s life is crumbling around her. Her cheating husband ran off, leaving her with massive debts and her carefully cultivated life in shambles. Cordelia soon receives news that an estranged aunt has died and left an estate to her and her sister, Eustace, who Cordelia hasn’t spoken to in years. Facing unfortunate financial trouble, Cordelia decides to travel across the country to see the estate – and figure out how much she stands to gain from its sale. Once she arrives, she begins to unravel the unexpected family secrets hidden on the property.

I love a good story about sisters. Cordelia and Eustace have an interesting relationship, and that development was one of the stand-out elements of the book. I also liked the witchy elements of the story. The use of magic in the book was very well-done, and I enjoyed the way the magic system was revealed. This book is dark and a little spooky, making it the perfect addition to an October TBR. It is well-written, nicely paced, and full of twists and reveals to keep the reader engaged!

Thank you to NetGalley, as well as the publishers for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I do want to say if you are going into this book, please be mindful that there are some trigger warnings. This is a very intense book especially with animal abuse. With that being said, if you are looking for something this spooky season, I would definitely pick this book up especially because it has a lot of twist and turns that you don’t see coming.

Full disclosure; I don’t think this book was the right fit for me. I don’t mind spooky and the supernatural, but this book became much gorier and darker than I anticipated.

While it was a bit too much for me, if you enjoy a darker slower-paced horror ghostly tale, this one may be for you.

Thank you to the author and publisher for an early electronic copy in exchange for an honest review.

Following a difficult childhood with a mother clearly on the run from something, Cordelia prefers her tidy life on her quiet street as a real estate agent. Except her husband has made off with her assistant, drained her bank accounts, ruined her business and now she is forced to sell the only home she has ever known. However, when her sister Eustace calls to advise that their Great Aunt died, life presents a perfect monetary opportunity. When they arrive at the estate things are not what they expected, the townspeople hate their family, there’s something off about their aunt’s lawyer, and weird occurrences are happening.

This book is releasing just in time for the height of the fall season. The Witches of Bone Hill presented a real family drama exploring not only generational trauma but also sister relationships. Yet it did so with elements of romance, paranormal and frankly dipped two (I promise two… maybe three at the most) toes into the horror territory. At times it was gross but not disturbing to the point where I was kept awake at night thinking about it. I mean they aren’t called the witches of Bone Hill for nothing. In fact at one point even the sisters themselves are disturbed and ask themselves why they couldn’t be chocolate witches and at that point I was snickering in total agreement.

The characters are atypically charming and relatable and the heightened drama and need for answers builds in such a way that I found this book hard to put down.

There are some historical references and influences from Hela. Frankly, any witch book that manages to set its foundation in mythology of any kind gets bonus points in my books.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for providing an ARC through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced read of this book. This one pulled me right in! Great atmosphere and an intriguing storyline with the Bone sisters and what happened in their family, not to mention the creepy ancestral family home they never knew about and inherited. There’s an inheritance, an intriguing groundskeeper and a lot of unique, magical/witchy family lore to learn along with why their mother kept them away from it all which brings in some of the more horror like moments in the story. Although it had its slow moments, all the pieces fit together well and came to an exciting, satisfying conclusion, one that even though I had a feeling who was behind everything, the “why” was still interesting to me.

Firstly, wanted to give thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read an ARC of The Witches of Bone Hill.

As someone who was more than a little obsessed with the TV show Charmed as a kid, the premise of this book excited me. Sisters who realize late in life that they have witchy powers? Heck yes.

When this book is good, it's GOOD. The two sisters and main characters of this book - Cornelia & Eustace - have such a fun dynamic filled with banter. The interactions between the two of them as they explored the family's mystery was one of the highlights. The mystery aspect was also highly intriguing, and the author did an excellent job at building intrigue throughout the first half of the novel.

Sadly, I felt that the build-up of intrigue didn't really reach a satisfactory climax until very close to the end. From about the 50% mark until 80% or so, I kept thinking to myself, "Alright, alright. Come on, let's start getting some answers."

(Spoilers ahead!)

I also wasn't a fan of the romance aspect of the book. I didn't buy into the chemistry between Gordon and Cordelia, and so it all felt a little forced into the story simply for the aspect of her being pregnant with an heir by the end of the novel.

The Mafia side plot - although probably necessary to paint a scenario in which Cordelia would stay put at Bone Hill - felt a little haphazard. That conflict seemed to wrap up way too quickly & easily.

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A detailed review will be published on my blog & Amazon on 9/19, a week prior to publish date. Links will be added at that time. Thank you again to Ava Morgyn, St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for the ARC!

This was ok. The characters were good but the story was a little slow for me. I felt I kept having to push through. I'm a little disappointed.

I really enjoyed this gothic treat. I liked watching the sister's relationship repair itself and grow while the sisters themselves grew into their family heritage. Nice twists and turns and good supernatural elements. Reminded me a little of Bardugo's Ninth House. Good writing by this author. I enjoy a book that doesn't feel like it is written at the third grade level.

Cordelia and her sister Eustace inherit an estate from a Great Aunt they didn’t know at just the right time-a divorce for Cordelia and health concerns for her sister.

They learn about their family, magic, and there’s even romance in this book that’s not quite romance/horror or what I was expecting at all.

I was pleasantly surprised to find it more than just chick lit and think this may be the beginning of a series. (I hope!)

You won’t be disappointed if you pick up this book.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Things I enjoyed:
- I was immediately hooked in the first chapter, no time was wasted throwing you into the story!
- World building and scene setting
- The unique magic system
- Dynamic between the sisters, their interactions + dialogue were always my favorite sections.

Things that fell flat for me:
- I had a really hard time connecting with Cordelia... I needed more from her. It's hard to put my finger on why I just couldn't empathize with her, and instead felt more connected to her sister (which we heard from less throughout the book). Her thoughts and feelings just didn't feel flushed out enough.
- I felt like it was too easy to figure out who the bad guy was... the hints were so blatant and obvious that it took all the fun of out it. It meant a predictable and lackluster ending.

Things I could have gone without entirely:
- I am a fan of romance in fantasy novels, but I could have done without this romantic plot line entirely. It felt like such an after thought, AND then add the pregnancy in there? The book could have really done without it, and just focused on the relationship between the sisters instead.

Cordelia Bone and her sister, Eustace, have must learned that they have inherited an estate in a small Connecticut town. Eustace is suffering from cancerwhich she has only just revealed. Cordelia’s marriage has failed and her husband has left her with a large amount of debt. So they travel to see the estate hoping to sell. But strange things begin to happen. Cordelia seems to have developed some supernatural powers and Eustace has recovered her health. But if they want to learn more about their ancestry they must find a way to make peace with the house.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I don’t usually read women’s fiction but I love paranormal stuff and I was hooked by the cover and the title. But ultimately, I really struggled with this book; it just wasn’t the right book for me.

At first I was captivated by the author’s descriptive writing of the gloomy setting of the magical, gothic family estate, and the passages about witchcraft and magic were wonderful. I even was intrigued by the mystery that pulls these two sisters to the house full of ghosts bent on revenge, dark family secrets and reclaiming your magic birthright.

But I didn’t care for the characters at all. I found them shallow and erratic at first and character development was weak. How they reacted to increasingly melodramatic situations was so over the top that I didn’t find it authentic to how everyday humans would behave, even in extraordinary situations.

I found myself just skimming the last 30% because even the mystery couldn’t hold me in the end. It just got so progressively over the top that it lost me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I always enjoy a good dark witch story and The Witches of Bone Hill is definitely that. This is a dark atmospheric story that includes ghosts, witches, romance, murder, dark magic, and a house as a character. When Cordelia and Eustace Bone inherit the house that their mother fled from, they were not prepared for what was to come when they collect their inheritance. Having grown up not knowing of their family history or that they are witches, it takes them time to adjust to what is happening to them and figure out the family's history. The author is very descriptive and does not hold back from graphic scenes and details. This added to the tension as the story progresses. The story took turns that I was not expecting and gave me a very satisfying ending.

*warning: animal abuse*

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin's Griffin for the advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.

The Witches of Bone Hill by Ava Morgan

Characters: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pace: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Overall Enjoyment: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Certainly one of the best books to date that I have read that includes witchcraft,, romance, and murder.

This book starts off with a backstory of two sisters, Cordelia and Eustace. The two have not spoken in awhile and their lives are drastically different. They live miles apart from each other with Eustace growing marijuana for a living in Colorado and Cornelia having been experiencing a life altering situation where her husband drained their bank accounts and took off leaving her to deal with the banks.
Eustace calls her sister to say that their aunt had passed away and they need to go for the will reading. They find out they will get the estate she lived in and it seems that Cordelia already has a plan to sell the house and pay off debts. However, it seems that the house has different plans since it is full of ancestors. All the things that they learn on this property. It was so enamoring. This is a story that you will hope for, root for, and start to love. There is murder but it does nor encompass the story., What if coming home could always be magical? How can the secrets reveal so much about a family? There may be even more secrets, you will need to read the book to find out.

Release date September 26, 2023

Thank you to NetGalley as well as the author and publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my unbiased and honest review.

I was not expecting the book to be dark but honestly I didn’t mind it! So many twists and turns that had me on the edge of my seat. Will definitely recommend