I'd categorize this novel as one that I liked reading well enough, but I don't forsee myself reaching for again within the next two years. The atmosphere was great, the vibes were there, but the story itself was burdened with too many moving parts and elements that didn't quite have a home. It became a chore to read at certain points, but it wasn't impossible to carve through. I'd be interested in seeing what Ava Morgyn does next, but Bone Hill was a bit of a miss for me, personally.

I really thought that I was going to like this. But it wasn't for me. Like it wasn't bad, but it wasn't the best. I felt like the story line was not believable. and Fantasy is my preferred genre to read.

Highly enjoyed this book. It was an easy fast-paced read that kept me wanting more. The characters were easy to follow and the story made me want more as it went along. This is a must-read if you are looking for a story about family secrets, an old house, and new/old romances.

This book wasn’t what I was expecting.

I really enjoyed the relationship between the two sisters, but I found the overall theme to be very gothic and scary for me. There were some scenes I had to skim over.

I did enjoy the ending.

Cordelia and Eustace learning about their newly revealed powers and the secrets that their mother was running from was a pretty fun adventure. Things were definitely pretty bad for both of them before they went to Bone Hill and that marvelous house (wish I could see it). Even with the darkness lurking there it had its upsides. It was pretty easy to guess who the villain was but that was okay. I liked the forays into the different types of magic, from speaking with the dead, to sharing minds with the animals.

This was a fun book to read and I sped through it, wanting to find out all the secrets of the Bone Witches. They certainly are a powerful bunch, especially when threatened.

This book was not for me. I really wanted to like it, but I just couldn't get into it. I was disappointed that I couldn't enjoy it as much as others seem to, but I know that everyone has different tastes and preferences when it comes to literature

Thank you to the author, publishers, and TLC Book Tours, for an advance paperback copy of THE WITCHES OF BONE HILL. Thank you also to NetGalley for an accomanying widget. All views are mine.

Three (or more) things I loved:

1. I love these sisters. I love Eustis and I am her. My sister just stayed with us for two weeks so she could get some medical tests done, and when she hugging me she said, I love you sister-mom. This dual role reminds me of Eustis so much!

2. Descriptions of the house are gorgeous and haunting.

3. I adore the Mashup of the witchy family tropes and the haunted house tropes! This is a great, entertaining book!

Three (or less) things I didn't love:

This section isn't only for criticisms. It's merely for items that I felt something for other than "love" or some interpretation thereof.

1. I really don't like this expression, or any cliché, as an opening line.

2. This book is really hectic. It's composed practically entirely of action sequences. There are few moments of rest for the characters or the reader. It can make things a little hard to follow, and I can see why I had a hard time on my first read. I bet I was worn out, since I tend to read books all at once!

Rating: 👭🏽👭🏽👭🏽.5 close sisters
Recommend? Yes
Finished: Sep 27 '23
Format: Digital arc, Kindle, NetGalley
Read this book if you like:
👻 ghost stories
🏚 haunted houses
🧙 witches
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 family stories, family drama
💇‍♀️ women's coming of age
😵 curses

Due to St. Martins Press refusal to address the remarks made by their employee regarding Palestine, I will not be reviewing this book.

This in no way has anything to do with the author. But I refuse to support anything from SMP because of their refusal to address a major issue at hand.

Drawn by the allure of witchy elements, this book unfolds an intriguing tale of two sisters inheriting not just a house but a complex family history filled with clandestine rituals and magic.

Cordelia Bone's meticulously crafted life in Dallas unravels due to her husband's debts, propelling her and her carefree sister Eustace to a Connecticut town to settle the estate of an unknown great aunt. However, the Victorian mansion they inherit comes with a dynasty trust, enigmatic rituals, and a host of eerie secrets, including a mysterious groundskeeper and a haunting family secret.

As Cordelia and Eustace grapple with the challenges, they unearth family truths and face a lurking enemy. The story transforms from an inheritance tale to a gripping fight for survival, with tension building as the sisters confront the malevolence tied to their legacy. Bone rituals and humor add depth, making this recommended for those who enjoy witchy stories.

I DNF this book, I could not grab onto the characters or plot lines and it just wasn’t for me! What drew me to it is the title and the book cover, it seemed perfect for spooky season, but I felt the plot was the same story I have read many times before, just not executed very well. I liked some of the scenery descriptions, but the characters were too surface level to feel invested in. I did not finish and would not recommend to a friend.

This one was a tough one for me because in the beginning I did not like the main character, Cordelia, and that put me off of the story for quite a while. But as the plot progressed and I learned more about her backstory and her motivations, she grew on me. The relationship between Cordelia and Eustace, and seeing how it changed and developed throughout the novel was my favorite thing.

The magical aspect was really well done. It felt natural, like this type of magic could exist in the real world. It added to the creepy atmosphere and vibes of the whole book. This was a perfect Autumn read!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Griffin, and Ava Morgyn for an advance copy of The Witches of Bone Hill in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to like this so much but for some reason I just couldn’t get into it. Maybe I just didn’t pick it up at the right time

Guillermo Del Toro’s “Crimson Peake” meets “Practical Magic” in this debut novel from Ava Morgyn, The Witches of Bone Hill.

After finding out her husband has been cheating on her, Cordelia Bone needs a break from reality. When her sister, Eustace, informs her they are the last remaining relatives of a dead great aunt and must deal with the estate, Cordelia decides to use the house to pay off her ex’s debt and get her shit together.

Once they arrive, the sisters realize their inherited estate is worth much more than expected. Their great aunt’s attorney controls every aspect of the house. When they stumble upon secret rituals, peculiar artifacts, and strange visions of their dead relatives, the sisters must uncover their family secrets, including what happened to their mother and deceased relatives.

A haunted house setting will always be superior to any other setting. Morgyn brought the Bone Hill house to life with intricate, gothic details and atmospheric writing. If a book can make me say, “nope, nope, nope,” out loud, it automatically is a three-star read. If you’re horror adverse, I won’t attempt The Witches of Bone Hill, but if you’re like me and love a hair-raising gothic novel, this one is for you,

My only realistic gripe with the novel was the magic system the Bone sisters utilize; the author’s explanations for the runes, recipes, and rituals seemed haphazard and without much thought. Despite the title, their witchcraft took a backseat to the narrative, so in the end, the ins and outs of their magic didn’t matter but would’ve been a personal preference.

Also, the romance between Cordelia and Gordon had chemistry and potential. Still, by the time the book’s second half came around, it floundered and felt like having a romance for the sake of ticking a box. Her ex-husband’s debt issues were also very random and carried little to no urgency in the novel, and it could have been taken out with no problem.

A gothic family saga that floundered here and there, The Witches of Bone Hill had the potential to be a great horror novel for non-horror fans.

This ARC was provided by St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The issue I had with this one is that I may have been reading too many books about witches and was feeling a little uninterested in this story. I unfortunately did not love the narrator and found it difficult to be in her head at all times. I also felt that the story was quite slow at some points. I unfortunately think this one just wasn't for me!

The Witches of Bone Hill had potential, but only manages to deliver in some areas.
The atmosphere of this book was spot on while the pacing made it hard to get into. Then when the pacing picks up, the atmosphere dwindles. There was just a bit too much going on as well (stalker, love interest, the ex, the lawyer, the Mafia lender) and I think if a few elements were focused on more (and others left entirely out) it would have worked better. I loved the magical elements, the sisters, and the family history that is entwined throughout the book.

I hated everything about this book. The main character was unreliable and super annoying. I wanted more witchy things to happen but it’s just a domestic thriller.

This was such a cute read to get you in the Halloween spirit! I will say it was a little creepier and gorier than I was anticipating, but it was still a good read!

This book ultimately didn’t up working well for me, as much as I wanted it to. The writing style just didn’t hold my attention, but I may return to try again next fall as a seasonal read.

The Witches of Bone Hill is the story of Cordelia Bone and her sister Eustace. Cordelia is dealing with the beginnings of a messy divorce and being saddled with her husbands debts when she gets news that her great aunt has died and that she and Eustace are the only remaining heirs and must go to Connecticut to deal with the estate. When they get there, they find out that the estate is large and haunted, and that their family has many secrets. Their aunt’s attorney insists that they must inhabit the old house until the estate is dealt with, and so Cordelia and Eustace are stuck in an ancient house, learning the spooky history of their family line.

I quite enjoyed The Witches of Bone Hill. It took me a few chapters to really get into but by the end I was reading into the wee hours and unable to put it down. The twist was actually surprising, and it was legitimately spooky at times, enough to actually scare me, which is good for a scary book!

I liked Cordelia as a character, but I really enjoyed Eustace and her growth over the book. Eustace and I have some things in common, and so it was interesting seeing myself and some of my experiences through her in this context.

All told, I really liked this book, and I would recommend it to people who like books about witches that aren’t all herbs and tea, or people who like some of T. Kingfisher’s scarier stuff. I got a really similar vibe off this book as I did from The Twisted Ones.

The Witches of Bone Hill by Ava Morgyn

Published: September 26, 2023
St. Martin’s Griffin
Genre: Contemporary Women’s Literature
Pages: 406
KKECReads Rating: 5/5
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

Ava Morgyn is a native Texan who grew up falling in love with all the wrong characters in all the wrong stories. She is a lover of crystals, tarot, and powerful women with bad reputations. She studied English Writing & Rhetoric at St. Edward’s University in Austin and currently resides with her family in Houston, where she lives surrounded by antiques and dog hair and writes a blog on child loss, ForLoveofEvelyn.com. When she isn’t at her laptop spinning darkly hypnotic tales, she can be found reading, hunting for delicious vegan recipes, or wandering a forest. She is the author of Resurrection Girls and The Salt in Our Blood.

This was such a brilliant book. I loved how the storyline evolved and came together. The imagery was beautiful, the characters were so memorable, and the story flowed smoothly.

This was a perfect mix. There was drama, comedy, romance, and just a touch of magic. I loved Cordelia and Eustace. Their connection and dynamic felt very sisterly. I loved their comical moments and their familial moments.

Gordon was a perfect leading man. His connection to the sister's journey was deep. The way this story unfolded was deliciously brilliant. It is a difficult book to put down.

The twist was well done and not at all what I had expected. This was a beautiful story about family, forgiveness, history, and moving forward.