The Witches of Bone Hill is a deeply engrossing story of lost family and magic (and murrrderrrrrr).

Cordelia Bone is in a tough spot, with a soon-to-be ex-husband who’s gambling debts have gotten them both in trouble with the local mob. When her estranged aunt dies, she finds herself reunited with her sister at the surprisingly grandiose mansion they’ve inherited. The only thing getting in the way of their inheritance is some unfinished family business…

I don’t know what I was expecting with this, maybe something cozy and heartwarming? I was getting way different vibes from the cover. It definitely was way more aligned with a horror novel with a decent amount of gore and terrifying situations. These witches don’t play around!!

But look, that was a good thing for me! I was apprehensive starting but found that I couldn’t put it down! Cordelia and Eustace were such interesting characters and I loved their sibling dynamic. There’s something so great about creepy family histories and small town superstitions. Loved the nordic witch touch as well - the magic system was so intriguing and original!

3.75 stars rounded up to 4

I really enjoyed "The Witches of Bone Hill". Inheriting a house from their estranged Great Aunt is something Cordelia and Eustace never thought would happen. But it seems that it happened at the most opportunistic time in their lives. Then again was it the right time? Things keep happening to the sisters that they can't figure out and they want to leave but can't. Why you ask? Well I'm not saying...you will have to read the book to find out.

The story had a little bit of everything including mystery, ghosts, witches and Norse mythology. This is the first book I have read by Ava Morgyn and I hope it won't be the last. The author did an excellent job keeping me vested in the story. I did find that the story dragged at certain areas and that the Bone sisters had to keep rehashing things. I almost gave up, but I persevered and finish the story because I just had to find out how it ended.

I really loved Cordelia and Eustace's relationship once they got over their past and not telling each other everything.

Recommend

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for this ARC! I voluntarily give my honest review and all opinions expressed are mine alone.

The Witches of Bone Hill by Ava Morgyn 9/26/23

Page Count:406

Genre: Paranormal, Mystery, Contemp. Women's Fic

Tropes: Witches, Sisters, Family Drama, Family Secrets

Setting: Connecticut

Characters:
Cordelia Bone-a real estate agent w/ a cheating husband (John) left with her former assistant Allison. He had loans with the mafia, that become Cordelia's. Hasn't spoken to sister in 5 years.

Eustace Bone- a carefree cannabis grower living in Boulder.

Summary: Their great aunt Augusta has passed, and as the Bones' only living relatives, Cordelia and Eustace go to the Bone Hill mansion to deal with her estate. They may inherit, both needing the money, but her aunt's old attorney Bennett Togers is hiding something.


*Review: This was a great read for this time of year. It has a haunted house, a suspicious death, and some kooky
characters. Both sisters discover why their mother wasn't close to the family and the true history of the Bone family.

*Rating: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐ ⭐

The title and that gorgeous cover caught my eye when I was considering fall books for Spooky Reading Season. Ava Morgyn is a new to me author and I didn’t pay close attention to the synopsis or the buzz about The Witches of Bone Hill when I took it up and started reading. What a bewitching and somewhat dark magical read.

I don’t generally run to book comparisons, but as a recent fan of Alice Hoffman’s Practical Magic series, I was tickled to find a story that would compare well. Two very opposite sisters who drifted apart as adults, come from a long line of female witches with a creepy family legacy and old home in New England with a picturesque bittersweet writing style as well. Check!

But, The Witches of Bone Hill is its own tale. For one, the two sisters didn’t know they were witches or much about the family legacy that brought them home. Oh sure, the pair of them were aware they had certain uncomfortable gifts and their mother was always oddly silent about some things, quirky in her own way, and adamantly full of very eccentric rules they must live by, but it only starts to make sense when their great aunt dies and they must return to the sentient house on Bone Hill in Connecticut and learn their power before it’s too late.

There is an ominous tone that grows stronger so that I was getting the heebie jeebies and could only read in broad daylight once the story got rolling (take that with a grain of salt since I’m a wuss about horror and others might see this as mild). Eustace with her free spirit ways accepts the situation better than skeptical, world-weary Cordelia who just went through a divorce with her cheating con artist ex who took her to the cleaners and his debts have the mob sicced on her. Cordelia is the narrator and the story unfolds from her perspective. I liked that there were surrounding characters that had the sisters unsure as to their intentions good or malevolent and the mysterious caretaker. There is romance, but it was properly secondary to the harrowing magic and mystery the sisters’ face.

All in all, this was a grisly, murky and truly satisfying spooky read that I can recommend to those looking for something to thrill at the witching hour.

3 Stars
One Liner: Great atmosphere but gets burdened by unwanted elements

Cordelia Bone’s life is now a mess. Her husband’s affair and debts push her to the brink of ruin. With loan sharks threatening dire consequences, she doesn’t know what to do. A sudden call from her sister, Eustace, gives a ray of hope. Aunt Augusta may be estranged, but since she named them in her will, the sisters can sell her house and make money.
They fly to a remote town in Connecticut to realize that the house is in proper Victorian Gothic style. Cordelia knows her experience as a real estate agent will come in handy. However, the lawyer informs them about the additional stipulations. Also, Cordelia’s extra-sensory talents are back in action.
The house has too many secrets to unearth (including the dark past of the sexy tattooed groundskeeper). Digging into it may offer some answers about their dead mother and Cordelia’s skills. However, there’s danger everywhere.
The story comes in Cordelia’s third-person POV.

What I Like:
Aunt Augusta’s estate and the setting is wow. The house is a character of its own (though this gets diluted due to extra elements) and is quite creepy. I love every bit of the description of the estate. It’s dark, brooding, sinister, and tangible.
Cordelia’s initial struggle in using vs. suppressing her talents is well done. Her desire to lead a ‘normal’ life and the consequences of her decisions align with the creepiness of the house.
Eustace is my favorite character in the book. It’s too bad she doesn’t get her own POV and still manages to shine bright. She is the one who keeps things going when Cordelia sulks around.
The ghosts are great, though. I like that each has a definite personality and is easy to track. They have unfinished business but are also protective of their family.
The concepts of runes, coded writing (recipe books), secret rituals, etc., are interesting to read. There are some eww moments, which cannot be helped when you get into a dark basement with weird tools and scattered bones.
The pacing gets better in the last quarter where things move faster. But this means the atmosphere doesn’t hold steady. Still, I’m glad I could sit for a few minutes extra and finish the book instead of slogging through the second half.
The last chapter serves as an epilogue. It fills the gaps and provides a satisfactory ending.

What Could Have Been Better for Me:
The entire story comes in Cordelia’s POV (thank god for the third-person narration). However, she is hard to connect with. Though initially I empathized with her, as the story progressed, I found her voice uneven and erratic. She also sounds whiny and immature in some places.
Moreover, Eustace is a great character despite not getting an in-depth arc. I like her a lot more and couldn’t help but wish at least half the chapters come in her POV. It would have balanced the narrative. Though Cordelia is the MC and gets to save the day, I wouldn’t mind if it was otherwise.
The pacing is super slow. While this is necessary in the beginning to establish the setting and atmosphere, the story gets bogged down by too many elements. There’s a mysterious stalker, a creepy lawyer, Gordon (the love interest with a romantic track we could do without), a mafia lender (he wasn’t necessary since Cordelia had enough troubles to handle), a useless ex who gets a full chapter, and Cordelia going back and forth. Yep, it’s quite exhaustive and distracting from the central plot.
It’s a good thing this book is not marketed as a mystery (or is it?) since the clues are way too obvious and in the face. I’m sure everyone except the main characters figured out the danger and attacker.
I knew there would be a love track with Gordon in the picture. I wish it was believable or at least a real slow burn. This one doesn’t feel organic, and the third-act breakup is so stupid. It may seem like a way to advance the plot, but man, it’s horribly done. I can’t sugarcoat this.

To summarize, The Witches of Bone Hill has terrific potential but manages to deliver in bits and pieces. It would have worked better if the focus was limited to the house, family history, and the sisters instead of trying to force-fit too many threads.
Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press (Griffin), for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

I want to start off by admitting that it took me a minute to connect to Cordelia. I can't quite put my finger on it, because I wavered at first, going from liking her to being annoyed by her. But I was on the edge of my seat for most of the book as Cordelia and Eustace begin to discover their familial history and the house begins to reveal its ghostly inhabitants.

Cordelia's life has spun out of control when her estranged sister Eustance calls to let her know the great aunt they never met has passed away. They must travel to a small town in Connecticut in order to deal with the estate that has been left to them.

Once there the sisters learn that the mansion and family fortune are bound in a dynasty trust controlled by their late aunt's attorney. He insists that they must remain at Bone Hill in order to inherit. The property also includes a sexy, tattooed groundskeeper who lives in the carriage house.

As both women try to grasp their current predicament, they learn a haunting family secret and discover what really happened to their mother and the enemy that's lingered in the shadows for generations, working against their family. They must embrace the power within them in order to survive Bone Hill.

Thank you so much to the author, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC to review.

What is better than going into spooky season with a great read of witches! This book wasn’t scary, but it did have several moments that were creepy and kept you on the edge of your seat. Two sisters figuring out who they are, who their family was, and who they want to be. I do wish they got into more of when they got to be witches and start practicing more, but other than that, I enjoyed this book so much and am so thankful for the opportunity from NetGalley and the publisher!

This was everything I had hoped for. A magical love story that dives into more Nordic mythos than I expected. Anyone who wants a fun time with some romance, and a loveable cast of characters should check this book out. The writing style was strong, with good descriptions of what's going on in the scenes. I will be recommending this to friends when I can.

The Witches of Bone Hill by Ava Morgyn is a wonderful novel about two sisters who find them selves pulled from their "ordinary life" into a world of magic, hauntings, mysteries, and danger. It's very entertaining, I found myself looking forward to reading this every night.

I was really looking forward to reading this book. However, I did not enjoy it as much as I had anticipated. I could not connect with any of the characters and I did not understand how Cordelia could go from disliking Gordon to suddenly attracted to him. It made no sense. To be honest, the fantasy genre is not one I care for. So I should have passed on the opportunity to read this book. And, unfortunately, I had to force myself to continue reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

For more reviews, please visit my blog at: https://www.msladybugsbookreviews.com/. Over 1000 reviews posted!

if you want a deliciously spine-tingling book for the Halloween season, here ya go.

If it weren’t for bad luck, real estate agent Cordelia Bone would have no luck at all. Her soon-to-be-ex-husband cheated on her (with her assistant, in their house). Not just that, but he’s racked up a truckload of debt in her name, some of it with mob connections who are now looking to collect from her. She can’t sell her house in Dallas without fixing the recently discovered black mold problem first. And then her estranged sister Eustace calls to tell her their one surviving relative, their great-aunt Augusta, has died and left them an inheritance in Connecticut. Well, maybe that will fix the money problem. So Eustace and Cordelia are off to Bellwick, Connecticut to collect an inheritance from a great-aunt they barely knew.

Why don’t they know their great-aunt? Because their mother, Maggie, fled the old home place years ago. The sisters’ childhood was spent in rough conditions, always on the move, always with their mother having one loser boyfriend after another. And then Maggie was murdered, a tattoo ripped from her very skin. So they have no idea what awaits them in Connecticut.

This story is about the power of family. The bitterness of a bond that chafes for too long. The importance of sisterhood. And most of all, it is about Cordelia and Eustace finding the voices that are truly theirs, the voices they never knew about because their mother tried to leave it all behind.

The house, Bone Hill, is truly a character in and of itself. The family attorney, Bennett Togers, tells the sisters that the house will make its will known, and it does. With all the happenings that can’t be explained and that are well out of the ordinary, it’s no wonder the town of Bellwick views the Bone family with, at best, suspicion.

The story itself gets real close to lines I don’t like to cross with its very vivid descriptions of witchcraft and with some disturbing scenes involving animals. I do, however, appreciate the Norse mythology that is at the root of the sisters’ – indeed, of their family’s – power.

And the sisters themselves are wonderfully written characters. Eustace is the easygoing one, more able to adapt to her new circumstances. Cordelia, on the other hand, grew up with her ears full of Maggie’s warnings – don’t look at them, don’t speak to them, and under no circumstances sing to them. She has a harder time adjusting, and she can’t understand why Maggie would flee from family and drag her girls through a hard-knock life. All is revealed in time, though, as Cordelia comes to grasp the true strength she and Eustace can only have together.

This is a quick, compelling read that I finished in less than 24 hours. If you’re looking for a book to give you the chills, full of vengeful spirits and newfound powers, this is it. I suggest you put The Witches of Bone Hill at the top of your October TBR.

Witches of bone hill
Cordelia Bone’s life is in shambles…her husband, who has been cheating on her with her 20-something y.o. assistant, has now left her and racked up tons of debt in her name! So when her estranged sister Eustace calls and tells Cordelia the great aunt they never knew has died and they have inherited her large estate, she sees it as an opportunity for a clean slate. But the Bone Hill mansion has a dark past, secrets, and is more than either Cordelia or Eustace expected. Will the Bone sisters be able to find out what happened to their mother, uncover their family’s mysteries, and discover who is preventing them from obtaining Bone Hill?

This story is unlike any other “witchy” book I’ve ever read…it was so much darker, macabre, and has such a well thought out backstory! It took me the first few chapters to really get into the book but once I did I was hooked. I will absolutely read Ava Morgan’s next book! This was a great fall book, and I definitely recommend reading.

Read if you love:
🔮Witches
💀Macabre/Seances
📜Norse Mythology
🤫Family Secrets
🔥Slow Burn Romance

I absolutely devoured The Witches of Bone Hill by Ava Morgyn. The writing is so eloquent and the imagery is magical. I felt like I was immersed in Bone Hill and I was there for it.

In the interest of a spoiler free review I will only say that the story is full of thrills and chills. It has mystery and romance. It has family drama and self realization/personal growth. It was the most beautifully written spooky tale I have ever read.

I have posted this review on Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5861528828

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/p/CxrEvaCroon/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

And Amazon.

Ava Morgyn's third book has all the usual mix of elements you will find in a good paranormal fantasy- magic, a bit of romance, and some horror scenes. Above all, it's a story of family secrets, self-growth, self-acceptance and sister love. I was immediately drawn into reading about Cordelia Bone's woes with her impeding divorce from her good-for-nothing, greedy, philandering husband who racked up huge debts and ruined Cordelia's business. Ava Morgyn's writing is so vivid that it's impossible not to empathise with Cordelia and feel her desperation at this point. But then Cordelia's sister Eustace informs her that their great aunt Augusta passed away and they stand to inherit the house which has been in their family possession for centuries. First, Cordelia sees this as an opportunity to get a reprieve from her troubles as much as the sisters' only chance to find out why their mother chose to flee her home town and stay away from her family. As Cordy and Eustace learn more about the secrets and dark powers of their own ancestors, the atmosphere grows more and more tense. It turns out that despite all the differences in the sisters' magic gifts, their love and devotion to each other will help them get to the root of the dark tragedies that have been haunting the house and the family.
Cordelia's character is extremely well-written-you know where she's coming from and what made her into a strong, loving woman she is. Eustace remains a bit in her shadow throughout the book.
I already mentioned that although there is romance, it stays in the background, as Cordelia needs to process why she ended up falling for her philandering husband in the first place.
I liked the way the ending ties up loose ends and leaves us with a hope that future generations of the Bone family will lead a happy life. Overall, the book didn't strike me as warm and fuzzy, so a happy ending was more than welcome.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy. All opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way.

It took me a while to get into the writing style because I felt like it didn’t flow very well and I had a very slow start but I still ended up enjoying it. Read this if you love reading about sister witches ✨

Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and Ava Morgyn for this ARC ebook. The Witches of Bone Hill will be published September 26, 2023 (TODAY!!!).

Since it’s spooky and all fall things season, it seems like the perfect release date for this book.

This book checked all the boxes for such an amazing read. What a page turner. I started reading this book today and finished it just now. I’ve never read anything by Ava Morgan so I was skeptical at first, but she drew me in so well with all her perfect descriptions. I felt like I was walking in that mansion, in the woods, listening to the characters talk. She set such a spooky mood that makes you feel grateful for October.

This book felt like a twisted kind of Clue-do with witches and Norse magic. I’m one for mythologies and Norse mythology is one of my favorites. To have a foundation in mythology in such a book, this author earned brownie points from me.

From the start this book started with a mysterious backlash. I felt myself questioning what I thought was going on just trying to figure out what would happen next. You’ll read about ghosts and witches and magic and family affairs and heightened drama and intertwined family histories.

It had actual family drama not just fictional things were used to in books. I also liked how it focused on the relationship of the sisters while they were on their own journeys and trying to figure out what happens now that they’re in Bone Hill.

What a great read!! I loved every second of it. I loved how descriptive it was and the author’s writing style was very intriguing. This is the second book I read about witches and I’m liking how it’s going for me.

This was entertaining fun, full of mystery, ghosts, nexeomancers, gore, romance, and ginormous plot holes. It kept me turning pages but with lots of heavy sighs. I think with a bit more judicious editing (it did NOT need to be 400 pages long), this book has potential to be even better. I will check out her next book as I was entertained.

(Read book description for synopsis)
This book was cute and fun for witchy season. But I felt like the relationship between the sisters was too forced and never felt natural.
I also couldnt understand why the mob was brought into it. It could have been a much more timeless story with a different plot line. I didnt feel that there was ever a balance between the vibes. It felt like two different story lines.
It was also a little slow.
But. If you like a cozy mob story it’s probably right up your alley!
Would still recommend, it just wasn’t for me.

“Cordelia fell back a step, heart grinding to a halt within her chest, breath trapped inside as she gave over to little-girl terror. Not again, she thought, squeezing her eyes shut. Not again, not again, not again.”

Thank you so much to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for this gifted eARC.

Witchy read that’s horror filled. I didn’t know I needed this book until I read it, there was everything I could have wanted. It definitely is not a cozy witchy read as the cover may suggest but it was fantastic!

Synopsis:
Estranged sisters brought together for an inherited Victorian mansion that they didn’t even know existed. Terror ensues and they are forced to embrace a heritage that has been buried to make it out alive. The writing is beautiful and I can’t wait to read more from this author in the future.

Actually 41/2 stars.
The Bone sisters, Cordelia and Eustace inherited the Connecticut mansion and fortune of their great-aunt, Augusta. For Cordelia, it may be a way for her to get much needed money to pay off her husband John’s debts from a gangster and to fix a mold in their Texas home so she can sell it. For Eustace, as you read further on, she is one more chemo treatment away. Once they live in the house, Eustace begins to gain weight and looks like the peak of health. Cordelia learns that if any of them leave off their land for anytime, it is not safe for them health-wise.They can even die when visiting the nearby town for groceries. She also learns the townspeople fear the Bone family. The sisters figure out they are descendants of Nordic witches, bone witches. Meanwhile, Cordelia is falling for their groundskeeper. If that wasn’t all, Cordelia needs to find out why she is not getting better like her sister, and it also appears someone is out to get them.

If The Addams Family and The Haunting of Hill House gave birth, this dark fantasy with romance would be the result. It pulls the reader into this mystery and wickedly magical story that is hard to put down.