“Beauty was just something - like cognac, like heartbreak - a person consumed.”

Overall, I liked this book but didn’t love it, and I think a big part of that was going in with different expectations than what was executed (IMHO). The first part of the summary blurb states “A New York City fairy tale about two sisters that fall under the spell of an underworld cabaret troupe that might be a dangerous cult…” I would say this is a far cry from feeling like a fairytale, and there is a dabble of a cult aspect but I wouldn’t consider it dangerous nor super cult-y in a traditional sense. Of course, any cult (even a well meaning cult) is dangerous, but I just don’t think it came off the page as such. It does have a hauntingly magical vibe, but it just didn’t “hit” like I hoped it would.

Plot Thoughts: I enjoyed the idea of the plot, but again, less than enjoyed the execution. It was a slower paced book, and felt repetitive. We read a lot about how Cecilia was flakey and how Rose just wanted a stable life after an unstable childhood….to the point where I was like “we get it, can we move on please?”. There were so many fun aspects of this book (the music! the art! the clues and hunt! the lonely souls! the depths of NYC!) but it just fell too flat.

Character Thoughts: I wanted to love the sisters and their unique dynamic, but again, it just fell a little flat for me. I hated some of the characters, but didn’t love any, which was disappointing. They felt too one-dimensional for my taste, as they were categorized into very specific roles and had very specific (and repetitive) characteristics. I wanted them to be fleshed out more, and have stronger motives behind their actions. I think I could’ve loved the sisters if they just had a little more development.

👍🏻👎🏻I’m in the middle of the road on recommending this one. Overall, I absolutely do not think it was a bad book. I think there is a ton of potential. But I do think that the pieces just felt too one-dimensional for it to feel truly captivating. So would recommend cautiously!

Not for me. The sisters barely speak. Caleb is lame. One chapter in, and I do not want to here more from Rose at all. She's so boring

this book firmly solidified tara isabella burton as one of my favorite authors. i will read anything she writes, even if it’s as simple as a grocery list, and it will probably be just as poetic. “here in avalon” is for the dreamers out there, the artists, the poets, the musicians, and all of us who feel overwhelmed and downtrodden by the demands of adult life within society.

(as a circus performer, i take slight issue with the difficulties of rehearsing and choreographing an entire cabaret being glossed over, but i’ll allow it for the plot. but don’t think i didn’t notice!)

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and Simon Audio for my review copies!

Here in Avalon is a fairy tale for the 9-to-5 worker who wants to run away with the circus.

All it takes is the word “fairytale” somewhere in the description to make add a book to my TBR. What really hooked me in this description was the element of “Is it a cult or is it fairies?” that I wanted just a little more from. The romance reader in me wanted more emotions and angst and the fantasy reader wanted more magic - either with whimsy or darkness. The overall tone was too melancholy for me.

🎧 Overall, narrator Tara Isabella Burton’s performance was well suited to the story. One of the characters, Paul, was from England and her choice with his accent might have been extremely specific to the part of England that he was from, but it sounded more Irish than English to my ears and that bothered me.

Is she ready to sail away from her carefully crafted New York life and into the unknown with her eccentric sister? Will this adventure be a happily ever after, or will it end up a Titanic-sized disaster?



Ah, the age-old tale of two sisters, one with a ring on her finger and the other with a boat in her sights. Rose, a self-made woman, is ready to leave behind the concrete jungle and start her happily ever after. But leave it to her wild and unpredictable sister, Cecilia, to throw a wrench in her plans and hop aboard that oh-so-mysterious red boat.



Despite her fiance's disapproval, Rose can't resist the allure of this floating escape from reality. But is she really ready to leave behind her carefully curated New York life and set sail with her kooky sibling? Will this journey be smooth sailing or will it end up like the Titanic, with Rose clinging to a door while Cecilia sings "My Heart Will Go On"? Only time and a carefully selected passenger list will tell.

•ARC Book Review•
Here In Avalon by Tara Isabella Burton
Rating: ★ ★ ★.5

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for allowing me to review this one!

This book started off a little slow for me, but I appreciated Burton’s vivid imagery and character design. The plot kept me just interested enough to get through the first bit of the book, but once I made it over the hump it was captivating and I really found myself enjoying the story. I really loved the different personalities of Cecilia and Rose and that Burton created a work that teeters on the edge of mystery, fantasy, and thriller genres. The ending was another aspect that I think is hit or miss for readers. For me, it was ambiguous and as attached as I grew to the characters- I was wanting more. For some though I think this would be for them, just not for me. Overall three and a half stars for a wonderful and fantastic read!

Blooms fade. Bubbles burst. Dreams end. This book makes me so grateful to be ordinary. I wouldn’t be able to stand the longing. The nature of a seeker is to never find. The nature of a dreamer is to never fully live.

Here in Avalon
By Tara Isabella Burton

This is a parable about life, both as we live it and how we would wish it to be. Two sisters, Rose and Cecilia, live in New York City, but they have lived their lives very differently ever since they were children. Rose is the responsible one, living as society requires, engaged to a man who is always right. Her sister is a dreamer, an outsider who cannot seem to succeed at anything and who feels lonely and misunderstood. She flits in and out of Rose's life leaving disaster in her wake.

One day, Rose returns home to find Cecilia in residence once again. She has left the man that she has married in a whirlwind affair after knowing Paul for only a day. When Paul hunts down his wife, she disappears. Neither he nor Rose can find her.

As they hunt for Cecilia, they discover clues about a boat called Avalon, peopled by strange people – maybe fairy folk – who seem to ferry away lost and lonely souls who are never to be seen again. Rose, with Paul's help, manages to reach out and make contact with these others. Rose convinces them to take her on board and eventually to their home, which they call Avalon. This is a place where all the "real world" must be left behind in exchange for happiness and belonging.

The story progresses from there – but as it does, the choice between reality and the life one would wish for becomes more and more complicated. While a fantasy of sorts, the book leaves us with much to ponder concerning what reality has to offer – and whether wishful thinking can truly lead to happiness.

Here in Avalon drew me in right away. I was mesmerized by the sisters and their bohemian upbringing surrounded by art and music, schooled in culture despite their mother's neglect. It's the kind of life I would have dreamed about as a teen. Of course, it's no surprise that their adventures leave the free-spirited Cecilia perpetually seeking a fairy tale life while Rose, the responsible one, craves stability and order. So, when Cecilia returns after years away with promises of change, Rose really wants to believe her. And it breaks Rose's heart all over again when Cecilia misses an important event only to explain her absence with a wild tale about a magical cabaret. When Cecilia disappears, Rose is left to wonder if there might be some truth to Cecilia's stories after all, and Rose is determined to find out.

I'll admit that I hoped for a different ending, but I really enjoyed the mystery and intrigue, nonetheless. The atmospheric descriptions of the cabaret experience, the music, and the vintage vibe are just so good. It really did feel like visiting a magical place. Thank you #NetGalley and #SimonBooksBuddy for an advanced copy. Opinions are my own.

DNF at 20%. It's feeling a little slow going, and I found myself skimming just trying to get through it. Not enough to grab me and I'm just feeling the frustration of Rose with Cecelia without any of the good feelings that are making me want to keep reading.

Writing style was not for me. Felt very long and run on sentences. Also felt like the author added fancy words for no reason.

*Thank you simonbooks for a physical ARC
*Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an eARC.

Tara Isabella Burton writes beautifully, but a cult is still a cult even when it's a well-intentioned cult. And if you're considering joining a cult, please try therapy first.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for this copy of Here in Avalon.

Here in Avalon by Tara Isabella Burton is a literary psychological thriller. I listened to the audiobook, which was narrated by Devon Sorvari.

I initially picked this up because I heard the buzz words "NYC fairy tale" and "magical realism," and the cover did evoke a light fantasy feel for me.

It feels almost a bit spoilery for me to say this, but there is no magical realism here (though some sections of the book hint like there is).

The publisher actually lists "related books" with coming of age, psychological thrillers, and literary fiction, which I can totally see. However, for some reason fantasy is the first listed on Goodreads, with magical realism as #3.

I am personally not a big general fiction girlie, and this one unfortunately coasted a bit too close to that genre for me. The first 30% is set-up before the potential magical realism element is even introduced.

It is written very well, and I enjoyed the prose a lot. I just wish the plot had a bit more of a speculative element to it (since that's kind of what it was pitched as, with magical realism). The ending was also pretty underwhelming to me.

If you like contemporary fiction and cults, you might like this one more than I did! I definitely plan to check out other things this author puts out in the future, and her fiction backlist.

Two sisters with trauma and distinct personalities clash with an underworld cabaret of wonders, and soon the worlds of magic and danger collide! This book is a darker, creepier fantasy without delving into the realm of horror. However, while the author does a good job of showing the fantasy elements, sometimes things just don't click right, giving the book an odd tension in spots. Rose is a fantastic character, as is the entity known as the Avalon and its various moving pieces. However, Cecilia feels almost like a caricature, and never truly takes shape as a character. This causes some uneven writing as some things are fleshed out well and really pull the reader into the world, while others simply pull the reader back out with their underwhelming contributions. Still, the story as a whole is very enthralling and well worth the read. Overall, a really good story that simply needed a little more polishing in both atmosphere in characters to truly thrive as a novel.

Thank you to Simon Book Buddies for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily and all views expressed are my own.

An entirely original, captivating, heartfelt, and unforgettable story. I was sucked in from the very first page til the last sentence. This is a book I'll treasure and recommend!

Rose has her life figured out. And her sister Cecilia is usually flying by the seat of her pants, except when she’s caught up and all-in with another group promising transcendence. So when Cecilia goes missing, and Rose is certain she’s gone to a mysterious red boat, with music and dancing, that promises “Another life is possible,” Rose sets out to investigate. Along the way she learns a lot about herself and what she wants in her life.

I thought this book was a fun concept and a great little adventure around New York City. It was a quick read that mostly kept me engaged, but there were a few parts that felt like they dragged a bit more than they needed to. I also feel like I would’ve loved to see even more back story of the folks on the boat, because it was such an interesting part. Overall, it was enjoyable and a fun story, but not one I’ll go back to in a few years.

Wow! What an enchanting read. The writing was beautiful, and certainly a way to write about a cult. It felt like a fever dream. The characters were very fleshed out, and I found Cecelia rather grating at first, but as the story goes on and we find out more about the “cult”, I start to understand her more. Also the turn in Rose. I’m glad that she also had a story and character growth, and it wasn’t just her running after Cecelia and cleaning up her messes.
This read was outside of my normal genre or type of reads, and I found the cult take on it very interesting and how otherworldly it felt compared to the “normal” life of Caleb, Grant, Lydia, etc. That reading from Rose’s POV after she found Avalon did feel like a drug induced state.
TLDR: the writing and story is just as magical as the Avalon wants to be perceived and is definitely worth the read.

Thank you Simon and Schuster for the copy as part of the Simon Books Buddy program!

Here in Avalon was not at all what I expected, but it's still a beautiful story that I found myself strangely captivated by. I thought this was going to have a lot of magical realism elements and that there was going to be some underground magical world in New York City that we would uncover à la Neverwhere or something and that is very much not the case, but there is still a lot of different forms of magic in this book.

What I liked: I really enjoyed this book and everything it tried to do. I loved this idea of a group of people that want so badly for people to be able to experience something magical and unique and once in a lifetime (well, for most, at least) that they go to immense lengths to create something almost otherworldly and ethereal and magical just for them and those that are struggling. I love the mystique surrounding this red boat and cabaret and how we slowly learn more about it with Rose. Rose and Cecilia also acted as such great foils to one another and I liked getting to know both of them throughout the story. It was fascinating to watch both of them react to different aspects of life in such different ways, as well as how the author kept us on a very specific journey with Rose that slowly and occasionally intersected with Cecilia's in some really interesting ways. Tara Isabella Burton also has really lovely prose and does a great job of explaining certain emotions and experiences in very relatable ways.

What I didn't like: This definitely dragged a bit in the last third of the book. I think a lot of the slow character development and passage of time was critical in some areas, but at other times I felt the story dragged on just a bit too long without. much really happening or progressing. While I think it reflected the tone fo the story effectively, it slowed down the reading experience a bit too much and probably could have been pared down a little bit. I also have a few frustrations with some of the cabaret members and things that occurred, but I don't want to spoil too much relating to that part of the story, so I'll just say that a little bit of the magic was taken away for me in ways that took me out of the story a bit.

Overall, I've given Here in Avalon four stars.

I would call this story a wistful dream created by searchers looking for real magic in this world. Both Cecelia and Rose went looking for more, in different ways and both ended up finding Avalon. That would have been a wonderful thing to experience! Sadly it goes through the same thing that happens as you grow up. Things don't last, even when we try our hardest to hold on. I really liked the story, up till the end because, I, too wanted the magic to be real.

So this is a good book but a bit sad and as I already stated, wistful.

In today's world who isn't looking for magic? And if you're lucky enough to find it is it true fairy magic or is it a spell woven by talented artists? While reading this book those two questions kept going through my head. But it was the love of two sisters that was truly the beating heart of this novel and their story that sucked me in. This is a really enjoyable read full of lively and touching characters and a mystery that speaks to a longing I think a lot of us feel. If you don't want to know the truth about the Avalon then stop here and definitely read the book.

SPOILER: I just had to say that I found that there is something so beautiful about a group of people who live outside the norms of society and work to create beauty for those who have become broken hearted or lost.