WOAH. I was sucked into this one immediately and ended up reading it in less than 24 hours! I was so excited to read this one because I love a good cult story. While Cecilia shows up in the story just as much as Rose, this one is told from Rose's point of view and definitely centers her as the main character. It's obvious - I mean, it's literally in the book's description - that Cecilia is a mess and causes a lot of issues for Rose. But what's not immediately obvious, and what the author does in such an understated, sneaky way, is how Rose's "perfect" life is actually nowhere near as dreamy as she makes it out to be. Cecilia is not the only one who has made wrong choices, and watching both sisters come to terms with what they really want in life was poetic in the most (BEST!) dramatic way.

I was absolutely hooked the entire time and the author did an incredible job at building the tension continuously as the story progressed. The only thing I was disappointed in was how it ended. It wasn't bad, just not satisfying.

If you love a good mystery/thriller with an air of mysticism and magic, you will enjoy Here in Avalon!

I had to sit on this for a few hours because WOW! This book was awesome! This author introduces us to two sisters Cecilia and Rose, they grew up so different, and they are also very different. One of them gets into a cult-life world where she feels like she’s included, wanted and needed, finally somewhere they belong, where this new world gives them this illusion of just MAGIC, and everything being perfect just for them. Well, we find out the hard truth, and soon the sisters also see the same. This book was hard to put down, there is an air of mystery in this book enough to keep you on, the end felt a little open, not a closed ending, but it made me create my own ending to everything that has been going on…. It was just awesome…. Great read and thank you NetGalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Tara Isabella Burton is back with another enchanting tale of an exclusive group, the people within it, and the people enthralled by it. I enjoyed the writing in this novel a bit more than in THE WORLD CANNOT GIVE, which is likely due in part to it being Burton's third novel, and partly due to my reading preferences as I get older and further from school. Here, the late 20s/early 30s women who act as our main characters, Rose and Cecilia, are both dynamic and relatable in their own ways. I wish we'd been able to spend more time with the Avalon, learning more about its history and players, but I suppose its air of mystery must prevail.

I really didn't know what to expect with this one but I have to say that I really enjoyed Here in Avalon by Tara Isabella Burton. Here in Avalon is the tale of two sisters, Rose and Cecilia who grew up in a rent controlled apartment in New York City, basically on their own. Somehow, the sisters end up involved with a mystical cult and this is where the adventure really starts. Tara Isabella Burton transports you to a magical world within the streets of New York and it is absolutely enchanting. The question becomes, what would you do if you could just start over and have a new life? This is a question that I'm sure that everyone asks and Tara Isabella Burton does a phenomenal job of creating a visual tale of the way that this question could completely change your life (especially if you're involved in a cult).

I rated a solid 4 Stars, the book was a little slow for me in the beginning chapters, but it definitely started to pick up in Part II. However, the ending just didn't quite do it for me. I feel that there was not really an "ending," to the story. I get the feeling that since the rest of the story was about keeping the magic alive for each person, it was intentional, but I would have liked to see more concrete resolutions for the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon Books (Danielle Prielipp from Simon Books Buddy Program), Simon & Schuster and Tara Isabella Burton for the eARC and giving me an opportunity to read Here in Avalon in exchange for an honest review.

Publication date for Here in Avalon by Tara Isabella Burton is 02 January 2024.

The PR girl who emailed me a first copy of this arc deserves a raise because I swear she was looking into my brain. The fairytale-esque aspect, the setting, the cabaret all of it was so amazing. But I have one major issue which seems to be Burton's thing but I'll get into that in a second

Minor spoilers below.

Here in Avalon tells the story of two sisters: Rose and Cecilia. They grew up in an enchanted bohemian New York in their Tudor Gardens shabby chic apartment. Cecilia was the flighty dreamer and Rose was the boring realist. While Cecilia went off on adventures Rose stayed home and took care of their mother and got a well-paying tech job with ties to fantasies (all the various apps named after Greek gods were a nice touch). Cecelia eventually returns with a husband (from St. Dunstans!) but vanishes again. This time however, Rose goes after her and gets sucked into the Avalon cabaret. The cabaret and its members raise many questions: are they a cult, are they fairies/magical creatures from Arthurian myth, are they kidnapping people or rescuing them from their boring lives? Read the novel to find the answer.

The writing was beautiful, the descriptions of New York, the museums, the cabaret, and their apartment were so lushly described. Even Rose's awful friends and worse fiancee were fun to read about. Rose herself was a fascinating character (though I did get some nods to Virginia in Rose) and her decisions felt real and agonized.

However, the reason I'm not giving this 5 stars is that the novel just kind of ends with no real resolution. There are (for me at least) still questions about the characters and their motivations. Maybe that was intentional to keep some magic alive but I wish we got something. I think this is Burton's thing though. In "The World Cannot Give" the novel also ends pretty abruptly after the chapel and boat incident (being vague on purpose for those who haven't read that book). I also really enjoyed that book but I felt like the reader needed a little bit of resolution before we were ejected from the story and that's how I feel about "Here in Avalon". Maybe I just want to stay in that world a little longer.

Overall I did really enjoy and I would recommend and have already started recommending it to people I know.

I was provided a free copy of this book through NetGalley.

Thank you Simon and Schuster for an early copy for review!

When I saw this was a mystical cult book, I was instantly intrigued. I’ve always been intrigued by cults, and add in the possibility of magic to the story, and I’m sold. I will say, this was a book that didn’t let me down, and I enjoyed reading it.

This follows the story of Rose, a woman who has her life as together as she can in the wake of a childhood of chaos, and her relationship with her sister Cecilia, who leaned into the chaos of their childhood. When Cecilia finally comes back from her wander, Rose is happy, but weary. However, Cecilia seems to be doing well. Until she meets a mysterious woman at a bar who hands her a business card that unravels everything. Cecilia begins to slowly start disappearing, and when she finally leaves for good, Rose makes it her mission to find out where she’s gone and bring her home. This leads Rose to a magical-seeming cabaret and a group of people who make her question everything she’s worked for.

I think that this book was definitely more literary then I’m known to read, but it was in a way that was super digestible. I enjoyed getting to know and then unknown Rose, as well as Cecilia, as they went on this journey. I think it brought up a lot of thoughts about the life we live, and what we’re living and striving for as a society. It made me wonder, if a mystical seeming cabaret showed up one day and offered me a chance at a different life, would I take it? I also really liked that it had almost murder mystery vibes. There was a lot of riddles and clue and trying to figure out what is going on, and it kept me engaged throughout.

Overall, I thought this was a solid 4.25 star read!

Thank you, NetGalley and Simon & Schuster, for allowing me to read an early copy of this novel!

Man, oh man, did I enjoy this book. I flew through it, reading while cooking/cleaning/getting ready for family to come for Thanksgiving...and then reading it as soon as they left. I couldn't put it down.

I DNF'd The Night Circus. It was overly flowery and just didn't pull me into the story. This novel, however, gave me the feelings I was hoping for when reading The Night Circus. We have sisters who have been through a tough childhood and would do anything for each other, riddles and puzzles to solve to keep playing, and a mystery floating cabaret that could be a cult or a kidnapping/murder ring or just a good time.

I was desperate to know what would happen to the sisters, their loved ones back home, and if anyone would get a happy ending.

How do I describe Here in Avalon? A love story? A fairy tale? Urban fantasy? I'm not quite sure, but I was enchanted by this book. It's the story of two sisters--Cecilia with a troubled life, Rose with a safe life (but it's really kind of troubled anyway). When Cecilia disappears, Rose and Cecilia's ex-husband try to figure out what happened to her given the few clues Cecilia has left behind. It's the story of families we make--as most good ones are. The writing is flawless and so vivid, you'll be seeing the Avalon in your head (and maybe even wanting to jump on the red boat for the evening).

I wasn't sure what to expect but I ended up delighted! It's a bit of a fairytale wrapped in a missing sister drama. The people almost felt too real--Rose's friends and fiance were so very oblivious and horrible. I really did want her to run away with the fairies for a bit even if she didn't find her sister.

Like her other book, its a great snapshot of life in New York City as well. I'm sorry it ended! I wouldn't mind knowing more about these sisters.

Here in Avalon by Tara Isabella Burton is a story that follows two sisters as their lives are changed by a mysterious cabaret. Whimsical and dark, this story explores the need to be free and what all comes with that need.

I really enjoyed this book. It is almost a fairytale story about a cult. I have always been fascinated with the idea of cults but I feel like any “cult” book I pick up lets me down because I don’t see why people are drawn to the cult. This story made is feel desirable. The idea of this almost theatrical experience of an initiation was mesmerizing.

I found myself fully engaged through this whole story. I loved the sister relationship because it was the perfect mix of love and annoyance. The chapters in this book are a little long which I usually don’t like, but I was so absorbed, I didn’t notice it as much.

This is my second book by this author and I think she is definitely an auto-read author for me now. I love how character driven her books feel. The writing is just shy of feeling pretentious so it scratches that itch in my brain for something that makes me think.

I just had a great time with this book. I am the kind of person who would sail away to Avalon so this was a perfect read for me.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the free copy for review!

Sisters Rose and Cecilia were raised in a nontraditional way, floating through the streets of NYC by themselves and making friends with whoever they could. While Rose grew out of this way of life and grew up to be a standardly viewed successful woman, Cecilia never gave up the bohemian lifestyle. As someone who feels so deeply for everyone and everything she comes across, Cecilia bops in and out of Rose’s life for years, until one day, she leaves her new husband and tells Rose she is coming home to stay. Back in NYC, Cecilia tries to fit in and conform to societal norms until one night, she meets a group of strange but welcoming characters.

“Another life is possible.”

Cecilia gets sucked in with The Avalon- the cabaret group that appears to be magical, and then she disappears. Initially, Rose chalks up her disappearance to standard-Cecilia behavior, but soon she finds herself questioning who The Avalon is, whether they are connected to disappearances of others, and whether or not Cecilia is safe. In a smart coming-of-age story that explores the strong bonds of sisterhood, Here In Avalon takes the reader on a journey through imagination and magic to find out what is it that really matters.

I enjoyed the beautiful world of The Avalon that Burton created and the character development we see throughout the book. The questions of whether or not The Avalon is real or magic, whether the members are human or fairies kept me wanting to know more. Both Rose and Cecilia are forced to make very difficult decisions at multiple times and it made me think about how Rose is supposed to be the sister who has her life together, but she’s still questioning her own happiness. I thought that really spoke a lot to the author’s intentions within this book.

I had a difficult time with the length of this book- it just took me a really long time to read (even though I did enjoy it!) I think for me, it was the layout and the very long chapters that made it feel even longer than 320 pages. Additionally, sometimes the dialogue felt off to me because especially when Rose and Cecilia are talking to each other, it seems that they call each other by name in every line. I don’t know anyone who speaks like that in a conversation and it felt weird to me. A the end of the book, I still have some unanswered questions and would have liked to see a more clear resolution specifically for a few of the main characters.

4 stars / This review will be posted on goodreads.com today.

Start your year with this delightful read. Avalon is a place of dreams and fantasy. Where people who can no longer bear the lives they lead find a home. Burton has created a magical place. Avalon is for escapists.

Cecilia has never appeared to belong in this world. She’s flighty, direct, empathetic. Her whims have taken her all over the world to different places and beds. Cecilia is musical. The music she creates and plays is also magical and ethereal and not of this world.

Her sister Rose, however, is of this earth. She has always cared for Cecilia, even as their mother didn’t care for them. Rose has made her place in the world of software. She is talented, committed, focused. Maybe at one time she was also imaginative and creative, but responsibility has made her who she is.

Cecilia has always found her way home to Rose, whenever things get bad. In their childhood apartment, Cecilia rests and repairs for her next adventure. But now Rose is involved with Caleb, and rarely stays at their old home. Cecilia has found her next flight - to Avalon. When she disappears completely, leaving behind everything, Rose starts to worry. So Rose sets out to solve the mystery of Cecilia’s disappearance, and this place called Avalon.

Quirky. Engaging. Escapism. That’s what this book represents. It’s a very fun read. Sad, even tragic at times, but mostly a nice little trip from reality. How we mold ourselves into what we think we need to be sometimes, rather than trust our instincts to guide us to who we really are. I loved reading this. We all need a little Avalon in our lives.

I was provided an ARC of this title for free and am leaving this review voluntarily. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

“‘Another life is possible.”

This incredibly quick read follows two very different sisters. Cecilia, flighty, impulsive and whimsical, never stays still for long, so it neither surprises or worries her much more level-headed and logical sister Rose when the former spins a magical tale of a traveling cabaret that promises to whisk its travelers away to a better life and declares her plans to seek them out.

But when her sister actually vanishes seemingly into thin air and a few too many curious puzzle pieces pop up out of nowhere, Rose’s curious mind gets the better of her sense and she seeks out the cabaret for herself, in hopes that if nothing else she may find her sister safe and sound. Aboard The Avalon, she gets a lot more than she expected.

Ethereally magical, but I agree with some other readers who said there were still a lot of unanswered questions.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the EARC.

Cecilia has an innocent and gentle soul. She is intense and passionate; she is artistic, with some of the negative and positive stereotypes associated with that word. She cannot commit to anything for long, and often ends up in messes from which her sister, Rose, has to extract her. Rose had artistic aspirations of her own, but with their unusual childhood and the flightiness of her mother and sister, Rose craved order, calm, and seriousness, and she wanted to do something that "mattered." She became a coder, working for companies making wellness apps that helped you make better choices and focus on the areas of your life that needed attention. However, her world was probably just as "fake" or as much of an illusion as her sister's world. Reality hits hard when Cecilia returns to NY, disrupting Rose's well-ordered life, and later disappears again, to a place (Avalon) that does not seem like it can possibly be real -- a seeming world of magic and mystery. Rose's efforts to find her sister will upend numerous lives, including her own, in ways she cannot possibly fathom at the time.

“Here in Avalon” is a hauntingly magical tale of two sisters, Rose, grounded in reality, making her own way, and Cecelia, the dreamer always searching for something better. Separately they fall under the spell of a magical cabaret troupe that might be a dangerous cult preying on the vulnerable.

I enjoyed the push and pull between real life and fantasy, but was a little torn with how it ended, but I’m not sure it could have ended any other way. This book held my interest and was a truly creative concept, but there is a some need to suspend belief and ignore some of the plot holes and unresolved questions to perpetuate the magic, which is also a theme of the cabaret troupe.

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—but one that makes the materialist world left in its wake feel like a sinister cult itself.

I didn't know what to expect from this one but I ended up really enjoying it. Great urban fantasy/magical realism with interesting characters. Well done!

It's clear that Burton has grown as a writer between World and Avalon, not least because she's writing about (young) adults as opposed to teenage girls. I did appreciate the wink and nod to World in the form of a cheeky little easter egg! The themes between the two books are similar - women feeling out of place/time in their own lives and seeking something beyond the confines of their everyday borders - and this, too, is a coming-of-age of sorts.

Rose is a sympathetic enough lead, and the push-pull she feels between her carefully orderly life and artistic tendencies is very relatable. Burton ratcheted up the tension masterfully in the first half of the book, to the point where even I wasn't sure whether this would turn out to be an urban fantasy or more of the magical realism sort. The eventual reveal, while not what I had personally hoped for, made perfect sense within the context of the Avalon's world. Perhaps I enjoyed it so much because, in part, I'm very much one of those who would absolutely run away with the fairies if given the chance.

Another life is possible. 4.5 stars.

Here in Avalon is more character focused than I expected, with the fantastical elements being used to heighten the stakes and emotion rather than it taking center stage. The heart of the book is really Rose and Cecilia’s relationship as sisters and how it evolves over the course of the book. I loved the first half because of this but the second half in which the focus is drawn away from them is where the book started to lose me.

Rose has spent most of her life caring for her older sister, Cecilia, whose flights of fancy and intense empathy can get her into dangerous situations or involved with those that take advantage of her. When Cecilia comes back after leaving a man she just married, she seems to be getting better at first but suddenly falls back into old habits and tells Rose about the new mysterious cabaret that reached out to her. Then she disappears. and Rose’s search for Cecilia takes her across the city and makes her question everything she believed in, including her own happiness.

I found Rose’s arc to be really interesting since Burton takes a very rational and disciplined character and puts her through quite an emotional journey. A lot of it was successful and emotionally moving, especially where Cecilia is concerned, but her ending felt pretty flat and unworthy of the character. I wish there had been another chapter at the end and more time dedicated to Rose and Cecilia and how they repair their relationship.

Instead, the romance detracts from the two sisters. It wasn’t a romance I really rooted for either so every time that love interest came on the page, I impatiently waited to return to the sisters. I did enjoy the side characters but also wish they had gotten more fleshed out. This is probably a result of the pacing as the dysfunctional dynamic between Cecilia and Rose in the first half is repeated when we already understand within a quarter of that time what that relationship is, and now we want to see where it goes.

I also enjoyed the fantastical elements and liked how it was a mix of being culty, operating like a fae court, and also being a kind of artists’ commune. I got a decent sense of every side character’s personality but I do think that the ending hinges too much on one of their choices instead of on a choice Cecilia or/and Rose makes. It’s also not as culty as the synopsis makes it out to be so I think those looking for a more in-depth look into the machinations of a cult or the twisted games of fae courts will be disappointed.

Overall, Here in Avalon isn’t as magical or emotionally impactful as I wish it was but there’s definitely heart to it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This review will be posted on my blog (clearsummers.wordpress.com) and Goodreads on December 19, 2023, and on Amazon on January 2, 2024.

“Here in Avalon” is the 3rd novel I’ve read of Tara Isabella Burton and probably my favorite. The less you know going into this one the better, but one sister searches for another in the NYC cabaret underworld. I am excited to see “Sleep no More” on my upcoming trip to NYC as Burton cited it as inspiration for this book.

This was utterly phenomenal! I wasn’t sure that I would enjoy based on the description, but I tend to like her writing. Jess quickly went to not able to put down territory, and I was hooked! So engaging with a story, and it left me waiting for more from her! She’s such a talented writer, and I cannot wait to read more of her work!