I mean this in the nicest way possible, but this book was a slough to get through. The storyline was good but the pacing was rickety. It took me a while to get into it and then it took a turn that slowed me down again. The characters were hard to root for.

I didn't personally care for the writing style, so I stopped after chapter 1 (3%). This seems like a 3-4 stars for the target audience.

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove for the ARC.

Such a good book that looks into the secrets a family will hide and what it takes to break free from the life that was put before you.

This book was okay - an interesting enough story but it felt a bit flat, like there was some unmet potential there. Reasonably well-written, but the stakes never felt that high.

Loved reading the mesmerizing and spellbinding story. Elisabeth is having second thoughts taking over for her grandmother, Magda, and wants to have a life of her own, but Magda wants to make sure Elisabeth follows in her footsteps. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written, and a must read riveting story captivating the reader from the first page of the story until the last page. Can't wait to read another story from the incredibly talented author, Andrea Jo DeWard!

This story was slower than I expected, but I did enjoy it. However, I struggled fully connecting with the characters. I feel like I needed more back story. I struggled accepting the side characters because I didn’t like them because I didn’t know much about them. I did like that she realized she didn’t need a man to be happy:successful, but as a hopeless romantic, I wanted to a more obvious happy ending with her summer romance. All in all, I give this 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars. Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for a chance to read and review this ARC.

This might best fine story, but I couldn't get into the writing style. Just a huge disconnect for me and it didn't draw me in at all. DNF.

What is sacrifice for magic is just the right blend of Witchy vibes, family secrets, and intergenerational conversation to really hold my attention. The prose was simply written and the pacing of the story was done in such a way is to let each of the relationships that we were following kind of breathe. I wish that the story were bit longer and then I got to spend more time with the witchcraft aspect of what was going on here, but I absolutely adored the small town air of it all and I would definitely recommend this for anyone the movie adaptation of practical magic or maybe is looking for a cozy fantasy with coming of age vibes .

* some things were left open ended in a way that I could imagine the author revisiting this family .

I absolutely could not put this book down. A journey through time, family secrets, and the 60s, readers will love the story as we follow the journey of the three generations of women as they find themselves and what it means to be witches. As they navigate love, life, and magic, what will they be forced to sacrifice or endure?

I am a sucker for all things witchy.
And this book really had a lot of promise and I was so looking forward to reading it.
Overall, it was an enjoyable, easy read, but for me there was something missing for it to be a really good book.

Thank you so much for the gift of getting to read this beautiful novel early
Below is my review posted to Goodreads



First my thanks to Alcove Press and NetGalley for the opportunity for an ARC copy of this novel 🫶

TLDR; 10/10 would recommend. Witchy. Finding yourself. Familial love.

Can I just say- wow! Andrea Jo DeWerd’s debut novel is a show stopper. I was immediately drawn to the characters and into the story. I ached for Elisabeth and her need to see for herself what the world had to offer. I truly enjoyed witnessing the growth of sisterly affection and familial bonds. I’ll admit- this one had me wiping tears of happiness the last few chapters as the characters came into their own. I finished reading this book with a heart full of emotion. There aren’t many books I think I could read more than once- but I can easily see this becoming a yearly read.


*spoilers*

By the end of this story, each character had grown and we discovered more about them than had initially met the eye- for better or worse.

As someone familiar with the small (ish) town/country-type people I was just waiting for John to show his true colors and even though I was waiting for it to happen it still shocked me! It was perfectly executed. I’m also very glad how Mr Ridder was letting Elisabeth handle it herself but also let her know he saw, and he wouldn’t let it happen again.

The love/affection that Elisabeth had with Nick made my heart swell. I’m so glad she was able to find someone who actually let her be herself, not the illusion of it that John gave. The open ending, with him joining in the family festivities and wanting to move into town to be closer with Elisabeth, I think, was a perfect way to wrap up their story. The open ended-ness of it fits well with what Elisabeth was looking for the whole story- new possibilities and the opportunity to make choices. We don’t know for sure what happens between the two of them- but that’s the point, anything could happen!

The biggest relationship that I enjoyed watching grow, was that between Elisabeth and Mary. Their ending is what made me tear up. Elisabeth was so set on shouldering this family burden herself, even though the whole time Mary was there beside her, showing how capable she was. All it took for her to finally see it, was her grandmas’ death, her mom finally spilling the family secrets, and a séance to talk to her ancestral matriarch.

I’m so glad the two sisters were able to share the burden, so neither one had to fully give up their chance for happiness. The prospect of them working together in the future, with or without men that accept and support them, is a happy ending in my book.

There are many ways this worked, and was even occasionally...graceful? However, the whole situation was dangerously close to falling into that horrible "if everyone just communicated none of these problems would have arisen" trope, and I hate that.

I found the title of this book so apt for the story. This is very reminiscent of the age old story of familial obligations one’s tethered to and the desire to pave one’s own path instead. This book demonstrates the push and pull of declared duties vs finding your own way really well, with a fun magical twist.

I really enjoyed this story, with a slower moving pace that I felt worked well to really to capture the desperation in which our protagonist fights against her chosen one title. She knows what her life will look like. She knows who she will marry, what her duties will be to her family and their magic. But, she wants her own journey… Upon learning secrets never revealed to her previously, she rebels in an explosive fashion, knowing that her grandmother will be looking for her.

The messy family dynamic in this book and the interactions between each of them was so powerful. I found this book to be an unexpected treat.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC to read and review. All opinions are my own.

This book is the story of Elisabeth, a teenager growing up in the 60s in a small town in Minnesota. The women in her family possess magical powers that both help and slightly intimidate the community. Elisabeth begins to question her role as the next matriarch in the family, her relationship with her boyfriends and her reliance on magic.

Stars - I thought the world building was great, and I really enjoyed the book's messages about the importance of sisterly love. It reminded me of Disney's Frozen in a way (which now that I think about it is based on the fairy tale the Snow Queen).

Wishes - I wish the story would have started with a prologue or even a few chapters dedicated to Elisabeth's childhood. I also wish the author would do more "showing" and less "telling."

An easy read.

This story is set in a small town in Minnesota in the 1960 where a family with magical powers help the town in secret with different things. It started off kind of cute but never went past that “this is okay”-mark. Nothing spectacular.

What We Sacrifice for Magic explores the dark magic of familial obligations and the enchantment of following your own path in life. The story follows three generations of the Watry- Ridder women in 1960s Minnesota. With their Germanic folk magic protecting and helping the locals, and the freeing and liberating 60s energy in the background, Elisabeth Watry-Ridder finds herself caught in the middle of this clash. Eighteen years old and beginning to crave independence, her discovery of a devastating family secret forces her to choose between her family and herself.

I really enjoyed this story and the folksy vibe and atmosphere. It had a rustic magic that shone through the German/Dutch folklore and the sizzling tension of a classic coming of age novel. Love, family, fate, and free will were the themes present throughout the story and magic was used as the medium through which independence and dependence was explored.

Anyone who has struggled with guilt and co-dependent relationships will relate to the characters in this story. Following your heart can be one of the scariest things you will ever do in your life, and like Elisabeth, the first step is taking back your heart from the people and things that attempted to steal it away. How much you sacrifice for someone can indicate how much you love them and this was something the women, mothers, and witches in this story grappled with. Inter-generational trauma and mother daughter relationships were examined with magical ancestral issues increasing the stakes.

This story made me think and reflect and for that I am grateful. I look forward to reading future books from this author.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a free arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book has the potential to be a far superior piece of fiction, if only more attention was given to it. The premise is promising but it just didn’t quite deliver without some extra attention to the content, formatting, and grammar itself.

I received an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. A well-written, coming of age story, with the magical touches from the witchy world.

I loved the characters and the relationships throughout the book, and I enjoyed the twists and turns throughout.

The only criticism that I have, is that the incantations were all in German, and although I could understand some of them, I didn't have a clue to the others. Perhaps a key should be included with the translation at the end of the book?

I definitely recommend this book to any paranormal lovers and to those who enjoy cosy coming of age, family tales.

Overall I enjoyed this book more once I overlooked the grammatical errors. The family dynamic was the most interesting element to explore in this book for me.

DNF. It needs way more editing, the formatting was very very poor. Hopefully someone catches this and corrects it! Otherwise, if this is the final version I couldn't make it past page 2 due to these errors.