Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book I have read by this author. I didn't know what to expect with it but I was pleasantly surprised. There is action on almost every page and is full of fantasy and magic alongside murder and mystery.

It was a page turner so be warned that you will probably not want to put it down once you have started.

I don't understand why this book has such a low overall average. I kinda liked it.

Two witchy sisters take on some bad guys when girls in their small town are being murdered. There's ghosts, energy vampires and werewolves. In my favorite setting.

I'm all over that stuff.

Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this novel!

“Root and Bone” follows a story of 3 women set in the 50’s American South (I think, the timeline wasn’t clear to me?). Leona and Jewel are two sisters with different types of magic, and they are on a mission to find a woman who went missing in their town.

This book is written in an old Southern dialogue, which for me was quite distracting at times. There also seemed to be moments where this was forgotten, and dialogue was written “normally”.

It is also an incredibly dialogue-heavy book with very, very few descriptions. This made it difficult for me to be able to imagine any of what the characters or world looked like.

The wording used makes this feel simple enough for a middle-grade reader to understand, but must be considered YA as it is quite dark at times? The characters themselves come across as very childish, and sometimes the phrases they use do not help.

It was hard for me to get roped in to this book and want to see what was going to happen. I did enjoy the moments with Granny Kay more than the FMC.

The cover of this book is exceptional, and I do think the chapter page art is as well! If you enjoy very witchy reads with classic “magic”, as well as the 50s/60s as a time period, give this book a try.

I’m sorry, but I had to DNF the book. I read the first few chapters, the writing style was good but the characters didn’t speak to me or appeal to me as much as I thought they would from the summary. I wish I could have stuck with it as the premise sounded amazing but the story was not meshing with my expectations. Thank you for the opportunity in reading this book.

Leona and her sister Jewel live in a small town in the Appalachian Mountains. When local girls are murdered this two magically gifted sister seek to find answers and protect their tiny town from evil.

Things I really enjoyed
-mixing of the different dark creatures and not in a fantastical way. I enjoyed the real world feel of the vampires, witches and werewolves.
-Jewel, she is a cheeky yet strong female character. I think I would’ve connected more with the book from her perspective.
-Cale and his mystery story. His willingness to protect Leona just made him charming to me.
Granny Kay- old and wise. She was the emotional relief here. There for the girls when they needed help. She reminded me much of my own grandma.

Things I didn’t enjoy
Leona- she’s this powerful magically adept female but carries herself in a very unsure way. I didn’t relate and found it hard to connect with her character. I felt like she didn’t come across as a mom that enjoyed her child.
-the domestic abuse. It was apart of the characters lives in a big way but felt like it was brushed off as normal.
-pacing it was slow building until the end than it felt super rushed.

I really wanted to love it, it mixed all the elements I enjoy separately and in a well done combination but the main character fell flat for me.

I’d give it a 3/5

Thank you NetGalley, Jessica Raney and Cursed Dragon Ship Publishing for the arc in exchange for a review

El libro está bien, si te gusta la serie de Entre fantasmas con vibes de los años 40-50 y unas protas brujas, lo tienes todo.
A veces la trama se hacía lenta, pero como en todo libro, las cosas tienen que explicarse.
Me gustó que ambas protas, tanto Jewel como Leona, fueran ya mayores, no es una fantasía protagonizada por crías (aunque algunas veces en la narración lo parecía)
El personaje de Jewel me gustó MUCHO. Es muy bueno, a decir verdad, y asume su rol como debe.
El de Leona también, aunque quizás me chirriaba más su comportamiento (aunque tienes que llevar la mentalidad de que estás hablando sobre un libro ambientado hace más de 50 años)

Las brujas siempre han sido mi debilidad, así que no ha estado mal leerlas!
Un librito muy chulo.

I really enjoyed the mystery and the magic that this book embodied. The characters were what really sold this book to me although I could easily have down with more Granny Kay

I really enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the mixture of crime and supernatural. I liked the MCs Leona and Jewel who are sisters and witches who have to solve a murder.

I quite enjoyed the book and the story of Leona and Jewel. Their relationship and all the mystical creatures were the highlight of the book for me. I struggled a bit with the pacing here and there but overall a fantasy book to enjoy.

Thanks to NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of this book!

Root and Bone takes place in an Appalachian town shortly after the conclusion of WWII. The main characters are two sisters, Leona and Jewel, who happen to be witches. Their town has all sorts of creatures, from werewolves to ghouls, and this, mixed with the dialect and the small-town setting, created a ✨vibe✨ for me that I really loved!
The dynamic between Leona and Jewel was really fun, definitely the highlight of the book for me. I also liked that you can see little tendrils of plot that will most likely be future conflicts in the series. Definitely a hit for me!

I really wanted to love this book as it's not my usual genre but unfortunately found myself not enjoying it and not completely the book.

An amazing and cozy gothic fantasy!
Jewel and Leona are fantastic, you cant help but love the characters. Their sister bond is relatable, its quirky and strong.
The story is real and emotional, the magic phenomenal.
Magic and mystery collide to produce this dark and hopeful story.
I enjoyed the way the magic was written- not the black and grey it usually is.
Vampires, warlocks and werewolves were a nice added touch. They don't take away from the sisters being the focal characters.
Peggy, Leonas daughter, was annoying but I hope we get to see her character develop beautifully.
Cannot wait to read more from the Spencer Sisters!

😭 I wanted to love this. I wanted to be drawn in and fully apart of their world. Unfortunately, I ended up not finishing this one as I wasn’t able to get into it after 30%. The characters and concept were good, but it just couldn’t hook me. It felt all over the place and going no where all at once. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC!

A story of familial bonds and magical realism. Filled with intrigue and mystery and suspense. A haunting story that all women will resonate with.

4⭐️

I really enjoyed this dark thriller! The story is set in a small town where many of its residents are supernatural, but not all is shared. When young girls start going missing and bodies are found, the little town has a huge bloody mystery on its hands.

What I loved most about this book was the characters. I liked Leona and Jewel’s banter and relationship. I do think the book started off a bit slow and most of the action happened at the end, but overall I did enjoy the story!

This book was so much fun. It's giving "Good for her".
Spooky and endearing. Glad Leona figured her shit out.
10/10 no notes.

This book is very well written! The storyline and character personalities were very engaging throughout. I will definitely be reading more from this author!

This book is very heavy in its dialogue and the dialogue is written the way these characters in rural America would speak. I think that makes total sense but it did make it really hard to read for me. I also didn’t like the heavy domestic violence and I know that it’s probably very time period accurate, it just really put me off.
I just wasn’t able to connect with the characters very well nor fall into the writing. Root and Bone has a very cool concept and I have no doubt it will find its audience that will absolutely adore it. Thank you so much for sending me a copy, I really appreciate it.

Thank you @netgalley and Cursed Dragon Ship Publishing LLC for the arc copy of Root and Bone!

Root and Bone is like a 1950’s version of the tv show Supernatural but with sisters who are witches and a Branch Davidians cult twist. The sisters Leona and Jewel live in a small town where young women turn up brutally murdered. Leona decides that they need to help solve the murders because they can use their magic to find answers.

Overall, I really enjoyed the story of this book. The plot kept you wanting to read more to find out what happened in regards to the murders and to learn more about the sisters. I was actually more interested in learning about their magic sometimes than the plot! The banter between the sisters was cute, funny, and relatable. It was also entertaining to be the 1950’s time period with all the accents and colloquial language of that time. Every time Leona told Jewel “stop that dirty talk” I had to go find what the dirty talk actually was!

This is a great book for you if you like to read books that include: non-fantasy magic, paranormal, witches, mystery, thriller, a little bit of romance, and small town feels.

This book is so well written! The characters are all realistic characters, who have flaws and good qualities. The storyline is engaging, and fairly fast paced. I will be reading more from this author!