Thank you to NetGalley and Cursed Dragon Ship Publishing for this arc in exchange for my honest review!

This book is available now!!!

Welcome to Ames, a sleepy Appalachian town and home to sisters, Leona and Jewel Spencer. It’s a witchy crime story with a paranormal twist that just didn’t appeal to me. I wasn’t engaged with the characters. The plot plodded along and I felt like DNF’ing so many times.

A book about witches, yes, please. I adored Leona and Jewel so much, they kept me wanting to read what would happen next. This book was so much fun, it was hard to put down.

Thank you to NetGalley and Cursed Dragon Ship Publishing for providing me with this eARC in return for an honest review. I had a hard time connecting with Leona and Jewel, but did really enjoy the witchy vibes and the true crime elements in the book.

Root and Bone was an entertaining story that held hints of practical magic and a bit of the diviners. The characters were well developed and you could picture their world easily. Although a few pieces of the story felt a bit predictable, it didn’t make it any less enjoyable. All in all it was a fun story and a good, quick read.

This book had some good themes of the strength of a woman, specifically back in the days where women were powerless in society. The sister's bond was the focal point of this story and it made the book good, especially as more supernatural creatures were introduced throughout the book! The mystery plot was lacking for me, struggled to connect to it, the way was concerting with the sister's family and marriage drama, along with the Galen drama. However, did like how it all connected in the end! The ghost romance was new to me, and I'm not quite sure how feel about it! While this wasn't my favorite paranormal book, I am interested in continuing the series in the future!

Welcome to Ames, where the cast of characters are far from the normal in paranormal!

Sisters Leona and Jewel set out to unravel the mystery of what happened to a murdered girl. The sisters use their magic and abilities to help local sheriff solve the heinous crime and allow you a glimpse into their lives.🕵🏻‍♀️

This is the first book I read by Jessica Raney and I really enjoyed it. Very visual descriptions haunt small town Appalachia in the Spenser Sisters book 1. Perfect for fans of spooky, murder mystery and witchy vibes. 🔮

Thank you to the author, Jessica Raney, NetGalley and the publisher, Cursed Dragon Ship LLC, for the opportunity to listen to this book. I received this advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

#RootandBone #NetGalley

The Spencer sisters, Leona and Jewel, are witches. Jewel's favorite magic consists of potions and poisons, while Leona's magic allows her to see ghosts on top of the same magic Jewel has. With her powers, Leona helps ghosts pass through to their eternal resting place. However, after girls start being murdered in town, Leona discovers their ghosts are cursed and out of blood--Leona's blood, to be specific. In order to figure out how to help these ghosts, Leona and Jewel must figure out who is murdering these girls. Throughout their investigation, the Spencer sisters uncover a cult run by a warlock and his vampire brother, and also a werewolf pimp who runs a sex ring and illegal gambling.

With the help from Cale, Leona's ghost boyfriend who has been with her for years, Jewel and Leona find the killers and defeat them. Cale ultimately sacrifices himself to save Leona and Jewel, and Leona is able to free to cursed ghosts and rid the town of the darkness.

I wanted to love this book, but I found it incredibly difficult to follow the dialect used by the characters. That is my biggest gripe with this book, I think. I felt that the dialect came and went throughout different parts of the book, and it seemed odd. Secondly, I enjoyed the overall storyline, but there was too much thrown in there. We didn't need warlocks, vampires, AND a werewolf, and we also didn't need a cult, sex ring, AND illegal gambling. It felt overwhelming and unrealistic for me. Lastly, the getting pregnant by a ghost, who was not a ghost on Halloween, storyline felt really forced to me. I would've loved to see Leona let Cale go and focus on herself and move on.

Rated 2.5 stars, rounded up to 3.

Root and Bone by Jessica Raney was simply charming. Very rarely do I read a book written in a southern voice that actually gets it right. This had the perfect Appalachian Southern Gothic vibe. Between the dialogue overflowing with personality and real-ness to the creepy spooky occult vibes, I absolutely adored everything about this story. T Jessica Raney might be an auto-buy author for me now, because there truly was not a single aspect of this story I didn’t like.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a great read, the cottage/folklore vibes were fantasic!

I enjoyed this book but it was a little harder for me to get into for a few reasons. Number 1 for me is that you’re thrust into this timeline with people and magic and ghosts with 0 understanding of any of it. It’s extremely hard for me to wrap my head around it and visualize things with no idea of when any of this is occurring aside from some vague details used in the language of the book. There isn’t enough world building in my opinion and the characters didn’t really give me any reason to connect with them in all honesty. There were also some inconsistencies like using different names for the character at different times that irked me a bit. I would’ve liked more info on the magic and what was going on behind the scenes. I think there were just things I personally did not like but I think it could be a great read for someone else! All in all I didn’t hate this book but it wasn’t my favorite.

3.5/5 ⭐️

I would like to thank netgalley, the publisher and Jessica Raney for this ARC.

I liked this book, it was cute and different from what I usually read but I really did enjoy the story I liked the mystery solving theme with spells and magic and witches. If you like witches set in the 50’s and murder mystery I’d give this book a try.

If you haven’t read the story please do not read the below as it might contain some spoilers……

I did wish that there was someway for Leona to bring Cale back to the living cause my god I hated Bob too much and I wanted them together. I do wonder if Peggy will remember eventually as she gets older what Leona had done.. overall I enjoyed this book and would read the second one should the author publish it!

I must admit that I was positively surprised by Root and Bone by Jessica Raney. This fast-paced, paranormal mystery is packed with suspense, magic, and small-town vibes reminiscent of True Detective. What sets it apart is the humorous touch added by the dialectal verbiage of most of the characters.

Our sister heroines, Leona and Jewel, are a force to be reckoned with. I had a fantastic time following their investigations into the gruesome murders shaking the foundations of their quiet town. These two strong women aren't afraid to surf the waves of patriarchy and misogyny of the '50s. They face family violence and find solutions within themselves, drawing on their strength and magic.

In a place where supernaturals of all kinds call home, Leona and Jewel shine with their intelligence and sass. Different like the sun and the moon, the sisters are the true stars of this book. Their dynamic is electric, their courage inspiring, and their wit sharp.

Root and Bone is a delightful read that leaves you craving more of their feisty adventures. Hopefully, we'll see more of their fierce and sassy escapades in future books. Jessica Raney has crafted a captivating tale that's hard to put down and impossible to forget.

Jessica Raney's 'Root and Bone' swept me into a spellbinding tale set in a small Appalachian village haunted by a series of chilling murders. Led by sisters and witches, Leona and Jewel, the narrative unfolds with a captivating mix of dark paranormal intrigue and familial bonds. While I found myself drawn to the atmospheric setting and compelling characters, particularly Jewel's unwavering determination, I couldn't shake the discomfort surrounding the unsettling age gap between Leona and Cale at their first encounter.

Despite my overall enjoyment, 'Root and Bone' left me feeling slightly unsettled as the story raced towards its conclusion. Some plot points felt rushed, leaving me with unanswered questions and unresolved conflicts. Nevertheless, Raney's debut offered me a promising glimpse into a world of magic and mystery, leaving me eager to see how the story unfolds in future installments.

The gripping story "Root and Bone" by Jessica Raney takes place in the Appalachian town of Ames, where sisters Leona and Jewel heirs to a family of strong Granny Women confront evil forces in the wake of a horrific murder. Readers will be glued to their seats until the very end as Raney creates a captivating story filled with mystery, sisterly ties, and a hint of suspense.

I would like to express my gratitude to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this advance reader copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

I absolutely LOVED this book. From the setting to the way it was written. This was such a refreshing and well written take on Appalachian style folklore without being overbearing. I can't wait to read more in the series.

I liked the book's atmosphere with strong witches solving mysteries in a supernatural small town. The big age gap between Leona and Cale at the start felt a bit weird and should have been addressed.

While I enjoyed the plot and Leona's bond with Jewel, more details about the town's background and deeper relationships would have been nice. Adding suspenseful moments between key events could have made the story more exciting.

Despite that, I recommend this mysterious paranormal book to those who like dark stories. I'm curious to see how Jessica continues the series.

Thanks to NetGalley and Cursed Dragon Ship Publishing for the ARC!

Description:

"Root and Bone" by Jessica Raney is a Southern mystery novel that immerses readers in the mystical and eerie ambiance of a small Appalachian town named Ames. The story is centered around two sisters, Leona Monroe and Jewel Spencer, who are descendants of a line of "Granny Women." These women are healers, keepers of secrets, and possessors of potent magical abilities, including seeing the future, manipulating nature, and communicating with the dead​.

The tranquility of Ames is shattered by the murder of a young girl, a crime that the local authorities are ill-equipped to handle because of its supernatural undertones. Leona and Jewel take it upon themselves to solve the murder, leveraging their unique magical skills. Their investigation uncovers deeper, darker forces at play, including vengeful spirits and sinister strangers who pose new threats to their community.

Review:

I really liked the general idea and how it
started with all the mystery witchy vibes and retro atmosphere. The characters seemed promising and the mood as I imagined it reading was, too.

Leona can see and communicate with ghosts. That got me really interested.
I also liked the dynamic between Leona as the older and more responsible sister and the younger sister Jewel who seemed more free-spirited.
Other characters didn't feel that thought through.

Sadly, the pacing started to feel a little rushed for me in the second half and there are a few things that remain a little unclear. I did like the idea of a human ghost romance but i would have needed that to be explored more, for example.

The dialect language was a bit difficult to deal with. It seemed grammatically wrong so i stumbled over it several times despite knowing.
I did like the writing style as such though and i would read more from the author and genre!

Thank you for the opportunity to review!

I want to start off by saying that I was unable to finish the book. I attempted to rest this book, and also attempted to have Siri read this book for me while I followed along. I had a very hard time with the dialect being not just in the dialogue. It was very distracting, and pulled me out of the book more than once. I also felt the storyline was disjointed and a bit lackluster. I didn’t feel drawn to the characters or their story. This maybe could be remedied with a bit more set up in the beginning. I think the idea of this book has potential, but the current presentation was lacking.

Root and Bone's synopsis really made me hopeful for a fun and spooky witchy read, but I was a bit disappointed. The time period and ages of the characters was questionable until about 75% of the way through (unless I missed it, but I checked again and didn't see any indication in the beginning) and I feel like the characters fell flat. Every time I started to find myself getting sucked in, the development/plot/relationship/bonding would just end way too soon. I think it was just wayyyy too much information to cram into one book and should have been separated out. Even if only one character was more developed I would have felt better, but they all seem like the exact same characters they were when they started.

I had so much fun reading the dialogue and feel that's where the story excelled. I also loved the dynamic between Jewel and Leona and would be interested in seeing more of their journey. And, while I do love a supernatural romance, the one with Cale and Leona was a bit odd for me.

Overall, 2/5 stars. Would give book 2 a chance but overall was disappointed. Thank you to NetGalley for the eArc!!!

Unfortunately, this book fell flat for me. The world had so much potential, but it was very cliche and predictable. I enjoyed the supernatural elements in the book, but it felt like the author had all these ideas and couldn’t settle on just one or two. There were a few times that I almost chose to DNF the book because of the author’s choices or writing styles, but I decided to stick it out: (the dogs being murder by the werewolf felt very unnecessary, and I truly despised the author’s choice to use the term “carrot” for Leona’s husband.) I wish this book was a hit more refined because it could've been so much better.