Root and Bone, Spencer Sisters, book 1
By Jessica Raney

Summary:
Leona and Jewel Spencer are magical sisters from the small Appalachian town of Ames. They are descendants of women sages versed in healing, guardians of secrets, and wielders of potent enchantments—Leona and Jewel possess a unique connection to the dead.
When a grisly murder shatters the town's peace, it becomes evident that conventional authorities are ill-equipped to unravel the true depths of the mystery. Thus, the burden falls upon the shoulders of the Spencer sisters, who find themselves entangled in a web of malevolent magic and restless spirits.

Review:
It is clear that the author is from the Appalachia area. The Granny Kay character used several sayings unique to the story's setting that made me laugh out loud. There was a large cast of characters, and a few were underdeveloped, but knowing this is a series, the characters could be explored deeper in later books. I enjoyed Jewel and the townspeople's description. Jewel and Leona's banter sounds like sister squabbles, but love is behind the words. The magic system was an extension of the sisters' background and fit well within the story.

Certain story elements were glazed over, and there are a few trigger warnings you need to be aware of before picking up this book. I found the theme of sister/family bonds to be well-written, and the relationships were believable. The other theme of good vs evil was multifaceted, and almost all the characters had flaws. I enjoy a story where characters are not entirely saints or saviors. This detail creates more depth and lends to the plot structure. This story just threw in various creatures/monsters, and considering they were critical to the storyline, the book needed more low fantasy worldbuilding. Overall, I enjoyed this enchanting book of magical sisters who solve mysteries. The writing was descriptive and took you on a dark trip to the hollers of Appalachia.

In exchange for my honest review, I received an ARC copy of the ebook from Netgalley and Cursed Dragon Ship Publishing. Thank you for the opportunity.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book!
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and read it in 2 days! If you want an action packed book with mystery and magic, this is the book for you. In the beginning of our book, a woman goes missing. Our two main characters Jewel and Leona come from a long line of witches, and each have magical abilities. When it’s clear the police will need extra help, the two sisters step in to find the missing woman. As the story unravels, we meet evil and vengeful ghosts, and with the help of a friendly spirit and their magic, Jewel and Leona help their town.
I absolutely loved Jewel and Leona! Their strong personalities and them being women who aren’t afraid to stand up to a man made them so lovable! I also loved that the topic of abuse in relationships was covered in this story to show that sometimes it isn’t so easy for someone to leave. The magical element of this story was amazing, and the action had my heart racing so fast.
If you like mystery’s, magic and strong female characters, I highly recommend you read this!

I love this book!! I wasn’t sure what to expect except a witchy book, but it was so much more! There were witches and werewolves and love and heartbreak and spells and murder and mystery! I read it in one sitting and cried more than once. It was spookier than I expected, and I loved that, I felt satisfied at the ending and even though I wanted something to happen I still felt a sense of closure.
Thank you so much to Jessica Raney and NetGalley for this ARC!!

A little root and bone magic and I absolutely LOVED it!

First, a young girl is found murdered. The Spencer sisters are two strong, female witches and they feel it is their responsibility to help when they find that magic is at play.
But Leona and Jewel Spencer are not alone.
There are ghouls, werewolves, vampires all hiding amongst the people in town. Not to mention, ghosts full of rage that no one but Leona can see!
More people are getting murdered, curses are going around, and Leona and Jewel Spencer are the ones capable of saving their small town.
Will the whispers in Leona’s head get in the way and be their demise?
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This book completely broke me at the end. I did not expect to be heartbroken over anything, but there I was, crying! I’m praying for a sequel. 🙏🏼😭

The only downside for me was that the ‘big’ anticipated battle was a bit anticlimactic. But everything else was just, WOW. 😭

This was a good novel , however, I felt it could have been great. It wasn't long enough, I felt, to tell the whole story that it could have told. You are strung right into things too quickly. It was a good novel, just could have been better

A surprisingly cozy read, in a dark magic cozy kind of way.

It was giving practical magic vibes with sisters who are opposites but work together, possession, ghosts, and other paranormal entities.

The two sisters work together using witchcraft and their specific skill sets to solve and hunt something supernatural that’s is killing the local townsfolk- like a paranormal whodunnit.

It’s was a great fun easy read

I really struggled to get into this book. I found the writing style difficult to get on with, with much of the dialogue seeming to be he said she said, but there were other aspects of the book where i was left wondering on the back story.

A good premise, with lots of potential.

I found it difficult to get into and my rating reflects that.

I really wanted to get into 'Root and Bone,' but I ended up dropping it at about 30%. It just wasn't clicking with me.

The biggest problem? The way the story kicks off. You're tossed right into the middle of things without much clue about the setting or the time period. The characters' way of speaking hints at maybe the 1940s or '50s, but you don't get any clear confirmation until much later. Plus, the whole deal with magic is super confusing. It's not clear who knows about it or what the deal is with magical creatures, which just adds to the confusion.

By the time I hit the 30% mark, nothing had really grabbed me—not the setting, not the characters, and not the plot.

Just a heads up for those planning to give it a shot—make sure to check the trigger warnings. I didn’t rate it since I didn’t finish, so it wouldn't be fair. But Netgalley system doesn't accept it, so my rating is for the potential of the plot.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Jessica Raney for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Root and Bone coming out May 14, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I really wanted love it because I love witches and ghost stories. There were just some parts that felt out of place. Some of the motivations for the characters didn’t make sense to me. It felt like women were being sexualized but also the girl power theme. There was a religious theme. And then there was a murder mystery. I’m not sure how it all fit together. I didn’t quite understand the rules of magic either. I just thought things would go differently based on the summary. I enjoyed the dialogue. I really wanted more of the Appalachia feel because I think it’s an interesting culture and I’d love to learn more about it. I would check out other books by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC! Overall, I thought this book was good, but it really wasn’t my cup of tea. While I enjoyed the storyline itself there were certain elements that I didn’t enjoy as much. I felt like there was a lot of time spent where Leona is just reprimanding Jewel for her language, which got distracting. There were also just a lot of conflicts in such a short story that I maybe could’ve been reduced down. One of the things that really didn’t sit well with me was the domestic violence - I don’t remember seeing a warning about that but I probably wouldn’t have read it if I had known. Overall I gave it a 3 star rating because it was good story with a lot of promising pieces.

I really wanted to love this book, but it was just an OK read for me. It came across to me as a mix of spooky horror, mystery, romance, paranormal or urban fantasy... but none of them were felt fully fleshed out outside of the two sisters and their witchy powers. The plot felt a bit all over the place.

I finished the book and still had questions, especially about Cale. It felt like every time I thought I understood the world and what was happening, some new element got introduced and the previous one didn't feel finished. More world building would have helped. I wanted to know more about the mysterious creature and voice that wasn't fully named and we never found out more information on. I also didn't fully understand what was going on with the revival priest and his brother and how they got to be the way they were.

The relationships between the two sisters and their husbands just felt icky to me. I have read a lot of books that mention abuse and what it was like for the victims... this was all the actions with only shallow feelings mentioned from the sisters. It was as if the abuse was just an expected part of marriage and that was not my cup of tea. The dialogue was also a little jarring for me. Were the sisters supposed to have an accent? Maybe southern US? That's kind of the feeling I got from the way it was written, but it was a bit distracting for me. The final conflicts also felt a bit rushed.

However, despite the confusion and flaws, I didn't hate it. It was dark and gritty and there were parts I loved. The relationship between the sisters was wonderfully done. The magic in the book was also interesting as were the questions about morality the book brings up.

A thrilling fantasy.
Enticing plot and powerfull characters.
I was obsessed with the story and the characters

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review:

3.5 ⭐️ rounded up! This Appalachian paranormal fantasy gives ALL the atmosphere you need. It’s cozy, yet spooky. I love the witchy sisters and the magic that is involved in this book. Although I do wish for a little more backstory on the sisters and their Granny when it comes to their magic. The ending leaves off on a cliff hanger which leaves me wondering about a second book? There were a couple things that I found a little hard to connect such as the cursed stones (this could just be a “me” thing). I also wished to learn more about the cursed ghosts, because I was very concerned for them (as was Leona).

Overall would definitely recommend. Will be a perfect read for fall.

Two sisters, witches in a world that is going upside down. Both made terrible mistakes in their marriages but only one can see and talk with ghosts in a way that is so deep, she might have even fallen in love with one. While investigating the murders of some girls in town, they will meet more ghosts, werewolves, strange and weird priests and maybe even more about their magic. At least more than what their grandmother had previously taught them.
This story was about strong women, with strong women and for strong women, regardless of the situation they currently find themselves in. I loved it. It was inspiring, engaging and thrilling and the magic in it made it all even better !!! I’m not gonna lie Leona and Jewel were amazing but Cade … that ghost of a man got my heart in a thousand tiny pieces and I will thank him for it!!! It was a bittersweet end. But at the same time it was an end that definitely ask for more !!! So I need more now !!!

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.