I love witchy stories, so I was instantly intrigued by the premise. A family curse, sacrificing memories to cast spells, ancient magic? Count me in! "Spells, Strings, and Forgotten Things" by Breanne Randall is an exhilarating romantasy that blends enemies-to-lovers romance with magic, exploring sisterhood bonds and so much more.

The book follows three Petridi witches, named after Greek muses, as they contend with ancient magic, loss, and dark family secrets. Set in the fictional town of Gold Springs, the story centers around Calliope Petridi and her two sisters, Thalia and Eurydice, who are Lightcraft witches running Tea and Tome, a charming bookstore and teashop where they explore various tea blends.

Thalia, the eldest, is a problem-solver, controlling, and judgmental. Calliope, the youngest, is the wild card: self-destructive, reckless, and fiercely loyal. She’s the only one using her magic, despite its high price - sacrificing memories and losing pieces of herself due to a family curse. Eurydice is the peacemaker, always trying to bridge the gap between her sisters. Together, they guard the Dark Oak, an enchanted tree in the Forgotten Forest.

The plot thickens when a rival coven leader, a Shadowcrafter named Lucien, arrives in town with his own agenda, and Calliope accidentally binds herself to him. As an ancient evil awakens and their magic begins to fade, Calliope must confront her past, mend her fractured relationship with Thalia, and rekindle the fragile bond between the three sisters to have a future.

I loved this book and tore through it quickly. The characters are richly drawn, and the story is both complex and well-paced. I felt invested in the tale and rooted for the characters. The dynamics between the sisters, the diverse cultural backgrounds (Greek, Turkish, and French), and colorful secondary characters, like Grim - a sentient grimoire full of secrets and spells—add depth. The inclusion of queer and non-binary characters is woven seamlessly into the story.

The book cleverly incorporates important life lessons into a well-paced plot. Themes of grief, redemption, personal growth, family, self-discovery, forgiveness, and the power of love and legacy are thoughtfully explored. While most loose ends are tied up, a few questions remain open, and I’m excited for a potential sequel, which I’d eagerly read.

Although the book references "Pride and Prejudice," Calliope and Lucien didn’t quite feel like Elizabeth and Darcy to me. Not every dark and mysterious hero needs to be Mr. Darcy! Also, I felt there was a bit too much focus on the romance, and the steamy scenes didn’t advance the plot.

That said, I thoroughly enjoyed the story and highly recommend it. I loved the writing, found the magic system original, and appreciated the vivid world-building. The recipes at the end are a fun touch, and I may even try a few. If you’re a fan of enemies-to-lovers tales with Pride and Prejudice vibes, magic, a satisfying story arc, and strong character development, this is the book for you. Full stars from me!

3.5 ⭐️

Spells, Strings, and Forgotten Things was, overall, a good book, but I think I had my hopes a little too high to be completely honest. I LOVED Randall’s first book and I think my expectations were just too high when it came to this one.
The pacing of the story was a bit slow and by the end I felt like it was unfinished in a way- I’m not sure if that was purposefully done as an opening for a second book, but just felt a bit odd.
I do want to highlight Randall’s talent when it comes to creating these worlds within her books. She creates such well rounded characters and can really fully immerse you into their world, making you feel all their emotions. Which is why I still enjoyed what I was reading, and why I believe my few disappointments may have been due to my own personal expectations of what I thought the book would be. Randall’s writing is also SO descriptive which is a double edged sword for me because I do absolutely love getting every little description possible, but can also add to the pace being slower.
But at the end of the day, I would definitely recommend this book and I look forward to reading whenever she puts out next


Thank you to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved so many things about this book. I loved the diverse characters. I loved the way the sisters loved each other, even though they fought and struggled. I loved the magic. I loved the 2 covens. LOVED Lucien and Calliope. The end was also perfect for me.

The issue for me was the beginning. I felt like it dragged a little bit, and could have been a little more concise. I love reading Breanne Randall books, and really enjoyed this one.

I enjoy this author’s writing and the recipes she provides, this book was a bit bland. I didn’t really care all that much about the mystery of their magic or what was happening between the sisters.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I overall enjoyed this book but it was by no means a perfect novel or standout.

The world was intriguing and I enjoyed the character development of our heroine in particular. I did find the writing style a bit hard to get into, the story seems to drag under the weight of flowery language and could do with some variation and punch. There was also a bit too much going on at times to feel drawn in. An edit to pare down the story some to give it more energy would help.

Thank you NetGalley and Breanne Randall for the chance to read this.

I’d say the rating on Goodreads (3.9) is pretty accurate.

I didn’t love the book, but I didn’t hate the book. The story is great, but some parts felt like a bit much and it felt like there were way too many characters, so it was hard to pick who to really invest in.

At first Calliope seems kind of childish, but fun at the same time. Her growth was really great in the end and I loved that. I also really like Lucien, who doesn’t like the bad guy right? He goes about things the wrong way, for the right reason, but the way he loves so strong was my favorite part about him.

I really wish the epilogue was longer so we could see what happens with the characters at the end with a little more detail, but overall I enjoyed the book.

Conceptually, I was very interested in reading a story where the cost of magic was forgetting, as there's something so delightfully melancholy about the sacrifice of the past for the future, but I sadly couldn't finish this one. The style of writing is too flowery, saccharine and simplistic for my tastes.

Breanne Randall has mastered the craft of telling a story which captures the small town charms, the coziness of family dinner rituals and threads that bind the found family and sisterhood amidst broken dreams and messed up magic systems, with a fiesty heroine and enemies to lovers vibes!! Phew!! Didn't think my first sentence would be a paragraph by itself...

Calliope Petridi. Eurydice and Thalia (named after Muses, of course!) guard the Dark Oak, a mysterious, magical and powerful plague, which is guarded generationally by three sisters, whose magical invocation reaps memories. With a missing mother and aunts, the threading binding the oak are fraying and it is upto Calliope to keep it together without sacrificing her memories such that she loses her sense of self.

Sparks and sizzling begin when Calliope binds herself to the powerful, enigmatic shadowcraft coven leader, Lucien. Armed with holes in her memory, a rift between the sisters, doubts as to her nemesis' true motives, Calliope grows as a witch, sister and becomes her own whole person, confronting her past and accepting grace for her misgivings.

Some stories leave you flustered, and other stories don't have mystery in them, this book is just right - you are left wondering and yet, when the curtains peel back, it is completely satisfying and you are left with a content feeling of having a read a nourishing tale.

A million thank yous to Breanne for the beautiful tale and special thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballentine and NetGalley for the magnificent ARC!

Before I delve into this review, thank you, Breanne Randall and NetGalley, for having me on your ARC team. I fell in love with Breanne’s first novel, so I was very excited to read her new adventure. I ended up enjoying this book, but I’m not going to sugar coat it, this one was extremely hard to grasp me. I had to power through the first 30-40% because it dragged on and it is severely wordy. That being said, once I got about halfway through, I was glad I kept at it. There were parts I screamed, “okay, get on with it,” or “I feel like I’ve read this same thing over and over again,” or “why is it necessary for me to know this? This offers nothing to the story.” However, once I got used to the unnecessary “chatter,” it flowed nicely and I was able to forgive her for it. Calliope, as the main female character, was not as frustrating as most FMCs can be. I truly enjoyed the fact that she was accepting of everyone and didn’t fly off the handle during some of the more intense revelations. She was understanding of the situations and why some of the characters acted as they did. I enjoyed watching Lucien evolve, as well as Dissy and Thalia. The book ends with a few unanswered questions, so I am eager to continue the journey with the Petridi sisters and Deniz siblings.

I really enjoyed this book!

it took me a while to get into it, and i was confused by all the characters right off the bat, but i adjusted (probably a me thing anyways LOL)

The story was slow, but not in a painful way. there was a LOT of “will they” “wont they” back and forth in every aspect. who’s telling the truth…. who’s hiding secrets… a lot of mystery shrouded the whole thing, which kept me intrigued.

i wish the explanations of all the things seemed to take place in like… 2 pages? I feel like the ending was a smidgen rushed, and i would have LOVED even more lore, backstory, and fleshed out information between Calliope and Lucien.

I also would have loved more Calliope and Lucien!!!!! The way this story ended was UNFAIR and had my jaw on the floor. a perfect set up for a sequel, imo. but i’ll be sad if the MCs are anyone other than Calliope and Lucien

I will say, idk if it was just the formatting or what, but there were a LOT of giant blocks of texts at once, which is a silly complaint to have, but it did make it harder for my adhd brain to pay attention to come points.

thanks netgalley , for this arc! time to go (respectfully) stalk the author while i wait for an update on a sequel

Thank you to NetGalley and Dell for the arc! This was a big miss for me, and I finally threw in the towel at around 200 pages. The story was full of cliches, the dialogue seemed forced and/or shallow, I couldn’t connect the characters, and the romance bored me. Very not for me -2 stars

Spells, Strings, and Forgotten Things features three witchy sisters, a sentient Grimoire, a spooky tree, and a shadow daddy (“shadow daddy” is even written in the pages of this book, truly).

Tropes: enemies to lovers, “the power of three will set us free”, forced proximity kinda?, tortured anti-hero MMC, hate to love you, dark family secret

What I liked:
* Initially, the magic system. Sacrificing a small memory to light a candle seems innocuous enough, but which memory will Calliope give up to save her family and her town? It eventually boiled down to a plot of convenience, but I still like the idea of this magic.
* The cozy elements, like the sisters’ tea and book shop. The small town gave off Gilmore Girls vibes.
* The incorporation of Greek foods, including recipes at the end of the book.
* Calliope’s struggles to feel difficult emotions were relatable. When she does finally let grief in, those scenes were moving but brief.

What I didn’t like:
* It’s a book filled with over-explanation and little left to the imagination. With some subtlety, I think it would’ve been made for me.
* Redundant, repetitive language. Little muse. Apples. Viscous. Every spell is an ancient spell or an Ancient Greek spell. Okay. I get it.
* The dialogue is clunky at best, bizarre and unnatural at worst. For a brooding MMC, Lucien sure does say a lot.
* All of the action - except the climactic scene - was abruptly introduced and abruptly solved. Generally the transitions between scenes and shifts in tone were jarring.
* I would liked to have seen Lucien’s side of the story at the climax. There’s a lot left untold and it could have been compelling.

Overall I enjoyed the read - witchy books in October hit different. My thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC. This review is also published on Goodreads.

I wanted to love this book, but really couldn’t get into it. I didn’t feel a connection to the characters and found myself wishing we got less of the POV of the FMC qnd more of her sisters and the MMC. Overall it was a fun fall read but definitely fell short for me.

This book was so lovely, cozy, mysterious, romantic, and interesting. The concept of having to sacrifice a memory to perform magic was intriguing and thought provoking. I loved the sisters and they complicated differences, and the way them, and they found family, all came together when needed. Their setting is perfectly cozy and a little spooky and I loved every minute. Lucien was absolutely a dreamy, complicated man who I ended up really loving.

If Practical Magic and Charmed got married, moved to Stars Hollow and had a baby… it would be this book.

Full of magical sisterhood, a compelling enemies to lovers plot, the newest shadow daddy in literature, and cozy small town vibes, Spells, Strings and Forgotten Things absolutely won me over! The concept of sacrificing memories in order to do magic was incredibly interesting and definitely had me going back and considering which memories of my own I would be willing to let go of for the opportunity to cast a spell.

A book about the bonds of sisters, familial love, heartbreak, traditions, & the importance of memories. Calliope (Opie) with her sisters Eurydice (Dissy) & Thalia have been on their own since their mother left when Opie was a young girl & never returned. They possess light weaver magic passed down through generations, but it can only be used by sacrificing a memory. Thalia refuses to use her magic, Dissy rarely uses hers, & Opie relies on her constantly because who cares if it’s just a small memory, right? They’re charged with protecting the Dark Oak, a source of great power, that combined with their differences on whether or not their magic should be used are the untwined threads of our story. There were a few characters around the sisters who I fell in love with, but Danny was definitely my favorite- sassy, honest, & just amazing!
We have our MMC, Lucien, who is sarcastic, purposefully abrasive & a huge pain in the ass, doing what he can to get under Opie’s skin, he’s also a user of dark magic, which the sisters have been taught to fear.
The tension between Opie & Lucien was palpable & their irritated, witty banger was fun. Lucien also gave Opie a nickname & I am a sucker for a nickname! 🥰
Lucien also came with a fun group of side characters, some I enjoyed & others… not so much 😡. The sisters have a complicated relationship & there was definitely friction, but as anyone with siblings knows, no one can push your buttons or piss you off quit like your siblings, but at the end of the day you still love them. Breanna announced that this will be a series, with each series also being able to be read as standalone & I look forward to the next book in the series! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

One town, three sisters, and a magical legacy that comes with a price—memory. Breanne Randall tells a story of magic, sisterhood, and the sacrifices made to keep a town safe from the evil that lurks there in Spells, Strings, and Forgotten Things. Despite her positive relationships, Calliope has never been willing to divulge all of her secrets to anyone. She is bound to a handsome man using dark magic after a stroll through the woods. Their relationship? Raw, passionate, and brimming with all the subtleties of both dark and light magic. There was a strong tension between them. They accepted each other for who they were, flaws and all, and their love felt both dangerous and tender. This is a must-read if you enjoy a blend of magic, sisterhood, and a sensual, forbidden romance.

Breanne Randall does it again! Loved this book so much, and am really excited for this to be on my shelf as a trophy

*spoilers ahead* I received Spells, Strings and Forgotten Things as an ARC from NetGalley. I’ve been following the author for a while on Instagram and I was excited to get to read this early.

Overall, this was an enjoyable book and it had a lot of fun elements. The magic systems were fairly easy to follow and the characters were likable. There was an undertone of breaking our inherited prejudices that is timely to say the least.

The romance between the main characters developed at a good pace and had a couple spicy moments that delivered well. The ending tied everything up nicely, but did leave some room for additional books. I’m curious about how that will play out.

Some parts I have some critique for:
1. Some of the big “A-HA” moments were a bit convoluted and felt a little rushed.
2. I felt the author leaned a little too hard into the inspiration for the book. I loved “inspired by” books but I don’t want it to look too similar. I love Pride and Prejudice but it was really in my face.
3. I wanted some closure for Isra. Maybe a little apparition moment. Something.
4. I also wanted their memories to return. I feel like that would be part of breaking the curse. I was disappointed that it didn’t happen in the epilogue.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this and I am grateful for the opportunity to read it early!

2.5/5 ⭐️

This was a cute book, but it fell a bit flat for me. The storyline was cute, but some of it was a bit predictable, or even felt a little repetitive. I also had such a hard time connecting to this story. I will never give up on the author though because I do love her writing! The first book was super cute. I did enjoy the magic system in this one a lot. The memory magic aspect was very intriguing.

This does have LGBT rep.

If you like the storyline and liked her first book I would still give it a try, I see the some people have really loved it!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. 💜