2.5/5⭐️
I wanted to love this book so bad. I even pre-ordered it before I was approved for the ARC because I loved The unfortunate side effects of heartbreak & magic so much. But this book did nothing for me 😫 it was overly descriptive and I found the FMC juvenile and annoying. This book is described as “Charmed meets Gilmore girls” which is 100% accurate, but too accurate. It followed the Charmed series way too closely and felt like a repeat episode.

This book could have easily been 100 pages less and I would have enjoyed it more. The over description of every mundane moment dragged this story out longer than needed. To the point I just didn’t care any more and had to skim to the good parts. And if had to read how Lucian smelled of apples, cinnamon and amber ONE MORE TIME I was going to throw my kindle 😑

The story itself has a lot of potential. I know that this will be a trilogy so I think there is time for the series to be redeemed. However, I will not be continuing it. If this wasn’t an ARC waiting for my review, I would have DNF’d at 25%.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group for this Advance Readers Copy ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Review: This book was such a fun, cozy read! I got to read this in the Fall and the atmosphere/setting of the book felt perfect for this time! The sister dynamic gave me Charmed vibes and the magic curse was so interesting. The pacing of the book was solid, not too fast or slow, which kept me in the cozy mood while also giving me enough little twists to stay invested.

Spells, Strings, and Forgotten Things by Breanne Randall is a cozy fantasy about three sisters from a long line of Lightcraft witches who are entrusted to keep the power of the Dark Oak contained, but there’s a catch: they just sacrifice memories in order to use magic. The containments are weakening and Calliope is determined to stop this from happening when she accidentally binds herself to Lucien, a Shadowcrafter and enemy to her family’s lineage. Calliope must decide how far she’s willing to lose to keep her family and town safe.

This is a perfect cozy read for spooky season! It’s full of magic, adventure, witty banter, heartwarming relationships, and diverse characters. It has Charmed meets Sabrina the Teenage Witch vibes. It gets fairly spicy at times with the slow burn enemies-to-lovers romance.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and author for granting me an advanced reader copy of the ebook. My review is based off of this draft and the final publication may be different. Expected publication date is March 4, 2025.

BRILLIANT! This story came together in the most magical way! I loved the three sisters and while they reminded me of the sisters from Charmed, their story was uniquely theirs. And shadow-daddy Lucien?! Everything he says is perfection! His relationship with Calliope is the slowest of slow burns! There were so many twists and turns in this book and with some aspects still not tied-up (string pun intended!), I can't wait to see if there's a follow up via a second book! If so, I will definitely be reading it!

This book was so cute. I loved the relationship and connection - closeness between the sisters.
The best part of this book was the amazing descriptions when it came to the food! You can almost taste the foods, the descriptions are so vivid and tantalizing
The world building by this author was amazing as well. They do a very good job at describing and building a scene
I really appreciated the attention to detail with the explanation of the magic system

The romance between the FMC and the MMC was great! The banter between the two and the sweet moments played so well together - it reminded me of my spouse and I

Definitely enjoyed this book and hope there’s more to come!

Spells, Strings and Forgotten Things
3.75 ⭐️

I couldn’t wait until March to check this one out! A magical system where witches have to sacrifice memories to cast spells? I’ll bite!

Calliope and her sisters are protectors of the magical powers that threaten her town. When she’s bound to a rival coven’s leader, the tenuous string holding the sisters together disappears. Calliope must decide what she’s willing to give up while protecting those she loves.

This one wasn’t quite as high as I was hoping for. While I loved the magical system and the rival covens, the character growth happened really quickly along with their relationship.

Thanks to @netgalley for this arc!

I went into this book without high expectations, but it ended up being such a pleasant surprise! This magical, slow-burn romance weaves together fantasy and heartwarming moments. The story follows three witch sisters charged with safeguarding the powerful magic tied to The Dark Oak. The twist? Every time they use their abilities, they must sacrifice a memory.

I’ll admit, Calliope, the main character, irritated me at times, but the strength of the sibling relationships more than made up for it. The way the sisters interacted felt so genuine.

And the romance? I couldn't get enough of it! There's something irresistible about a mysterious, shadowy love interest, and this one was no exception—I found myself smiling and tearing up along the way. Oh, and the family recipes at the end? Such a fun touch! It added a cozy element to the magical world that made the whole book even more charming.

In the end, it’s a sweet, magical story that combines fantasy with life lessons in an enjoyable way. Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to dive into this enchanting read in exchange for my honest thoughts!

“Spells, Strings, and Forgotten Things” by Breanne Randall is an enchanting romantasy that combines magic, family secrets, and enemies-to-lovers romance. The story follows the three Petridi witches—Calliope, Thalia, and Eurydice—as they navigate ancient magic, family curses, and fractured bonds in the fictional town of Gold Springs, where they run a magical bookstore and teashop.

Calliope, the youngest, is rebellious and the only one actively using magic, despite its cost of lost memories. When she accidentally binds herself to Lucien, a rival coven leader, they must work together as an ancient evil awakens, forcing the sisters to reconnect to save their future. The book delves into themes of grief, self-discovery, and forgiveness, with richly drawn characters, cultural diversity, and unique magical elements, like Grim, a sentient grimoire.

Though heavy on romance, the story is thoughtfully paced and brimming with life lessons. With a potential sequel hinted, this book is perfect for fans of magic, strong sisterhood bonds, and vivid world-building.

2.5 stars rounded down: I love the premise of this one much more than I love the book itself. I was very intrigued by the idea of having to sacrifice a memory in order to use magic - it sets this apart from other witchy spooky season reads. The writing style was overly descriptive and repetitive, especially in the beginning, which made this a chore to get through.

This definitely gives a cozy vibe, very similar to the show "Charmed" with an almost identical family structure but relies too much on the comparisons that it forgets to be original.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’m obsessed with this book. If you loved Breanne’s first book, you’ll love this one even more. The familial pangs were well written . It’s hard enough to have siblings without adding the pressure of magical curses into the mix. And Lucien?? It’s been a while since I fell in love with a fictional character, but here we are.

After reading and loving Breanne’s first book, I was so excited to get my hands on this one. She has a way of speaking on family connection and making it a part of the story that I adore. I love that it is just as much the story as the romance is. I hope in the rest of the series we see more of a connection with Elea. The magic system was so interesting in this book and I hope in the future the blend of light craft and shadow craft is explored more. I enjoyed the storytelling of the family’s history and I’m excited to reread when my physical copy arrives!

I really loved Breanne’s first novel last fall and this one was a great follow up! I absolutely love how cozy her writing feels an amazing read for fall time.

WOW. I honestly wasn't expecting to live this as much as I did. I loved her first book, it was one of my top books for last year and WOW does her sophomore novel follow it up with a bang.

So much to love here, especially as a Greek. All of the cozy witch vibes get doubled because it's Greece, and baklava, and all the foods that remind me of home and comfort. All their names are fascinating too if you know the mythology behind it.

But it's giving serious Greek girl Charmed vibes, but kind of mixed with Sabrina the teenage witch. The Aunts, Grim, the kitty cats, the way the magic worked, the mystery. It's just so good at every turn.

And then there's what I wasn't expecting, the freaking shadow daddy! LUCIEN COMING IN HOTTTT 🥵🥵🥵

Anyway, definitely a top read of my year and I'll be buying the book when it debuts to put on my shelf. It's that good.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Not for me. I requested this to read in October, as I always like to stock up on "spooky stories" to get me in the Halloween mood. This wasn't quite what I expected, and not my favorite.

There's a lot of good stuff in here. I really enjoyed the worldbuilding and the history of the characters, and how mythology played such a big role. The author does a great job of immersing you into the setting. That said, I struggled to like the main character, which made it hard to want to finish the book, she seemed a lot like a YA protagonist rather than an adult.

For those seeking an atmospheric, autumnal tale of witch sisters, look no further than “Spells, Strings, and Forgotten Things.” Calliope and her sisters hold a rare type of magic, and a curse. They must sacrifice a memory each time they access magic. The mysteries of their curse begin to unveil when a warlock from a rival coven appears in town. The writing style was beautiful and the descriptions were immersive. Personally, I struggled to connect with this book. The pacing was slow and I didn’t feel invested in the characters’ lives, romance, or plot. While it may have not been the right time for me to enjoy it, it could be a great story for what you are looking for.

DNF AT 52%.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

3.5 stars rounded up.

Well isn’t this just a cozy little slow burn magical romance. 3 sisters that happen to be witches have the difficult task of protecting the power that resides in The Dark Oak. Every time they use magic, they must sacrifice a memory. The main character Calliope bothered me often with her willingness to discard memories to do any little task. It felt lazy. But otherwise it was a really cute story with some good life lessons.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance release copy in exchange for a honest review.

What a unique and wonderful work this is. I enjoyed it thoroughly and I think I want to read it again just to enjoy the world once more.

A cozy, magical read! Spells, Strings, and Forgotten Things explores the legacy of generational magic, the bonds of sibling relationships, how prejudices infect our lives, and the lengths we’ll go to protect those we love.

Randall’s writing is incredibly descriptive and pulls you right into her world. I loved the uniqueness of the Petridi sisters’ magic - forced to sacrifice their memories for spells, and the grounding of their family’s legacy in Ancient Greek myths. All of the characters were extremely well developed and the LGBTQIA+ representation was seamlessly woven into the plot. While most of the story is from Calliope’s perspective, I loved how Lucien’s POV was interspersed throughout the story, providing his view when I wanted it (needed it) most.

This story is perfect for lovers of magical reads with small town charm and romance subplots. While the main conflict was resolved, the ending was open-ended enough where i could easily imagine a sequel. Please give us more Calliope x Lucien!

Thank you to NetGalley, Dell Romance, and Random House for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book was hard for me to get into but that does not mean that it’s not a good book. I am a mood reader and may have just not been in the mood for a fantasy book at the time.
I do plan on going back to this book once I’m in the mood for fantasy to try to read it again.