The story stars a lightcraft witch, Calliope, and her sisters Thalia and Dissy who are charged with protecting their town and the world from the dark magic that has been contained in a tree in the woods. This duty has been passed down over generations and after their mother suddenly disappeared, the sisters were forced to take it on. The curse of this duty being that every time they used their magic, they were forced to sacrifice a memory.

The sisters live in a “Gilmore Girls” type town and operate a local tea and bookstore. But they have tension on how to deal with their duty. From outright refusal to using magic (Thalia) to sacrificing way too many memories (Calliope). This all comes to a head after a spontaneous decision by Calliope ends up with her binding herself to a shadow crafter (their rivals/enemies) named Lucien. This link sets off a chain of events that tests not only the sisters bonds but their understanding of history, their family and the magic/tree they’re supposed to protect.

The link between Calliope and Lucien forces the two sides to work together, although they have different goals which the reader is aware of, but the characters are not.

This is essentially an enemies to lovers book (though I would have liked to see a bit more of this in the story), with their relationship roots being based on past rivalries of Shadowcraft vs Lightcraft witches.

While I mostly enjoyed this story for the light break and Halloween vibes it had, I will say it was a bit all over the place. There were just way too many story lines, and a lot of them really didn’t need to be included/weren’t addressed enough to add to the story. Some of this may be because this is Book 1 in what appears to be a series, so it is possible that some of these story lines will pop up again and be flushed out more, but in the meantime I am left with a book that had way too many tangents. I really didn’t need much in the form of their past relationships or the sisters current relationships, nor did I need as much regarding their mom and aunts. All of that seemed to be just extra filler and not expanded enough to seem a real part of the story.

In my opinion, the best story lines were about the sisters (and their relationship) as well as Lucien and Calliope’s relationship (which was rushed but still compelling). Even Lucien has a lot of extraneous story lines, some of which are important to his motives, but most which are very predicable and unnecessary. I think if the story was limited more, the characters stories could have been more focused and would have come off more organic.

All in all, I did enjoy the story although I had wished it was just a little bit more. When I went to write this review I see that it is listed as Book 1 and so I am hoping it was just the difficulty in setting up the series and the future books will read better. All in all, I would continue with this series and I thank NetGalley for a copy to review.

I received this book as ARC.

I read so many books that take a minute for me to become engrossed in. I kept reading this book hoping for it to take, but I just don’t think this was my cup of tea.

The story is interesting enough, but I struggled to resonate with any of the characters. I think things could have been condensed to make the story flow a little easier.

Breanne knocked it out of the park again! If you love midnight margaritas, you're going to devour midnight martinis. Family, blood and found, connect to discover the mysteries of a generations old curse. The characters are lovable and complex. I squealed, I cried, I found hope with each of them. I cannot wait to recommend this to everyone I know.

Many thanks to publisher Dell New York for providing an advanced reader copy via NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

In this spellbinding novel we follow Calliope Petridi and her sisters on their journey to right prejudices within the witch community all while trying to save their beloved town from dark magic.

The Petridi’s have long been cursed with a spell that renders their magic useless unless they sacrifice memories to fuel it. Left alone at a young age by their mother, Calliope’s older sisters swear off magic and try to live a normal life as possible. But after a chance encounter with the family grimoire, Calliope can’t shake the importance of being tasked with protecting the town from The Dark Oak, an enchanted tree holding dark magic. Calliope is used to sacrificing small memories to fuel her day to day magic, but can she make the ultimate sacrifice to protect the town and people she loves most?

Set in a small cozy town with a cast of delightfully charming characters, Spells, Strings and Forgotten Things is full of heartfelt moments, small town friendships, found family, and a reminder that things aren’t always as they seem.

This book gave me major practical magic x stars hollow vibes. The town is filled with SO many cute shops - and the business names were next level. I’d actually like to move there indefinitely (please and thank you). The story takes place around the spring equinox, so it works well as both a springtime or an autumn read!

I was really enjoying this one until ~80% and then everything got way too chaotic. There were so many strings & so many forgotten things — it made my head spin a little. The prose also became super wordy and I was having to reread entire paragraphs multiple times to try and decipher what was being said. But aside from these pacing issues, I had a fun time with it!

I absolutely loved Lucien (the shadow daddy, grumpy MMC). He called the FMC, Calliope, “little muse”…. like, why is that the cutest nickname?! I honestly felt I didn’t get enough of the two of them, so I’m very much hoping there will be a second book!

Side note: there’s a little recipe section in the back of the book— this would be a GREAT book club read & then everyone could make & bring one of the Petridi sister’s recipes to the meeting! (If you do this, please let me know! I want to see!!)

Fav quote: “I would say I’d die for you, but what’s the point in that? . . . I would live for you.” OK, LUCIEN 🫠

Thank you to NetGalley & Random House for this ARC!

Read if you like:
✨dual POV
✨enemies to lovers
✨light vs dark magic
✨shadowdaddies

I would love to thank Net Galley and Random House Publishing for letting me have this e arc in échange for my review

A Pride and Prejudice meets charmed story, when the main character gives up memories for power and we have a shadow daddy.
I really really wanted to love this book it sounded so good. However the book just fell flat for me. Unfortunately the world building was a little lacking for me and the magic system was just a bit off for me too. I do love the recipes at the end though.

Thank you Random House Publishing GroupNetGalley, and Breanne Randall for this Advance Readers Copy ebook in exchange for my honest review.

It took me a minute to get into this one, but I ended up loving it. I love the way that Breanne weaves in magic, family, and the best kind of relationships into her writing. This was no exception. I especially love the cooking, adding ingredients for different ailments, herbs, crystals, and just the general witchy vibes of this book.

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.