ARC from Netgalley
I absolutely loved Charmed growing up so I was very drawn to this book. It really gave me all the feelings I got while watching the show. The writing is so beautifully descriptive throughout and really made me picture this little world. The very beginning was a bit slow for me but the magic system for the three sisters being tied to giving up their memories was so interesting. I also adored the Greek references with the names and “little muse.”

I loved the depictions of both families and the friendships as well. Sisters being such a motivation for both leads was so touching. And I loved the line about adult friendships being hard. I felt so seen.

On to the parts that had me sobbing. I am a SUCKER for the FMC crying and fighting the MMC until she gets tired and sobs in his arms. And the ending had me an absolute mess when she lost her memories of him to save his sister.

Overall really enjoyed myself! 4.5/5

Seeing this described as “Charmed” meets “Pride and Prejudice", I went into it fully expecting to love it. I’m sad to say it missed the mark for me. I honestly didn’t care for Calliope which made it hard to stay invested. It felt like there was too much going on at times and there were points where it felt a bit drawn out. I did however, love the small-town, cozy vibes. If Tea & Tomes were a real shop, I’d be a frequent visitor!

Spells, Strings and Forgotten Things is told through the dual POVs of Calliope and Lucien which I enjoyed. I do wish there'd been a little more from Lucien's POV though. I really liked Lucien but was disappointed with the romance despite wanting them to end up together.

I was intrigued by the way the sisters magic worked. They have to sacrifice memories to cast spells and the bigger the memory, the stronger the spell. I could definitely understand why Thalia preferred to ignore her magic. Calliope however, sacrifices memories left and right.

There was a lot that reminded me of Charmed so I can definitely see the comparison there. While I wasn’t Calliopes biggest fan, I did like Thalia and Eurydice and knowing this will be a trilogy has me curious about where this story will go!

Spice: 🌶️
Overall: ⭐️⭐️
Format: ebook

I recently received an advance reader copy (ARC) of Spells Strings and Forgotten Things by Breanne Randall. When I first read the description and requested the ARC from NetGalley, I was really intrigued. A book focused on magic and sisters relationship with magic was really interesting! Unfortunately the plot felted rushed and really struggled to read through this book. I picked this ebook up over 2 dozen times over the last 4 months and each time I really had to work to keep my attention. The plot picked up towards the end but still made me work for the end.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this ARC opportunity in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Breanne Randall, Dell, and NetGalley for the advance digital copy. All opinions are my own.

2.5 stars

I read The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic last summer and fell in love with it. It transported me and captured my senses, so I was delighted when I finished that book and found out that Spells, Strings, and Forgotten Things was available as an ARC. Unfortunately for me, this one fell short of my expectations.

Let's start off with the positives, though! Randall's sensory descriptions were still excellent and in full force throughout this novel. And I loved the recipes at the end! It definitely felt atmospheric and would probably be a great fall read. However, if I saw Calliope's hair described as "honey wheat" one more time by the end of the novel, I would have lost it.

Unfortunately, the rest of the story was a bit flat. I didn't buy the romance between Lucien and Calliope, I didn't buy the motivation behind the "villain", I didn't buy the sisters' relationship with each other. A lot of the characters didn't feel fully fleshed out to me. I didn't attach to any of them or find myself rooting for their success. The pacing didn't feel right for me. It took me a LONG time to get into this story, and even then, I didn't care all that much. The end felt rushed and like a lot of loose ends were just "magically" wrapped up. I feel like this book maybe needed more worldbuilding at the beginning and more character backstory. I just wasn't invested.

Take my opinions with a grain of salt as I really had to force myself through this one at points. I hope there are readers out there that love this story!

A touch of Charmed, a sprinkle of Practical Magic, and a little bit of The Spellshop and you've got Spells, Strings, and Forgotten Things! A cozy read for those who love witchy tales, shadow daddies, and LGBTQIA+ representation.

This book is fine. It feels like an assortment of romantasy stereotypes held together by a genuinely compelling form of magic. The nonbinary and bisexual representation is nice, as well. The plot itself is just an absolute mess, and the writing style leaves a bit to be desired, but all in all it’s a fine book.

Thank you NetGalley, Random House Publishing, and Breanne Randall for an e-arc of this book. I have provided my honest review of this copy.

Creativity with a twist of witchcraft broods through this book, as I found the whole system of a memory for magic to be genuinely unique. And the split society of witches really was a great way to build up the clashing prejudice to eventual seeing through the reader that both sides are both light and shadow in their own way. Especially when understanding Calliope, she seems to extend herself in this morally grey area but deems herself better than most of her peers simply due to her care of magic.

I did find that the perspective felt unrelatable and selfish, which the narcissism also seemed intentional as when one loses memories of oneself, you lose a sense of who you are. But something about this novel also felt formulaic. I felt that the eventual relationship with Lucien felt forced, lacking strong chemistry and simply lived up to the standards of popular book tropes today.

But the overall premise was enjoyable from the small town in danger to the witch and magic system, it had potential for an even better backdrop with improved human connection.

Great story!!

In the small town of Gold Springs, California, The Petridi sisters are Lightcraft witches. They have always guarded their magic. Because if one was to use her magic, the price of it would be to lose a precious memory. Right before their mother abandoned them, she made her daughters promise to guard the sacred tree in the forest and to never practice magic. The three sisters, Thalia, Calliope, and Eurydice, promised to abide by her wishes, thinking that she'd return and explain more about the curse on their family; but she never did. The one thing that was drilled into the girls was to never get involved with a Shadowcrafter. Their magic was dark and evil. The girls' magic was completely different.

Calliope was always the rebellious one. Her mom left when she was only 10 years old and the pain she suffered from her leaving was unbearable. All she wants to do is forget about the pain of everything bad that had ever happened to her. So one night, she goes to the basement where her mother practiced magic and found the family Grimoire. The book helped Calliope cope with her life by teaching her magic while losing precious memories in the process. She hid it from her sisters at first, then she stopped caring and they found out. She figured sacrificing a few good memories was worth the magic. But when her mother left them, her mind was fading away from all of the memories she'd sacrificed throughout her own life.

When Calliope feels dark magic in town, she races home after a night out. She goes to the tree to check on it and accidentally binds herself with a Shadowcrafter coven leader. Lucien's family is infamous for their ruthless pursuit of power, by any means possible. Nothing good can come from this binding, especially now that her magic is weakening.

Lucien didn't expect to become bound to the beautiful witch, but it will definitely help his plans go faster. He needs the magic of the tree for himself. But he doesn't tell Calliope that. When she finds out the truth behind his intentions, she's furious. History has shown that the curse started because of a family betrayal between both of their families.

Now they need to work together to fight an evil stronger than both of them, while giving in to the feelings they both have for each other.

A must read!!

*I received a complimentary copy of this ARC via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine & Dell for this ARC.

Overall, this book fell flat for me. I was so ready to love the premise - the idea of giving up memories to do magic was so intriguing - but the dialogue felt weird and forced to me, and the pacing was a bit off. I also can't really stand the flowery language. If I have to read another metaphor about how the air smells like secrets and broken promises, I will lose it.

I think readers who love the witchy vibes, slow burns, prose-ish writing, and unique magic will enjoy this.

Practical Magic meets Gilmore Girls? First in a series - Three witchy sisters in a Stars Hollow vibey town (which I hear is being made into a tv series?)

I have a little mixed bag of feelings on this book. I'm confident that this book is going to land in the laps of readers who devour and LOVE this book. I struggled a bit with the magic in the book. I feel like the "strings" and "forgotten things" had me wanting to make a bulletin board of notes with strings to follow what was happening. At times, I felt like I wasn't following all the connections or magical things and that made it a bit challenging to keep engaged.

I did like the sisters bond/relationship overall and I did like some of the character growth. I liked the tea shop they ran and the recipes at the back of the book. I really liked Elea as a character and appreciated her view on the spells and her relationships.

I'm gonna round my 3.52-3.75 to a 4⭐

First and foremost as always thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book. This was an incredibly good read! The story was beautifully written and the characters were flushed out really well! Definitely worth the read!

Out the gate I knew I'd love the relatable sisterhood dynamics and how the magic system is set up. I thoroughly enjoyed giving up memories in order to use magic and I zoomed through the first few chapters with ease. Then it slowed down. I'm not sure where I had begun to struggle with keeping interest but it wasn't until the last quarter of the book that I finally zoomed back through its pages.

Each character is distinctly unique and I really love the struggles they faced. I thoroughly enjoyed Calliope's bond to Lucien and appreciated the build of their relationship. The banter was amusing and charming. I do think that the plot could have gone much more in depth to the trauma the girls experience(d), dipped below surface levels in their relationships (both familial and romantic), and there were quite a few questions throughout the story that I'm unsure if it's meant to continue in future installments or will be left behind as fluff.

I do love a cozy witchy vibe with interesting magical systems (or curses) and I'm hoping book 2 achieves more when it comes to in depth plot and more exciting twists. Since this is book 1 I feel like it does a good job setting up the world and potential for what's next.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC copy!

Rating: 4/5

Spice: 1/5

Plot: 4/5

Primary Genre: Romantasy/Fantasy Romance

Blurb: A young witch cursed with sacrificing memories to cast spells must decide how much she’s willing to lose to save her town in this thrilling tale of magic, love, and self-discovery—from the New York Times bestselling author of The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic. In the small town of Gold Springs, Calliope Petridi and her two sisters carefully guard the secret of their magic and the price they must pay to practice memories. The more powerful the magic, the greater the memory required. Luckily, all Calliope wants to do is forget. Forget the mother who left them without a trace. Forget the cracks in her relationships with her judgmental oldest sister, Thalia, and her distant middle sister, Eurydice. Forget about the very cost of her magic. And most of all, forget the way the love of her life shattered her heart two years ago. But when an ancient evil awakens in their town, the fragile thread that holds the sisters together breaks. As their magic slowly begins to fade, Calliope accidentally binds herself to an annoyingly handsome leader of a rival coven infamous for their ruthless pursuit of power. Battling a sizzling chemistry to a man she can't trust, Calliope needs to confront her sisters and the painful memories of her past, dark family secrets, and ancient magic in order to keep the town and all she loves safe. But will she have anything left of herself?

The Good:

* I’m thrilled about the the fact that Breanne put recipes in her book again. They’re included at the end of the book (at least they are in the ARC copy that I received.) I don’t know why but I am a sucker for a book with recipes in it.

* This book leans a lot more into the fantasy genre than her first novel and I loved it. There’s a lot more action/excitement happening, the storyline keeps you on your toes with twists and turns when you least expect it. The Lucian and Calliope love story is the perfect enemies to lovers mixture, sometimes there’s just too much hate there for it to be believable but this was done very well.

* This book brings a bit of a Charmed meets Practical Magic vibe. I’m not saying it’s exactly like either one, just that it has elements of both. The three sisters quarreling on Charmed, check. Every generation seems to have three “sister witches”. The sisters own a shop in their small town called Tea and Tomes. Those things are a bit of a Practical Magic movie element.

The Meh:

* This didn’t completely end in a cliffhanger but there are still some major plotlines that are unresolved and your girl is impatient. This is #1 in a series so there is more to come and hopefully it’s quick!

Bottom Line:

This book is great for anyone who loves witches, light romantasy, paranormal romance, or magic. Heavy on the magic, medium on the enemies to lovers romance and medium on the fantasy action. If you’re not into smutty romantasy this will be a great book for you. This is open door but the door is like, cracked open. The intimate moments aren’t pages long and there are only two. In my opinion, Breanne is two for two. I’ve read both of her both of her books and I think that they’re both great. I can’t wait to see what she does next.

3.75 🌟

This was a fun, witchy read.

This book is a slooow burn so you need to stick with it. I loved the relationship with the sisters and watching their relationship mature. However, some of the other relationships felt a bit quick and maybe not as realistic. This would be a great read for the fall.

Thanks, Netgalley for the ARC of this book!

3⭐️ Charmed meets Pride and Prejudice. This story has enemies to lovers, magic, deals with loss, family curse, and forced proximity. All things I love. Calliope is a very depressed FMC and embraces it so much it was hard to connect with her. I wanted her to find her strength a little sooner.

Synopsis:
In the small town of Gold Springs, Calliope Petridi and her two sisters carefully guard the secret of their magic and the price they must pay to practice it: memories. Luckily, all Calliope wants to do is forget: the mother who left without a trace, the sisters from whom she feels increasingly distant, and most of all, the way the love of her life shattered her heart two years ago.

But when a mysterious evil awakens, the fragile thread that holds the sisters together breaks. As their magic slowly begins to fade, Calliope accidentally binds herself to the handsome leader of a rival coven infamous for their ruthless pursuit of power. Battling the sizzling chemistry with a man she can’t trust, Calliope must confront memories of her past, family secrets, and ancient magic in order to protect the town and all she loves. But will she have anything left of herself?

I really enjoyed this whole story line. The characters are well written. I loved the feel of the town and worldbuilding was fantastic. It was definitely reminiscent of Charmed as well a Gilmore Girls feel. I wish I could visit Gold Springs in real life!

This was was definitely a slow burn and a cozy, comfy story. This series has a lot of potential! Overall I would recommend this book and I am really excited to see what comes next for the series!

While there was a lot that I enjoyed about Spells, String, and Forgotten Things—ultimately the novel fell a bit flat for me.

First off—I thought the actual magic system and mythos of the Petridi family was unique. Breanne Randall kind of throws the reader in, but I enjoyed discovering new aspects of the magic and their history. It was also a little more cozy than I expected—other reviews have mentioned it, but I'll echo that there's very much Gilmore Girls vibe to the world that Randall built.

I also felt like the stakes were appropriate and, at then end of the day, I wanted to know what was going to happen to Callopie and her sisters. Their relationships—the highs and the lows—felt very realistic as well.

However, there were several things that I didn't enjoy that dropped the rating for me. First was the pacing. It both felt too fast in moments and then dragged in others. I did feel like I was struggling through portions. I also think there was speed-running in character development and even in plots. I never fully bought into the romance as it felt very...scripted? It just didn't quite feel like a natural build in for me and like we were almost forcing it a bit.

Overall, I think this will appeal to a group of folks, but for me, it just landed a bit flat.

It's true rating is 2.75 stars, but rounded up to 3 stars.

If you like Charmed, Greek Myths, Shadow Daddies, and Jane Austin, then this heartwarming, a wee bit sexy, atmospheric and magical story will be perfect for you. Enjoy finding the obvious nods to Greek mythology and the Fates. Have fun with the more subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) nods to Pride and Prejudice if you can image Dr. Darcy as a magical shadow daddy in his unbuttoned white shirt crossing the misty field all vexed and bewildered by a rebellious young woman; all while he tries with all his power to protect his little sister who is so precious to him.

The story has a wholesome vibe too. Things seem to smell like apples and cinnamon, and characters are constantly baking adding to the overall warmth of the story. There is a lovely diversity and homieness in this make believe town: Asian folks, Black Folks, Queer Folks, small business owners, seasonal festivals, the family we are born with, and the family we find. Heck, there is even a feisty grimoire that will protect its charges with reckless abandon and disregard for its own bindings.

Read through my likes and dislikes below, but whatever…because this book has such a great ending. It’s a 5 star ending filled with tears and heart clenching, and more tears and stomach flips. I’m a little breathless. Oh, and there are recipes!!!

What I liked:
1. It’s a well crafted story. The plot is intricate and busy, sometimes rushed, but it is a good story.
2. The idea that magic and memories are linked is interesting, and the way it is written into the book is heartbreaking.
3. I particularly like all the Mr. Darcy Easter eggs. It’s fun, like super fun.

What I didn’t like:
1. Too many similes. Call me a snob, but I don’t want to encounter multiple similes on a page. Throughout the book, Randall demonstrates that she can write emotional and fun passages that use well written imagery and sophisticated prose, and yet too often she falls into the laziness of similes to define a moment making the writing feel amateurish.
2. Also, there is an overuse of conjunctions to start sentences. It might just be the English teacher in me, but I couldn’t get away from noticing, and sometimes it took away from the book. Hopefully editors will fix that in time for publishing.
3. The simmering and building romantic tension shifts too quickly towards sex, and it feels forced. The enemies to lovers trope isn’t hitting quite right. Perhaps it’s that these intimate moments keep playing out in moments of smugness or full on fights, the intimacy doesn’t feel like an arc, rather it feels like misplaced vignettes.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine & Dell for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Spells, Strings and Forgotten Things

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“ In the small town of Gold Springs, Calliope Petridi and her two sisters carefully guard the secret of their magic and the price they must pay to practice it: memories. Luckily, all Calliope wants to do is forget: the mother who left without a trace, the sisters from whom she feels increasingly distant, and most of all, the way the love of her life shattered her heart two years ago.”

I really enjoyed this whole story line. The characters are well written and open to develop more in coming books. The town sounds wonderful I wish I could go to visit. The love interest and spice was good but I would say slow burning. Overall I would recommend and can’t wait to see what comes next.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I will read the next book in the series because the overall storyline was interesting and left us on a bit of a cliffhanger.

What I liked:

I love the different magic system not found in other books. The idea that the Petridi sisters must sacrifice a memory to produce any magic was really interesting and brought alot to the story. I also enjoyed the fact that only one set of the living sisters could preform magic at a time. The trauma of their mothers mysterious disappearance along with their two aunts brought to light so much about how trauma effects people differently, and that is seen in each of the three sisters. When Calliope accidently binds herself to a rival coven member things get very interesting very fast. Each chapter brought a new level of concern and fighting to protect the Dark Oak that had me staying up late into the night to finish. Over all the book moved very quickly, though sometimes awkwardly, and had wonderful magic and banter throughout. I enjoyed seeing the growth between the sisters and other characters throughout the book. This book did have some great original quotes and at times had me laughing and crying. A

What I disliked:

The beginning of this book started off almost like a stumble at the beginning of a starting line. I had to go back and reread things because I felt like I missed something earlier on but apparently didn't. That made understanding the magic system a bit difficult and disrupted the flow of the book. I also feel that the author relied too heavily on other big name books and their "famous" quotes. You can tell the author read ACOTAR beforehand and built her outline off of that. While I am all for ACOTAR and Fourth Wing, its been done and I am really tired of authors trying to use those books as a way to jumpstart their books. This is not the first author I have read that has done this. I found Pride and Prejudice, Charmed, Practical Magic, Gilmore Girls and Bridgerton vibes throughout. I mean props to her for identifying ever 20-40 year olds current favorite things but there is no need to put them all in one book. I shouldnt be reading and think "oh i remember an exact scene like this in __________ (fill in the blank). Now I dont mind the mention of LGBTQ. That is me personally. I have an amount that I am comfortable with and this book was right there. I do not like the They/them mentions because I feel it makes the book difficult to follow. I dont like having to go back and reread things to clarify. I do like when that is made known before hand when reading. I know many readers like to know upfront what they are reading which is why IG, Tiktok, and other socials media posts that have the tropes and what to expect gain so much interest. Readers want to know. An author can write what they want and thats 100% fine. But readers should be know a bit about what they are getting into. That is a pretty big topic that some want to know about beforehand. Lastly, while there were many "swoony" moments it wasn't until the end that I really felt the connection between the two main characters.

Definitely not my favorite book but not the absolute worst.