I truly wanted to like this but it fell a bit flat for me. The ghosts, witches, magic, Ohio and all the funky things she threw in were what kept me trying but it just felt so confusing. I often would finish a chapter only for the next chapter to start somewhere new!

I loved all the BBW creatures and Zelda is an author so she’s trying to write more books. She’s open to the idea of magic but doesn’t believe despite her sisters believing they are witches in a town that is built on magic. Like I said, so much going for it but I was consistently confused.

The FMC and Morgan were there from the start but this is absolutely not a normal romance by any means. We eventually come back around but it was a bit of a rough go. Morgan is insufferable in the most hilarious way, like I felt what Zelda felt for him. Each character is so quietly and fun it was mainly just the story line that was hard to follow.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this ARC! Always a fun time to read something new.

Good book.. loved the characters and story line. I enjoyed reading it. I would recommend this to other readers.

I ended up skimming through the book. The writing was cringy and didn’t keep my attention. Main dude was so eye rollingly bad I couldn’t stand reading anything about him.

This was a fun and quick read, but fell flat for me for a couple of reasons. The two main characters were not particularly likable enough to make me really cheer for their romance.

In an attempt to boost her creativity Zelda embarks on a ghost hunting adventure with the charming boy next door. Hopefully this’ll give her some inspiration for a new paranormal romance novel. Initially she didn’t believe in magic but what they find in the Moonville’s woods has her curious peaked. Perhaps they’ll find some magic together after all.

This is a really sweet read, I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and their fun dynamics. In this novel Hogle leans more into comedy than your typical romantasy which I quite enjoyed.

However I found the magical system and plot points confusing. That made my reading experience a bit difficult. That said I’m an avid romance reader that doesn’t read a ton of fantasy and paranormal books.

While this book is not for everyone I encourage romantasy/paranormal romance readers to give it a chance.

Read this if you like
📖Paranormal romance
💜Enemies to lovers
✨Witty banter
🔥Slow burn

NETGALLEY bless you for once again giving me a Sarah Hogle ARC so I don't have to suffer!!

----

I am so conflicted about this one. I think some elements of the novel are so much fun—overall, I loved the magical parts of the plot, and the story has a whimsical air that feels reminiscent of Just Like Magic.

HOWEVER.

Morgan, the love interest, was a hugeeee red flag. WHAT?? You may be saying. How preposterous! The same woman who breathed one of my favorite fictional men of all time (Nicholas Rose) into existence created a red flag love interest? Alas, it is true.

My main problem with Morgan is that there was no consistency to his character. He started off as a dark, brooding guy and then completely switched personalities and became overexcited, talkative, and eccentric. I'm fine with either personality, honestly, but the switch-up felt a little jarring and unrealistic.

Also, some of his behaviors were bordering on stalker-ish. If a woman says to leave her alone, you leave her alone. Don't rudely interrupt her date. Not a fan of that.

And, to top it all off, some of the things Morgan says to Zelda (the protagonist) made me permanently question his motives and his sincerity. He literally tells her at the beginning of the novel that the only reason he is remotely interested in her is because she and her family are rumored to be witches. Zelda is a better person than I am, because that is something I could never personally get over.

This just was not my favorite, and as a Sara Hogle novel, it fell devastatingly short of my expectations.

The beloved author of You Deserve Each Other continues her witchy sister trilogy, this time diving into the trials of middle sister Zelda who doesn’t believe in magic…or the affection of her handsome, zany 80s obsessed neighbor. But she discovers she’s wrong on both counts when he wins a date with her & takes her to explore a local haunted house, which wakes up not only her magic but also her attraction to him. Magical shenanigans ensue. A little bit weird & a whole lot fun, this one is for the goth girls & their hearts yearning to be a true witch of the forest.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for an early review copy.

This is the follow-up to Hogle's "Old Flames and New Fortunes", which I absolutely adored and I went into this book with high hopes.

This book centers on Zelda, who recently returned to Moonville and is a writer facing writers block, she does not believe in magic and reluctantly teams up with Morgan to uncover the secret of the Black Bear Witch. While the banter between Zelda and Morgan was charming, the two never felt like they were building romantic chemistry. In addition, Morgan was frustratingly immature throughout the book, and both main characters needed better character development.

While this book lacked some of the charm from the first installment, I'm really looking forward to Luna's book.

"The Folklore of Forever" by Sarah Hogle promised a charming romantasy about a skeptic discovering magic and love, but it fell disappointingly flat for me. The premise—a paranormal skeptic, Zelda Tempest, teaming up with her overly eager neighbor Morgan Angelopoulos for a ghost-hunting adventure in the quirky town of Moonville—had potential. However, the execution left much to be desired.

From the start, the story felt chaotic and unfocused. Morgan’s immature and insufferable behavior was a significant drawback. His juvenile antics, including confessing he only pursued Zelda because he thought falling in love with a witch would grant him powers, were baffling and gave me the ick. His lack of depth or sincerity made it impossible to root for the romance. Zelda, on the other hand, was frustratingly closed off and unrelatable, which further hindered any chemistry between the leads.

The romance was unconvincing, with no real connection or growth to anchor their relationship. I found myself questioning why Zelda continued to entertain Morgan’s nonsense. The interactions between the two felt forced and lacked the spark that Hogle so masterfully delivered in her previous works like "You Deserve Each Other" and "Twice Shy".

The one saving grace of the book was the magical elements and the unique setting of Moonville, Ohio. The whimsical creatures and hints of hidden magic added an intriguing layer to the story, but they weren’t enough to carry the lackluster characters and underwhelming romance.

I wanted to love this, especially as a fan of the author’s earlier novels, but "The Folklore of Forever" was ultimately a miss for me. It’s a shame because I know Hogle is capable of crafting stories filled with charm and emotional resonance, but this one didn’t deliver.

This definitely got better as the book continued. Unfortunately, some BAD tonal whiplash. And a pretty bad slow burn romance; I was actively rooting against Zelda and Morgan for a good chunk of this. Morgan is an absolute train wreck who is simply never as charming as the author thinks he is. I did like when the book got a bit sillier at the end. I was able to embrace it as weird and magical fun. When the book focused on Zelda's love of storytelling, it actually made some very nice sentiments, though not enough to make me come around on the romance.

This was super cute! I loved our main character and the overall romance/plot. I will probably pick up a physical copy and recommend.

This is quite possibly the most unique romance book I’ve read in a long time. The folklore is so mystical and mesmerizing, along with Hogle’s poetic imagery and descriptions. The last quarter of the book felt off to me, as if there were pieces still missing, but I suppose that was the nature of the book. I found it both very hard and very easy to relate to the characters at the same time, only adding to the mystifying nature of the novel. The romance fell a little flat, especially with the beginning part as a backdrop to the romance, and I felt as though the fantasy swept away much of the typical Hogle romance. I’ll always read a Sarah Hogle book, and despite this one not being my favorite in terms of character or plot, it truly transported me to the magic that is Moonville.

Thank you NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for this ARC.

I love a good witchy romance with a cozy vibe, but I just didn't connect well with this one. I later realized it was second in the series and maybe if I had read the first one prior, the world building would have connected better. The plot and characters felt lacking to me even though enemies to lovers is one of my favorite tropes.

When you read this Sarah Hogle series, you have to prepare yourself for the whimsical! There are rules for the magic that are unique from other traditional sci-fi, but once you learn it, you get it. The Tempest family of witches is completely adorable, and Zelda Tempest is the lonely traveler one of the three. In this second book in the series, Zelda has been away from her town/sisters and is still finding her footing with her home and her work as a writer. Trusting someone who shows interest in her is a massive challenge. Morgan is a fascinating leading man, he's tough to love in the beginning but definitely redeems himself. There is no overly masculine air to him. If anything, Zelda is the alpha in this pairing, which I loved.

This romp has a mystery woven throughout the story, and I thought Morgan and Zelda's banter was the very best part. Their chemistry started from one place and slowly but surely developed into more.

Special thanks to G.P. Putnam's Sons and NetGalley for this ARC.

Sarah Hogle, you are killing me. This is a 2.5 star read for me, and honestly, the majority of those stars are for ambiance. Morgan may have eventually won Zelda over with his quirks and his charm, but that was not the case for me. There were also so many magical things that were mentioned once and never again. They spent so much time in the woods and then the book just... ended? It had the charm of the first book mixed with the magical forest vibes of Raven Boys, so I had no choice but to be slightly enamored, but this one definitely fell a little flat for me. I love Hogle's writing, so I'll be back, but I don't recommend this to anyone just starting out with her books.

I love a cozy witchy romance and this was definitely that. The world building is as fascinating — I didn’t realize this was the second in a series, and maybe would have sunk into the world better if I had read the previous one. Enemies to lovers is a bit of a hit or miss for me but it felt believable here, and the tensions between the main characters grew wonderfully into romance.

2.5 stars rounded up because book one was good.

After loving the first book, I was really looking forward the next Tempest sister's love story. This was, I'm afraid, a huge disappointment. I can't help but wonder if the author had writer's block like Zelda and this book is the combination of different draft ideas cobbled together. While it had some good ideas and I love the cosy world-building with Studio Ghibli-inspired forest characters, the plot didn't gel together, it was missing a clear story arc.

I could forgive the lack of plot development if the romance were strong, but yikes! What romance? Morgan started off as decent (and I liked him in the first book), but then he did a 180. He had the temerity to get angry because Zelda said she wasn't a witch after he spent $250 on a charity date with her so she'd fall in love with him so he could get magical powers. WTF?

Morgan was basically Pepe Le Pew. Utterly irritating, constantly following her, interrupting her when she's trying to focus and he never apologises to her. Even Zelda admits he's ‘calculatedly charming’. This guy was like a crypto podcast douchebros and it came off as Zelda being stalked into loving Morgan. The only decent thing about him was he was childfree and got a vasectomy (and I loved that the book talks about the differences between men and women wanting to get sterilised). I kept waiting for anything to redeem him, but nothing, it was just a toxic red flag relationship.

So yes this is a massive miss, but, at the same time, on the strength of book one, I will still be reading book three with Luna's story. Here's hoping that one is better.

Thanks to GP Putman/Penguin and NetGalley for the ARC.

I will never skip an enemies-to-lovers trope 🤩 This book was whimsical, steamy, and downright adorable. I can’t wait to re-read in the fall during Halloween!

This was a sweet, cozy paranormal romance that I truly enjoyed. The characters are adorable and I enjoyed every minute of their story.

I think this was a very cozy read, however I can’t help but feel disconnected to the characters and the story a bit. Perhaps this might’ve been something to do with my reading experience. I would like to try and read this again. But these are my initial impressions with the first read.