Back to Moonville we go for another witchy time. And in my opinion the second installment contains way more witchcraft than the first!

Never ready to accept the family way of the witch Zelda Tempest has returned home to live with her sisters in search of ideas for her next book. When writers block continues she is convinced her path as an author is finished.

Always in search of magic, Morgan is ready to take Zelda out in hopes some of her witchiness will rub off onto him. But when Zelda figures he is only woo-ing her for a spell she makes her disinterest clear. In true Moonville fashion zany adventures ensue. Haunted houses, talking woods, animals that aren’t what they seem….but love??

I love a Sarah Hogle book because her writing is so romantic. And though these 2 MCs took an unconventional route to get there the payoff was sure worth it!

Oh, they joy of reading a Sarah Hogle book! She is the embodiment of Pure Imagination (🎵Come with me and you'll be in a world of pure imagination. Reach out, touch what was once just in your imagination. 🎵) I love reading her stories.

It was so fun being back in Moonville. This had a very different vibe than the first book in the series, but I loved that. I also hope that the 3rd sister’s book will bring a whole new feel to this series, too; in Sarah I trust!

Anyway, back to this book. Even though romantically speaking this was a slow burn, the book as whole did not feel slow at all. It was filled with so much fun, whimsy, and adventure. The last 20% of this book was pure magic.

I would have loved to see more intimate moments between Zelda and Morgan, though. I definitely felt and believed their physical attraction to one another. I think the (angry) banter and bickering were a little too good 😂 But as I said, the last 20% was pure magic and in the end my heart was just really happy.

Thank you so much for the ARC!

I really enjoyed the magical elements throughout this book, wanted some more romance but overall enjoyed the storyline

I loved, loved, loved this! I've been a big fan of Sarah Hogle and this felt like it had undertones of Just Like Magic for me (more than Old Flames and New Fortunes). Zelda and Morgan were both strong characters that reminded me a bit of the main characters in JLM. Morgan is quirky yet loveable and really Zelda is as well but in different ways. I'm very much a fan of character-driven stories but somehow Hogle ALWAYS amazes me with strong characters AND strong storylines. Magical in the best way possible. 5 stars!

The story was magical and witty. Love romance was slow burn. It had whimsey and was a perfect fall vibe. It’s probably not for everyone but if you enjoy a good romantic comedy it’s worth reading.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love Sarah Hogle and reread her books yearly. This one is probably my least favorite. It's a fun read but it felt pushed toward a steamy mainstream novel and didn't hold as much of her quirky charm I loved in Twice Shy and You Deserve Each Other.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!!

What a good book! I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I loved the main characters! They had great chemistry and worked so well together. I loved how the book just flowed. My first by this author but will not be my last!!!

I don't usually manage to read ARCs this far ahead of their publication dates, but this felt very spooky season appropriate, and I really enjoyed the first book in the series, so I went for it. This had a very different vibe for me than the first book (Old Flames and New Fortunes) even though it's set in the same universe and stars one of the three Tempest sisters. At the end of the first book, Zelda, the Tempest sister who had wandered farthest from Moonville, came back home to work on her next novel and be closer to her family. Zelda is a bit of an odd duck within her family because she doesn't actually believe in magic. This is much to the disappointment of their neighbor and regular customer Morgan, who thinks that seducing Zelda will give him access to the magic that he so desperately wants to experience. That causes a rift between them, but when Zelda starts to experience odd things around town that make her think that maybe magic isn't completely fake after all, she reconnects with Morgan and he helps her try to find magic again. This was way more overtly magical than the first book, if I'm recalling correctly, and Zelda and Morgan's forest explorations actually reminded me a bit of Meg Shaffer's The Lost Story, maybe just because of the forest/woods connection. I definitely enjoyed this, even though I wasn't expecting it to be quite so heavy on the magic. I was particularly intrigued by the "paranimals" (basically fantasy animals that show up in real life). I'm really curious to see where this series goes with the next book, as Luna is probably the sister I find most interesting.

Thank you to NetGalley, Putnam Books, and Sarah Hogle for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was excited to receive another magic related ARC during spooky season! The cover on this novel really intrigued me, it has a lot of character!

I liked the concept of a magical book set in Ohio has I think it's a very unique setting for this type of novel.

Unfortunately, this book overall did not click with me.

I did not feel drawn into the setting of Moonville. It felt like other magical small towns I've seen in other similar novels but it didn't particularly stand out for me.

I also had difficulty with the writing style as I felt like some passages were overly descriptive and it wasn't a smooth reading experience.

The biggest issue I had with the novel was that I didn't connect with the characters at all. I got annoyed with Zelda's long-standing skepticism and Morgan was constantly described as very attractive but his actions put me off. I also honestly did not understand the actions of the other side characters in the story, I just didn't find them very likable.

I don't like leaving negative reviews but I do want to be honest about my impression. If you're into magical realism, magical small towns, and quirky characters I'd say to still give it a try but it was not the book for me.

This book seems like a collection of good plots, but struggles to fully deliver on them in a way that is just a bit unsatisfying. I think if it had focused more on one path, it would have been so much more enjoyable-a maybe witch struggling to come to terms with her powers in a family of believers, a mystical animal hunt/mystery, a redemption romance? I struggled to like either of the main characters-they’d go from being nearly endearing to insensibly off the wall with no lead up in a way that didn’t feel quirky or charming, and I didn’t root for them the way I wanted to. The third act was repeatedly nonsensical and I ended up skimming the last 20% to avoid DNF-ing. Overall I think this book had a few great concepts, but didn’t manage to nail any single concept down in a way that made me excited to read more and I wish it had been edited/condensed into a more cohesive story.

I am going to wait until after publication to share this rating on GR, due to the low rating. I do hope this book finds it’s audience!

Folklore of Forever presents an extremely slow-burn, so readers seeking a quickie read might find themselves disappointed. While I appreciated the enchanting magical elements, the male protagonist proved to be deeply unlikable. I found it challenging to connect with either character, as they seemed somewhat one-dimensional. At 20% in I wanted to DNF, however we've all gotten to the last 40 pages of a book and it's changed your entire perspective, so I trudged on.

The concept is intriguing, and I still believe Hogle has a distinctly playful voice with her wit and humor, but this particular romantasy fell short for me. It felt contrived and lacked. Although I enjoy her accessible writing style, which makes for an entertaining read, the epigraphs and anagrams felt unnecessary and didn’t enhance the story. Much like the first book in the series, it adhered to a predictable fall romantasy formula.

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam/G.P. Putnam's Sons for providing a digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

There are just no words for the way I enjoy Sarah Hogle’s books. No one writes like she does- seriously no one. But I do think that readers will either appreciate her genius, or wonder what the hell they are reading. I’m not sure there is an in between option. This is the second book in the series, and from what I remember it is far more fantastical than the first book. That being said, Hogle paints a vivid picture of her magical world, and will draw in traditional fantasy readers as well as those who shy away from it. Her hero, Morgan, is beyond quirky- almost to the point where you’re pretty sure you’d be put off by him if he was real. However, she writes in a way that his quirks become so witty and charming that you grow attached quickly. I love the witty banter, the relationships between the sisters, and the epic adventurous tone of this book. I do think some of the writing was a little unclear in terms of past/present tense, and reality/dreaming, but I’m thinking that might be addressed in some way before publication. Overall, I am always in awe of Sarah Hogle’s books- there is nothing like them. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-arc.

Folklore of Forever by Sarah Hogle is a cute and easy read, but it didn’t leave much of an impression on me. The story is light and fun, but I felt like it was missing the depth or excitement to make it truly memorable. It’s a nice pick if you’re looking for something sweet, but overall, it was just okay.

This book is the best of 2024 and will be the best of 2025. I have absolutely no notes--- the atmosphere, the banter, the story telling, the way that Hogle writes like NO ONE ELSE? She is the only author I re-read repeatedly and have a new experience each time. Morgan had me in stitches and I so appreciated what she was doing with his character. If you liked her other books, this has the best of all of them. SARAH HOGLE, IF YOU'RE READING THIS, I BEG YOU TO NEVER STOP WRITING. I mean that, seriously. Your style of writing was made for me.

I'm a little surprised actually. I've always been a Sarah Hogle fan since the first book I read, but for some reason this series is just not doing it for me. The first book in this series is the first Hogle book that I didn't enjoy so I wrote it off as a one time thing but this one didn't do it for me either. It's somehow worse than the first book, which honestly I didn't think was possible.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for a review.

I enjoyed the first book in this series, but definitely struggled a bit more with this one. I wanted to like Zelda but both her and the MMC felt really unrelatable to me which made the rest of the story and the magic unrelatable as well. This one was a little too kitschy for me and what I was looking for this spooky season, but I love so much of Sarah's writing and stories so I'll definitely read more of her books when they come out.

Paranormal skeptic Zelda Tempest is hoping for a much-needed creativity boost for a new paranormal mystery novel. But despite the alleged magic of her hometown, Moonville, Ohio, she’s as stuck as ever.
With two witch sisters, not believing in magic is strange for a Tempest, but no one is more disappointed than Morgan Angelopoulos, the charming man next door. So, to cure her of her writer's block and her disbelief in magic, Morgan ropes her into a ghost-hunting romp, only for Zelda to discover something else entirely: bizarre, never-before-seen creatures that appear as ordinary pets to everyone else.
Curious about what else might be lurking in Moonville's woods, Zelda and Morgan embark on a quest to uncover the true magic that lies in their midsts . . . and perhaps, just maybe, they will find that the magic they're searching for has been with them all along.

I really enjoyed Old Flames and New Fortunes and positively flew through it, so I was delighted that I had The Folklore of Forever to jump into right away. This one is equally good in a lot of ways, but also kind of.... weird and disjointed? I had issues keeping my attention on the book because parts just seemed so stilted and odd. I'm hoping the next book comes together a little more smoothly, but definitely looking forward to it.

Folklore of Forever is modern day romance set in the town of Moonville, a kind of Salem-esque town with a tourism culture that runs on witchy vibes and supernatural town legends. The main character is a successful author coming off the back of her first series and struggling to figure out if she has any more stories in her. She also comes from a family of witches and is, according to her sisters, a witch as well, though she honestly thinks her family is either pulling a very long prank or deluded. And then there's a guy and they fall in love.

Unfortunately, this amounted to a book full of things that I normally like, put together in a way that does not work for me.

Things I liked:
- it's an unconventional relationship and there are moments where it's clear that these two very strange people do actually understand each other in a lovely and interesting way
- i liked the way the "feeling" of magic was described. The imagery was very evocative and drew on emotions and memories that were very visceral
- i truely did not mean for this list to be so short

Things I did not like:
- the little snippets at the beginning of each chapter that describe potion recipes or para animals were boring and irrelevant to the story. I think I can see what the author was trying to accomplish with them, but I dont think it worked
- an unreasonable amount of time is spent describing clothes. Zelda dresses like a goth and each new outfit needs a full paragraph description. This is not to mention everyone else's outfits
- related to this, the quote "I’m embarrassed about what I’m wearing, because it draws attention, which I don’t enjoy." There are a lot moments in Zelda's internal monologue that sound more like a conversation you would have with a therapist than how people actually think. Similarly: "He’s a great speaker, whereas I’m more of a listener and observer." I hate to say <i> show don't tell </i> but also, c'mon
- Zelda's disbelief in magic feels forced and over the top. The average person, who I presume also does not believe in magic, does not spend so much time thinking about how they don't believe in magic. <spoiler> I honestly think this book would've been more satisfying if magic wasn't real. At least then there would've been a bit of a twist. Instead, it was very obvious to me from the beginning that actually magic was real and Zelda would eventually be proven wrong. </spoiler>
- the romance. The attractiveness of the main romantic interest is constantly brought to your attention. Zelda is constantly pointing out how hot he is, and this is his main draw for most of the book. She hates his personality (though she does eventually realize his personality meshes well with her own by the end) but she is unreasonably attracted to him. At the same time, even when he is available to her, she refuses to act on her interest for no reason. Honey just fuck him and move on. I can't tell if the author is just really against casual sex or something? If his personality was that repulsive, it doesn't really make sense for Zelda to be dangerously turned on just because he's standing close to her. It never felt like Zelda had clear logic for how she interacted with him.
- actually i have more. The main love interest has major red flags. <spoiler> Morgan first shows his interest in Zelda because he thinks he will get magic powers if she falls in love with him (because shes a witch). This could've been played for angst, where she falls in love and then finds out the truth and gets upset, but she doesn't realize that Morgan fell in love with her for real too, etc. Except it isn't. It's basically never discussed other than as a joke and while Morgan eventually realizes he loves her more than magic, he is still rewarded for it. Which I find very dumb because that means his first plan would've actually worked. </spoiler>
- I had a very hard time keeping track of where the characters physically were. I don't normally struggle with this, but it was a persistent issue where a character would suddenly mention something like looking at the sky and I would have to recalibrate because I thought they were inside
- the side characters were not memorable or distinct. Again, I don't normally to struggle with remembering characters but I could not keep the sisters or townspeople straight in my head. Could be because most of what is written about them is literally just their clothes, but I think there was also a deeper problem that I can't pinpoint
- I complained a lot already, but the plot was kind of all over the place in the later half. I get that magic was involved, but it gets a bit crazy for pretty much no reason
- I should've loved the para animals in this book, cute magical little guys?! Magic research!? It's right up my alley and yet really fell flat. I think this wanted to be more of a mystery book, except there aren't really any puzzles that aren't either solved instantly, or solved by "listening to magic" <spoiler> the gingersnappus puzzle could've been so interesting if it played out over more than a single page </spoiler> Related, Forte's entire personality is explained by Morgan, instead of shown. The only time he is on page, he is asleep, minus the one time Zelda gets injured for the plot. Like c'mon, you made a cool cat and didn't even let the audience get to experience the cat
- the solution to writers block is magic

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC, in exchange for an honest review

I truly believe I am Sarah Hogle's biggest fan. You may think you love her books, but you don't get them the way I do. If she wrote my textbooks, I'd probably be finished with my degree by now. I'm pretty sure her books are written solely for me. If anyone gives them less than five stars, it's probably because they were not her target audience (aka me).

All that being said, I was wary of this one. At the beginning, I didn't see Morgan and Zelda having much chemistry. I was worried this would be the first Sarah Hogle book to disappoint me. But I should have known to trust my girl. Zelda herself was unsure of Morgan so I got to be able to fall in love with him at the exact same pace she did. It was utterly magical. I didn't even realize I was rooting for him so hard until Zelda seemed to forgive him at the exact moment that I did. Their romantic journey felt both realistic and magical at the same time.

I would be remiss if I didn't wax poetic for a paragraph about how much I LOVED Zelda. I am the middle of three sisters myself, and while I didn't see much of myself in Zelda at the beginning, by the end I realized that she truly felt like an extension of myself. I read books all the time where I do not relate to the female main characters and it does not detract from my experience, but connecting with Zelda made the story that much more real for me. Zelda was also just so fun. I love love love a fun and silly character.

Now, I must talk about the magic and adventure aspects of this book because they were GOOD. I am a romance girlie until the day I die. I don't often branch out into the romantasy or magical genres because they tend to be way higher stakes than I like. This book was not. It had magical and mystical elements, but it wasn't anxiety-inducing like many that I've read before. The magic and the adventure in this book was so silly and fun. There were a couple moments where our heroes found themselves in trouble, but I never doubted they could get themselves out of it.

I think I could write ten more paragraphs about how much I enjoyed this book but I fear they would just continue to devolve as we go on so I shall spare you all.

I cannot wait for Luna's book! I am excited to see what she and Aisling get up to.

Thank you, NetGalley and Penguin Group/Putnam for this ARC!

Thanks to Putnam & NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.


I wanted to enjoy this book so much because it is October and fall spooky witch vibes. I tried so hard to get through this book but it jumped around so much I was so confused when a character who wasn’t there in a previous page showed up out of nowhere. I would go back to previous pages to try and find out where they came from but it was a lost cause.