The Folklore of Forever is the second book in Sarah Hogle's Moonville series about the love lives of three witchy sisters in Ohio. The first book, Old Flame and New Fortunes, perfectly captured the longing of a second chance romance with a whimsical touch of magic. Sadly this second book does not follow suit. As a fan of Old Flames and New Fortunes it is painful to give this book a two star review, but the magic is truly gone. The premise of a lone skeptic in a family of witches falling for a man who is a true believer isn't the problem. The main characters are unlikeable (male love interest) or underdeveloped (female protagonist), the romance can only be described as slight physical attraction with a touch of loathing, and the plot movement is glacial. One can only hope the eldest sister's story will bring a return to form.

This one was a slog to get through because of the things that the MMC did to the FMC at the beginning of the book. That plus the plot being all over the place, this one wasn't for me.

Overall cute, but fell short in my eyes.

I loved Zelda at first - very witty, fun character. But I really didn't love the romance. Maybe it was just me, and I didn't really click with it as I do with other romances, but I really did love the vibes of this book. The supernatural aspect made this fun!

Definitely cute, but not my favorite. Don't be deterred from my review, however! Just because it wasn't my cup of tea, doesn't mean it won't be yours!

I loved Sarah Hogle's book Twice Shy and ever since I've been reading any book she writes.

The Folklore of Forever was a great book overall. I think I stumbled a bit on pacing, and the relationship with Morgan and Zelda. It felt very fishy that Morgan is so 'interested' in the beginning out of no where. And the way their relationship progressed didn't feel natural. I also could not get a read on if Morgan really liked Zelda, or his true motivations. The last 20% of the book did feel a bit closer to developing their relationship but at that point in the book it felt like they just jumped to love. I also didn't connect with Morgan and his over the top personality. I loved the moments when we see the real Morgan, but they were very rare.

The beginning felt very slow and like I had a hard time being interested in the story. It may not be my cup of tea, because I enjoy a more medium-paced book personally. It had been awhile since I read the first book of the series Old Flames and New Fortunes so it took me awhile to remember all the characters and their relationships.

The ending was lovely and the theme of books/stories being magic is a wonderful theme.

The perfect cozy, paranormal romance, ‘The Folklore of Forever’ is a delightful blend of whimsical mystery, with slow-burn and humorous romance.

We meet Zelda and Morgan who have banter crackling with chemistry, making their enemies-to-lovers dynamic all the more compelling. I’m telling you, the relationship between them was sizzling that it will sure have you turning red reading the book.

We get a ghost-hunting adventure and hidden magic which creates an enchanting and cozy atmosphere, of unraveling its secrets. Spooky vibes? Yup. Cozy vibes? Yup. Enemies to lovers with sizzling banter? Yup.

This is a fun and heartfelt read for lovers of mystical small towns and romances that will make you swoon long after you finish the book.

I loved the first book of this series and Sarah Hogle's other book so I was really excited for The Folklore of Forever. Unfortunately, this book is a mess and was disappointing, especially because Zelda's story has the bones for a great, witchy romance. Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC.

Where to even begin with this book? Well, I guess I should start with the things I liked. I was happy to be back in Moonville and enjoyed the little bit of info we got to expand the magic system. Zelda started off as a character I could really love. She is quirky, has a diverse set of interests, is an author and is convinced she is not a witch. There was so much to work with when it came to her character.

Ok, let's dive into what didn't work. First of all, the MMC, Morgan, was an absurd character who did something really nasty to Zelda at the beginning of the story but didn't really atone for his shitty behavior. He felt like a caricature until the very end of the book; all flash, no substance. This left the romance plot feeling thin and like an afterthought for the book. The last 20% of this book was an absolute mess. The magic system got super weird without any preparation and I still don't understand most of what happened after reading it twice.

On a personal note, I have a HUGE bone to pick with the representation of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) in this book. I happen to have PMDD. I was diagnosed with it as a teenager and have been treating it, for 17 years at this point. PMDD causes severe mood swings, can cause clinical depression and anxiety in the days leading up to your period, and usually comes with severe physical symptoms. It does not cause you to uproot your life, never see your family and move every four weeks to a new city. I don't know where the hell Sarah Hogle came up with that bullshit, but it's representation like this that causes people to think that PMDD is a something much worse than what it really is: a mood disorder that impacts up to 10% of people who have periods. If you have 10 friends who have periods, odds are one of them has PMDD. I almost threw my kindle across the room when Zelda said her PMDD was the reason she ditched her family and wouldn't come home.

I am deeply disappointed with this book. I don't know if I will read book three. It's sad considering how much I loved book one.

I really didn't connect with this one. As an autistic person I recognized the fmc has clear neurodivergent traits like time blindness, echolalia, and synesthesia but it's dismissed as quirkiness. The plot was all over the place and never really came to a point. I didn't feel much chemistry between the couple and didn't care about them at all.

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

This story has an interesting premise, but it fell flat for me. I actually picked this up and tried to read a few times, but even though I ended up finishing it, ultimately, I didn't connect with the main characters, and the romance didn't have the spark I was looking for. I did like the magical elements, but Morgan was so unlikable and kind of immature, and I hate that his initial purpose was to use Zelda. I didn't love her either. The first book in the series had more romantic elements, whereas this one felt like it focused more on the plot and world/magic than it did the characters and love story.

Folklore of Forever by Sarah Hogle is overflowing with creativity and imagination, making for a whimsical and inventive read. I loved Old Flames and New Fortunes, and while this book maintains Hogle’s signature charm, the balance between romance and fantasy shifted in a way that didn’t quite work for me. There was so much happening that I sometimes found it confusing, and I missed the more grounded romcom feel of the first book. That said, Hogle’s writing is as enchanting as ever, and readers who enjoy a heavier dose of fantasy in their love stories will likely be swept away.

THIS WAS THE CUTEST BOOK!

I love magical realism, and this book did it so well! I loved the small town, I loved the characters, and the style of writing itself is the definition of cozy and feel-good. It just made me feel great.

At first, I thought the humor was subtle, but this is one of the funniest things I’ve ever read. I really loved and appreciated the distinct personalities of the main characters and the townspeople. I enjoyed every second I spent in Moonville.

Zelda is such a relatable heroine. She acknowledges her awkwardness and her weird standing within the town and life. She’s honest, but also curious and shy in a way that was so refreshing for a black cat FMC. She’s very distinguishable. Also… I relate to her so much that I may have cried a lot, especially when she was describing being on the outside looking in, wishing she had the ability to have lost memories. I sobbed like a baby out of nowhere.

She was the perfect ying to Morgan’s yang. I love that he was the believer of magic between the two, this ‘cool’ guy with tons of confidence. He was a lot quirkier than his reputation led him to be, which I absolutely loved. He was such a dork for the paranormal, and then such a dork for Zelda, it made me extremely giddy. I was kicking my feet during all of their interactions.

Anyway, this is the most humorous and magical book I’ve read in a long time. Every scene from their adventure in the forest is going to be stamped inside my brain for a long time. I’m definitely going to keep my eye out for more of this series moving forward.

Started out very very meh but gets better as you get into the more overtly magical segments. 3 stars. tysm for the arc.

Look, I like magic, I like romance, I like books

But this....just did not deliver. I think this would have been a better read during like Halloween or something, but this kind of interupped the flow of my dark romance reads right now and not that I didn't like it, but I didn't love it either :(

Thank you NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the arc!

A lot of reviewers gave up way too soon on Morgan and Zelda. You’ve got to let Sarah Hogle cook on this one. Morgan and Zelda are both silly, soft, and quirky in their own ways and grow to deeply respect and understand each other, but it is a s l o w burn. Sarah Hogle is one of my very favorite authors and the first in this series was a HUGE 5 star for me, this one fell a little flat only because I felt like the focus on witchcraft was overpowering the romance. Not a bad thing for everyone, but I was expecting a true rom com, and this is more of a women’s fiction w/ a side of romance. Still really well written, funny, and I loved the main characters, flaws and all. Can’t wait to read Luna’s book!

I spent a lot of time thinking about this review. I won't get too much into the plot here - as usual, the publisher's description does a perfectly adequate job of laying out the basics of the plot. There's more to it, of course, but that's for you to read and find out. On a certain base level, I definitely enjoyed reading this. Zelda (and her sisters and neice and the rest of the town) are quite charming, Zelda herself is often laugh-out-loud hilarious and I quite enjoyed the entire concept of the "paranimals" as they're laid out. There is a larger mystery in it which both does and doesn't pay off, of course. But I quite liked the nature of magic in this world and it manages to be both modern and "witchy" at the same time.

That said, I feel one's enjoyment of this book is going to come down solidly in two camps: those who buy into everything Morgan (our MMC), and those who don't. I, speaking personally, couldn't stand him. Which is weird because I feel like I'm a lot like him (but older, of course). But for a multitude of reasons he really came off as either obnoxious, rude, "waaaay too much" or just smarmy. There's a whole attempt at an enemies-to-lovers vibe here that didn't work (honestly, I think it might have worked way better if Morgan was a best friend - the relationship would have clicked better). He's also written in such a scattershot way (at one time super sultry, at another desperately dorky; at one point confident, at another point shy. It just never worked for me. I never once believed in their future and that is the lynchpin on which the novel hangs.

I say all of this...and it comes across as a 3 star book. BUT...there are two sequences towards the end of the novel (between 80-90%ish) that are so beautifully written and so movingly done. A real love-letter to language, writing, books, etc. While I still didn't buy the relationship (and some of the stuff in the climax of the book just never made any sense...), I bought both of THEM. Not together, but as individuals. And I'm glad I never gave up, because the reveals in this section REALLY work. It is spoiler territory, but if you read it...you'll know what I'm talking about.

In the end...this is a classic 7. 3.5 stars. Rounding up for Goodreads because those portions at the end REALLY elevated this book beyond what I had previously thought it would end up at.

Big thank you to NetGalley and Penguin/Putnam for a chance to read an advance copy of this in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and are uncompensated. The Folklore of Forever is out April 8, 2005 and you can preorder it now!

I truly wanted to enjoy this book, as the premise sounded intriguing. A paranormal skeptic drawn into a ghost-hunting adventure with a charming, magical neighbor? It has all the ingredients for a fun enemies to lovers romantic fantasy. However, the male protagonist was soooo unlikeable and unredeemable. The romance felt forced and unrealistic and I couldn't get into it.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Set in Moonville, Ohio, Zelda Tempest is back home, working on her next book after finishing her successful vampire series. Her witch sisters run the family shop, but Zelda doesn't believe in magic. Neighbor Morgan not only believes in magic, but is determined to gain some for himself.

The author's descriptions are outrageous in the best way. It took me a minute to get back into her style, but I really enjoyed entering this world again and look forward to reading Luna's story!

I loved Zelda's love of writing and reading, plus her description of words sticking and seeing the words on the keyboard.

I did find Morgan annoying, immature, and off-putting at first. Once they find common ground, I liked that he recognized he had "cried wolf" about liking her. I do wish he'd apologized early on (which knocked the book down for me). As they embarked on their quest and I saw more of his character, I started to root for him.

Things I liked:
✨ Paranormal romance
✨ Opposites attract
✨ Slow burn
✨ Magical small town
✨ Depiction of neurodivergence (implied for MCs)
✨ Paranimals (especially Forte)

3.75 / 5 stars

Open door / low spice

Thank you to the author, Putnam, and Netgalley for this eARC!

3 - This was fun but ultimately not my cup of tea. I was looking forward to a fun, steamy enemies to lovers romantasy, and while parts of that delivered, I just didn't connect with the romance.

The Folklore of Forever follows Zelda and Morgan. Zelda needs a new idea for her paranormal mystery book and decides to take a trip into Moonville's woods for inspiration. Morgan recruits Zelda for a ghost-hunting trip as inspiration, but it soon turns out that the woods hold a lot more magical creatures than they knew.

The beginning of this book was tough to read. I really could not connect with the FMC, she felt so whimsy and all over the place. I really disliked the MMC at first, to the point where I wanted to DNF but kept going. Ultimately, the book did get better around the 35% mark and as the book went on and the author really leaned into the magical and fantasy elements of the story, I started to enjoy it more. I did really like the setting of the fantasy world! My main issue was the romantic relationship and the dynamic between the two main characters, I just couldn't buy into the romance.

Thank you to Putnam for the free book!!

I greatly enjoyed book #1 in this series by Sarah Hogle and was very excited to receive this ARC. This book really made me think outside the box in terms of how the female main character finds her magical ability. There were a few scenes in the box that the author describes in such a beautiful way, such as Aisling's birthday, however there were also scenes that just felt bizarre (Zelda and Morgan in the kitchen). In the end I found this book enjoyable but it felt disjointed at times.

Zelda may be the author of a magical book series but doesn't believe in it herself even though she is back in her "magical" hometown with her "witchy" sisters running a magic shop. When her neighbor, Morgan, learns of her skepticism, he takes her ghost hunting where they uncover things that may have Zelda leaning into the magic of Moonville.

This was a fun return to Moonville. The town was filled with quirky and over the top characters who just kept the laughs coming. One of those quirky characters was the Tempests' neighbor, Morgan, who was hoping to gain some supernatural powers of his own. Until then, he would mine the folklore of Mooville as he searched for spirits and the Black Bear Witch.

Speaking of Moonville, this was a town built on love magic, and this second installment continues digging into their grandmother's prophecy that the three Tempest sisters would fall in love with the men they were meant to spend their lives with all within the same year.

"She said we would know it was the year when we saw a silver luna moth, and at the time we saw it, one of us would be running from love, one would be waiting for it, and the third would already be in over her head. "

But not only was Zelda a skeptic of the supernatural, she was also a skeptic of love. She had a love-em-and-leave-em history which didn't tell the whole story, and I was rooting for her to open her heart to the possibility of forever, to someone who loved her exactly how she was.

I will admit that the story seemed a bit light on romance, but Zelda's personal journey was well worth giving up some of that page time. I throughly enjoyed watching her grow, change, and embrace all parts of herself. She wasn't saved by love, but rather, she was able to love because she learned to love herself.

This was a laugh out loud celebration of sisterhood, love, and self with a touch of magic that had me flipping the pages. I am eager to return to this charming town for Luna's story which I am sure will be filled with surprises.

very sad to report that i did not like this which is so UPSETTING bc i love sarah hogle :(

i honestly did not like either of the characters, & the plot was all over the place?? morgan (mmc) is SO immature & not one time did i ever stop and think “huh he sounds hot” .. like girl?? he literally admitted he only took her on a date to use her & he had ZERO DEPTH. did not find out one thing abt him until at least 70%

the fmc zelda was in denial abt quite a few things (and not even for a good reason??) & it made the book quite boring at times. she gave me whiplash honestly. overall this book wasn’t for me, i didn’t vibe with the characters at all, but i am looking forward to the third book!

thank you to the publisher for providing this book for review via netgalley. all opinions are my own <3