"I can hear scratching outside, and it follows me into my dreams. As though someone is tapping at the frostlaced window, bearing a warning to heed.
Or trying to get in.
I toss and turn, wishing I'd sprinkled salt and dried lavender around the caravan. It's all too easy for a vengeful spirit, for something other and twisted, to slither in if a proper warding isn't in place. And in the space between dreams and waking on this cold, dark night, it seems real.
Frost steals over everything in my dreams like a spell."
Harper Collins very kindly sent an ARC of this book to me back at the beginning of September, when the first breath of autumn filled the air. I read it immediately, as I am always more drawn to witchy novels during the darker half of the year. It held me gripped for two days and I couldn't put it down.
The Woodsmoke Women's Book of Spells is a wonderful tale of magic, curses and romance. The story takes place in the cosy, mountain town of Woodsmoke, where everybody knows everybody else, and nothing remains a secret for very long. In the midst of this town live the Morgan women - a family of natural witches, who pass their special book of magic down from one generation to the next. However, the book is more than a grimoire or book of shadows. It is a history of romance, of all the loves and losses of the Morgan women down through the ages, told in the style of a collection of fables, in the hope that future generations of women can learn from the losses of their ancestors.
Into this environment sweeps Carrie, the youngest of the Morgan women and the only one who tried to break free and leave the town for good. But when her grandmother, Ivy, dies and leaves her everything, Carrie has to return to sort out the cottage and the shop that Ivy left behind, and to make her peace with her great aunt, Cora, the witch who currently holds the family book of spells.
The Morgan women aren't just run of the mill witches. They are mountain witches and the mountains and hills of Woodsmoke are sentient, the mountain trails populated by the spirits of winter, who prowl in the frost. It is the legacy of the Morgan women to keep the townsfolk safe from the threat of being taken by the mountains. So when Carrie returns, tongues start wagging.
This is a fantastic book full of winter's charm and the practice of witchery. It has all the cosy vibes of Stars Hallow, with the enchantment of Practical Magic and the insidious threat of The Village. The author even mentions the film, Practical Magic, in the novel, giving a nod to her inspiration and the obvious parallels between the two stories. This book is just as magical, just as cosy and it's just as hard to put down.
In The Woodsmoke Women's Book of Spells you will find a mysterious love interest, family feuds, cosy cottages, witchcraft, skate dates, blood magic and blood ties and the ominous mountains brooding over the frosty town. It reminded me of the time I spent in Glencoe, where the mountains do seem to be sentient beings that will either protect you or kill you! As Carrie attempts to find her place in the world and make up for past wrongs, I couldn't help but be drawn into her story, although Cora is my favourite character as she is so feisty! I sincerely hope that this novel kicks off a series and that there will be more tales of the Morgan women, because I enjoyed this one so much.
If you like the Practical Magic series by Alice Hoffman, then you will love this book too. Just don't forget to ward the thresholds before you read. You never know what's out there, ready to come tap, tap, tapping at your window! The Woodsmoke Women's Book of Spells is the perfect October read. Enjoy!
Brights Blessings
Marie x
AD: This book was sent to me by the publisher Harper Collins for the purposes of review. It will be released on October 10th in hardcover, digital and audio formats and is up for Pre-Order now.
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