Pages: 320
Publication Date: November 5th, 2019
Genre: Fantasy/YA Fantasy
**Thank you Netgalley and Simon and Shuster Canada/Simon Pulse for the opportunity to read this novel and provide an honest review**
Surrounding the town of Firhaven is woods. It's said that they are magical and haunted even. Only Nora Walker knows the truth, because the Walkers have a special connection to the forest. When Nora meets Oliver, she feels a special connection to him because of the forest.
There were many things I liked about this book. I loved the atmospheric writing for one. It was the perfect amount of purple and was just so lyrical. I could almost feel like I was in the cold forest with Nora. The fact she was a witch was great. Every two chapters there was a recipe for a spell and some history of the Walkers. This made me feel more apart of it. World building I think was good for a standalone YA Fantasy novel. It has a fairy tale feel to it and I love fairy tales.
My issues were the Instalove, the ending and the fact the characters didn't get very developed. I was super into the beginning of the novel and the intrigue at the beginning, I felt like as it went on it began to teeter out and I became less interested in it as it went on. The plot itself was just flat at certain moments for me.
Apparently the ending is different from what I read? Or maybe the other reviews or information I saw online are lying to me. Either way, I'll be picking up a finished copy to see because I did really enjoy it. The books biggest strength is Shea Ernshaw's writing and I'm really intrigued in seeing what else she comes out with.
3.5/5
I'd recommend this to fans of witches or are just looking for a standalone fantasy novel. It's very atmospheric and perfect for fall/winter.