Spells, Strings and Forgotten Things

Our Review

“Their mother had warned them of many things. Always reinforce the enchantments around the Dark Oak from the safety of the Altar at midnight on every equinox. Stay away from shadowcrafters. And when three bad omens occur in a row, run. Because it could only mean one thing…The Dark Oak was awakening.”

Spells, Strings and Forgotten Things is the follow up to The Unfortunate Side Effects of Hearbreak and Magic by Breanne Randall. I finished the first book in a day so this second in the series was a must read.

Calliope and her two sisters are witches, but their magic comes at a price in exchange for each spell they must sacrifice a memory. For her sisters the price is too high to pay, particularly after watching their mother abandon them when they were younger.

Calliope, on the other hand is more than willing to sacrifice a few painful memories to practice magic and carry out the task their mum left them with: to uphold the protective magic surrounding the Dark Oak.

For Calliope, their mother’s warning is still fresh in her mind.

“Where magic gathers, there will be those who seek to claim it. Protect your bond at all costs. It’s the only thing that can save you. Never trust a shadowcrafter, do you understand?”

When we met the witches their bond is stretched almost to breaking point. Calliope is seen as reckless by her sisters, the eldest, Thalia, sees Calliope as reckless with her magic and never uses it herself, her other sister, Dissy is too fearful to practice regularly. Calliope is left to call on the help of their Grimmoire ‘Grim’, the sentient spellbook she turns to for all things magical.

When strange things begin to happen Calliope realises the protective enchantments surrounding the Dark Oak are weakening but her sisters are unwilling to believe her. In desperation she decides to strengthen the enchantments alone, but when things go wrong she accidentally binds herself to darkcrafrer Lucien Deniz. A notorious and ruthless practitioner whose presence in the town can only mean trouble.

Spells, Strings and Forgotten Things has strong echoes of the Phoebe and Cole relationship in Charmed. This second book seemed to me less of the homely, Practical Magic vibe of The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic and contained more of the darkness that could sometimes occur in episodes of Charmed.

I enjoyed the emphasis on the bond between the sisters in this book, the relationship between them felt very real. I didn’t find myself quite as invested in the romance in this second book but for me the romance is often secondary to the story and in this case that won over. All in all, it was an enjoyable read.

Our Final Rating...

9 Weeks Ago