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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoyed the first book in this series, and the second one was just as much fun, though in a different way.
Thistle Grove, the community of witches headed by several families, each with its distinctive vibe, comes together for a festival. The general favorite for Queen is Holly Thorn, genuinely nice and a terrific witch--but something goes really wrong, nearly killing her.
After a lot of mutual finger pointing, it's decided that mortal enemies (well, next thing to it) Rowan Thorn and Issa Avramov are the designated investigators. Not only are their families like water and oil, the Thorns being tree-huggers and sweet and nature loving, and the Avramovs a tad sinister, at home with ghosts and things that go bump in the night, but Rowan and Issa have History.
Magic and romance switch off, keeping the pacing brisk. I loved the crackling dialogue, I love the characters, I love the diversity. I hope this series will have lots and lots of sequels, as I'm interested in ALL the Thistle Grove families.
Copy provided by NetGalley
Thistle Grove, the community of witches headed by several families, each with its distinctive vibe, comes together for a festival. The general favorite for Queen is Holly Thorn, genuinely nice and a terrific witch--but something goes really wrong, nearly killing her.
After a lot of mutual finger pointing, it's decided that mortal enemies (well, next thing to it) Rowan Thorn and Issa Avramov are the designated investigators. Not only are their families like water and oil, the Thorns being tree-huggers and sweet and nature loving, and the Avramovs a tad sinister, at home with ghosts and things that go bump in the night, but Rowan and Issa have History.
Magic and romance switch off, keeping the pacing brisk. I loved the crackling dialogue, I love the characters, I love the diversity. I hope this series will have lots and lots of sequels, as I'm interested in ALL the Thistle Grove families.
Copy provided by NetGalley
slow-paced
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I very much enjoyed the characters and their relationship in this book! So much fun for a rainy afternoon. The ending was magical, too. <3
> slight spoilers ahead<
I will say, the mystery element wasn't super engaging at first--I think because of the lack of viable suspects, perhaps, or because I didn't understand enough of the world at first to see how the crime could be investigated? However, the conclusion to it was very satisfying and all my questions were answered. I really liked how it circled back around to the beginning, too!
Overall, the attitude and sheer fun of this book was very engaging. I'll most likely check out the others in the series :)
> slight spoilers ahead<
I will say, the mystery element wasn't super engaging at first--I think because of the lack of viable suspects, perhaps, or because I didn't understand enough of the world at first to see how the crime could be investigated? However, the conclusion to it was very satisfying and all my questions were answered. I really liked how it circled back around to the beginning, too!
Overall, the attitude and sheer fun of this book was very engaging. I'll most likely check out the others in the series :)
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
📱
I had fun reading this book. It was nice to see more of Thistle Grove -- it sounded like a cozy and magical place. I thought Issa and Rowan's relationship was fun to watch evolve -- though I would categorize it as more rivals to lovers than enemies to lovers.
I had fun reading this book. It was nice to see more of Thistle Grove -- it sounded like a cozy and magical place. I thought Issa and Rowan's relationship was fun to watch evolve -- though I would categorize it as more rivals to lovers than enemies to lovers.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Alcohol
Moderate: Cursing, Racism, Violence
Minor: Cancer, Death, Misogyny
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
(4.5 rounded up to a 5)
From Bad to Cursed is the sophomore entry in The Witches of Thistle Grove paranormal fantasy romance series by Lana Harper. The ebook version is 368 pages. We follow our main character with first-person point-of-view.
We follow Isadora, the wild child demon summoner of the Avramov family and younger sister to family scion Talia, who was one of our main characters in the first book in the series. She works full-time designing costumes and storylines for her family's Arcane Emporium haunted house, but her heart is calling her to become an indie fashion designer and break away from the family business. During preparations for the town's Beltane festival, things keep being sabotaged, and the town elders decide to appoint co-investigators to get to the bottom of things. Isadora is chosen by the Avramov family, as dark magic was used as a hex, and their family is under the greatest suspicion. Her co-investigator is none other than Rowan Thorn, lawful good nature boy, and also Issa's archenemy. Their families also have a complicated history that they have to navigate.
This usually doesn't happen to me with the second book in a series, but I definitely liked this one better than the first entry! Getting to know the Avramov family was a treat, and I would love to read future novels about Issa's siblings. I really enjoy Lana Harper's prose; at this point she's become one of my auto-buy authors. I'll have to check out her YA books, which she writes under the name Lana Popović. Everything is so smoothly written! I'm sure the audiobook version will also be wonderful, since they have the same narrator (Jeremy Carlisle Parker) as the first book who did an amazing job. The covers are also super well done for this series.
In her Acknowledgements, the author notes that she had sensitivity readers for this book, which is something I love to see! At the back of the book, there is a Readers Guide with questions for discussion, which I always personally appreciate because I like thinking deeply about something I've just read. There's also a sneak preview of the the first three chapters of the third book in the series, Back in a Spell.
Tropes in this book include: enemies to lovers, queer side characters, nonbinary side characters, interracial romance
CW: description of panic attacks, talk about racism/classism/other -isms, ghost possession
Special thanks to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing an eARC of this book for me to review. All opinions contained herein are my own. From Bad to Cursed releases on May 17th, 2022.
From Bad to Cursed is the sophomore entry in The Witches of Thistle Grove paranormal fantasy romance series by Lana Harper. The ebook version is 368 pages. We follow our main character with first-person point-of-view.
We follow Isadora, the wild child demon summoner of the Avramov family and younger sister to family scion Talia, who was one of our main characters in the first book in the series. She works full-time designing costumes and storylines for her family's Arcane Emporium haunted house, but her heart is calling her to become an indie fashion designer and break away from the family business. During preparations for the town's Beltane festival, things keep being sabotaged, and the town elders decide to appoint co-investigators to get to the bottom of things. Isadora is chosen by the Avramov family, as dark magic was used as a hex, and their family is under the greatest suspicion. Her co-investigator is none other than Rowan Thorn, lawful good nature boy, and also Issa's archenemy. Their families also have a complicated history that they have to navigate.
This usually doesn't happen to me with the second book in a series, but I definitely liked this one better than the first entry! Getting to know the Avramov family was a treat, and I would love to read future novels about Issa's siblings. I really enjoy Lana Harper's prose; at this point she's become one of my auto-buy authors. I'll have to check out her YA books, which she writes under the name Lana Popović. Everything is so smoothly written! I'm sure the audiobook version will also be wonderful, since they have the same narrator (Jeremy Carlisle Parker) as the first book who did an amazing job. The covers are also super well done for this series.
In her Acknowledgements, the author notes that she had sensitivity readers for this book, which is something I love to see! At the back of the book, there is a Readers Guide with questions for discussion, which I always personally appreciate because I like thinking deeply about something I've just read. There's also a sneak preview of the the first three chapters of the third book in the series, Back in a Spell.
Tropes in this book include: enemies to lovers, queer side characters, nonbinary side characters, interracial romance
CW: description of panic attacks, talk about racism/classism/other -isms, ghost possession
Special thanks to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing an eARC of this book for me to review. All opinions contained herein are my own. From Bad to Cursed releases on May 17th, 2022.
I’m just in love with this fictional place and want to live within these pages!