Scan barcode
aurora4847's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
3.75
I wasn't quite sure if I was going to like this book at first. It was slow to grab me, but once it did I was hooked. Lovely story about witchcraft, hauntings, and the ways in which we hold ourselves back from things we really want.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Abandonment, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content
Moderate: Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Grief
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Car accident, Racism, and Hate crime
A main character is in the foster system. There is blood and non-descriptive animal death for ritual purposes. A main character is grieving the loss of their parent, which has strained their relationship with their other parent. A main character is confined to a house with an individual trying (sometimes violently) to keep them there.fromthefoxhole's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
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
4.0
ugh I just finished this book and I feel like some entity is literally squeezing my heart, I'm EMOTIONAL.
Saint Juniper is a quaint little town, a little paradise on the right side of the tracks where nothing goes wrong. Wolf's Head is a little grungier, the people slightly more worse for wear. In between them gapes Saint Juniper's Folly, a deep, foresty valley filled with secrets
For Theo, Jamie, and Taylor, it's the source of fear, mystery, and answers.
This book is a cozy little mystery, a tender hearted romance, a generational healing, and a coming of age story all rolled into one treat of a novel. We have 3 narrators - Taylor, a teen witch still grieving the loss of her mother. Theo, the boy next door who's starting to buckle beneath the pressure. And Jaime, the neglected foster kid who's new to the area. The amalgamation we find therein does occasionally suffer from the weight of its premise. The pacing falters a touch and the characterizations lose some of the details that we need. I think any debut novel has a chance of that, though, the author needing to kind of hit their stride. For as vast of a concept as Saint Juniper's Folly is, it is largely successful.
All 3 characters are integrally woven to the plot, each plot point is tied up neatly by the end. I felt satisfied as a reader with the way things ended, and with new spots carved in my heart for all 3 of the leads. ALSO - we love an Achillean romance.
Saint Juniper is a quaint little town, a little paradise on the right side of the tracks where nothing goes wrong. Wolf's Head is a little grungier, the people slightly more worse for wear. In between them gapes Saint Juniper's Folly, a deep, foresty valley filled with secrets
For Theo, Jamie, and Taylor, it's the source of fear, mystery, and answers.
This book is a cozy little mystery, a tender hearted romance, a generational healing, and a coming of age story all rolled into one treat of a novel. We have 3 narrators - Taylor, a teen witch still grieving the loss of her mother. Theo, the boy next door who's starting to buckle beneath the pressure. And Jaime, the neglected foster kid who's new to the area. The amalgamation we find therein does occasionally suffer from the weight of its premise. The pacing falters a touch and the characterizations lose some of the details that we need. I think any debut novel has a chance of that, though, the author needing to kind of hit their stride. For as vast of a concept as Saint Juniper's Folly is, it is largely successful.
All 3 characters are integrally woven to the plot, each plot point is tied up neatly by the end. I felt satisfied as a reader with the way things ended, and with new spots carved in my heart for all 3 of the leads. ALSO - we love an Achillean romance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Abandonment, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Confinement, Death, Grief, Death of parent, and Child abuse
Minor: Racism, Gaslighting, Outing, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, and Murder
More...