Sometimes you find those books that you wouldn’t have normally picked but end up changing your entire reading habits. Maybe someone recommends one to you, maybe you find a book for dirt cheap and give it a go, maybe there’s been a book on your shelf for years that you don’t remember buying and you finally think, what the heck? In my case, this book was a book club pick that someone else brough to the table; a book that combines two genres I never read, and a book that I was not expecting to love nearly as much as I did.
Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young is enchanting. It’s a fantasy mystery set on a beautiful, magical island full of characters that are complex, raw, and real. While it started off a bit slow for my liking, this book soon sucked me in and kept me turning the pages as if I myself was under a spell.
The story is told from multiple points of view, but mostly follows Emery Blackwood, as she navigates the return of her first (and only ever true) love, August Salt. August was driven away from the island as a young man due to a murder accusation, the murder of Emery’s best friend: Lily Morgan. He always wanted to leave the island as a young man, but never pictured leaving Emery, so when he returns, he too has complicated emotions to work through, especially since the only reason he returns is due to the death of his mother.
While the book exists mostly in the present tense, there are a few jumps to the past sprinkled throughout, and because of these we really get to see the extent of the relationships between the characters in this book, and it adds a lot of depth. I am not usually a huge fan of time jumps, but this book just does it well, and it’s not so often that it gets annoying.
Throughout learning about the characters, we get to see Young’s talent for developing them, and I really felt for all of the characters in this story, which is a pretty rare thing to happen for me! I am a tough critic, after all. Not only are the characters understandable, relatable, and loveable, but the setting in this book is one of my favorites of all time.
Right from the jump, the island is described in such a way that I cannot even describe. As a reader, you both want to visit this island yourself and stay the hell away from it, which is what many of the characters of the book feel as well. The island is almost a character in itself, and the entire time you’re reading you just feel the biggest sense of atmosphere surrounding the setting. It’s cozy and suspenseful and charming all at the same time.
Beyond the characters and the setting, which almost put this book to a five-star read on their own, the story that unfolds throughout the pages of this book is captivating, easy to follow, but unpredictable at the same time. Nothing is worse than a good book with a predictable ending, but this book had me questioning who the good guy was at all times. The presence of magic within this world even puts distrust in the reader’s mind against the main character whose inner dialogue we have full access to. It’s a talent that Adrienne Young clearly has that is not shared by many.
If all of this wasn’t enough ammunition to justify my five star rating, I have to conclude with large praise for the ending. It had me turning the pages until the last second, casted enough suspense to leave me hungry but not too much to leave me unsatisfied, and revealed a twist that I really didn’t see coming.
Out of all the reviews I have done on my page throughout the course of this fall semester, this one is the book I recommend the most! I think this is a great fall or winter read, and I can’t wait to see what Adrienne Young has in store for the future. Spells for Forgetting was a marvelous story that had me hooked, and I am as sad that it’s over as I am happy that I read it. If you take anything away from this review, take this advice: don’t be afraid to read a book you wouldn’t pick out yourself! You may be surprised.