🌲 book review 🌲 SPELLS FOR FORGETTING ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 "There are spells for breaking and spells for mending. But there are no spells for forgetting.” This is such a great fall read, and I highly recommend it if you're looking for something magical yet still rooted in reality. The language in this book is beautiful and atmospheric, and the descriptions of the island are so vivid. Especially the way Saiorse and its people are so much a part of each other - the island is in their bones, in the very fiber of their being (for better or worse). The way they have the smell of the woods and the sea about them. And how if you leave, the island “always calls you back.” The mystery of how and why Lily was murdered is intriguing, but it is a bit of a slow burn. I didn’t mind this so much because I just loved the writing but it is something to be aware of (though the reveal is worth it!!). I also personally felt that there were a few too many POVs. I understand the author is trying to slowly unravel the mystery for us and give us pieces from various characters but I think I would have enjoyed it more if we just heard from August and Emery. I also wanted more flashbacks to their love story, as it is their love that is the center of all of this. But despite the slow burn start, the author does such a great job at slowly building the tension until it rises to a fever pitch the last third or so of the novel. I couldn’t put it down. The way the islanders will do anything for the orchard; their life blood. How multiple characters voice the constant refrain, “We take care of our own on Saiorse.” But “their own” can conveniently change to suit their best interests. Magic is interwoven into the very soul of this place and the island begins to be portrayed more and more almost as a sentient being - “restless,” “a growing shadow,” “digging up the things we had buried.” I truly didn’t know how this story was going to end and I absolutely loved it. 😍 Swipe for one my favorite quotes✨ Have your read SFF or is it on your TBR?