#garden spells

[writingdeliberately]

Sarah Addison Allen novels swallow me whole!!!! she needs more appreciation online!

[petite-ursus]

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

[shy-and-reserved]

The Many Different Cover Of:

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

[busybooklr]

Shelf-Confidence BPC | August 4: Stand Alones or Series

My preference is a one-and-done story. I resent the publishing cash grab that most series seem to be. I will never forget my anger and disappointment at an author event for a new, standalone novel that was revealed to be the start of another trilogy. 

[tigermousse]

She looked like autumn, when leaves turned and fruit ripened.

Sarah Addison Allen, Garden Spells

[borboranoir]

“My plants are healthy” Sigil / Colored version here

by Naria Noir (IG narianoir89)

[webcomixwastaken]

Okay, so I'm currently reading Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen... while it's not perfect (but hey, nothing is!), it's exactly what I want.

A magical family who grow up in a beautiful, old house with a magical apple tree. Two sisters, one who runs from this reputation but has now meandered home, and one who stayed and embraced her fate wholeheartedly but along with it, loneliness. Sisters who are gonna work things out and help the other, even if they don’t understand each other. Quiet and observant daughter/niece. A kooky old auntie. Charming artist neighbour who immediately falls in love with one of them. Lots of baking and descriptions of food. MAGICAL APPLE TREE!!

(Warning: comparison to The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender under the cut. Spoiler: I didn’t like it, though I wanted to which is why I REALLY didn’t like it. But a lot of gushing over Garden Spells.)

It’s basically delivering to me what I had HOPED to find in The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender (which I had mixed feelings throughout my reading of it, like truly up and down until it veered right into “what the fuck, no I hate this” at the end). Because this story has the similar vibe of a female-fronted family burdened with unique abilities that have led them to mess up their relationships, but Garden Spells doesn’t have that... defeated tone for most of the book, the weary “we just need to weather our curse and trudge through all this shit fate throws at us”. I really appreciate that the Waverley sisters are more proactive in working towards their goals -- which, I will acknowledge, might be because it’s firmly categorised as an adult book and they are also clearly adults at 28/34 years of age where as Ava Lavender is considered YA (...though the title character doesn’t even get born until 50% through, GAH sorry, I need to stop griping about this book that disappointed me). This adult age also gives them both a stronger sense of self-awareness that makes me enjoy reading about them more. No pining after a guy who impregnated you IMMEDIATELY after introducing you to his fiance who he got engaged to while pretending you guys were still long distance. Oh, I really hated Vivienne’s arc in Ava Lavender. It’s realistic, but I hated it.

The only thing I’m wary about right now is the depiction of Garden Spells’s antagonists. There are two, a mother-daughter duo in which the mom is clearly a straight-up awful bitch, but the daughter is given a closer POV and some insight into her psyche. It indicates that she has always been manipulated by said mother and their own family’s social reputation -- she is not a nice person but I would like to see where the author goes with this. Personally, I hope for a moment where she can face who she is/what she’s done and have a moment of realising that she doesn’t need to continue being like this. Like, a distant hope for becoming a better person. Some day. Just a seed. I’m a sap like that.

Sorry, can I say one more time how I LOVE this magic system? Certain ingredients = tastes that bring certain windfalls whether it’s love or guilt or social clout or enlightenment... and then Claire goes and cooks them into mouth-watering and beautiful sounding food. Even people who know like, just a teeny bit what I’m about know immediately that THIS IS FOR ME. FLOWER FOOD MAGIC, YES!

THIS BOOK IS COSY COTTAGECORE MAGIC REALISM AND IT’S 100% UP MY ALLEY.

I’m not done reading it yet, but when I do I really hope I can recommend!!

[ironingthepages]

“You are who you are, whether you like it or not, so why not like it?” —Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen