Pages: 346
Published: 27th September 2022
Genre: Mystery/Fantasy
Content warnings: Child death, sexual references
Emery Blackwood’s life changed forever the night her best friend was found dead and the love of her life, August Salt, was accused of murdering her. Years later, she is doing what her teenage self swore she never would: living a quiet existence on the misty, remote shores of Saoirse Island and running the family’s business, Blackwood’s Tea Shoppe Herbal Tonics & Tea Leaf Readings.
But when the island, rooted in folklore and magic, begins to show signs of strange happenings, Emery knows that something is coming. The morning she wakes to find that every single tree on Saoirse has turned color in a single night, August returns for the first time in fourteen years and unearths the past that the town has tried desperately to forget.
August knows he is not welcome on Saoirse, not after the night everything changed. As a fire raged on at the Salt family orchard, Lily Morgan was found dead in the dark woods, shaking the bedrock of their tight-knit community and branding August a murderer.
When he returns to bury his mother’s ashes, he must confront the people who turned their backs on him and face the one wound from his past that has never healed – Emery. But the town has more than one reason to want August gone, and the emergence of deep betrayals and hidden promises spanning generations threaten to reveal the truth behind Lily’s mysterious death once and for all.
It is an island that lies just a short boat journey from the mainland, yet feels a million miles away in its sense of separation. The people are protective and close-knit, stuck in their ways as if they are living in the past, embittered by the sins and disputes of long ago which threaten to resurface in the present, while ancient magic is practiced from spell books hidden in dark rooms. This captivating, atmospheric setting sets the scene for an immersive story of love and conspiracy.
If any proof is required of how significant a role the setting of Saoirse has in this book, consider the fact that it has its very own chapter told in the first person. Very much akin to a separate character, it is the thing that the plot entirely revolves around, with its uniquely hostile vibe and the sprinkling of power it wields over its inhabitants, even once they have left. It exerts a similar force upon the reader, not letting you go until after the end.
Indeed, a large percentage of the story is pure vibes and the author arguably relies a little too much on this for the sake of storytelling, with some overly descriptive writing. The plot itself is an intriguing one that throws up a whole bunch of possibilities that really keep you guessing, with characters whose fractured relationships fill them with angst and heartbreak, although some key areas are underdeveloped or not fully explained.
It is told in the first person from the perspectives of a variety of different characters, though mainly Emery and August. The writing does a good job of expressing their emotions and exploring their on-off romance in both the present timeline and the occasional flashbacks to the past, however their personalities are never very well developed and so it was hard to fully connect with either of them.
Despite no overwhelming evidence linking him to the crime, everyone on Saoirse is convinced that he killed his and Emery’s friend Lily many years ago and they virtually chased him off the island, along with his mother. Upon his return at the beginning of the book to scatter his mother’s ashes, there is a huge atmosphere of hostility towards him, with everyone on edge and either looking for revenge, or anxious about dredging up the past and unleashing all the emotional turmoil.
It also sets up a murder mystery, which is the perfect invitation to read on. If everyone suspects that August killed Lily, then in fiction the chances are he did not do it and the answer is far more complex. There are a couple of red herrings although the pool of possible suspects is not especially wide and so the outcome is rather predictable, but nevertheless it is exciting to see Emery so determined to get to the truth.
The best parts of the plot are when Emery discovers the hidden letters and revelations from her uncle Jakob’s original investigation into Lily’s death. They tell you things about certain characters that you might not expect, and point to a wider conspiracy which becomes even more complex once factors such as magic and the orchard come into play. It makes you question Lily and who she really was, and renders Dutch even more of an enigma.
For a story that contains magic and the casting of spells, it plays only a very subtle role that actually comes off as more effective. Magic is only mentioned intermittently, but in some ways its presence lurks beneath the surface. The frequent references to the orchard are different, with lots of hints towards a dispute over its ownership. This goes on to be massively central to the plot, although the intricacies of it and the way it drove characters’ motives, were difficult to fully grasp.
Emery is lost in the memory of when August slipped away into a moment in time, but his return reignites something in her. It is powerful when you find that she has not moved on and when she realises the things that her family and friends have kept hidden from her over the years. Even then, you are left to wonder how much she really remembers and whether she is a totally reliable narrator.
The thing that stands about August is his bitterness. Upon alighting at Saoirse it is clear that he wants to keep as low a profile as possible, aware as he is of the tension surrounding him. But in the end it is almost as if he cannot help himself, particularly after coming across Emery again. Though full of quiet apprehension, he seemed a good person.
Possibly the most curious character of the lot is Dutch, who does come across as untrustworthy and resentful. He and Emery are together, but it always feels like a relationship of convenience rather than anything resembling love. The truth about Lily goes a long way to explaining his attitude, with others such as Leoda having a much more obvious ulterior motive.
The ending and how the mystery unfurls may not please everyone, yet it is very intelligently plotted with some hidden clues that pay off later on, showcasing a real attention to detail. In general, the pace of the story is a trifle slow; something that is partly made up for by the transportive setting and the genuinely eerie wilderness exuded by the setting, and the promise of a dramatic resolution.
Overall, this a relatively slow burner that never gains maximum speed, but the strength of its world building and the intrigue generated by the mystery make it a bewitching read. The atmosphere could not be any better and if that were complimented by stronger character development and more clarity on plot points such as the orchard, it would have been one to truly savour. Even so, there are many reasons to admire it.
A New York Times bestselling author, Adrienne Young lives and writes in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. She enjoys hiking, yoga, and travelling, which may be a reason for how she is able to conjure so much atmosphere in her novels.
Her first published books were the Sky & Sea duology in 2018 and 2019 respectively, which was closely followed by The World Of The Narrows, a three-book series. Spells For Forgetting is her first standalone novel, with another, The Unmaking Of June Farrow, released in 2023.
Atmosphere aplenty and a great concept for a mystery. I loved all of that, just wish it was a little faster paced with more character depth.
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐.5
Stephen Reads Books 