By: Adrienne Young
My Recommendation: 👍👍👍👍👍 - (Out of 5 👍)
Saoirse island off the coast of the Pacific Northwest is not what it appears to be on the surface and neither is it's residents. Only accessible by ferry, tourists come to visit the local orchard during apple picking season. Families who call the island home have been living there for generations. Saoirse's residents do not only pass down their homes and land to their children, but also their trade and family business. Visitors say there is something 'magical' about the island and they are not completely wrong.
Fourteen years ago August Salt and his mother Eloise, used the ferry to sneak away from their home on Saoirse in the middle of the night. At the age of eighteen, August had been accused but not charged in the mysterious death of one of his childhood friends, Lily Morgan. Those on the island did not believe his alibi nor did they believe in his innocence. They were making life difficult for him and his mother. In an effort to save them both, Eloise thought it best they start over. It was a difficult choice to make. Legend was that one may leave Saoirse but the island would never really release its hold; August came to believe the truth in that statement. Now he has returned to Saoirse to fulfill his mother's final wishes; to lay her ashes to rest in the family plot.
Emery Blackwood had been Lily's best friend as well as August's girlfriend. When August and his mother vanished she was left behind to pick up the pieces. Even though everyone on the island believed August to be guilty, Emery believed in his innocence and defended him at every opportunity. Her adamant defense caused others on the island to believe she may have also played a part in Lily's death. Now that August has returned secrets long buried are starting to surface. August is clearly hiding something but Emery soon learns that so many other residents on Saoirse have hidden pasts. Emery wants to stand by August but knows that his time on the island is limited, he will return to the life he has made for himself on the mainland. Can Emery break the ties that have bound the couple their entire lives or will she uncover an ugly truth that will force her to make some tough choices?
I was provided and Advanced Reader copy by the publisher and Netgalley for an honest review:
I have been a fan of Adrienne Young through both her Fable and Sky and Sea series. Young is an amazing story teller with the ability to develop beautiful worlds, mesmerizing and unique tales, with lovable characters the reader supports and roots for to the very end of their happily ever after. Spells for Forgetting is very different from Young's other works but it is equally as captivating and compelling as anything else I have ever read by her if not more so. Whereas her other works appeal to teens and young adults, this story can draw in a wide range of reader. I would classify it as an adult thriller/mystery that will keep the reader on the edge of their seats until the very last word. I did something I have not done in a long time, read it in one sitting and stayed up late to discover how it would end. 'Spells for Forgetting' is a stand alone book that is due for release September 27, 2022. I highly recommend pre-ordering a copy now.
Available for pre-order with a current release date of September 27, 2022.
