Quiet Spells is a book devoted to exploring loss. With mystery and action, Quiet Spells remains being character driven even when you don’t expect it. There were a few elements that felt shallow here, but overall I enjoyed it. Keep reading this book review of Quiet Spells for my full thoughts.
Summary
More than half a year has passed since the disappearance of Gemma Eakley and Teddy Ingram still has no clue as to whether she is alive, dead or something worse. With Gemma’s young daughter left in his care Teddy haunts the rural haven of Townsend like one of its many spirits.
But then Aurelia – his beloved ex-rival – returns with the news that her own mother is dead – and a ghost forms from the pages of her farewell to give the would-be lovers a They won’t let me rest.
One coven’s efforts to reverse the looming extinction of witches involves resurrecting the dead. Meredith’s old coven wants to know what secrets she took with her to the funeral pyre; did she have the key to fixing their botched attempts at necromancy?
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Quiet Spells begins with intrigue, but has, at time, an imbalance between action and introspection. Its full strengths lie in the character development. For both Teddy and Aurelia, they’re both swimming in guilt, regret, and loss. The ways our love and resentment, the things we wish we said, fill in these hollow spaces at night. Pacing wise, we begin with a slow build, getting re-introduced to the world and the intrigue, and then in the last 20% so much happens. It felt sudden and I wish we had a slower build of action. I appreciated seeing both of the character arcs and the ways in which they are similar and unable to see the differences.
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In many ways it feels like being stuck in Teddy’s head. And when we spend so much time with anyone’s head, there are moments we rub against the walls. For those who like a drawn out will they won’t they full of yearning and standing in our own way, meet Quiet Spells. Our characters aren’t rush instead stuck in how we can’t let go of the past, what happened, and when sorry isn’t enough. It’s a story about grief and acceptance and feels character driven in a way different from Modern Divination. There’s some gorgeous writing, but the last quarter attempts to cram so much in, it feels a bit like whiplash. Find Quiet Spells on Goodreads, Storygraph, Bookshop. org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.