Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young

August 2, 2022

Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young

A man returns to the island off the coast of Washington state where he grew up, to bury his mother's ashes and sell her cottage, then plans to return to his life in Portland as soon as he has completed those two tasks. But he was a suspect in a death many years earlier, so the townsfolk call a town meeting to "decide what to do about him." But of course the unexplained death isn't the real reason they want to get rid of him.

This book started losing me about 10% in. I've read this plotline many times before: the small town where the residents hate outsiders and will kill if necessary to maintain the status quo. How (un)original. Yawn.

Even the spells/witchcraft in the book are boring. One of the characters owns a teashop, one owns an herbal apothecary, one is the local granny/wisewoman. Again, no originality here. 

Normally this author writes young adult fiction, and this is her first book being marketed for adults. Maybe she should go back to YA. 

I wish the wisewoman in the book had been this interesting

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC.