Meet New Books
Book Cover

Garden Spells

Book 1 in the series:Waverley Family

Save:
Find on Amazon

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen is a whimsical and enchanting tale set in North Carolina, focusing on the lives of two sisters, Claire and Sydney Waverley. The story revolves around their family's unusual gifts and the magical garden they tend to, including an apple tree that plays a central role in their lives. The book combines elements of love, family, magic, and self-discovery, creating a charming and heartwarming narrative that explores themes of relationships, acceptance, and the power of familial bonds.

The author, Sarah Addison Allen, weaves a story that is both light-hearted and magical, blending everyday life with mystical elements seamlessly. Through the characters of Claire and Sydney, readers are taken on a journey of reconnecting with the past, embracing their unique abilities, and finding solace in the bonds of sisterhood. With a touch of romance, a sprinkle of fantasy, and a dash of Southern charm, Garden Spells offers a delightful escape into a world where the ordinary is intertwined with the extraordinary.

Characters:

The characters are well-developed, showcasing distinct personalities and their struggles with family dynamics.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is enchanting and approachable, infusing the narrative with warmth and whimsy.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot revolves around two sisters reconciling after years apart, emphasizing themes of family, love, and the impact of their magical heritage.

Setting:

The setting is a quaint Southern town, enhancing the novel's enchanting and whimsical atmosphere.

Pacing:

The pacing is well-balanced, providing a steady flow that keeps the reader interested.
Every smiley moon, without fail, Claire dreamed of her childhood. She always tried to stay awake those nights when the stars winked and the moon was just a cresting sliver smiling provocatively down a...

Notes:

The Waverleys are considered a bit strange by their neighbors in Bascom, North Carolina, where magic is part of everyday life.
Claire Waverley runs a catering business using herbs and flowers from her magical garden, which affect those who eat her dishes in unique ways.
The Waverley family features an enchanted apple tree that can show the eater the most significant event of their life.
Sydney, Claire's estranged sister, returns home after a tumultuous life, bringing her young daughter Bay with her.
Evanelle, the elderly relative, has a peculiar talent for giving people specific gifts that they will need in the future, despite not knowing why.
The book balances themes of love, acceptance, and the complexity of family relationships against a backdrop of magical realism.
Garden Spells evokes a feeling similar to a modern fairy tale or a warm, comforting story perfect for a cozy read.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Content warnings include themes of domestic abuse and trauma, which may be triggering for some readers.

Has Romance?

The novel contains a significant romantic subplot, contributing to the characters' development and overall narrative.

From The Publisher:

In a garden surrounded by a tall fence, tucked away behind a small, quiet house in an even smaller town, is an apple tree that is rumored to bear a very special sort of fruit. In this luminous debut novel, Sarah Addison Allen tells the story of that enchanted tree, and the extraordinary people who tend it.…

The Waverleys have always been a curious family, endowed with peculiar gifts that make them outsiders even in their hometown of Bascom, North Carolina. Even their garden has a reputation, famous for its feisty apple tree that bears prophetic fruit, and its edible flowers, imbued with special powers. Generations of Waverleys tended this garden. Their history was in the soil. But so were their futures.

A successful caterer, Claire Waverley prepares dishes made with her mystical plants-from the nasturtiums that aid in keeping secrets and the pansies that make children thoughtful, to the snapdragons intended to discourage the attentions of her amorous neighbor. Meanwhile, her elderly cousin, Evanelle, is known for distributing unexpected gifts whose uses become uncannily clear. They are the last of the Waverleys-except for Claire's rebellious sister, Sydney, who fled Bascom the moment she could, abandoning Claire, as their own mother had years before.

When Sydney suddenly returns home with a young daughter of her own, Claire's quiet life is turned upside down-along with the protective boundary she has so carefully constructed around her heart. Together again in the house they grew up in, Sydney takes stock of all she left behind, as Claire struggles to heal the wounds of the past. And soon the sisters realize they must deal with their common legacy-if they are ever to feel at home in Bascom-or with each other.

Enchanting and heartfelt, this captivating novel is sure to cast a spell with a style all its own….

Ratings (64)

Incredible (10)
Loved It (33)
Liked It (14)
It Was OK (5)
Did Not Like (2)

Reader Stats (171):

Read It (64)
Want To Read (93)
Did Not Finish (1)
Not Interested (13)

4 comment(s)

Liked It
2 months

Plot

 
Loved It
3 months

I got a strong recommendation from a buddy in GR on this book and i read it. My first book by [a:Sarah Addison Allen|566874|Sarah Addison Allen|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1372537232p2/566874.jpg] and now all her other books are in my To-Read list:)

Garden spells is about a garden. A magical garden where herbs, flowers and fruits are grown. A combination of these will work as a magic potion in the life of the people who consumed it :)

Waverley's, generation after generation take forward the tradition of magical herbs and bring joy to the needful, but with a sad life of their own.

Two sisters, one stays home and takes forward the name of Waverley and another runs and leads an unfortunate life. They meet after long time and are forced to live together. And the story begins, with past, with future and with magic :)

 
Loved It
3 months

Sweet, charming & amusing little tale.

 
Incredible
5 months

This is exactly what i needed right now. It was a feel good book which really uplifted my mood.

 

About the Author:

Sarah Addison Allen is the author of The Peach Keeper, The Girl Who Chased the Moon, Garden Spells, and The Sugar Queen. She was born and raised in Asheville, North Carolina.

 
Meet New Books is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a way for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to products and services on amazon.com and its subsidiaries.
When you click the Amazon link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commision, at no cost to you.