Who among us hasn't dreamt of finding a house in the woods hidden from the world where we can rest, recharge, center ourselves, maybe read (or write) a book or two? 

I read mostly horror, so, as much as I enjoy a lot of what I read, I rarely find myself wishing I were part of the world of the book. But in The Creek, the Crone, and the Crow, Leah Weiss has created not only a world I would be happy to inhabit, she has created characters I would like to know and a mystery I would like to investigate.

The Last Witch by C.J. Cooke is a thrilling and infuriating historical horror novel based on the true story of the victims of the infamous witchfinder Heinrich Kramer who wrote the famous Malleus Maleficarum, a textbook on how to identify and deal with witches.

I expected Dark Sisters by Kristi DeMeester to be feminist and witchy, which it was. I did not expect it to be legitimately scary and somewhat gruesome, nor did I expect it to be a virtual treatise for smashing the patriarchy, but here we are, and I am here for it. 

Lee wrestles with personal demons - her mother’s drug addiction, how she treated her friends and classmates, and recognizing her own dependence on alcohol - the latter which made for one of the most poignant passages in the book as we see that through her children’s eyes - in order to reestablish her connection to the land so she can harness the power she needs to save herself and those loves from the physical demons that someone has unleashed. 

By page 3 of Uncharmed by Lucy Jane Wood, I was not only charmed, I was regretting being unarmed with tasty pastries. 

I read a lot of horror, and reading this cozy, witchy romance was a sweet treat - but it was not completely free of drama. 

Lessons in Magic and Disaster by Charlie Jane Anders is a charming light fantasy about loss, love, and identity with a simple plot but complex characters and themes.