Tag Archives: family curse

Review: Spells for Lost Things by Jenna Evans Welch

Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , , , ,
Spells for Lost Things by Jenna Evans Welch

Spells for Lost Things
Jenna Evans Welch
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Published September 27, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Spells for Lost Things

From the New York Times bestselling author of LOVE & GELATO comes a poignant and romantic novel about two teens trying to find their place in the world after being unceremoniously dragged to Salem, Massachusetts, for the summer.

Willow has never felt like she belonged anywhere and is convinced that the only way to find a true home is to travel the world. But her plans to act on her dream are put on hold when her aloof and often absent mother drags Willow to Salem, Massachusetts, to wrap up the affairs of an aunt Willow didn’t even know she had. An aunt who may or may not have been a witch.

There, she meets Mason, a loner who’s always felt out of place and has been in and out of foster homes his entire life. He’s been classified as one of the runaways, constantly searching for ways to make it back to his mom; even if she can’t take care of him, it’s his job to try and take care of her. Isn’t it?

Naturally pulled to one another, Willow and Mason set out across Salem to discover the secret past of Willow’s mother, her aunt, and the ambiguous history of her family. During all of this, the two can’t help but act on their natural connection. But with the amount of baggage between them—and Willow’s growing conviction her family might be cursed—can they manage to hold onto each other?

My Review

One of the things that I find interesting about this book is the fact that both characters have issues with their moms. Willow’s mom is emotionally absent. She’s there, but she’s so remote that Willow feels distant from her. Add to that the fact that she has this whole secret past life including a family Willow has never even heard of, much less met, and it only makes sense that she’d feel estranged.

Then there’s Mason, whose mom has been missing for the last few years while he’s been shuffled around in foster care. He clings to rituals they used to share about looking for signs and exploring new places together, but he knows she’s a mess. It’s part of why he feels like he needs to find her. To help her get her life straight. After all, that’s what you do for the people you love, right?

So mom issues on both sides. Which is an interesting choice because Mason is seventeen. It seems unusual (though not impossible) that a boy that age would focus on his mom in that way. I thought that made him an unusual and empathetic character.

Willow’s great aunts were a lot of fun. I liked that they leaned into the witchy-ness of Salem and the family lore. I also loved the things that came up as Willow and Mason began to look more into their family history and to try to understand what happened and learn about Willow’s potential family curse.

The historical setting and letters from Willow’s aunt about the past all added some nice layers to the story. I think those were my favorite parts, actually. I loved getting to piece all that together and the way things shifted the more we learned about the past.

SPELLS FOR LOST THINGS is the second book by Jenna Evans Welch that I’ve read. I enjoyed it for sure– I’ve been reading such dark (spooky!) books lately that it was really nice to take a break and read a fluffy romance. I think I liked LOVE & OLIVES a teeny bit better than this one. That might be because of the Greek setting and the amazing bookstore in the book. It’s hard to beat that!

I think fans of Jennifer E. Smith or Kasie West will like this sweet romance.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Mason is in the foster care system.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
The bulk of the story is set in Salem, Massachusetts. There’s some discussion about its history, specifically the Salem Witch Trials. The town has also leaned into its witchy history and there are lots of businesses that references witchy things. Willow’s great aunts also describe themselves as witches and celebrate rituals at the full moon. There are rumors that the women in Willow’s family are under a curse which Willow decides to investigate.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of SPELLS FOR LOST THINGS in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Dear Haiti, Love Alaine by Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Magical Realism, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , ,

Dear Haiti, Love Alaine
Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite
Inkyard Press
September 3, 2019

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Goodreads

About Dear Haiti, Love Alaine

Co-written by sisters Maika and Maritza Moulite, and told in epistolary style through letters, articles, emails, and diary entries, this exceptional debut novel captures a sparkling new voice and irrepressible heroine in a celebration of storytelling sure to thrill fans of Nicola Yoon, Ibi Zoboi and Jenna Evans Welch!

When a school presentation goes very wrong, Alaine Beauparlant finds herself suspended, shipped off to Haiti and writing the report of a lifetime…

You might ask the obvious question: What do I, a seventeen-year-old Haitian American from Miami with way too little life experience, have to say about anything?

Actually, a lot.

Thanks to “the incident” (don’t ask), I’m spending the next two months doing what my school is calling a “spring volunteer immersion project.” It’s definitely no vacation. I’m toiling away under the ever-watchful eyes of Tati Estelle at her new nonprofit. And my lean-in queen of a mother is even here to make sure I do things right. Or she might just be lying low to dodge the media sharks after a much more public incident of her own…and to hide a rather devastating secret.

All things considered, there are some pretty nice perks…like flirting with Tati’s distractingly cute intern, getting actual face time with my mom and experiencing Haiti for the first time. I’m even exploring my family’s history—which happens to be loaded with betrayals, superstitions and possibly even a family curse.

You know, typical drama. But it’s nothing I can’t handle.

My Review

For me, DEAR HAITI, LOVE ALAINE had two incredibly powerful parts: the first is the relationships between characters. The second is the description of Alaine’s time in Haiti.

Alaine has complex relationships with pretty much everyone. Haha. She’s a bit prickly and probably too smart for her own good, and that makes being close to her a complicated thing. She feels estranged from her mom, and that pain totally comes across in the story. The helplessness she feels and the frustration were heartbreaking.

On a lighter note, I love Alaine’s sense of humor (not going to lie– even the school project gone wrong made me laugh) and her quirky way of relating things. She made the story really fun to read.

The landscape of Haiti is beautifully described, but that isn’t even the whole of it. There’s really something magical in the way the Moulite sisters write about Haiti and what it’s like for Alaine to be there.

I guess the family curse surprised me a little bit in that I didn’t realize until maybe the second half of the book that the curse was going to be such a huge part of the story. It felt like a bit of a hard left turn to me, if that makes sense.

Still, I think the authors tied all the threads of the story together nicely, and stayed away from some of the predictable tropes. I enjoyed reading DEAR HAITI, LOVE ALAINE, and I think readers who enjoy books about narrators making a first visit to a homeland, like THE CAT KING OF HAVANA by Tom Crosshill would enjoy this book.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Most characters are Haitian. Much of the story takes place in Haiti.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
Alaine’s family member believe her family is under a curse which can only be broken through some spiritual rituals.

Violent Content
A woman slaps a man.

Drug Content
A girl drinks a hallucinogenic drink as part of a ritual.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog. I received a free copy of DEAR HAITI, LOVE ALAINE in exchange for my honest review.