What do you think?
Rate this book
Hazel and Holly
Nestled within an enchanted forest is the Grove, a community where witches and warlocks practice elemental magic, brew mystical potions, and lock their cellars against beer thieving gnomes. Life is quiet and uneventful. Well, except when Hazel's long-lost father uses necromancy to trap her dead mother's soul.
That simply won't do. Necromancy is forbidden in the Grove, and for good reason too. Nobody wants filthy corpses shambling around, mussing up one's garden. Hazel is determined to find her father and undo his treachery.
But despite Hazel's plans of becoming a one-woman army, she can't do everything alone. It's not until wild sister Holly convinces her to leave the house for once and go to a party that Hazel finds a pair of unlikely allies in two bickering warlock brothers.
Together, the four of them go on a journey that takes them out of the Grove and into a world where necromancy reigns and the dead won't respectfully stay in the grave. Hazel will do whatever it takes to stop her father and save her mother's soul. Even if it means turning to necromancy. Even if it means losing her friends. Because they would never help a necromancer. Would they?
That simply won't do. Necromancy is forbidden in the Grove, and for good reason too. Nobody wants filthy corpses shambling around, mussing up one's garden. Hazel is determined to find her father and undo his treachery.
But despite Hazel's plans of becoming a one-woman army, she can't do everything alone. It's not until wild sister Holly convinces her to leave the house for once and go to a party that Hazel finds a pair of unlikely allies in two bickering warlock brothers.
Together, the four of them go on a journey that takes them out of the Grove and into a world where necromancy reigns and the dead won't respectfully stay in the grave. Hazel will do whatever it takes to stop her father and save her mother's soul. Even if it means turning to necromancy. Even if it means losing her friends. Because they would never help a necromancer. Would they?
452 pages, Paperback
First published May 16, 2019
6 people are currently reading
337 people want to read
About the author
Sara C. Snider
5 books35 followersSara C. Snider was born and raised in northern California, but now lives in Sweden with her partner and two beastly cats. She has a bachelor’s degree in Archives and Information Science that is currently sitting on a shelf, collecting dust, as she pursues her literary dreams.
When not reading or writing, Sara enjoys wandering in the woods, playing computer games, and eating dumplings as often as possible. She loves all things faerie, and has grown to accept she will always be covered in cat hair.
When not reading or writing, Sara enjoys wandering in the woods, playing computer games, and eating dumplings as often as possible. She loves all things faerie, and has grown to accept she will always be covered in cat hair.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 132 reviews
March 30, 2019
My review
Wow, I actually cannot believe I managed to finish this book. I am so proud of myself for not digging my eyeballs out because this was torture for my mind and soul. I've been delaying this read for a while now because some inner part of me that actually sees sense refused to read it. Well, that's what I get for ignoring the smartass.
Hazel and Holy are two sisters living alone after their mother died – but, their father trapped her soul in a geas. One day, Hazel decides to chase her necromancer father and make him free her mother’s spirit so she can leave this world in peace. Two sisters travel alongside two warlocks Hemlock and Hawthorn to the town Sardnum, known for necromancers who live there. They think Hazel’s father might be there and follow clues until they find the Shrine – place where warlocks go to become necromancers. Hazel has to make a lot of difficult decisions and sacrifices in order to find her father, but will she be able to preserve her old self and resist the call of dark powers and arts.
At the very beginning, I felt pretty optimistic and even expected a mediocre fantasy novel. Plot started with a peculiar note and has been getting interesting up to some point where it all went downhill. I don't know when it happened, just that I suddenly realized how boring this book was. It's basically 500 pages of going around in circles - visiting 8393930 wizards with wannabe-funny names and listening to Holly whine about Hazel actually doing something. After half of the book it was all brought down to repeating two same problematics and plot got watered down to basically nothing. As I got close to an end I swear I could feel my soul slowly leaving my body.
Attempts of humor were lowkey desperate and the entire novel radiated with infantility. All their problems were banal and childish, and schemes - oh my god - even more so. Look! that's the third guy we asked to show us where magic necromancers' secret meeting spot is, but he won't help us so WE'LL HAVE TO THREAT HIM WITH INHABITATION OF A CELLAR GNOME. It turned out, the gnome is capable of solving all of their problems :')
There appears to be a tiny light spot in this book, in the form of the world building. I liked Snider's magic system, which consists of four elemental types of magic - Wyr, Weaving, Hearth, and Wild. There's a fifth practice, dark one that combines all other and is called necromancy. There's a big dilemma through Hazel's journey about whether it's bad and should Hazel use it as a means to an end. I even got interested in the problematics and Hazel's inner fight, but it got boring after a while... like everything else.
The plot twist at the end was unexpected and fun in a way, but at that point, I completely stopped caring what happened to any of the characters so it didn’t leave the impression it was supposed to.
Ebook kindly provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Blog
Tumblr
Wow, I actually cannot believe I managed to finish this book. I am so proud of myself for not digging my eyeballs out because this was torture for my mind and soul. I've been delaying this read for a while now because some inner part of me that actually sees sense refused to read it. Well, that's what I get for ignoring the smartass.
Hazel and Holy are two sisters living alone after their mother died – but, their father trapped her soul in a geas. One day, Hazel decides to chase her necromancer father and make him free her mother’s spirit so she can leave this world in peace. Two sisters travel alongside two warlocks Hemlock and Hawthorn to the town Sardnum, known for necromancers who live there. They think Hazel’s father might be there and follow clues until they find the Shrine – place where warlocks go to become necromancers. Hazel has to make a lot of difficult decisions and sacrifices in order to find her father, but will she be able to preserve her old self and resist the call of dark powers and arts.
At the very beginning, I felt pretty optimistic and even expected a mediocre fantasy novel. Plot started with a peculiar note and has been getting interesting up to some point where it all went downhill. I don't know when it happened, just that I suddenly realized how boring this book was. It's basically 500 pages of going around in circles - visiting 8393930 wizards with wannabe-funny names and listening to Holly whine about Hazel actually doing something. After half of the book it was all brought down to repeating two same problematics and plot got watered down to basically nothing. As I got close to an end I swear I could feel my soul slowly leaving my body.
Attempts of humor were lowkey desperate and the entire novel radiated with infantility. All their problems were banal and childish, and schemes - oh my god - even more so. Look! that's the third guy we asked to show us where magic necromancers' secret meeting spot is, but he won't help us so WE'LL HAVE TO THREAT HIM WITH INHABITATION OF A CELLAR GNOME. It turned out, the gnome is capable of solving all of their problems :')
There appears to be a tiny light spot in this book, in the form of the world building. I liked Snider's magic system, which consists of four elemental types of magic - Wyr, Weaving, Hearth, and Wild. There's a fifth practice, dark one that combines all other and is called necromancy. There's a big dilemma through Hazel's journey about whether it's bad and should Hazel use it as a means to an end. I even got interested in the problematics and Hazel's inner fight, but it got boring after a while... like everything else.
The plot twist at the end was unexpected and fun in a way, but at that point, I completely stopped caring what happened to any of the characters so it didn’t leave the impression it was supposed to.
Ebook kindly provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Blog
Tumblr
November 13, 2019
1.5 stars
A magical fantasy novel with cute chapter headings and an enchanted forest vibe...but it could not keep my interest and ultimately fell under its character and dialogue issues.
World: ★★★★
Writing: ★★★
Characters: ★★
Dialogue: ★
I was very excited to read this ARC. It sounded like the perfect blend of magical adventure, necromancy, and sister/sister bonding. Unfortunately, Hazel and Holly fell flat.
Hazel and Holly features the tale of sisters—Hazel and Holly—as they live in their high fantasy/enchanted forest setting. The first chapter was amazing, compelling, and conveyed the immediate concepts of the novel: the sisters are witches, their mother is dead but her soul lives on in a painful geas that their necromancer father forced, and the sisters don't like each other much and are very different.
Unfortunately, my enjoyment of Hazel and Holly downgraded pretty quickly after these introductions. The plot attempted to kick off with the introduction of brothers Hemlock and Hawthorne, who provide an extremely obvious foil between Hazel and Holly, but I could not maintain my interest in this 500+ page novel. The quest to find their father to save their mother should have been exciting, but the novel kept stopping for unnecessary dialogue.
Some of the main problems included: repetitive dialogue, static character arcs, lack of depth within the characters, scenes without a clear purpose, humor aimed at a much younger audience than the demographic, and dialogue for the sake of dialogue. Can you tell there was a lot of dialogue?
Given my issues with Hazel and Holly, I'm inclined to believe that this novel was not for me, and might likely be a very enjoyable read for a younger reader. The humor, in particular, seemed to be aimed at a young(er) audience. Maybe if it had been marketed younger I would have gone into it with a different frame of mind?
Hopefully those who pick up Hazel and Holly can find more enjoyment in it than I did.
***
Original notes: ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Enchanted forests, witches, necromancy, and girl power - OH MY 😍
A magical fantasy novel with cute chapter headings and an enchanted forest vibe...but it could not keep my interest and ultimately fell under its character and dialogue issues.
World: ★★★★
Writing: ★★★
Characters: ★★
Dialogue: ★
I was very excited to read this ARC. It sounded like the perfect blend of magical adventure, necromancy, and sister/sister bonding. Unfortunately, Hazel and Holly fell flat.
Hazel and Holly features the tale of sisters—Hazel and Holly—as they live in their high fantasy/enchanted forest setting. The first chapter was amazing, compelling, and conveyed the immediate concepts of the novel: the sisters are witches, their mother is dead but her soul lives on in a painful geas that their necromancer father forced, and the sisters don't like each other much and are very different.
Unfortunately, my enjoyment of Hazel and Holly downgraded pretty quickly after these introductions. The plot attempted to kick off with the introduction of brothers Hemlock and Hawthorne, who provide an extremely obvious foil between Hazel and Holly, but I could not maintain my interest in this 500+ page novel. The quest to find their father to save their mother should have been exciting, but the novel kept stopping for unnecessary dialogue.
Some of the main problems included: repetitive dialogue, static character arcs, lack of depth within the characters, scenes without a clear purpose, humor aimed at a much younger audience than the demographic, and dialogue for the sake of dialogue. Can you tell there was a lot of dialogue?
Given my issues with Hazel and Holly, I'm inclined to believe that this novel was not for me, and might likely be a very enjoyable read for a younger reader. The humor, in particular, seemed to be aimed at a young(er) audience. Maybe if it had been marketed younger I would have gone into it with a different frame of mind?
Hopefully those who pick up Hazel and Holly can find more enjoyment in it than I did.
***
Original notes: ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Enchanted forests, witches, necromancy, and girl power - OH MY 😍
March 1, 2020
2.5 stars
TW: Claustrophobia
Hazel and Holly, our main characters, are these two witch sisters whose mother passed away and their father left without explanation, not before getting the spirit of his exwife trapped in a geas thanks to a dark magic that is forbidden in town called necromacy. Now, the sisters need to find their father to set free the spirit of their mother but to accomplish that they'll need to work with two warlocks, Hemlock and Hawthorn.
The first thing I have to tackle about this book is that I was expecting it to be a middle grade read, I don't honestly know why because the character's age is not specified anywhere but it turns out most of the characters are well over 20. This is important because this book totally reads like a middle grade in the way is written, in the characters' behaviour, everything has a childish tone to it. I didn't have a problem with it because it was what I was expecting - kind of at least - but I know that if I had known it was an adult book before getting into it, I probably wouldn't have been able to like it.
Moreover, the plot was really strong at the beginning of the book and it slowly lost impact as the story went on. The main problem stopped being engaging enough for me so at the end of the book I didn't honestly care how everything was going to be resolved.
I think the issues for me started when the villain's redemption arc started to take part in the book. I honestly hate the villain in this story and the horrible things he did to get his way so when the story started to try and show him on a "good light", I didn't buy it. We didn't get explanations with the depth that the situation deserved therefore my lack of empathy towards that character.
On the other hand, I really liked the relationship between the sisters. They weren't perfect but the love they had and how they'd do anything to protect each other was evident all throughout this book. Plus, the magic system was quite interesting with different deities, elements and history - we did get a bit of an info dump at the end on that matter but it wasn't the biggest issue -.
TW: Claustrophobia
Hazel and Holly, our main characters, are these two witch sisters whose mother passed away and their father left without explanation, not before getting the spirit of his exwife trapped in a geas thanks to a dark magic that is forbidden in town called necromacy. Now, the sisters need to find their father to set free the spirit of their mother but to accomplish that they'll need to work with two warlocks, Hemlock and Hawthorn.
The first thing I have to tackle about this book is that I was expecting it to be a middle grade read, I don't honestly know why because the character's age is not specified anywhere but it turns out most of the characters are well over 20. This is important because this book totally reads like a middle grade in the way is written, in the characters' behaviour, everything has a childish tone to it. I didn't have a problem with it because it was what I was expecting - kind of at least - but I know that if I had known it was an adult book before getting into it, I probably wouldn't have been able to like it.
Moreover, the plot was really strong at the beginning of the book and it slowly lost impact as the story went on. The main problem stopped being engaging enough for me so at the end of the book I didn't honestly care how everything was going to be resolved.
I think the issues for me started when the villain's redemption arc started to take part in the book. I honestly hate the villain in this story and the horrible things he did to get his way so when the story started to try and show him on a "good light", I didn't buy it. We didn't get explanations with the depth that the situation deserved therefore my lack of empathy towards that character.
On the other hand, I really liked the relationship between the sisters. They weren't perfect but the love they had and how they'd do anything to protect each other was evident all throughout this book. Plus, the magic system was quite interesting with different deities, elements and history - we did get a bit of an info dump at the end on that matter but it wasn't the biggest issue -.
Read
April 12, 2019ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review (Thank you!)
DNF at 30%
Sadly, this book is not for me, it's another case of "It's me not you". I think the author wrote an awesome world-building and magic system and I loved the pet familiars and the intriguing premise of two sisters in a journey with Warlocks. The author also makes beautiful descriptions and I praise that amazing cover and the creativity in names, which was lovely. It started great but I could not connect with the characters, and also the very slow pace was a major contributing factor for me to DNF. I think this book could have been written with much fewer pages.
Nevertheless, I think the author has a lot of potential and I'll look forward to see what she writes next.
DNF at 30%
Sadly, this book is not for me, it's another case of "It's me not you". I think the author wrote an awesome world-building and magic system and I loved the pet familiars and the intriguing premise of two sisters in a journey with Warlocks. The author also makes beautiful descriptions and I praise that amazing cover and the creativity in names, which was lovely. It started great but I could not connect with the characters, and also the very slow pace was a major contributing factor for me to DNF. I think this book could have been written with much fewer pages.
Nevertheless, I think the author has a lot of potential and I'll look forward to see what she writes next.
July 30, 2019
I received a free ebook version of this from Netgalley. Thankyou to both Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this! My review is still honest.
I requested this book from Netgalley fully on a whim. I have to be honest, I wasn't expecting too much and anticipated this reading like a simple, fun, middle grade novel. This little gem is far more complex than that, and I've found myself pleasantly surprised.
Hazel and Holly is a magical tale of two witch sisters and their adventures with two warlock brothers. They live in the Grove, where necromancy is outlawed and extremely taboo. Hazel and Holly's father, Ash, has been missing for a long time and was involved in necromancy. He also happened to trap their late mother's soul in a geas, and Hazel and Holly must figure out a way to free her so she can pass on and be at peace.
I really loved the characters in this. In line with the slightly wacky nature of the story, they are all exaggerated, and yet I loved them still. Hazel is the cold, formidable sister, and yet she has such a soft heart and hidden layers. Holly is the opposite, reckless and bubbly, and yet she also cares deeply about others and the world. I loved the relationship between them and how it changed throughout the course of the novel. I was also a big fan of the warlock brothers, Hawthorn and Hemlock, and how they complimented the story. The minor characters were executed well, especially Tum, and I can't say there's a character that I didn't think was written well.
The world and magic was also enchanting. I was impressed at how well fleshed out the world was with the Grove and Sarnum and the separate customs, and how the magic system worked. It does read like a fairytale and has an unusual way of telling the story that was jarring at first. I can see why some reviews say they disliked the writing style, but I think it's just different and fit the nature of the story well.
It's not a perfect novel, however. I do think this book needed some strict editing. I've seen some reviews say that it seemed repetitive and the barriers they faced kept cropping up in the same ways. I didn't find this to be a major problem but can see that this was an issue and think it may have been because apparently, this was originally published as a weekly web series and obviously would have been written with a different pace and method to a full novel. I found the ending lost my interest a little bit and became confusing, especially in the final showdown.
Essentially, this book should and could have been a lot shorter, but nevertheless, for a book without any buzz that I'd heard nothing about, I am very impressed with this and would definitely read more from this author and this world.
I requested this book from Netgalley fully on a whim. I have to be honest, I wasn't expecting too much and anticipated this reading like a simple, fun, middle grade novel. This little gem is far more complex than that, and I've found myself pleasantly surprised.
Hazel and Holly is a magical tale of two witch sisters and their adventures with two warlock brothers. They live in the Grove, where necromancy is outlawed and extremely taboo. Hazel and Holly's father, Ash, has been missing for a long time and was involved in necromancy. He also happened to trap their late mother's soul in a geas, and Hazel and Holly must figure out a way to free her so she can pass on and be at peace.
I really loved the characters in this. In line with the slightly wacky nature of the story, they are all exaggerated, and yet I loved them still. Hazel is the cold, formidable sister, and yet she has such a soft heart and hidden layers. Holly is the opposite, reckless and bubbly, and yet she also cares deeply about others and the world. I loved the relationship between them and how it changed throughout the course of the novel. I was also a big fan of the warlock brothers, Hawthorn and Hemlock, and how they complimented the story. The minor characters were executed well, especially Tum, and I can't say there's a character that I didn't think was written well.
The world and magic was also enchanting. I was impressed at how well fleshed out the world was with the Grove and Sarnum and the separate customs, and how the magic system worked. It does read like a fairytale and has an unusual way of telling the story that was jarring at first. I can see why some reviews say they disliked the writing style, but I think it's just different and fit the nature of the story well.
It's not a perfect novel, however. I do think this book needed some strict editing. I've seen some reviews say that it seemed repetitive and the barriers they faced kept cropping up in the same ways. I didn't find this to be a major problem but can see that this was an issue and think it may have been because apparently, this was originally published as a weekly web series and obviously would have been written with a different pace and method to a full novel. I found the ending lost my interest a little bit and became confusing, especially in the final showdown.
Essentially, this book should and could have been a lot shorter, but nevertheless, for a book without any buzz that I'd heard nothing about, I am very impressed with this and would definitely read more from this author and this world.
December 21, 2018
Really loved this book when it was first released by the author as a weekly serial story. Sara's sense of humor is fun and her way of unfolding a story are so engaging! Really can't wait to have it all together in one book!
dnf
January 28, 2021DNF at 25%
I read some reviews going in and have to say I agree with them all. I still wanted to give the book a chance since I had an arc of it, but unfortunately it just didn't work for me for the same reasons as other reviewers stated.
1. There wasn't a good balance of dialogue vs. description. While sometimes more dialogue is good, this book suffered for it. The story seems to move solely through dialogue, which means we barely get any descriptions to aid our understanding the world and we don't spend a lot of time just with the main characters, understanding them and their motivations. It created an odd distance between the reader and the character they were reading through. Additionally, a lot of dialogue felt unnecessary, meaning the book lost me at moments as well.
2. Hazel and Holly were rather annoying, and their flaws outweighed any redeeming traits. They both seemed extremely petty and annoying, playing mean tricks on each other under the disguise of teasing, and constantly tossing around harmful words (yes I know siblings banter, I have them, but this wasn't that). They also both felt inconstant, Hazel especially, as within 25%, she suddenly wanted Holly to grow up/involve her in things, when at the start of the book she wanted to hide Holly away and protect her. Change happens in books, but there was nothing to warrant the change.
3. The writing style feels very young, and in connection, so do the main characters. The brothers are introduced as 30s+, and Hazel and Holly are 24 and 17 respectively yet Holly reads like she's 13-15, Hazel a bit younger, and the brothers as if they're just barely adults. It just made the book odd to read at moments when they would do adult things, since it felt like kids playing at being adults.
4. I wasn't compelled by the plot. They want to find their father and save their mother but in the few moments we saw the mother, she seemed rude and standoffish, and it doesn't really excite the reader/make them also want to save her.
However, I found the magic system to be cool, from what I knew of it, and wish we had more descriptive language to teach us about it and the world it's set in.
I read some reviews going in and have to say I agree with them all. I still wanted to give the book a chance since I had an arc of it, but unfortunately it just didn't work for me for the same reasons as other reviewers stated.
1. There wasn't a good balance of dialogue vs. description. While sometimes more dialogue is good, this book suffered for it. The story seems to move solely through dialogue, which means we barely get any descriptions to aid our understanding the world and we don't spend a lot of time just with the main characters, understanding them and their motivations. It created an odd distance between the reader and the character they were reading through. Additionally, a lot of dialogue felt unnecessary, meaning the book lost me at moments as well.
2. Hazel and Holly were rather annoying, and their flaws outweighed any redeeming traits. They both seemed extremely petty and annoying, playing mean tricks on each other under the disguise of teasing, and constantly tossing around harmful words (yes I know siblings banter, I have them, but this wasn't that). They also both felt inconstant, Hazel especially, as within 25%, she suddenly wanted Holly to grow up/involve her in things, when at the start of the book she wanted to hide Holly away and protect her. Change happens in books, but there was nothing to warrant the change.
3. The writing style feels very young, and in connection, so do the main characters. The brothers are introduced as 30s+, and Hazel and Holly are 24 and 17 respectively yet Holly reads like she's 13-15, Hazel a bit younger, and the brothers as if they're just barely adults. It just made the book odd to read at moments when they would do adult things, since it felt like kids playing at being adults.
4. I wasn't compelled by the plot. They want to find their father and save their mother but in the few moments we saw the mother, she seemed rude and standoffish, and it doesn't really excite the reader/make them also want to save her.
However, I found the magic system to be cool, from what I knew of it, and wish we had more descriptive language to teach us about it and the world it's set in.
March 20, 2020
2.5 star
I love the cover and wanted to love what's inside just as much. But sadly it fell short for me.
Hazel and Holly are a sweet sister duo but they have a hard time making decisions. And not communicating with each other. This went around and around the same plot line too many times for my liking. I truly feel like this could have been 150 pages shorter.
I still enjoyed the ending but it just took far too long to get there. Enjoyed the magic systems in place and witches and warlocks working together.
I received this book in exchange for an honest review from the publisher.
I love the cover and wanted to love what's inside just as much. But sadly it fell short for me.
Hazel and Holly are a sweet sister duo but they have a hard time making decisions. And not communicating with each other. This went around and around the same plot line too many times for my liking. I truly feel like this could have been 150 pages shorter.
I still enjoyed the ending but it just took far too long to get there. Enjoyed the magic systems in place and witches and warlocks working together.
I received this book in exchange for an honest review from the publisher.
February 22, 2019
I had no expectations for Hazel and Holly, so I wasn't greatly disappointed when I didn't like it. These girls and their crazy father and their dead mother's soul? It's disturbing and creepy and just not. I skimmed and read bits of it, but overall I didn't care for this story. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
January 10, 2023
I think that Hazel and Holly is going to be one of those hit or miss reads for people. Review are all over the map, which honestly kept me from picking this one up earlier. But since I'm continuously drawn to it, and it's a long read, I decided that my Christmas Vacation would be the perfect time to dive in.
First up, this is not a Christmas book as one might think - with the name and the cover, it is rightfully confusing.
This story about witches and warlocks, 2 sisters and 2 brothers, who live in The Grove and practice natural magic, has some really interesting qualities:
- the characters were so funny. This random group becomes friends and their banter throughout the story was wonderful and made me giggle from time to time. I loved some of these characters more than others but each was uniquely crafted and well represented on the page. It would be easy to see this as a movie with all of the dialogue between the characters keeping everyone entertained.
- the adventure storylines were fun. This is not a slow-moving book. Always something happening, which helps to work through the large amount of pages at a pretty good clip.
- lots of humor. Probably my favorite part of any adventure book. There was a lot here to appreciate.
There were some challenges though.
- as mentioned, this was a long one and really could have used some editing.
- some parts of the adventure I did not enjoy. The whole 'Witness' section was just weird and I couldn't figure out why it was in this story. It didn't center around magic but instead around a small town's oddities. This could have been replaced with cool magical centered stops on the adventure from town to town. Huge missed opportunity here.
- the magic that this book is supposedly centered on was very sparse in the actual storyline. A lot of talking about magic and tracking down of magical persons but surprisingly little actual magic being done.
I feel like the author has a really good grasp on character writing and conversational style writing. Really A+ from me on that. But the actual storyline just fell flat for me and by the time we got to the end, I was happy it was done. I didn't like where the story led, but I loved the characters. How weird of a review is that?!
Anyway, if you're up for an adventure, definitely give this one a try and let me know what you think!
First up, this is not a Christmas book as one might think - with the name and the cover, it is rightfully confusing.
This story about witches and warlocks, 2 sisters and 2 brothers, who live in The Grove and practice natural magic, has some really interesting qualities:
- the characters were so funny. This random group becomes friends and their banter throughout the story was wonderful and made me giggle from time to time. I loved some of these characters more than others but each was uniquely crafted and well represented on the page. It would be easy to see this as a movie with all of the dialogue between the characters keeping everyone entertained.
- the adventure storylines were fun. This is not a slow-moving book. Always something happening, which helps to work through the large amount of pages at a pretty good clip.
- lots of humor. Probably my favorite part of any adventure book. There was a lot here to appreciate.
There were some challenges though.
- as mentioned, this was a long one and really could have used some editing.
- some parts of the adventure I did not enjoy. The whole 'Witness' section was just weird and I couldn't figure out why it was in this story. It didn't center around magic but instead around a small town's oddities. This could have been replaced with cool magical centered stops on the adventure from town to town. Huge missed opportunity here.
- the magic that this book is supposedly centered on was very sparse in the actual storyline. A lot of talking about magic and tracking down of magical persons but surprisingly little actual magic being done.
I feel like the author has a really good grasp on character writing and conversational style writing. Really A+ from me on that. But the actual storyline just fell flat for me and by the time we got to the end, I was happy it was done. I didn't like where the story led, but I loved the characters. How weird of a review is that?!
Anyway, if you're up for an adventure, definitely give this one a try and let me know what you think!
dnf
April 1, 2019
Hazel & Holly
I Picked Up This Book Because: Cover love
The Characters:
Hazel:
Holly:
Tum, Hemlock, Hawthorne
The Story:
I love a sisterly bond and a sisterly bond on an adventure to find your father… no brainer for me, Unfortunately the book did not deliver for me. Well more like it was taking too long to deliver so I’ve moved on.
The Random Thoughts:
*DNF so no rating
I Picked Up This Book Because: Cover love
The Characters:
Hazel:
Holly:
Tum, Hemlock, Hawthorne
The Story:
I love a sisterly bond and a sisterly bond on an adventure to find your father… no brainer for me, Unfortunately the book did not deliver for me. Well more like it was taking too long to deliver so I’ve moved on.
The Random Thoughts:
*DNF so no rating
July 7, 2019
Ebook provided by NetGally in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
"I'm not afraid," Hazel said. "I just prefer not to be touched by the dead."
The first chapters were really promising. I loved the worldbuilding. The idea of different kinds of magic was very interesting, but I wished the author had been more specific about them. I could often hardly imagine what every witch of wizard could do with her/his power. What I also loved was how every character had cleary its own character, but sometimes they felt a little too caricatural. Their actions and reactions were often extreme and that made them hardly relatable.
This story was also very dialogue driven. Which does not have to be bad, but in this case there was a lot of unnecessary dialogue. And scenes for that matter. This is probably the reason why I lost interest when I was 20% in. If I was not provided with an e-arc by Netgalley, I would have probably dnf'ed it.
However, I do think I would have liked this book much better if I was 14 years old, when I was more interested in adventures and less in character development and emotions. So this book could be great for teenage readers.
"I'm not afraid," Hazel said. "I just prefer not to be touched by the dead."
The first chapters were really promising. I loved the worldbuilding. The idea of different kinds of magic was very interesting, but I wished the author had been more specific about them. I could often hardly imagine what every witch of wizard could do with her/his power. What I also loved was how every character had cleary its own character, but sometimes they felt a little too caricatural. Their actions and reactions were often extreme and that made them hardly relatable.
This story was also very dialogue driven. Which does not have to be bad, but in this case there was a lot of unnecessary dialogue. And scenes for that matter. This is probably the reason why I lost interest when I was 20% in. If I was not provided with an e-arc by Netgalley, I would have probably dnf'ed it.
However, I do think I would have liked this book much better if I was 14 years old, when I was more interested in adventures and less in character development and emotions. So this book could be great for teenage readers.
February 5, 2021
I’m going to give this book three stars, because it takes talent to be able to continue a story that can be over in 100 pages on as long as she did. This one could have been a short story/novella and still would’ve gotten the point across. I like the plot, but I think that the ball was dropped on where it could have gone.
May 31, 2019
3.5stars
I liked the idea of this though I didn’t really relate to any of the characters. They were all either underdeveloped or unlikeable. Holly was supposed to be 17 but came across like 13 and Hazel made seemingly random choices on a heroes mission that didn’t feel heroic.
The story plodded along at an appropriate pace and I liked the intrigue of their father, Ash, until the anti-climatic final few chapters where his whole personality seemed to change implying a ‘and they all lived happily ever after’ vibe.
.
I liked the idea of this though I didn’t really relate to any of the characters. They were all either underdeveloped or unlikeable. Holly was supposed to be 17 but came across like 13 and Hazel made seemingly random choices on a heroes mission that didn’t feel heroic.
The story plodded along at an appropriate pace and I liked the intrigue of their father, Ash, until the anti-climatic final few chapters where his whole personality seemed to change implying a ‘and they all lived happily ever after’ vibe.
.
March 11, 2019
The premise of this book was promising but I found itquiet lacking. Necromancy, witches, enchanted forests and crazy family dynamics could have taken this book to great places but it was just disturbing and dull.
March 31, 2019
I give this book 3.5 stars.
This book was different.
There is no two ways about it.
From the way in which the characters and situations seem to not fit into whatever time they are in to the character development...something about the story was just not what I am used to. That doesn’t make the story bad, it just makes it...difficult to really get all the way into at first.
With that being said...
It is a fun story to read. Admittedly it took me quite a long time to read this book because of reasons listed above BUT I still enjoyed the story.
Hazel and Holly is a YA SFF about 2 sister witches who ultimately are on a mission to free their dead witch mother’s trapped soul from their estranged wizard father’s spell. It’s really more of Hazel’s, the older sister, mission not so much as Holly’s. Along the way, they befriend 2 wizard brothers and a gnome and together the odd group of 5 set off on Holly’s quest in finding her estranged dead beat wizard necromancer dad.
Hazel is a head strong but confused young women who was tasked in raising (from the sounds of it) both her younger sister and mother after their father walked out on them. Hazel’s character is totally relatable; she is all about her business and wants nothing to do with love, marriage, or other people. If she lived in modern times, she would be the type that comes home from work and just chills in yoga pants, reads books, and watches Netflix for fun when she isn’t answering stupid questions or cleaning up the messes her younger sister makes.
In the story, Hazel is trying to figure out how to navigate life as a semi teen mom while she’s also trying to figure out who she is and how she fits into her world. Hazel’s natural inclination to all of the different schools of magic (including dark magic...necromancy)both intrigued and scares her. It seems her biggest fears are becoming like her mother and father who it seems she holds both in different levels of contempt and resentment.
Holly is a few years younger than Hazel, and though she doesn’t have the same sense of independence as Hazel, she is talented in her craft. Holly is a very kind hearted, boisterous, and impulsive character. I imagined her as SJP’s character, Sarah Sanderson, in Hocus Pocus. Although she does have the ditzy quality for the better part of the first half of the story, she later comes into her own and displays her own kind of logic and sense that helps the group to not only survive but to be successful in their journey. Holly’s character, though annoying in the beginning, easily became my favorite character lending humor and also sentiment to the story.
Their mother, Willow, seemed to basically be a dead beat mom who would hang out at bars and not return home for days at a time leaving her young daughters to fend for themselves. In my mind, I imagined “for a good time, conjure Willow” etched into a few bathroom stalls in their hometown. There isn’t a lot to go on about exactly what her relationship with her daughters was like before she got sick and died, but the little there is leads me to my assessment.
I’ve never read a book that seems to be written about the 17th century with 21st century problems...even fantasy fiction. That is not necessarily a bad thing, because I am 100% sure that there were both dead beat parents and siblings raising siblings in those times, it is just not normal to read a SFF story about it. I have also never read a narrative where witches and wizards had regular effed up relationships like us muggles and I think it was very brave of Sara Snider for doing that. From what I have read, this actually started out as a blog challenge, so the unconventionality makes sense when you read it through that lens.
The world she has built, I think has great potential for expansion, and with so many other characters I would be interested to see what becomes of it.
Based on other reviews I’ve read, I think that the unexpected way the story is written throws a lot of readers off. That is not to say that there are not moments in the book when you wish it was written differently or that the story doesn’t at times go a little off the rails. I did not particularly care for the ending of the last parts of the book, as it just entirely too much going on and it seemed like the characters were ...OUT of character if that makes sense.
I think the book has a lot of potential, but we as readers have to be open to it.
This book was different.
There is no two ways about it.
From the way in which the characters and situations seem to not fit into whatever time they are in to the character development...something about the story was just not what I am used to. That doesn’t make the story bad, it just makes it...difficult to really get all the way into at first.
With that being said...
It is a fun story to read. Admittedly it took me quite a long time to read this book because of reasons listed above BUT I still enjoyed the story.
Hazel and Holly is a YA SFF about 2 sister witches who ultimately are on a mission to free their dead witch mother’s trapped soul from their estranged wizard father’s spell. It’s really more of Hazel’s, the older sister, mission not so much as Holly’s. Along the way, they befriend 2 wizard brothers and a gnome and together the odd group of 5 set off on Holly’s quest in finding her estranged dead beat wizard necromancer dad.
Hazel is a head strong but confused young women who was tasked in raising (from the sounds of it) both her younger sister and mother after their father walked out on them. Hazel’s character is totally relatable; she is all about her business and wants nothing to do with love, marriage, or other people. If she lived in modern times, she would be the type that comes home from work and just chills in yoga pants, reads books, and watches Netflix for fun when she isn’t answering stupid questions or cleaning up the messes her younger sister makes.
In the story, Hazel is trying to figure out how to navigate life as a semi teen mom while she’s also trying to figure out who she is and how she fits into her world. Hazel’s natural inclination to all of the different schools of magic (including dark magic...necromancy)both intrigued and scares her. It seems her biggest fears are becoming like her mother and father who it seems she holds both in different levels of contempt and resentment.
Holly is a few years younger than Hazel, and though she doesn’t have the same sense of independence as Hazel, she is talented in her craft. Holly is a very kind hearted, boisterous, and impulsive character. I imagined her as SJP’s character, Sarah Sanderson, in Hocus Pocus. Although she does have the ditzy quality for the better part of the first half of the story, she later comes into her own and displays her own kind of logic and sense that helps the group to not only survive but to be successful in their journey. Holly’s character, though annoying in the beginning, easily became my favorite character lending humor and also sentiment to the story.
Their mother, Willow, seemed to basically be a dead beat mom who would hang out at bars and not return home for days at a time leaving her young daughters to fend for themselves. In my mind, I imagined “for a good time, conjure Willow” etched into a few bathroom stalls in their hometown. There isn’t a lot to go on about exactly what her relationship with her daughters was like before she got sick and died, but the little there is leads me to my assessment.
I’ve never read a book that seems to be written about the 17th century with 21st century problems...even fantasy fiction. That is not necessarily a bad thing, because I am 100% sure that there were both dead beat parents and siblings raising siblings in those times, it is just not normal to read a SFF story about it. I have also never read a narrative where witches and wizards had regular effed up relationships like us muggles and I think it was very brave of Sara Snider for doing that. From what I have read, this actually started out as a blog challenge, so the unconventionality makes sense when you read it through that lens.
The world she has built, I think has great potential for expansion, and with so many other characters I would be interested to see what becomes of it.
Based on other reviews I’ve read, I think that the unexpected way the story is written throws a lot of readers off. That is not to say that there are not moments in the book when you wish it was written differently or that the story doesn’t at times go a little off the rails. I did not particularly care for the ending of the last parts of the book, as it just entirely too much going on and it seemed like the characters were ...OUT of character if that makes sense.
I think the book has a lot of potential, but we as readers have to be open to it.
April 23, 2019
3.5 stars
The magic system in this story is one of the strongest point of this book. It really had me hooked from the first introduction and I was very intrigued by all the streaming’s in magic. I loved how well executed all the magical segments were and what a huge impact they had on the daily life of the characters. I hope that we will explore all the different magical systems more in the future books. Because now it focusses mainly on the witches streaming’s, but I love to read more about warlock magic and the balance between female and male magic. (Something that was slightly hinted after in the book.)
Another strong point in the book is the dynamic between the characters. And then I am not really talking about the sisters, but mainly the interaction between the sisters and the brothers. I loved the banter between Holly and Hawthorn and the comical note that Thume brought to the overall story. I also loved that the storyline between Holly and Hawthorn took a rather unsuspected turn. Of the beaten track, it certainly made for a more interesting storyline.
But I have to confess that I also understand why so many readers struggle with this story. One of my main complaints is the fact that I just couldn’t place this book. It is marketed as Young adult, but most of the time it reads as a middle grade book. However sometimes the topic are a little bit to explicit or too dark for the audience of middle grade. I honestly think that Hazel and Holly needs a good editor who works a little magic on this story. The potential for a very good book is already there, without any doubt. But to captivate the YA audiences this book is a little too tame, a bit too silly… it just can’t stand up between truly wonderful YA books filled with romance, action and magic. If it was just edited right (the romance scenes a little less intense, the darkness a little less dark) then this would be a wonderful middle grade novel that would really be able to captivate young readers.
So to cut this review short… I absolutely enjoyed exploring the world of Hazel and Holly. I am looking forward to returning with them on their magical path. But I can see why so many readers struggle with this story. Such a shame, because in general the setup of this story is really enjoyable.
The magic system in this story is one of the strongest point of this book. It really had me hooked from the first introduction and I was very intrigued by all the streaming’s in magic. I loved how well executed all the magical segments were and what a huge impact they had on the daily life of the characters. I hope that we will explore all the different magical systems more in the future books. Because now it focusses mainly on the witches streaming’s, but I love to read more about warlock magic and the balance between female and male magic. (Something that was slightly hinted after in the book.)
Another strong point in the book is the dynamic between the characters. And then I am not really talking about the sisters, but mainly the interaction between the sisters and the brothers. I loved the banter between Holly and Hawthorn and the comical note that Thume brought to the overall story. I also loved that the storyline between Holly and Hawthorn took a rather unsuspected turn. Of the beaten track, it certainly made for a more interesting storyline.
But I have to confess that I also understand why so many readers struggle with this story. One of my main complaints is the fact that I just couldn’t place this book. It is marketed as Young adult, but most of the time it reads as a middle grade book. However sometimes the topic are a little bit to explicit or too dark for the audience of middle grade. I honestly think that Hazel and Holly needs a good editor who works a little magic on this story. The potential for a very good book is already there, without any doubt. But to captivate the YA audiences this book is a little too tame, a bit too silly… it just can’t stand up between truly wonderful YA books filled with romance, action and magic. If it was just edited right (the romance scenes a little less intense, the darkness a little less dark) then this would be a wonderful middle grade novel that would really be able to captivate young readers.
So to cut this review short… I absolutely enjoyed exploring the world of Hazel and Holly. I am looking forward to returning with them on their magical path. But I can see why so many readers struggle with this story. Such a shame, because in general the setup of this story is really enjoyable.
May 2, 2019
I feel so bad writing this review, because I was truly excited to read this ARC. Sister witches, with one sister being slightly on the grumpier side, enchanted woods, magical creatures, and necromancy. It sounded like so much fun and right up my alley. But unfortunately, Hazel and Holly just did not click for me. I honestly can’t even quite pinpoint what it was about this that didn’t work for me, but I found it really hard to finish this book. It read a little too slowly for my tastes and what I thought would read as quirky banter between the sisters came off as trying too hard for me.
That’s not to say that there weren’t good parts that I enjoyed to this story, there was so much interesting world-building, and I loved the concept of the different elemental magics and their representative gods. Unfortunately it felt like the magics were only touched on and then we were drawn back to the characters, who as much as I hate to say, might be what made the book a slog for me. There was just something about the characters that didn’t quite click for me. And I found myself wanting more of the world and less of the character involvement. I certainly enjoy a good humorous fantasy and I love quirky characters, but there were times when Holly’s quirkiness just didn’t flow well to me. This book definitely reminded me of Patricia C. Wrede’s Sorcery & Cecelia, but I didn’t ever quite get to that same connection with the characters in Hazel and Holly.
Overall, I feel really disappointed that this didn’t work for me because it has all of the right elements! (And that cover is gorgeous!) I think it just suffered from far too much back and forth, and probably would have benefited from a more concise plot and at least a third of the book being taken out.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this review copy in exchange for an honest review!
That’s not to say that there weren’t good parts that I enjoyed to this story, there was so much interesting world-building, and I loved the concept of the different elemental magics and their representative gods. Unfortunately it felt like the magics were only touched on and then we were drawn back to the characters, who as much as I hate to say, might be what made the book a slog for me. There was just something about the characters that didn’t quite click for me. And I found myself wanting more of the world and less of the character involvement. I certainly enjoy a good humorous fantasy and I love quirky characters, but there were times when Holly’s quirkiness just didn’t flow well to me. This book definitely reminded me of Patricia C. Wrede’s Sorcery & Cecelia, but I didn’t ever quite get to that same connection with the characters in Hazel and Holly.
Overall, I feel really disappointed that this didn’t work for me because it has all of the right elements! (And that cover is gorgeous!) I think it just suffered from far too much back and forth, and probably would have benefited from a more concise plot and at least a third of the book being taken out.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this review copy in exchange for an honest review!
September 7, 2019
ACTUAL REVIEW 1.5 STARS
Going into this, I was all for it. There's sister witches and necromancy. The ghost of their mother and their father's untimely demise. It was going to be epic! But alas it missed a mark for me.
So, this novel reads as one giant tea party for at least the first 25%. There's long passages about cakes and society and I honestly felt like I had opened the wrong novel, instead reading a Victorian tale of high society. There was the occasional sprinkling of other events but to be honest, it all seemed a litle ho hum.
There further I got into Hazel and Holly, the less I connected with the characters. So much so that I couldn't much discern who was playing what part when the two were apart - they sort of turned into those grey space filling characters you write when you are still working out your secondary characters traits.
I will however say that I loved the cellar gnomes of this tale. They are brutish and fun and thoroughly addicted to beer - basically they had personality.
I just found the whole thing extremely long winded for the tale it told. The overabundance of thorough descriptions of pretty much everything reminded me of a Maggie Stiefvater novel which for some is absolutely amazing while for others, seems tedious.
Overall, the novel was not a complete loss with some witty and interesting characters along the way. Had the story been a little fast paced and ditched with some very pointless and longwinded scenes, I may have enjoyed this novel vastly more.
Going into this, I was all for it. There's sister witches and necromancy. The ghost of their mother and their father's untimely demise. It was going to be epic! But alas it missed a mark for me.
So, this novel reads as one giant tea party for at least the first 25%. There's long passages about cakes and society and I honestly felt like I had opened the wrong novel, instead reading a Victorian tale of high society. There was the occasional sprinkling of other events but to be honest, it all seemed a litle ho hum.
There further I got into Hazel and Holly, the less I connected with the characters. So much so that I couldn't much discern who was playing what part when the two were apart - they sort of turned into those grey space filling characters you write when you are still working out your secondary characters traits.
I will however say that I loved the cellar gnomes of this tale. They are brutish and fun and thoroughly addicted to beer - basically they had personality.
I just found the whole thing extremely long winded for the tale it told. The overabundance of thorough descriptions of pretty much everything reminded me of a Maggie Stiefvater novel which for some is absolutely amazing while for others, seems tedious.
Overall, the novel was not a complete loss with some witty and interesting characters along the way. Had the story been a little fast paced and ditched with some very pointless and longwinded scenes, I may have enjoyed this novel vastly more.
February 18, 2019
As one of my first experiences reading YA fantasy, this book was a pleasant surprise! Although the story is largely centered around two witch sisters - Hazel and Holly - and their quest to free the soul of their dead mother from the geas their necromancer father has trapped her in, this humorous and magical story also explores the bond of sisterhood and follows Hazel’s personal journey of self acceptance.
Hazel and Holly discover allies in two warlock brothers, Hawthorn and Hemlock, and together, this quartet journeys to Sarnum, the Sea of Severed Stars, and other lands where the art of necromancy- which is forbidden in The Grove, where the four characters live - is a way of life. It is only when Hazel tries to handle things on her own that she truly learns she needs her sister, friends and love to succeed.
To save her mother, Hazel must accept help, embrace her own vulnerability, and go to some extreme lengths, even if that involves turning to necromancy herself.
I enjoyed this book. Although the first half moved slowly, the story really picked up speed in the second and left me pleasantly surprised! If you’re looking for a unique young adult fantasy book, I’d recommend giving this one a try. Thank you to Netgalley and Sara C. Snider for the early access to this quirky, funny and magical read!
Hazel and Holly discover allies in two warlock brothers, Hawthorn and Hemlock, and together, this quartet journeys to Sarnum, the Sea of Severed Stars, and other lands where the art of necromancy- which is forbidden in The Grove, where the four characters live - is a way of life. It is only when Hazel tries to handle things on her own that she truly learns she needs her sister, friends and love to succeed.
To save her mother, Hazel must accept help, embrace her own vulnerability, and go to some extreme lengths, even if that involves turning to necromancy herself.
I enjoyed this book. Although the first half moved slowly, the story really picked up speed in the second and left me pleasantly surprised! If you’re looking for a unique young adult fantasy book, I’d recommend giving this one a try. Thank you to Netgalley and Sara C. Snider for the early access to this quirky, funny and magical read!
May 13, 2019
This is a hard book to recommend wholeheartedly. I almost did not give it my three stars but considering that I found certain parts of it enjoyable, I could not truthfully hold back. The story is over-the-top quirky/wacky. This is its strong suit, but there is too much of it. If the book was half its length I would have really liked it. Hazel and Holly are sisters, here it would have been better to keep their ages hidden because it made the upcoming romance a little hard to digest. Holly is overly cheerful but given their circumstances, the conversations they had seemed relatable and realistic. Hazel is intending to hunt out her father when an opportunistic invite comes their way and their adventure begins. They are joined by two brothers (also named with the letter H) and they set out into the world of Necromancers to hunt out the father who wronged them. There is a cellar gnome thrown into the mix who pops in for no other reason to be an annoyance to them and (sometimes) comic relief to us.
Necromancers and their treatment from the rest of the world was not something I got along with completely with either, their depravity is only explained in bits and pieces and even then I was not convinced they need the shunning that is given to them. I need to mention again, that I had fun in the very beginning but I would have enjoyed the experience more if the book was half the length. There was a lot of potential (even looking at it from a crooked lens since nothing about the storyline is supposed to be straightforward) but it did not achieve it, for me.
Necromancers and their treatment from the rest of the world was not something I got along with completely with either, their depravity is only explained in bits and pieces and even then I was not convinced they need the shunning that is given to them. I need to mention again, that I had fun in the very beginning but I would have enjoyed the experience more if the book was half the length. There was a lot of potential (even looking at it from a crooked lens since nothing about the storyline is supposed to be straightforward) but it did not achieve it, for me.
April 10, 2019
I've received an E-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book is about two sisters in a magical world that are trying to save the trapped soul of their mother from their father (who trapped said soul). The storyline sounded pretty interesting to me. I like fantasy, magical things and a journey with a clear start and end point. In this book however, the start point wasn't very clear in my opinion. Sure, they went looking for their dad, but there were no clear clues or hints that led them to their dad. They just went somewhere (randomly?) and then continued on etc, without a clear explanation why they went to point A, point B... Besides that this book was very long, it took me almost a month to finish, I've mostly been reading other books that didn't feel so long (but may have had more pages). The journey in this story wasn't that interesting, besides that the why of the road wasn't clear, there was also very little description of the journey they were making (is it a beautiful forest they go through? Do they enter a nice looking village?). What I did like about the book, is that the writing did come across as very fairy tale like at times. I just think there's a lot that could be improved to make the story more appealing.
This book is about two sisters in a magical world that are trying to save the trapped soul of their mother from their father (who trapped said soul). The storyline sounded pretty interesting to me. I like fantasy, magical things and a journey with a clear start and end point. In this book however, the start point wasn't very clear in my opinion. Sure, they went looking for their dad, but there were no clear clues or hints that led them to their dad. They just went somewhere (randomly?) and then continued on etc, without a clear explanation why they went to point A, point B... Besides that this book was very long, it took me almost a month to finish, I've mostly been reading other books that didn't feel so long (but may have had more pages). The journey in this story wasn't that interesting, besides that the why of the road wasn't clear, there was also very little description of the journey they were making (is it a beautiful forest they go through? Do they enter a nice looking village?). What I did like about the book, is that the writing did come across as very fairy tale like at times. I just think there's a lot that could be improved to make the story more appealing.
January 30, 2019
This was a perfectly serviceable new adult fantasy about two witch sisters looking for their necromancer father but it never really drew me all the way in. The elemental magic system and world was interesting but the slow pace and the confusion of the four H names of the main characters weren’t really working for me. It was originally published serially on the author’s blog, maybe the pacing felt better that way.
I did end up liking Hazel though and I warmed up to Holly after she grew beyond how overly childish she was in the first third of the book. I think this would be a good read for older teens who still enjoy YA fantasy but are ready for a step beyond.
I received a free advance copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I did end up liking Hazel though and I warmed up to Holly after she grew beyond how overly childish she was in the first third of the book. I think this would be a good read for older teens who still enjoy YA fantasy but are ready for a step beyond.
I received a free advance copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
April 26, 2019
This book showed so much promise with its story but unfortunately for me, the writing really let me down. The pacing was incredibly fast and then would slow down to a snail's pace as if the writer kept realising this needs to be a novel, not a short story. The characters lacked any depth but were interesting enough. The romance was transparent from the get-go and lacked any mystery.
The most fascinating thing about this was the world building was stellar, the magic system interesting and quest line neat. I struggled to finish this book and am really disappointed as I was really excited about this book and looking forward to it being a favourite.
The most fascinating thing about this was the world building was stellar, the magic system interesting and quest line neat. I struggled to finish this book and am really disappointed as I was really excited about this book and looking forward to it being a favourite.
April 29, 2019
2.5 out of 5 stars.
I received a copy of this through NetGalley for an honest review.
I really struggled to get into this story sadly. I felt that the dynamic between Hazel and Holly was lacking, particularly at the beginning. Certain parts of the story seemed a little rushed. Hazel as a character didn't appeal to me. There seemed like a real disconnect with regards to their Mother and them.
I do love the story idea, I think it just fell a little short with it's characters.
(I would like to try and read this story again though, because I'm not sure if perhaps my mood, at the time of reading, was preventing me from connecting as well as I could have with the characters)
I received a copy of this through NetGalley for an honest review.
I really struggled to get into this story sadly. I felt that the dynamic between Hazel and Holly was lacking, particularly at the beginning. Certain parts of the story seemed a little rushed. Hazel as a character didn't appeal to me. There seemed like a real disconnect with regards to their Mother and them.
I do love the story idea, I think it just fell a little short with it's characters.
(I would like to try and read this story again though, because I'm not sure if perhaps my mood, at the time of reading, was preventing me from connecting as well as I could have with the characters)
May 23, 2019
This book is a love/hate relationship for me. First off, I adore the title and cover which are stunning. The novel itself is apparently considered an adult fantasy but it reads more as aimed for a younger audience. With that said, I loved the world building, which was brilliantly done and really captured the imagination. The flip-side though is that the characters did not live up to the world. They fell flat at times and there were some slower paced bits that seemed like maybe could have been edited better. I'm not completely sold on this title but haven't dismissed the author either.
#HazelAndHolly #NetGalley
#HazelAndHolly #NetGalley
June 5, 2019
My full video review: https://youtu.be/k6kSh-bgQQs
Hazel and Holly are two sisters and witches, they try to find their father who has bound their dead mom's soul to earth so she can't move on.
The premise sounds awesome, but the execution could've been much better! I found myself being bored and not really enjoying myself throughout the book. The magic system was interesting and I did start to care about the characters after a while, but the story was too all over the place and didn't carry any weight. I did find some parts to be totally okay, but the book just seemed soooo long and at a point I just wanted it to be over. 2/5 stars!
Hazel and Holly are two sisters and witches, they try to find their father who has bound their dead mom's soul to earth so she can't move on.
The premise sounds awesome, but the execution could've been much better! I found myself being bored and not really enjoying myself throughout the book. The magic system was interesting and I did start to care about the characters after a while, but the story was too all over the place and didn't carry any weight. I did find some parts to be totally okay, but the book just seemed soooo long and at a point I just wanted it to be over. 2/5 stars!
June 18, 2019
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the release of the book in exchange for an honest review.
First lets take a moment and look at this stunning cover. I love it! That is what drew me into the book. The concept sounded right up my ally but I am sad to say that I had to DNF this book. I was just a bit confused at times and I was not sure who certain characters where until several chapters later. I think it could have used a little more detailing on the story telling. I think the plot was very cute but because I was getting lost and I was already fighting a reading slump, this one just did not meet my expectations. I may come back to this at a later date.
First lets take a moment and look at this stunning cover. I love it! That is what drew me into the book. The concept sounded right up my ally but I am sad to say that I had to DNF this book. I was just a bit confused at times and I was not sure who certain characters where until several chapters later. I think it could have used a little more detailing on the story telling. I think the plot was very cute but because I was getting lost and I was already fighting a reading slump, this one just did not meet my expectations. I may come back to this at a later date.
March 12, 2019
Awesome sister duos always hold a very special place inside my heart, so I'm super glad I got to add this one to the bunch! Hazel & Holly by Sara C. Snider was a lighthearted and entrancing read. With all the talk about about witches & warlocks, necromancers & dangerous magic, I was expecting and was even a little excited for a dark read...but that's not what I got. Instead, this book brought out the quirky angles of fantasy, which I absolutely loved! I so look forward to more of this author's work and recommend this book to friends.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review! <3
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review! <3
January 28, 2019
Thank you to Double Beast Publishing for the arc of this book.
I absolutely loved this book, a great story of two sisters and two brothers going on an adventure and along the way they find themselves, you have the strong sister Hazel, and the soft scatterbrained sister Holly, then you have their unlikely friends brothers Hemlock and Hawthorne, and we can’t forget Tum, he gave me so many laughs in this.
I hope there will be a second book, I would love to see how they develop.
I absolutely loved this book, a great story of two sisters and two brothers going on an adventure and along the way they find themselves, you have the strong sister Hazel, and the soft scatterbrained sister Holly, then you have their unlikely friends brothers Hemlock and Hawthorne, and we can’t forget Tum, he gave me so many laughs in this.
I hope there will be a second book, I would love to see how they develop.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 132 reviews