The Language of Spells

Gwen Harper left Pendleford 13 years ago and hasn’t looked back. Until an inheritance throws her back into the mystical world she thought she’d escaped. Confronted with her Great-Aunts legacy Gwen must finally face up to her past. The magic she has longed tried to suppress is back with a vengeance, but gift or burden, for Gwen, it always spells trouble. She has to stay-she has nowhere else to go- but how can she find her place in the town that drove her out after branding her a witch…?

Sarah Painter very kindly got in touch with me and asked if I would like to review her debut novel 'The Language of Spells'. This was my first review request so I was very excited, especially when she detailed the novel to me; I was extremely keen to read.

I absolutely love novels with a touch of magic in them; it truly takes me to another world.  It reminded me of Sarah Addison Allen and Erick Setiawan novels. The cover of the book was also great- I really think the colours chosen give that magical feel and it is extremely inviting.

From the very first chapter we already know that magic is lurking when Gwen steps into her Great-Aunts Iris’s house and I just wanted to keep reading. I wanted to know the reason why things were happening and why Gwen knew nothing about Iris and her Mother Gloria had told her to stay away from her; branded her as evil.

As we go into the novel, we find out that Iris is trying to tell Gwen something-leaving notes around the house: “When you are ready, seek and you shall find”. Just this alone was enough to make me keep reading.

This really was a fantastic debut novel- the characters were really well developed and I really liked Gwen and her love interest Cameron- a great love interest! The language was also simple but elegant and meant that the story flowed seamlessly. I honestly could not put it down. I just could not stop thinking about what would happen next and why strange things were happening and the unanswered questions the book leaves you pondering. Even at times when I thought I had an idea of what was going to happen next, Sarah would surprise me with a great plot twist.

The magic, the romance, the right amount of humour and drama, made this a perfectly well-rounded novel.

I greatly look forward to Sarah’s next novel.

The Language of the Spells is out now.

9/10