Cackle

First off, this is not a horror novel, unless you have crippling arachnophobia. Next, I have mixed feelings about this book - on the one hand, the main character, Annie, irritated me so badly that I nearly DNF'd the book around 40%. She was so whiney and judgmental and desperate for validation. I did ultimately like her arc, but dang did she annoy me along the way. However, the end made me a little uneasy - it almost read like the townsfolk didn't have a will of their own or they were at least being magically manipulated. 

I liked Sophie. She fascinated me, and I wanted more about her backstory, but there was something off about her as well, which I suppose we're supposed to pick up on, but rather than the “Ooh, she might be a scary witch!” vibe, it was more “why is she so desperate for Annie to like her?” Sophie's desperation for a friend made more sense as the book progressed, but still she and Annie didn't have a healthy relationship. I do, however, rather wish they had become a couple, rather than mentor/mentee, but I suppose that would have defeated the point of Annie's lesson (and their power dynamic would have needed to be more even). 

Though I do not like spiders, at all, I did fall completely in love with Ralph.