Thornyhold

This was between two and three stars, actually. I enjoyed the beautiful prose, full of the serene beauty of the English countryside. What bothered me was the dialogue (full of cliché interactions, almost stilted) and the improbability of the plot. Too many coincidences, too much melodrama. It was not my cup of tea, but one should read it just for the beauty of the descriptions of the landscape.

I think I'm on a quest to find the most cottagecore books I can get my hands on. This one fits the bill. Gilly Ramsey inherits a cottage from her godmother, also called Gilly. The cottage, Thornyhold is adorable, there is a pigeon coop on the second floor, a rescued dog, and hot neighbor with an adorable son.
Gilly, it turns out, has some skills. Skills that are similar to her godmother's skills. There is some drama with a rival “witch” in town called Agnes Trapp.
Happy endings abound.

A nice tale of finding oneself in the countryside, with some slight sinister and romantic undertones.

I wasn't totally sure what to expect from this novel–it was interesting, but a bit muted in all aspects. (For example, the romance is sweet, but understated.) The beginning is sad and a bit longer than necessary, I thought, and then the end happens rather quickly. I loved seeing how the main character's life came together, but often found myself waiting for something more.

Overall it was a quiet story, fascinating in it's own way, but not quite what I had been hoping for. Good for a rainy afternoon of reading though!