Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young

Book Description

Emery Blackwood’s life changed forever the night her best friend was found dead and the love of her life, August Salt, was accused of murdering her. Years later, she is doing what her teenage self swore she never would: living a quiet existence on the misty, remote shores of Saoirse Island and running the family’s business, Blackwood’s Tea Shoppe Herbal Tonics & Tea Leaf Readings. But when the island, rooted in folklore and magic, begins to show signs of strange happenings, Emery knows that something is coming. The morning she wakes to find that every single tree on Saoirse has turned color in a single night, August returns for the first time in fourteen years and unearths the past that the town has tried desperately to forget.

August knows he is not welcome on Saiorse, not after the night everything changed. As a fire raged on at the Salt family orchard, Lily Morgan was found dead in the dark woods, shaking the bedrock of their tight-knit community and branding August a murderer. When he returns to bury his mother’s ashes, he must confront the people who turned their backs on him and face the one wound from his past that has never healed—Emery. But the town has more than one reason to want August gone, and the emergence of deep betrayals and hidden promises spanning generations threaten to reveal the truth behind Lily’s mysterious death once and for all.

Review

Even though I live here, Adrienne Young’s Spells for Forgetting effortlessly transported me into the moody, mist-laden corners of the Pacific Northwest. It evoked the same atmosphere I experienced in Salthouse Place by Jamie Lee Sogn. Both authors set their novels in this rain-soaked  region. Both thrillers feature strong female leads, and each story revolves around the trauma of losing a teenage friend. In each novel, the atmosphere itself becomes a character. Heavy, haunting, and impossible to shake.

In Spells for Forgetting, Young masterfully captures the eerie isolation of Saoirse Island. This fictional place brims with folklore and subtle magic. Emery Blackwood’s life has been in limbo since the night Lily was found dead. Worse, it’s a tragedy for which her first love, August Salt, bore the blame. But now, 14 years later, he’s back—and let’s just say the locals are not rolling out the welcome mat. His return stirs up a storm of old wounds, secrets, and lies that have been simmering under the surface all this time.

The way Young establishes Saoirse Island is incredible. A damp fog wraps around you as you read. The place is so rich in myth and tension that it’s practically alive. Saoirse Island isn’t just a setting; it’s a living entity, its secrets woven into every twist of the plot.

As the story unfolds, the narrative unfurls its multiple timelines and perspectives. Young’s strategy lets you piece together the truth little by little. The mystery made me lean in with every chapter, building tension like the relentless patter of rain on cedar.

For those who enjoy stories where the setting plays a pivotal role, Spells for Forgetting delivers. Its slow-burn narrative rewards patience, presenting a deeply atmospheric and character-driven tale. Winningly, Spells for Forgetting is also beautifully written. It will appeal to readers who appreciate a character-driven mystery infused with magic.

What about you? Have you read Spells for Forgetting, Salthouse Place or other thrillers set in the Pacific Northwest? I’d love to hear your recommendations!

Content Warning

Alcohol, Blood, Child Abuse, Death, Death of a Parent, Domestic Abuse, Drowning, Fire, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic Friendship, Violence

The header photo is a composite image. Base image by Dave Hoefler on Unsplash