Review: Garden Spells

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Loved this book! It reminded me of Alice Hoffman's Practical Magic with its magic realism and theme of embracing who you are. The Waverly family has always been considered a little odd; plants from the gardens surrounding the house can be used to manipulate feelings and events, and there's an apple tree that will foretell your future. Claire Waverly is the current occupant. Abandoned by her mother at age 6, she and her sister Sydney were raised by their grandmother, and the two sisters grew up resenting each other. Claire has no attachments since everyone she loves eventually leaves her. Sydney ran away from home after graduating from high school but suddenly returns with her daughter Bay, when her life takes a disastrous turn. The story evolves around the two women as they struggle to discover the truth about the past, and as they develop a new relationship together.

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