#Book Review #What Became of Magic by Paige Crutcher #Fantasy @St.Martin's Griffin

From the blurb:

From the author of The Orphan Witch and The Lost Witch comes a new tale about a witch, a book of magic and a beguiling and powerful creature whom she must free, even if it puts her life and soul at stake.

Aline Weir, a witch who can talk to ghosts, has kept her talents hidden ever since a disastrous middle school slumber party, choosing to be invisible and use her powers in secret to help lost souls reunite with the keys to send them home. All the while, she finds solace in a bookstore and the three mysterious women who run it… until Aline discovers the book of Mischief, and her powers are enhanced.

Living a solitary life until the age of thirty, Aline’s life takes an unexpected turn when the wrong (or perhaps right) person witnesses her using her powers and she is invited to a town that doesn’t exist on any map. Arriving in Matchstick, Aline learns of a lost magic that desperately needs to be found and only her unique powers can do it. But what she’s not told is that Magic is a person. One that is dangerous and seductive and has been waiting for a witch with a power like hers for centuries.

Publication Date: September 26, 2023
Publisher:St. Martin's Griffin
Purchase Link

My thoughts:
What a sweet and charming story! I loved everything about this book straight from the beginning of the story- a young girl who is desperately trying to fit in with her classmates, her selfish, oblivious parents who simply don't see her, three sisters bookstore owners who give her unconditional love and acceptance...and magic that helps lost souls find their way home- how can you not fall in love with the story?
Paige Crutcher's simple and elegant writing style draws you in and makes you care about Aline's lonely, solitary life and the comfort she finds in making a new friend called Dragon. But years pass and when our Alin is thirty, it seems once again that everyone is leaving her- her parents move abroad, the Moirai sisters go on longer and longer trips, and Dragon hasn't been seen for a long time. When a suspicious looking stranger invites Aline to visit a hidden magic town Matchstick and find out where Dragon is, Aline doesn't have to think long before embarking on this new, enchanting adventure.
If you are a fan of witchy stories with slow-burn romance and lots of riddles, here is a perfect book for you. Paige Crutcher's writing left me spellbound and I know I'll be looking forward to reading her next book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

PAIGE CRUTCHER is the author of The Orphan Witch and The Lost Witch. She is a former journalist, and her work appears in multiple anthologies and online publications. She is an artist and yogi, and when not writing, she prefers to spend her time trekking through the forest with her children, hunting for portals to new worlds.