Hazel and Holly by Sara C. Snider

Hazel and Holly by Sara C. Snider is a New Adult Fantasy story of witches, an enchanted forest, and necromancy.

“Nestled within an enchanted forest is the Grove, a community where witches and warlocks practice elemental magic, brew mystical potions, and lock their cellars against beer thieving gnomes. Life is quiet and uneventful. Well, except when Hazel’s long-lost father uses necromancy to trap her dead mother’s soul.

That simply won’t do. Necromancy is forbidden in the Grove, and for good reason too. Nobody wants filthy corpses shambling around, mussing up one’s garden. Hazel is determined to find her father and undo his treachery.

But despite Hazel’s plans of becoming a one-woman army, she can’t do everything alone. It’s not until wild sister Holly convinces her to leave the house for once and go to a party that Hazel finds a pair of unlikely allies in two bickering warlock brothers.

Together, the four of them go on a journey that takes them out of the Grove and into a world where necromancy reigns and the dead won’t respectfully stay in the grave. Hazel will do whatever it takes to stop her father and save her mother’s soul. Even if it means turning to necromancy. Even if it means losing her friends. Because they would never help a necromancer. Would they?”

This book is about a quest of two witches as they try to free their mother’s soul from their father’s spell.

The story is a little odd at first. It took me a decent chunk of the book before I really got into what was going on. There are a ton of intricate, whimsical pieces to this story that made me interested in continuing on. And of course, it helps to have a sprinkle of dark magic too.

I would have liked to have seen a bit more of the world. There were a few slower parts, but overall, I enjoyed the enchanted forest-vibes. I gave this one 4 out of 5 stars.

While reading the story, I felt like the writing was all over the place when it comes to the target audience. There were a few parts that read like more of a middle school, innocent level but then, there were dark, more mature concepts that key into the world of new adult. There were times that I was a little confused on what age group this book was for, but overall, I don’t think it took too much away from the reading experience.

It was an enjoyable read, and the world building drove this book to the end. This was a fun adventure full of enchantments, darkness, and quests.

Published: 16 May 2019

Publisher: Double Beast Publishing

Genre: New Adult Fantasy

Pages: 452

How I Read It: eARC from NetGalley

*Disclaimer: I requested a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All of my reviews contain my honest opinions only and are not influenced in any way.*

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