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Review of: First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen

Genre: Mystery/Fantasy

First Frost is a sequel to Garden Spells. I have read Garden Spells before, but I had no idea it had a sequel until I started reading this one and experienced some serious deja vu. It continues the story of the magical Waverly family and their roles in the small town of Bascom, North Carolina. Claire has started a candy store that is doing fantastically, but she is experiencing burnout and her heart isn’t in the candy business anymore. Sydney is worried too. She and her husband have been trying to have a baby, but with every day that passes she remains childless, unable to give her beloved husband a namesake.
Sydney’s daughter Bay has problems of the heart. She knows that she is supposed to be with Josh from her school, but he doesn’t have the same belief. When she sends him a note, explaining why she feels that they are meant to be together, one way or another, she is mocked relentlessly by her schoolmates, and she withdraws into herself, feeling that she must just wait it out.
In one way or another, they’re all waiting. Waiting to see if they have it within themselves to live up to their best potential, and waiting for the First Frost–when traditionally the Waverly apple tree blooms mysteriously, thanks to the Waverly family magic.

This was a quick, entertaining read that provided little more than a pleasant diversion. It is very lightly magical, and a good read if you’re looking for something fluffy and fun to get you through to the weekend. As I mentioned before, I didn’t realize that First Frost was the sequel to Garden Spells, and frankly, I didn’t really understand why Garden Spells needed a sequel. Don’t get me wrong–I greatly enjoyed it–but it just didn’t seem to be set up for a sequel. All things considered, both books stand on their own, but if you skip reading Garden Spells, you definitely won’t understand the backstory of the Waverly’s.

So, if you’re looking for a lightly magical speed read for the evening or the weekend, or any one of these lazy, hazy days of summer, go ahead and give this one a shot, though do try to read Garden Spells first if you have any particular disposition to reading book series in their chronological order.

I liked it: 3 out of 5 stars