#BookReview: The Price Guide to the Occult by Leslye Walton

Receiving books free in exchange for reviews will never sway the outcome of my reviews. All my reviews are own my personal thoughts and opinions whether they for review or bought. While I may feel a certain way, others may feel differently. So sit back and relax and check out my thoughts on this book. Don't forget to share your thoughts (no spoilers) on the books or reviews on this blog in comments.

Title: The Price Guide to the Occult

Format: Paperback

Pages: 288

Published: 6th Sept 2018

Publisher: Walker Books

Source: Publisher

Genre: YA, Magical Realism

Shelfability: Borrow/Acquire

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US

From the author of The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender comes a haunting tale of magic and murder.

When Rona Blackburn landed on Anathema Island more than a century ago, her otherworldly skills might have benefited friendlier neighbors. Instead, guilt and fear led the island’s original eight settlers to burn “the witch” out of her home. So Rona invoked the privileges of a witch; she cursed them. But such a spell always comes with a terrible price, and in punishing the island's residents, Rona also bound her family ever tighter to them.

Fast-forward to the present day and all Nor Blackburn wants is to live an unremarkable teenage life. And she has reason to hope that she may have escaped the thorny side-effects of the family matriach's curse. But then a mysterious book comes out, promising to cast any spell for the right price. The author – Nor’s own mother – seems capable of performing magic that should be far beyond her capabilities. And such magic always requires a sacrifice.

A storm is coming. It's coming for Nor

I rarely request a physical copy book for review because I struggle to read print (I blame getting old lol). However, after reading the blurb and seeing the cover I knew I had to have it. The Price Guide to the Occult is on the slightly darker side of YA and  is a great Halloween read.

Nora is an eighth generation Blackburn daughter. Descendant of Rona Blackburn. The witch who cursed future generations of Blackburns by taking their magic and only allowing each daughter one "burden".  Nora wants nothing more than to escape the family curse. She wants to go through live invisible.  However, things are about to change which a book falls into her lap and the author is her estranged mother. Soon Nora is force to accept her burden as she may be only one who can save her family and friends from something dark and twisted.

I really wanted to love this. I do love a good darker read. Especially one that involves witches and creepy island settings and this has both. Sadly, I just couldn't love it. That's not to say I didn't like it. I did. I enjoyed the Prologue and the last 80 pages or so. The rest for me was just too slow. I am not a fan of slow burning books. I need to a book to really grip me and keep me gripped. I actually found my mind wandering with this. At parts I was actually bored because I felt like nothing was really happening.  Usually I give up on books after 50 pages but I was determined to stick it out because I liked the characters and wanted to know what happened next and by the end I was left wanting more.

Nora likes to blend in and not stand out. Always wearing black she doesn't like attention. But her best friend Savvy was like a fireball of colour. She was a character I wanted to know. One of those people who it's hard not to noticed with her every changing hair colour and electric energy. Nora and Savvy has two complete opposites but their friendship works because they are so different. So many of characters in this story are unique and interesting making the reader want know more about them. However, some you can easily forget and I think were only there to fill paper.

Apart from the magical element to the story, the author also touches upon a subject that is very real and needs to be talked about. Self harm and mental health. I don't want to go into details because it will spoil some parts of the story but I am giving you a trigger warning right now. The author also has a list in the back of the book of websites etc that can help people.

The Price Guide of the Occult may be a slow burner but if you are looking for a good read that has witches, curses and is a little darker than your usual YA fiction then give this one a try.

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