Elspeth Moonflower and her family have been on the run for years. They cannot stay in one place too long less people discover that her and her sisters do not have any magic, an aspect that can get them banned from their world. When their wagon breaks down one night, they are forced to to stay in the village of Thistlegrove until their wagon can be fixed. Elspeth does not trust people and does not want to linger in the town longer than needed, but they also need to make funds in order to pay to get the wagon fixed. On a chance meeting with a Warlock, Draven, Elspeth reaffirms that she will never based upon how he was treating a fellow witch. But Drave and his friend, are important figures in Thistlegrove and for the sake of her family she will try to play nice with him, but the lines between love and hate are ever thin.
This is the first book that I have read by Harlowe and it is a cute read that is very much a palate cleanser for me, after reading the darker side of things. This book is very character driven and I wish there was more to the plot than just trying to stay on the move for Elspeth and her family. The world building is interesting, they are in a world separate that sounds medieval (one of my favourites for fantasy books) but they are aware of the human world that sounds modern as there are talk about celebrity and stardom so I do wonder how they are able to keep they two separate.
I liked Elspeth as a main character and her willingness to do whatever she can to keep her family safe is admirable however, you can tell she takes this a bit too far at times. I also enjoyed the banted between Elspeth and Draven, how after only a few moments they are at each other throats. Actually the Banter is probably my favourite part of the book, as well as Draven's little sister giving him a heart attack every other page. I think that Harlowe did really great job at building their relationship through out the book.
I found that it got spicy out of no where and I do not think that Spice was really needed in the story as we watched Elspeth and Draven relationship develop. I mean i wont complain about spice being in a story but i want it to come about naturally and not feel forced into a scene just to have it. And this is what it felt like in this book that Harlowe thought that the book needed Spice, when really it didn't. The story would have been the same with out it.
This is one to pick up if you are looking for a quick cozy fantasy read where the stakes are not too high. I'll check out another book by Harlow when I need something in that genre.
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