I've listened to the audiobook but I haven't paid enough attention to feel comfortable rating it.
One aspect that made this one different and interesting was the way this book dealt with moral gray. I am still not sure I like how it ultimately turned out though.
But at least it got me thinking I guess, which is more than I can say about 99% of the stuff in the genre.
My biggest problem with this one was the plodding pacing. I feel like I could describe the entire plot in a hand full of sentences.
Maybe I have just become too impatient but I feel like there is a lot of stuff in this book that simply doesn't contribute anything to any aspect of the story.
Some books use slower pacing to establish world-building but I never had a good grip on what time period this is even supposed to be.
Some books use it to establish atmosphere which can also be very effective in drawing the reader in. Here we just have a lot of inner monologues which don't lead anywhere. I guess one could argue that this is supposed to build a deeper emotional connection with the protagonists but this just didn't work for me.

If I had to rate this at gunpoint I would give it 3-4 stars.
But again, I missed quite a lot of detail which worked out fine I guess because it seemed to me like I never really missed much even after spacing out for 5 minutes or so.

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got an eGalley of this book through NetGalley to review.

Thoughts: Previous to reading this, I had read Smith's "The Vine Witch" which I didn't love. I thought "The Vine Witch" was slow with characters that were hard to connect with, as a result I did not finish that series. I thought "The Raven Spell" was better, but it still had some of the same issues that "The Vine Witch" did.

This story starts with us following Mary and Edwina Blackwood. These two sister witches make their living finding shiny things on the Thames riverbank and selling them at their store. One day Mary finds a dead man, Ian, on the shore and steals his memories (as she likes to do with the dead), however...he wasn't quite dead. This triggers a series of events in which Edwina gets pulled into the mystery Ian was investigating about the missing son of a prominent witch.

As mentioned above, this had a lot of the same issues for me as "The Vine Witch". The story moves very slowly and is flat out boring at times. The plot is very predictable and I didn't like any of the characters. All of the characters come off as a bit selfish, distanced and hard to engage with.

There is some beautiful description in here and I enjoyed the idea of a Victorian London with some magic added (although, let's be honest, this has been done a million times before and better done). Edwina has a sort of peaceful aura to her that some might enjoy, but to me she just felt distanced.

It takes a long time for things to get moving in this book and I thought the way everything was wrapped up was very anti-climatic. You would have to be blind not to know where the mystery is going and I was disappointed that nothing surprising happened. The book has the very overdone...are they dead, or maybe not? ending to lead you into the next book in the series.

My Summary (3/5): Overall this was a mediocre read for me and I don't plan on continuing the series. There really isn't anything special here. The world-building is weak, the mystery predictable, and the characters hard to engage with. There is some beautiful description and a peaceful-feeling slow burn mystery with some fantasy elements if you are into that sort of thing. At this point I won't be picking up any more books by Smith, her writing style just doesn't work well for me. ( )

The Raven Spell (Conspiracy of Magic, #1)
by Luanne G. Smith

This has a set of twins working a little shop just at the edge of town and near the water's edge of the river. They watch the shore for trinkets and other shiny things that have been washed ashore or dropped on the beach front. They both have magic but they keep that hidden or they would have to move again. Usually it's something Mary does that exposes them and they have to leave.

Edwina and Mary are opposite in nature. Edwina is shy, sweet and proper and, well, let's just say Mary isn't. Mary also likes to collect memories from people who are dying. They appear as what we call little colorful marbles. Their mom and dad have both left them promising to return but have not.

One one of their walks in the evening, they find a man that is close to death. Mary takes his memories. But the man lives and is confused. He can't make sense of anything that was found on him. The police interview him because of a string of murders in the area.

This is where everything goes crazy! Lots of great characters, suspense, terrific fantasy, couple of mysteries, and maybe a hint of romance. I thought the book was top notch! I listened to it. Got it from Chirp. Will watch for more from this author and book two! ( )

Ian Cameron is part of a secret witch society that lives among regular humans in Victorian London. He has his memories stolen from a pair of sisters, Edwina and Mary, while investigating the disappearance of Sir Elvanfoot's son. I am grateful there wasn't too much world building needed and I could get right into the story. I enjoyed the mystery and adventure of Ian and Edwina as they continue to solve the mysterious disappearance of Sir Elvanfoot's son. ( )

The Blackwood twins, Edwina & Mary don't fit in with mortals, or their own kind. Left to fend for themselves in Victorian London, by selling second hand baubles & trinkets they find takes them to the river's shores, where they find a body. Mary who has a rare gift, she can collect memories from the dead to create shiny orbs, may have been too hasty this time with the dying man on the beach.
The man survives only to awaken with no memory. With a serial killer on the loose, and a missing person to track down, regaining Ian's memories becomes vital. Edwina tries to fix her sister's mistake by helping Ian, along the way there are many twists and surprises.
Thanks to 47North for the ARC on NetGalley, I am looking forward to the next book in the series.
#TheRavenSpell #LuanneGSmith #NetGalley ( )