Curses, Critters, and Other Complications A Lancaster Witch Chronicle: Book 1 by Kat Farrow

Rating: 5 star rating

You are going to love Curses, Critters, and Other Complications by Kat Farrow. It fits into the adult cozy fantasy and contemporary fantasy genres, but it has that amazing young adult crossover appeal because it is such a clean, gentle, and universally relatable read.

The story takes place in the quiet town of Lancaster and follows a multigenerational family of witches who have hidden their magic from the world, and from some of their own family, for years. In fact, Sara has kept her mother's witchcraft a secret from her husband, Nathan, for nine whole years! Everything gets turned upside down during a weekend visit when Sara's daughters bring their pet guinea pig, Ralph, to grandmother Ellen's house. It turns out Ralph isn't a guinea pig at all, but a shapeshifter locked under a crazy, layered curse. To handle it, Ellen and her witch friend Margie secretly swap the real Ralph for a magically bespelled decoy guinea pig, triggering a giant domino effect of magical accidents.

Suddenly, the daughters' own magical gifts start rapidly breaking through, making the big family secret impossible to hide anymore.

The characters are incredibly lovable and fun. There is Ellen, the wise grandmother witch, and Sara, who is totally stressed out trying to manage the chaos. Nathan is a super perceptive dad who starts demanding real answers to all the unexplainable, weird things happening around the house. My favorite character is Murgawth, Ellen’s telepathic cat companion, who is the first to notice something is wrong with Ralph and has the most hilarious, sarcastic wit.

We also learn pretty quickly that Ralph absolutely despises a reclusive old hag living in the area and is doesn't want to be taken back to her, because he hates her.. However, as the family unravels the magical mystery, they eventually track down the old hag. When they find her, she finally explains the real history and truth behind their relationship, and they end up giving Ralph back to her.

What makes this book so special is how naturally the magic fits right in with everyday family chaos, chores, and domestic life. The ending wraps up with a great sense of closure, completely solving the mystery of Ralph's curse and bringing the family together for a emotional reconciliation where the family finally tell each other the truth. It leaves you feeling incredibly warm inside and perfectly sets up the story for the next book in A Lancaster Witch Chronicle series. I definitely recommend giving this one a read.

Thank you NetGalley, Lore Weaver Press, and author Kat Farrow, for providing me with this ebook review consideration, in exchange for an honest review.

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