Spells, Strings, and Forgotten Things (Sisters of Light and Shadow #1) by Breanne Randall

This is my final prompt for Romanceopoly 2025 Reading Challenge – Winter (Frostwood Village). This one was one of the optional prompts — Heroine’s Rising – celebrate International Women’s Day by reading a romance featuring a strong, independent female character.

I did enjoy this, it has a really witchy vibe that I found delightful. I also thought the magic system, in particular how the sisters curse worked, was kind of cool. I’m of the opinion that magic should cost the caster something, if there were no consequences to magic just anyone could do it!

I liked Calliope and her little ADHD brain, I could relate to her a lot. I found her inability to communicate with her sisters and later, Lucien, to be a little frustrating though. Then again, Thalia’s absolute refusal to deal with a very real issue and Eurydice (with the adorable nickname Dizzy) desire to ignore the very real issue, was also frustrating!

The sisters distance between one and other made it very clear what the real issue with their magic was, and honestly it was annoying it took everyone so long to figure that out!

One of the things I enjoyed the most in this book was the enemies to lovers trope between Calliope and Lucien, I liked how she pushed his buttons and that they both reluctantly fell for each other, it made the payoff and what it took to get there all the sweeter for me.

This wasn’t perfect, there were some things that didn’t make sense (but I suspect will be clearer in later books), not a huge amount happened for a long time and then everything wrapped up super quickly, and the villain was a bit of a caricature, but the setting is very cosy and I’m intrigued about what’s in store for Thalia and Dizzy, so I’ll be checking back in.

Synopsis:

A young witch cursed with sacrificing memories to cast spells must decide how much she’s willing to lose to save her town in this thrilling tale of magic, love, and self-discovery—from the New York Times bestselling author of The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic.

In the small town of Gold Springs, Calliope Petridi and her two sisters carefully guard the secret of their magic and the price they must pay to practice memories. The more powerful the magic, the greater the memory required.

Luckily, all Calliope wants to do is forget. Forget the mother who left them without a trace. Forget the cracks in her relationships with her judgmental oldest sister, Thalia, and her distant middle sister, Eurydice. Forget about the very cost of her magic. And most of all, forget the way the love of her life shattered her heart two years ago.

But when an ancient evil awakens in their town, the fragile thread that holds the sisters together breaks. As their magic slowly begins to fade, Calliope accidentally binds herself to an annoyingly handsome leader of a rival coven infamous for their ruthless pursuit of power.

Battling a sizzling chemistry to a man she can’t trust, Calliope needs to confront her sisters and the painful memories of her past, dark family secrets, and ancient magic in order to keep the town and all she loves safe. But will she have anything left of herself?