Review: A Spell for Heartsickness by Alistair Reeves

Title: A Spell for Heartsickness

Series: Rune Tithe: Book One

Author: Alistair Reeves

Length: 330 Pages

Category: Fantasy

Rating: 3.5 Stars

At a Glance: The world-building in this story is lovely and has some things to say about avarice, indifference, self-esteem, being true to oneself, enduring faithfulness, and unadulterated evil. For better or worse, it triggered my savior complex, though, and left me feeling stranded with my anger for a while.

Reviewed By: Lisa

Blurb: Witch Briar Wyngrave’s time is limited. The wasting curse that killed his mother is coming for him too, consuming his magic bit by bit. At least he’ll have the chance to make his name as a magical fashion designer with an elite placement in Pentawynn, the country’s glittering capital, after graduation. Until, that is, a prophecy sends him to the remote island of Coill Darragh instead, in search of a predestined lover with a mysterious mask.

When Briar arrives with his grumpy magpie familiar, Vatii, he finds an unwelcoming town, a murdered poltergeist named Gretchen in his apartment, and a handsome alderman named Rowan with a haunting scar. He also gets pulled into the mysterious magic of the darkly enchanted forest that surrounds the town and seems to have something to do with his curse . . . As if all that weren’t enough, famous witch Linden Fairchild has come to town, complete with a charismatic smile, an unreadable aura, and a surefire plan to cure curses.

How’s a cursed witch to know which enchanting man is his destiny? And can Briar possibly make an impact as a magical fashion designer in this tiny town? One thing is certain: a witch’s magic requires a tithe—a berry, a feather, a cut into flesh—and Coill Darragh may take tithes Briar isn’t ready to give . . .

Review: Briar Wyngrave pays a hefty price for his mother’s death, beyond the curse he inherited from her. Despite how adorable the cover is, this is not a cozy romantasy. In fact, it’s so much the opposite of cozy that I feel badly for anyone who’s gone into reading it with the expectation of a low angst/low stakes story.

A Spell for Heartsickness does temper some of its angst with warm and sweet moments, though, thanks to the gentle giant Rowan, while Briar delivers plenty of cheekiness. I’d have loved to see Briar use the moment his pseudo-love interest hits him (take note, if this is a caution you appreciate) as a glaring sign he was off-track. Alas, that’s not where the story went—neither wrong nor right, simply stranding me in my anger. There is some mild body horror in this story as well as, thanks to a curse, along with separate curses on Briar and Rowan that means if Briar doesn’t decipher and fulfill a prophecy, death awaits. That he entirely misconstrues the subject of said prophecy is thanks in total to his blind ambition to make a name for himself before he dies.

The world-building in this story is lovely and has some things to say about avarice, indifference, self-esteem, being true to oneself, enduring faithfulness, and unadulterated evil. It’s set in a modern -verse with cell phones and social media, yet delivers plenty of magic brews and fantastical elements to its setting. Alistair Reeves’ voice is engaging, and I was rooting for Briar to realize his destiny was not wrapped up in all that glitters but in all that sets his heart on fire. For better or worse, this book triggered my savior complex. At least it made me feel something, which is an achievement in itself.