I found this book totally enthralling. It follows the struggle the main character, Anna has in understanding herself and her family history. She is a teenage witch who has been bought up by an aunt to repress her magic. The aunt wishes her to be bound by the age of 16 years. It follows Anna as she begins to fund out about herself, through the angst of teenage woes and emotions set against her abilities as a witch. She has no friends at school and is strictly controlled by her aunt, until Effie comes into her life. Effie, a witch is rebellious and quickly identifies Anna and two others at school as witches. These two are also not accepted by their school mates. Effie leads them through a journey exploring magic and its powers. The story moves quickly and kept be engaged throughout. The ending was in a way unexpected and leads me to believe that there will be a sequel.
I can recomend this book to young adults and even, like myself older adults.

This book was not at all what I expected but I loved it. I initially thought it was an adult fantasy in the vein of JONATHAN STRANGE but it’s actually much more of a YA fantasy. I don’t mean that in a negative way at all. Rather, the main character is sixteen years old and a lot of the action takes place at a private girls school.

For me, it was like a combination of THE CRAFT and CHARMED. There’s a teen-witch coven, revenge against the mean girls, and romantic angst. Its expansive exploration of witchcraft and lore was wonderful and the author has woven a world of magic that is unlike anything I’ve read before. The reader can feel the magic building in the book and there’s a sense of anticipation about when the snapping point will come and what consequences it will bring.

Alongside this is the darker tale of the main character, Anna, who has suffered (and is still suffering) an abusive childhood and the coercive control of her aunt. She has been taught that magic is a sin and something to be hidden away. Unlearning years of insidious messages takes time and I appreciated how the author treated this subject with respect and nuance.

The final few chapters are absolutely gripping, leading to an epic magical showdown and the revelation of secrets that have been long buried. Engaging, wildly inventive, and addictive, THREADNEEDLE is sure to be one of the most talked-about books of the year.

This is a book I have had on my wish list for a while, I enjoy all things magic, especially when there is a hint of danger. Anna's world is turned upside down when she meets Effie and Attis, they introduce her to a London that she never knew existed. Was Anna's aunt right the entire time that magic is no good, or is there more to this story than meets the eye.

I really enjoyed the growth of Anna as a character, she really came into her own as she uncovered the secrets of the magic world. The pacing of this book left me wanting more. Great for Fan's of Gossip Girl and Harry Potter. There were treasures like the magic library that gives you exactly the books you need. Joining the Binders seems to be everything that Anna wants, but as the Binding ceremony draws closer she realises that maybe magic comes at a cost she isn't willing to pay.

Did not finish. About 30% in and still nothing excited me about this story. One star for decent writing.

Anna Everdell is an orphan. She's been brought up by her strict aunt and lives in a world of magic. Magic is a sin, it's dangerous. When she's in her teens Effie and Attis starts going to her school and the magic begins to open up because they are not afraid.

I really enjoyed this book. I don't read many witch based books because I find them a bit hit and miss but this is definitely a hit! I enjoyed the characters and getting to know them. Although this is quite a long book it is worthwhile because of all the detail. It actually leaves you wanting more! Brilliant escape. Highly recommended.

I persevered with this to the end though I found it a struggle. I can see the attraction to readers interested in the genre of YA witchcraft. This is clearly designed for a sequel but I won't be reading it.

An exciting book title, an intriguing description and a beautiful cover, of course I wanted to read this book. And I wasn’t disappointed.
Threadneedle is a magical fantasy with curses and witchcraft, although set in modern day London, happening right under our noses.

This is the story of Anna, who lives with her controlling aunt after the mysterious death of her parents. Anna has so many questions about her past, and needs to make a decision about her future that could change everything. But her aunt is keeping secrets from her, and can she really trust her friends?

Cari Thomas will take you an adventure with twists and turns, and I will look forward to reading some more.

I was highly anticipating this read and there is nothing obnoxiously wrong with it at all! It's a fun fantasy read with an interesting plot surrounding magic which I really love. However for me personally, it read very young, definitely more focused on the lower end of YA with a high school setting that of course came with high school drama that was just too childish for me to be bothered by.
But as I said the storyline is good and if you don't mind books focused more to teens then this would be a great read for you!

Eloquently written with a clear line of thought, Threadneedle is a beautiful fantasy story that I just couldn't stop reading, dinner was late but the story was first!!!

Anna is almost turning 16 and suddenly an unexpected visit from her Aunt's friend that she really admires secretly and from her daughter Effie, that is the same age as Anna will bring a new meaning to Anna's simple life. They practice magic freely and without awareness of consequences, defending the beauty of magic at all cost.
They are witches, not binders like Anna's Aunt, that thinks that magic must be silenced! The book of the binders represents all the silences and sacrifices that witches had to do to be protected, basically living in fear.

Effie is moving to London and will study at Anna's school...from there all sorts of magic moments and adventures start changing Anna's future.

Full of fantasy, with witches, a magical garden, love stories, death and curses, the Threadneedle is consequently a 5 star book.

My request to the author @cari_threads : Second book as soon as possible please!!!


Thank you to @harpervoyager_uk and @netgalley.com for this wonderful review copy!

I usually hate starting a series when book 1 has only just been released but I couldn't resist the sound of Threadneedle. Of course you get the frustration of open ended ending because there is more coming but you do get a conclusion to the main story of this book which I was really pleased about.

It took me a few chapters to get into the writing style and even just be able to keep track of who was who and what all of these new words mean (think Harry Potter spells that we are so used to now, but learning from the beginning). After the first few chapters I was all in, invested right until the end. I've stayed up late and got up early to read this book, it really did draw me in. A book I would categorise as YA but very dark in places and twists and turns and character development that I really didnt see coming even as a 30 year old. 5/5.

PLEEEEASEEEEE GIVE US #2 SOON!!!!

After a daunting start, where my kindle showed that it would take over 10 hours to read, I soon got totally engrossed in this great book.

I loved the storyline, the unexpected twists and the characters.

I would definitely recommend it to all ages and I can’t wait for the next one!

Wow. Just wow. Still trying to process all of my feels for this book. I haven't felt this way about a new series in many years.

Anna has spent her 16 years being raised by her Aunt, detesting everything about magic. She is training to become a Binder, where her magic will be bound within, unable for her to use. Her mother's best friend shows up to visit, and Selene threatens the foundation of what Anna thinks and knows. Selene's daughter Effie, and her friend/boyfriend/? Attis will draw Anna into a new world of magic and make her question everything she thinks life has in store for her.

Filled with witchcraft, beautiful character development, and beautiful settings within London, this book picks you up and doesn't let go until the story is done. I cannot wait for future books in this series.

Perfect for fans of The Binding! I adored the unique magic and was gripped from the very first page. The cover perfectly captures the gorgeous story

An absolute gem of a YA novel and one that will stand the test of time. I love it when the author creates characters out of non physical entities - the branches having their own language and communicating was magical realism at its best and I loved everything about this fabulous story. I will be recommending this for a long time

Thank you, thank you, thank you Harper Voyager for pre-approving me to read the e-arc of Threadneedle by Cari Thomas on NetGalley. I’d seen publicity for this book on a number of social media sites and was devastated at not getting my mitts on a physical arc, so was overjoyed to get hold of the e-arc in exchange for an honest and totally unbiased review. I was scared as before even starting, I had high expectations and I really didn’t want to be disappointed!

At the start of the book we’re introduced to our protagonist, Anna, an orphaned teenage witch in the care of her Aunt, who has brought her up to be terrified of her own magic. Her aunt belongs to the fellowship of Binders, who cut off access a witch’s access to magic when they reach the age of 16. Initially Anna accepts this, she doesn’t have a lot of magic and doesn’t know anything different, but things start to change when Selene (a family friend,) comes back into Anna’s life.

Selene is like an exotic orchid to Anna, she is the opposite of her aunt in practically every way, empathetic, warm, vibrant, and thrives on magic and excitement. Selene is accompanied by her daughter Effie and Effie’s best friend Attis, who are also confident, vibrant and magical! They challenge everything Anna thought she knew about magic and sweep into her world, transforming and expanding Anna’s universe to include the world of witchcraft, potions, magic libraries, adventure and friendship, challenging everything Anna thought she knew.

The world building and backstory are sophisticated and well done, you don’t get pages of study notes that drive you to boredom, but well paced and balanced layering that grows as the story progresses. The background of Anna’s school is skilfully handled and terrifyingly realistic - I’d forgotten just how awful some parts of school were.

The characters are well-defined, written and each plays a role in the story. I absolutely loved Rowan, she fought back against all the sizisms and wasn’t your typical big-girl character, and her mum was just a superstar! The teenage angst amidst the drama was appropriate and well-paced and whilst Insta-love was referenced, it was handled well and not the primary factor.

The whole story carries with it that unsettled, look over your shoulder feeling...between the dark magic, Anna’s aunt’s controlling, domineering paranoid behaviour, the dark magic, curse references and the Institute news announcements it felt like disaster was just waiting in the next page.

I loved this book. It is suspenseful, witchy, mysterious, and has a great story! 5 stars from me! Give me more!

I was intrigued by this contemporary urban fantasy. It's definitely YA in the terms of protagonists, as they are in school and "coming-of-age".

It centers around a magical witchcraft community in London with the main character being a young woman called Anna. Anna is living with her Aunt, the very personification of coercive control and as unyielding as Mrs Danvers. It can at times be painful as Anna is a victim of quiet and insidious abuse at the hands of the only family she knows. Everything is very anti-magic and her aunt is part of a group called "The Binders" whose M O is control.

Once the summer holidays end, everything changes, Anna goes to an independent school for privileged teenagers, The nasty girl politics that hit in the late teens are so accurately portrayed it did bring back some ugly memories of school. This part in particularly was very well written.

The witchcraft practiced in this book feels really authentic and intriguing! I felt like I learned a something about witchcraft.

It did feel like the beginning of a story though. I'll look forward to book 2!

This book was MAGICAL.

I devoured this book in a few short hours, it was fast paced, full of mystery and it had some brilliant characters that I was keen to hear more from!

The plot was definitely pretty clever and I loved trying to find out the twists before they fully appeared and they kept me on my toes throughout. The ONLY thing I didn't like too much about this book, was the high school mean girls element to trigger the catalyst for the 'twist' but that's probably because I'm a little older than the target audience reader. But it's still a book I've preordered!

Can't wait to read the next one!

A great read. It took me back to my teenage years, with hints of The Craft, Practical Magic and even the more recent Sabrina. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and it kept me going right until the end with its twists.

Threadneedle turned out to be a lot darker than I had expected it. It has got teenage angst, and coupled with the magic, it created very dark vibes within the book. The magic system is based on magic spells of the witches and seems a little rare. I think there's a lot of stuff that was a little confusing, especially when it came to certain aspects of the magic. Certain plot threads were left hanging, but since this is supposed to be a series, hopefully they'll come to fruition later on. Overall, it's a nice fantasy read and I'll be buying a physical copy when the book releases!

I'm really struggling with this review.

I loved the idea behind this, and the world building. For some reason, when I read the description, I thought this was slightly historical; more Dickens than current. However, it's right up to date, with laptops and smartphones. The world is well thought out, with what I think are actual Wiccan practises mixed in with made up rituals and ceremonies. Everything gels, everything makes sense.

However.

Pretty much all the characters were awful people. Aunt was a straight up abusive psychopath. Effie was a bully, literally; she cast a spell to force the others into detention, bullied them into her coven and kept pushing them even when they were obviously uncomfortable. Even a small thing; no matter how often Miranda reminded them of her name, Effie called her Manda and they all followed suit. I really didn't like her. Selene and Anna are the least awful of the lot, and even then, Selene was lying and manipulating everyone, and Anna angsted a lot and went along with whatever the most recent thing said to her was. Granted, her aunt raised her that way, but one thing that really annoys me in a character is when they flip flop back and forth multiple times over the same issue. Once or twice, with new information, fine. But every time a conflict came up Anna changed her mind completely, along with 'THIS time I won't change my mind!' declaration.

The plot, the world building, even the language used I really enjoyed. I thought the Knot magic was really clever and well thought out. The story was a little drawn out, but good. I just didn't like any of the characters, sadly. But I will try the next book in the series and see if the revelations at the end of this one change any of them.

Overall a good read.