Shadowstitch is an intriguing view on how a modern day witch hunt might start.

5 ⭐️ to narrator, Helen Keeley, who did a fantastic job of giving each character distinct voices/accents, making it easy to identify who's dialogue belongs to who. This is a feat few narrators can achieve with such a wide range of characters.

Following Anna and Effie's cursed story I think would be better told if we had both Anna and Effie's POV. Even better if we had Attis's as well.

The drama that the coven experience is very high school - the crushes, underage drinking, experimenting with drugs but when you throw in discovering and learning their magic, they face very real and very adult situations and have to face the consequences of their actions.

All in, I think this is a great YA read but it falls under the second book curse.

This book was just as awesome as the first! I loved every moment and honestly need the next book asap!

Shadowstitch is a darkly enchanting sequel that pulls you deeper into the shadowy world of London’s hidden magic. Cari Thomas’s writing is rich and immersive, with a lyrical edge that makes the setting feel gritty and otherworldly all at once. The story balances personal stakes and broader magical politics really well, and I loved getting to see more of the lore unfold.

The magic system continues to be one of the standout features, unique, atmospheric, and full of consequences. While the pacing dragged a little in the middle for me, the emotional payoff in the final third was worth the wait.

Threadneedle is one of my ultimate favourite books to read and to listen to so I was thrilled to have the opportunity to listen to Shadowstich which follows Threadneedle. It felt darker than the first book as the world Anna, Effie and Attis know is tilted into danger and witch hunts. Anna is still reeling from the death of her aunt and revelations from the first book. The narration was good and highly listenable, Cari Thomas has created another strong story with fantastic world building and I know this is one I'll reread and relisten too but Threadneedle still wins out of the two.

I had loved the first book and novella but I struggled with this one which suffers from the filler-book syndrome. Nothing much happens and mostly, i didn't love how the characters were so stereotypical and flat. The rebel sister and the scared one, the "love triangle" for which I felt no chemistry with one or the other of the girls. Even the friends are just accessories. I was disappointed. It was not bad but not engaging enough which shouldn' t be the case in a four-book series...losing steam after just one book is not a good sign.

This being book 2 of The Language of Magic series, I read ‘Threadneedle’ first, and I could not have enjoyed that novel more. In fact, I only located ‘Threadneedle’ in order to jump into this, but I ended up falling chronically in love! Not since ‘Wilder Girls’ by Rory Power or Deirdre Sullivan’s ‘Perfectly Preventable Deaths’ series have I enjoyed YA Dark Academia so heartily. So I was beyond delighted to return to Anna and Effie’s universe in the Coven of the Dark Moon. Here’s the snag, though: the first book in Cari Thomas’s series is billed as YA (or New Adult), yet this follow-up looks to be classified as General Fiction (Adult). And is it really truly Dark Academia? Maybe ‘Shadowstitch’ is just a weird and wiggly riddle of a novel.

Thomas restarts her series immediately from where the first book ended. And, in terms of a series, what struck me – intentional or not – was that Cari Thomas often paints sets, constructs scenes, and pitches character interactions that recall pieces from the Harry Potter series. I couldn’t help but think that this is the Potterverse done right. With a remarkable absence of ‘the boyish’, elements such as Christmas at Rowan’s family abode (battier, more boggling, and so much better than the Weasleys’!) tickled my reader’s brain in a way that felt more nuanced, more like me. (And for what would have been the next generation of Neil Gaiman fans, Cari Thomas rewrites and completely surpasses ‘Neverwhere’ with the addition of her London Underworld and its populace.)

So, the tension that was strung in ‘Threadneedle’ as Anna’s quest to evade Binding, has snowballed into a literal – nigh global – witch hunt in ‘Shadowstitch’. It sprouts from a magic-soaked atmosphere of hysteria and it’s not just the pubescents in Anna’s school this time. Anna’s struggles to puzzle out this new ‘Big Bad’ are compounded, of course, by Machiavellian Effie, who keeps being Machiavellian. Although! In Book Two, it might appear that she actually has a heart. And of course we know that Thomas can write a complex character who suffers with imbalances in her inner life – just look at Anna’s own character arc across the two books (however, there remains a gulf where Thomas could be exploring her main character’s abuse at the hands of The Aunt). But it is delicately done, the touches here and there of Effie’s struggle too.

‘Shadowstitch’ manages to avoid any risk of being derivative, I should say; it excels beyond the progenitors with which it bears similarities. In it, the backdrop of a world in the throes of a witch hunt is not employed frivolously. Rather, glancing back from the novel's conclusion upon its development, it seems like the only set-up that there could have really been for the furtherance of Thomas’s world-building at this point in the series. And what world-building! I’ll go as far to say that it exceeds the vision of Book One. For me, this time, Cari Thomas’s biggest success is the manner in which she binds world-building to character. Her characters are all frankly unforgettable; emotionally intelligent, dramatically robust, they maintain meaningful interrelationships despite the plot’s often breakneck unspooling. Just look at how Effie’s ‘teen witch’ wit sizzles amidst all the brooding and all the danger, and comes across as entirely authentic. All of Thomas’s characters resonate in like ways; and when they interact, via her original dialogue, that’s when the act of reading gets forgotten, and it’s all just happening right in front of you.

And there’s more magic that takes place on the audiobook, where madly successful narrator Helen Keeley meets our bestselling novelist. I’ll admit that I jumped at this partly because Keeley narrates it and I’d just finished listening to her perform a Camilla Bruce release. If you don’t know Keeley’s voice and this is your genre, then listen to her perform ‘Weyward’ by Emilia Hart.

‘Threadneedle’ was a ginormous audiobook at over 20 hours, but ‘Shadowstitch’ is a mammoth listen at almost 27. This was music to my ears (forgive the pun), because if – as a librarian – books are my life, then audiobooks are my passion. (Also, I go weak at the knees for a good book cover, and just look at these for The Language of Magic!)

At times, I think I preferred some of Bea Holland’s voices from the first book – Attis’s British/American/Irish chameleon of an accent was spot-on there (even though Thomas says he grew up in Wales in this second instalment, I resent the fact that he’s just Welsh in ‘Shadowstitch’). Some of Keeley’s characters can get a little screechy in comparison, but overall, her soulful narration brings this beautifully crafted gothic world to life in the audiobook, whether the moment she’s voicing is eerie or thrilling, whether it’s a streak of humour or a flash of gore.

So what would give ‘Shadowstitch’ that fifth star for me? Some stronger queer girl representation other than Effie’s occasional tokenistic allusions to sex with girls. Let’s have a convincing lesbian side character who doesn’t lust for the main hetero love interest, please.

With its solid four stars, Book Two in The Language of Magic has me rightly slobbering for Book Three. Cari Thomas, what are you doing to us with these cliffhanging novel conclusions!?

My thanks to HarperCollins UK Audio / HarperVoyager for the advanced review copy of this marvellous audiobook.

The conclusion of this series is well narrated and well told. I enjoyed the audiobook version even more than the ebook, the narrator juggles different voices and characters well.

Shadowstitch is the second novel in The Language of Magic series and follows Threadneedle, Hedgewitch, and is succeeded by The Burial Witch. In Threadneedle, Cari Thomas created a wonderful magical world, set in contemporary London, and in Shadowstitch, we return to this world but delve even deeper, continuing to explore the themes of sisterhood and curses. Effie and Anna are attempting to build their shattered relationship as sisters and discover their magic but must also discover and battle the curse that has destroyed generations of their ancestors, including their parents. Meanwhile, the Binders draw ever closer and Anna fears that her Aunt’s threats may have an element of truth. Especially as the fear of witches once again tears through society and witch trials may become a reality.
Shadowstitch is darker and longer than the previous novel and while some readers may feel that the story slows in parts, I enjoyed this “downtime” with the characters as we had more time to learn about their feelings and to understand their behaviours and interactions.
A compelling and intriguing, dark witchy read.

I do love the first one, the sequel got me excited… however there are times that Im a little bit lost? Or its just me. There are alot of things happening at the same time, as what feel reading into it. I do love some witchy vibes and stories, but its bit too much for me kinda thick and i felt fillers, in my opinion but i might get the third book. Some characters are well written that just gives me some reactions into it. Am i the only one felt they are like The Derry Girls that corresponds to the characters on the tv and to the book, but dark and witchy!

I really enjoyed the narration of this audiobook. I found it made the story come alive for me when listening. I enjoyed the characters and the storylines as it continued. This is the second book int he threadneedle series and it didn’t disappoint. Also more magic which I loved.

The Shadow Stitch audiobook is fantastic!! The narration is excellent and they do a great job of building the characters and their relationship as the tension progresses. The magic systems in this are quite unique and I absolutely love reading books set in places familiar to me (in this case London).

If you enjoy YA fiction, witches, curses, dark academia, witch hunts then you'll love this.

This is the second book in the Threadneedle series with hints to a third??

SHADOWSTITCH is a nice sequel that intensifies the threat.

I liked getting to see more of magic. Last book, it was forbidden for Anna so she was on the edge of it, seeing only glimpses and too afraid to really throw herself in. This book, the coven explore different forms of magic, trying to find what sings to them, which let the story show off different types.

The book also feels bigger in scope, introducing a world level threat, rather than the more personal but inconsequential to the world threat of THREADNEEDLE. It draws on the witch trials of the 17th centuries and I hope we get to learn more about them in upcoming books as the hints so far seem to imply some historical references which will be interesting to see.

Despite this more world level threat, it manages to feel very intimate and claustrophobic, which a witch-hunt at school focuses on them, turning their school into a minefield.

The book did not end where I thought it would, going past that ending to further events and a different ending. It was a very interesting choice, ending on a very different cliff hanger to the one I thought I'd get. I liked being surprised, but it meant the section it felt like the book has been building up to was so much shorter than I expected.

I very much am interested in finding out what happens next! I'm not sure when the next novel (the direct sequel) comes out but there are two (prequel) novellas in the meantime.

This book sadly didn't speak to me. I’ve heard such good things about Cari Thomas and this is rated high so don’t let me put you off but unfortunately I didn’t find any of the characters interesting, and particularly disliked Effie. It’s such a long book that moved at such a slow pace, with little character or relationship development. I get to the end and I barely know anyone or understand their connections to each other which means I wasn’t invested in anyone. I also found Ana to be a really bland narrator and the love triangle really uncomfortable and underdeveloped. I do think it was interesting to see a modern take on witchcraft and witch hunts, and it’s possible I’d be more into it if I read the first book but at the same time I do think this works without it as there are plenty of recaps woven into the story so I don’t feel I missed anything.

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

First of all thank you for allowing me to listen to the audiobook.
I think the concept of this story is very interesting and the first book was really good.
This one didn't disappoint at all. The plot really thickened, it was really fast passed. There was always something happening or some new information being given or explained and added to the story and making the plot more rich.
As for the characters, I loved Anna since the first book and this book cimented the character for me. I can see a growth in her, she learns even more to defend herself and do things for herself as the book progresses. I love Attis and his sense of duty towards the people he loves (their group of friends/coven and specially Anna and Effie), he's loyal to no end. Rowan and Manda are important each in their own way cause they're very different so they gave very different "roles" in the group. The more complicated for me to express myself is Effie. On the first book I didn't like her and, on this one, there's some moments with Anna where she puts her guard and her facade down and I liked her. But majority of the book, my opinion from the 1st book continues, she's annoying and sometimes it's like it has to be all about herself (I say that for example about Attis, because she knew him for long it's like she had more rights to be with him than Anna 🤔).
Overall the book was a great adventure with so many good twists. With that ending, I can see there will be a 3rd one so let's see how the story will continue 👌🏻

Riveting Magical Novel About a Coven of Teenage Witches

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Threadneedle!

Cari Thomas' second book in the Language of Magic series follows the young coven around Anna and Effie as they try to unravel their curse while facing a modern-day witch hunt led by the mysterious Whips. Will the coven not only find their magic languages but survive the attacks on the magical world and can they stop the Whips before it is too late and the curse that has been unleashed destroys them all?

I skipped the first book in the series, so I was very pleasantly surprised when the audiobook for Shadowstitch started with a nifty 5-minute summary of Threadneedle read by the author herself. I always listen to audiobooks at 1.25x speed, so that section was actually a bit rushed to listen to but it got a lot better when the audiobook itself started. Helen Keeley reads beautifully and captivatingly. I never thought her voices were silly and her pace and cadence are simply incredible to listen to!
The audiobook is very long, clocking in at abut 26 hours. I was quite surprised because of the brevity of the first book, but it never got dull and I cannot wait to listen to the next book in the series.

Cari Thomas (it's wonderful to finally read a local Welsh author) ties the tale of Frau Holle (very familiar to me) in with the world of witches and witch hunts, death magic and covens. It was a nice touch to have a Welsh witch appear and his accent was quite authentic. I think this book really unravels the whole tapestry of magic that Cari Thomas has woven and it is an adventure from start to finish. There are incredibly fascinating new places, such as a magical map shop, and many new and familiar characters and mysteries.

If you enjoy Her Majesty's Royal Coven and The House in the Cerulean Sea, Threadneedle and Shadowstitch are for you!

A big thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins, and Cari Thomas for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook of Shadowstitch in exchange for an honest review.

While I ultimately chose not to finish Shadowstitch (stopping at around the 30% mark), I truly appreciated the chance to revisit the richly imagined world Cari Thomas has created. I previously listened to Threadneedle and was intrigued by its unique magical system and atmospheric storytelling—so much so that the ending left me curious to see what came next.

That said, I found Shadowstitch a bit slow to get going, and I struggled with the pacing in the early chapters. At 30%, I realized I wasn't quite ready to commit to another 18 hours of listening, as I felt the plot hadn’t yet gained momentum. Fans who enjoy immersive, slow-burn fantasy may find this installment rewarding, but it just wasn’t the right fit for me at this time.

After reading Threadneedle and The Hedge Witch a few years ago, I was keen to catch up with Anna, Effie and the other members of their coven. Threadneedle had been considerably darker than I had anticipated, so I knew more what to expect with Shadowstitch. After the events at the end of the first book, it may have seemed that life would be calmer for Anna now, but a growing hysteria spreading across London is feeding into anti-witch sentiment, and soon the girls’ school is swept up in witch hunt. I found this part of the story particularly captivating, as it doesn’t feel like the current world climate is a million miles away from this. It was frightening and eye-opening to see how easily the inquisitors could turn public opinion and start targeting young women. The love triangle we were introduced to in the first book is still a big factor in Shadowstitch, and we learn more about the curse and its origin. I found the start of the story a little slow, but once the witch-hunt part of the plot started, I struggled to put it down. I listened to the audiobook of this title, and really enjoyed the narration. I had read the previous two books physically, but think I may continue the series in audio format.

Fantasy audiobook with hexes, witches, magic, upper-school, romance, curses, sisters, covens abuse, love and sacrifice. I hadn’t listened/read book one, but there is plenty to reveal the outline of what has gone before. This is the longest audiobook I have ever started - well over 2 days; even at my 2.5 listening speed that was a whole day of listening. The physical book must be a weighty tomb, my earpods less so. I’m fairly sure the author could have shortened this book, there is a lot of repetition of thought and action from the characters. But then again I found no hardship in spending that much time with in this story as I went about my daily life, environmentally sound blanked. There is enough action, villainy, bickering and humour to draw you on. So was it worth my time? Yes. Don’t think I personally now need to read book one now, with the story line hints. But I do want to listen to book 3. Thank you to Harper Collins UK Audio and NetGalley for the ARC.

Wanted to love this but the pacing was off. It dragged in the middle. The end saved it from a 2 star rating.

I liked this especially since it has twins. There were good visuals and the author conveys feelings and experiences well. It’s immersive. Anna and Effie are well created. Selene is a bit bossy at first but then she seems ok and supportive.

I felt for the twins on the loss of their aunt, but was shocked to know that she killed their parents. The locked room was mysterious and so was the mirror.

There were some good twists.

4 stars.

Thanks to Cari Thomas for my audiobook in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.