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.

ShadowStitich by CariThomas is book two in the TheLanguageofMagic series, and a 4.5 ⭐️ read.

OH MY GOD!!! Finally a book which is a sequel, and the first thing the author has done, is provided their readers with a recap on book one!!!!!! Thank you CARI SO MUCH!!!!! I LOVE THIS!!!!

Book two is so much darker than the first one, Anna finds herself in a place and in situations she never could have foreseen herself in.

I immensely enjoyed jumping right back into this world from where it left in the last book. Cannot wait to see where the next one takes us.

Favourite Quotes:
“I’ve never felt like that in my life. Like someone else. Like for a while I was free of the burden of… Me!”

“Old secrets need fresh blood.”

I loved the narrator. She was clear and you could easily distinguish between the characters. I would listen to get again.

This series is perfect for highschool and YA. I think it's a bit too YA for me especially the high school scenes. But, I would recommend to anyone with teenagers. The magic system is clear and there are so many layers to the book.

The writing style is beautiful and I love the way Cari writes.

I still can't stand Effie though! Haha I tried!!

I enjoyed the storyline, but it was much longer than it needed to be, which made parts of it feel dragged out. While some characters were well-developed, others felt really unlikeable, making it hard to stay fully engaged. The choice of a single narrator didn’t quite work, as the voice didn’t come across as convincingly teenage—multiple narrators could have helped create a more authentic perspective.

Unfortunately I could not review this book because the netgalley app would not allow me to download it.nibahve reached out to Netgalley support on the publisher but there doesn't seem to be an easy fix.

If I get a chance to listen to the audio then I will come and edit my review accordingly.