Every time I finish a Sarah Addison Allen book, I hug it. Like, literally. There is something magical about her writing that just gets me every single time.

It took me awhile after reading Garden Spells to pick up this sequel. I was nervous. I saw some reviews saying this installment was unnecessary, and I was afraid I'd feel the same. Luckily, my experience with this book is very much the opposite.

I love the whimsy in her stories and characters. There is just enough quirk to make these characters unique and interesting, but her stories are grounded in the real world, unlike some other magical realism stories. They deal with real conflicts and challenges. Their magical gifts are just one part of who they are as people, and I really love that.

Is it crazy that I would love one more book in this series, set a few years in the future when Bay and Mariah are both adults? While Bay had a nice and satisfying conclusion in this story, I would love to see Mariah get a little more attention. I figured out where her arc was heading before it was revealed, and I wanted more.

I always say this, but the only negative thing I really have to say is that I wanted more. I would've read another hundred pages for a little more in the scenes between Claire and Tyler and also Henry and Sydney.

I don't know if all of the editions of this book have this, but I also LOVE that there are recipes in the back of this book. All through the book, I kept thinking how I would need to google a recipe for fig and pepper bread. To find that it was included in the back of the book was such a nice surprise. I may try to make this for Christmas day.

Speaking of Christmas, this book technically takes place in October, but I would definitely recommend it as a great holiday read. It just has that feel to it, especially with all of the candy-making and baking.

I still have a few of her backlist to read, but I think I can safely say that I am a Sarah Addison Allen fan girl, and I have no regrets.