Garden Spells by Sarah Addison: Book Review

Claire Waverley owns a catering business which showcases her magical gift. The food she prepares is made with flowers from the backyard of the Waverley home.

Sydney Waverley is Claire's sister. She left town right after high school and has returned ten years later. She was trying to run from the Waverley magic so she would be considered normal. It was only after she had returned that she discovered what her gift was. She brought her daughter back when she left her abusive boyfriend.

Evanelle, cousin to Claire and Sydney, has the gift of giving gifts to people. There doesn't seem to be any need for the gifts until the day and time that they are needed.

Bay, Sydney's daughter, has the uncanny knack of knowing the place where everything goes. At five years of age, she is an important character to the plot line.

The apple tree is another character in this book that has magical powers. It throws apples at people as though it were playing. Anyone who ate an apple from this tree has the biggest event of their life revealed to them. Claire had a healthy respect and fear of the tree. She didn't want anyone to eat the apples, so she buried the apples that fell from the tree.

Tyler is Claire's new next-door neighbor who Claire reluctantly accepts as her boyfriend.

Henry is Sydney's childhood friend who becomes her boyfriend.

There are other characters mentioned; they play a minor part in the story.

The Story

Claire is leading a life of isolation only socializing when her catering business demands it. She isn't known to relax, laugh, or have any fun. The town holds her in high regard because of her business.

Sydney is outgoing, rebellious, carefree, and fun-loving. The town is afraid of the Waverley magical powers, so they have never embraced Sydney as one of their own. This has hurt Sydney and caused her to leave town after her high school graduation.

When Sydney returns to town with a daughter, Bay, she upsets Claire's life. Claire is forced to socialize with others, to trust her sister, to live with others, to ask for help, and to relinquish some control.

Claire isn't the only one going through personal changes. Sydney gets a job as a stylist. This unleashes the magical powers she possesses and the town starts to embrace her.

Both sisters find boyfriends and fall in love. The apple tree chooses Tyler for Claire, and Bay sees that Henry is the one for her Mother.

My Opinion

This book showed me that everyone has a special gift to use during their life. By acknowledging our gifts we make life easier for ourselves, others, and happiness results.

Author: Sarah Addison Allen
ISBN: 978-0-553-80548-2
Copyright: 2007
Publisher: Bantam Dell
Length: 286 pages