ARC, 460 pages
Release Date: May 31, 2022
Published by: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Read from: May 6-21, 2022
Stand-alone
Source: Author (I received a copy of this book from the author and the Publisher in exchange for a just and honest review. This did nothing to influence my review.)
TW: Death of a friend, Car Accident, Drug Abuse/ Overdose, Miscarriage
For Readers Interested In: Fantasy, Romance, Multiple POV, Racial/Ethnic Diversity, Ghosts, YAA spellbinding young adult fantasy debut following three best friends who turn to magic when they’re haunted by a friend’s death…and perhaps her spirit, combining the atmospheric thrills of The Hazel Wood with the nuanced realism of Erika L. Sanchez.
For best friends Miliani, Inez, Natalie and Jasmine, Providence, Rhode Island has a magic of its own. From the bodegas and late-night food trucks on Broad Street to The Hill that watches over the city, every corner of Providence glows with memories of them practicing spells, mixing up potions and doing séances with the help of the magic Miliani’s Filipino grandfather taught her.
But when Jasmine is killed by a drunk driver, the world they have always known is left haunted by grief…and Jasmine’s lingering spirit. Determined to bring her back, the surviving friends band together, testing the limits of their magic and everything they know about life, death, and each other.
And as their plan to resurrect Jasmine grows darker and more demanding than they imagined, their separate lives begin to splinter the bonds they depend on, revealing buried secrets that threaten the people they care about most. Miliani, Inez and Natalie will have to rely on more than just their mystical abilities to find the light.Thrilling and absorbing, Deep in Providence is a story of profound yearning, and what happens when three teen girls are finally given the power to go after what they want.
“Magic runs like a glittering thread through this densely woven tale of friendship, grief, and identity, and what begins as a backbeat of creeping dread deftly builds into a landscape of supernatural terrors. Neilson balances her page-turning fantasy narrative against the coming of age of a trio of bereaved best friends with grace, delicacy, and startling humanity.” —Melissa Albert, New York Times-bestselling author of the Hazel Wood series and Our Crooked Hearts
*MY THOUGHTS*
I recognize I’m going to be the minority in this, but I’m ok with that. A very large portion of this plot is based around someone with a drug addiction. If you’ve been following me long enough you know why I felt this way. Other than that it wasn’t a bad book, but I advise you to be careful when you read this.
So like I said, books with drug addiction and overdose aren’t something I usually read. In fact, this is a trigger for me. But I promised the author (and was given a manuscript) from the author because I said I would read and review it. So, if you don’t follow me and have never been here before, a little background. My uncle was addicted to drugs for much of my teenage life. (More than that, but that’s when I found out.) During that time, he had my cousin. She was raised in some of the places this book depicted and I always hated that for her. He finally decided that he was threw with that lifestyle. And then just like in this, <SPOILER> he relapsed. He was in and out of my cousin’s life and although we knew it was hard for her, we thought she was handling it ok. Until we found out that the way she was handling it was also with an addiction.</END SPOILER> It’s not something I like to talk about, but even though that was over years ago and both of them have completely recovered and are fine, I know it’s still an uphill battle that they have to fight. And seeing the ending outcome of what happened with that character cut me deep. I was transported back to where I was and how I felt all those years ago and I hated it. I tried skipping chapters with that character, but since it was a major plot point, I couldn’t. I ended up reading it but having to take large breaks in-between.
Now for the rest of it, it wasn’t bad. Not at all. The witchy vibes were so good. I’m not normally a fan of witch books, but this one was a surprise. I liked that they used the elements and I liked the way she explained what they were doing. The reasons and explanations she gave were real enough for me to go back and look to see if these were real things that people practiced. And although some of them might have origins, I don’t think they all are.
The other big part of this book was the emotions. It’s felt throughout the story through each of the character. All of them had so many emotions, the main one being grief. They all lost their friend, but they were also all dealing with other things such as a mom who’s an addict, and an unexpected surprise. This book was full to the brim of heavy issues, so tread safely when reading. It’s deep and haunting, but it’s also good and wonderful.
The characters were just okay to me. I didn’t feel like it was much to them if that makes sense. Thankfully the three of them together made such a great team. I was glad for the multiple POVs. The POVs also gave a welcome break to some of the heaviness of each character. Although it was replaced with more heaviness lol But it was still good
This book might not have been for me, but it wasn’t because it was bad. It was more of “It’s not you it’s me” thing. I know that many people won’t have the same issues as me, so if these things don’t bother you, give them a shot. Because this book has magic and a message. One you don’t want to miss.
Overall, I give this
