The Garden of Magic

By: Sarah Painter

Narrated by: Tracey Norman

A magical Pendleford prequel novella from the best-selling author of The Language of Spells, that introduces the world to Iris Harper - the original Harper witch.

Iris Harper has lived in Pendleford for decades. The local witch is mistrusted by the townsfolk, but that doesn't stop some coming to her begging for potions, spells and quick-fixes.

As time has marched on suddenly Iris is aware that her days are beginning to fade. Her sumptuous garden is turning against her, the sweet scent of rot potent and now a young girl has come begging for a solution at her door.

Yet, the problem she brings causes Iris to remember a man from long ago - the man she loved, the man she could never trust...

©2015 Sarah Painter (P)2017 Sarah Painter

Entertaining Magical Story

Any additional comments?

Iris is a witch in the town of Pendleford. The witches in her family all have special talents or "afflictions", as they are regarded. Iris's affliction is an overwhelming compulsion for giving. More importantly, she is compelled to give others what they need, even if it makes no sense to her at the time. Now an elderly woman in her 80's, Iris is beginning to feel the effects of her age.

A young woman named Rebecca (Becs) comes to her for help with her employer. After resisting his advances, she is accused of stealing as retribution. The employer turns out to be none other than the son of the man that Iris was once engaged to. This knowledge conjures up old, painful memories for Iris. But will she help?

The Garden of Magic is the prequel novella to The Language of Spells. The story was very entertaining and I really enjoyed it. The narration was wonderfully done. Tracey Norman has the loveliest voice and was such a pleasure to listen to. I would recommend The Garden of Magic.

I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator. This review is my honest opinion.

A WONDERFUL SHORT STORY OF WITCHES AND LOVE

What made the experience of listening to The Garden of Magic the most enjoyable?

The trials and tribulations of being this particular kind of witch.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Iris because she had managed to deal with her life and all her memories and help others at the same time

Which scene was your favorite?

drinking the spiked wine

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The ending

Any additional comments?

I received this audio book freely from the author, narrator or publisher and am freely offering my unbiased review.

Short and Sweet

This was a short and sweet story. A little magic but a lot of funny moments and truth bearing. The witch was really a herbalist but also was a member of a family with different talents. Her's was to discern the right thing to give or do for people. The narrator was good and made the story come alive. The story plot was interesting and I am glad that the HEA was included. Becca needed a break. John hung in there until she realized that she could tell him how she felt. I got this ARC via audiobook boom.

Prequel Novella from Language of Spells

I have not read the Language of Spells but I'm looking forward to reading it soon. This was a short audiobook Novella that was light and easy to follow. The story kept me interested until the conclusion.

The narrator did a good job bringing the story to life.

If you like supernatural stories with a touch of magic you should give this book a try. It was laid back and a good introduction to this author's writing style. She doesn't spend a lot of time with descriptions of places and people. This book was straight forward and I found it engaging. If you have read her Language of Spells, you will probably enjoy learning about Iris.

"I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

it had potential

performance that breaks here and there.and characters did not have unique voices. and trying to complete 15 words here.