Review: Starry Hollow series Box Set (book 1-10) by Annabel Chase

Rating: 5⭐️✨🪄

I’m absolutely entranced by Annabel Chase’s completed witchy series Starry Hollow about a widowed woman with a young daughter, struggling to keep them afloat in New Jersey whose life changes forever when her repo job goes wrong.

I’ve read multiple books by Chase but after reading, ok binging ten books here, I can say that no voice is as memorable, as regionally vibrant and hilariously true as this Jersey mom, Ember Rose. And of course, that holds true as well for her anxiety prone, hyper aware and uber intelligent 10 year old daughter, Marley, and her ancient irascible Yorkie , PP3 , the three of them who are make up the small family that’s transported magically into the hidden SC town of Starry Hollow, their new home and future.

Each book is a quick, highly entertaining grand tale! From meeting this widowed New Jersey mom grappling with her mounting bills and a daughter too smart for her public school, a aging terrier and a job that has a lot of risk associated with it as a repo person, we immediately connect with her. And if I could hear that Jersey accent and imagine a bit a Marisa Tomei. The colloquial voice is pretty great as is her sense of humor and physicality.

Can you tell I fell in love here?

Then Chase contrasts this “fish out of water “ Jersey family in every aspect with their new found relatives that are powerfully magical, wealthy and look like the American version of the Targaryens, with all their various dynamics and layers of love and relationships.

The town itself, which expands in every book with new shops, fantastic areas and community citizens, is a fully developed and unique character in its own right.

Ember herself is a woman who has suffered great loss in her life. While she never knew her mother, her father raised her and she was devastated by his death. Then by her husband’s death in a car accident 5 years ago, a man she’d known for her entire life.

These losses are a huge part of her personality and as the story is from her perspective, Chase uses the conversations and insights from other characters to show the readers how much hard it is for Ember to move forward from the tragedy of her past, that she herself isn’t dealing with it.

These losses and Ember’s journey through her new world, that of navigating the new one of magic (often with hilarious moments) and that complex world of coming together with an extended powerful family of expectations and responsibilities you never knew or imagined existed.

These storylines are both light and powerful, funny and poignant. They are full of surprises and unexpected scenes that, while fleeting, make quite the emotional impact and connection.

And they make you think and feel good, especially before going to sleep.

Nothing comes easy, relationships, magic lessons, cooking. It takes time, work and patience.

Turns out 19 books might not be enough for me. Ten definitely was not

Some relationship but not real spicy as they say. More emotional towards working things together.

Highly recommended. I love them , this universe. And read them any way you want. As singular books or as I did , one reading through the box set books 1-10.

Covers are very cute.

This collection includes the first 10 books in the 19-book cozy fantasy series:

Starry Hollow Witches series:

Box set 1-10:

Magic & Murder, Book 1

Magic & Mystery, Book 2

Magic & Mischief, Book 3

Magic & Mayhem, Book 4

Magic & Mercy, Book 5

Magic & Madness, Book 6

Magic & Malice, Book 7

Magic & Mythos, Book 8

Magic & Mishaps, Book 9

Magic & Maladies, Book 10

—-

Magic & Misdeeds (Book 11)

Magic & Monsters (Book 12)

Magic & Misfits (Book 13)

Magic & Misfortune (Book 14)

Magic & Marriage (Book 15)

Magic & Midnight (Book 16)

Magic & Mirrors (Book 17)

Magic & Mistletoe (Book 18)

Magic & Mutiny (Book 19) – finale

Buy link:

SponsoredAmazon.comhttps://www.amazon.com › fantasy › booksStarry Hollow Witches Box Set

Blurb:

Welcome to Starry Hollow, where spells were made to be broken.

If you’ve ever dreamed of being whisked away to a charming town where the stakes are low and the magic is high, this enchanting series is for you.

Ember Rose is a feisty young widow who’s transported to Starry Hollow, along with her teen daughter and ancient Yorkshire terrier, and discovers she’s descended from a long line of powerful witches. She also lands smack dab in the middle of a murder investigation, and the sexy werewolf sheriff isn’t falling for her charms…yet.