A review by ceruleanshelves
Ravenfall by Kalyn Josephson

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

4.0

When I touch someone who’s seen death, I get a vision of it through their eyes. And asking people, Hey, remember that time that person died? is not a fun party trick.

this was a super cute middle grade halloween read! halloweentown meets supernatural meets encanto with irish/celtic folklore (a touch of jewish folklore as well that's to be explored more in book 2!).

anna lives in the magical b&b ravenfall with the rest of her family. she struggles to find her place as a psychometrist - someone who sees visions of death.

colin has been on the run with his family for months up until the night his parents were murdered. now separated from his brother, he arrives at ravenfall for his first time. with anna's help, he looks for his brother and his parents' murderer.

“And you know what they say: what doesn’t kill you—”
“Usually tries again.”

this was a fast read, esp since the pacing always stayed consistent. i loved the whimsical feel of a magical town where paranormal creatures and humans both lived (though the humans were unaware!). it definitely hits on the nostalgia of halloweentown watchers like me and there were so many details that really helped make the town feel so special and unique even for a fantasy.

I wonder if holding everything in ever really made me strong, or if it just made me hurt all the more.

it was also cool to see a bit of the irish folklore utilized. there was a bit of action for a middle grade, so it's probably an upper level middle grade, but it never gets too heavy. it also gets a touch emotional and i found it very heartfelt and heartwarming. the overall message of family, love, and togetherness made for a very sweet spooky season read. i thought it was nice to see a male main character have emotional, vulnerable moments that wasn't just anger or fighting. i think it's good to see cathartic crying as a release, esp for younger readers.

there was some great rep as well - anna appears to be aro/ace, and there was a m/m and f/f side couple.

i'm definitely picking up the next book - it takes place around hanukkah and dives more into anna's jewish heritage and the magic it gives her!

“To the long and recently dead,” she says.
I grin. “May they stay that way for the days to come.”
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