Title: From Bad to Cursed (Witches of Thistle Grove #2)
Author: Lana Harper
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: May 17, 2022
Genre: Fantasy
Wild child Isidora Avramov is a thrill chaser, adept demon summoner, and—despite the whole sexy-evil-sorceress vibe—also a cuddly animal lover. When she’s not designing costumes and new storylines for the Arcane Emporium’s haunted house, Issa’s nursing a secret, conflicted dream of ditching her family’s witchy business to become an indie fashion designer in her own right.
But when someone starts sabotaging the celebrations leading up to this year’s Beltane festival with dark, dangerous magic, a member of the rival Thorn family gets badly hurt—throwing immediate suspicion on the Avramovs. To clear the Avramov name and step up for her family when they need her the most, Issa agrees to serve as a co-investigator, helping none other than Rowan Thorn get to the bottom of things.
Rowan is the very definition of lawful good, so tragically noble and by-the-book he makes Issa’s teeth hurt. In accordance with their families’ complicated history, he and Issa have been archenemies for years and have grown to heartily loathe each other. But as the unlikely duo follow a perplexing trail of clues to a stunning conclusion, Issa and Rowan discover how little they really know each other… and stumble upon a maddening attraction that becomes harder to ignore by the day.
Why This Book
From Bad to Cursed is the second in the Witches of Thistle Grove series and focuses on the blooming romance between Issa Avramov (whose family deals with death magic, demons, and the dead) and Rowan Thorn (whose family deals with green magic). They’re a fascinatingly fun pairing and I loved that they had to solve a mystery together despite a bit of bad history between them, but I really enjoyed how Issa’s family makes one think of Halloween, but the seasonal activities in this book deal with Beltane. But I picked this book for my Gardens & Orchards month because part of the story is set at the Thorn’s Honeycake Orchards, which just sounds so beautiful and magical and I really want to go there myself. There are plants galore and magic everywhere in the plants. It’s, of course, the perfect place for Beltane festivities for a bunch of witches.
Reviews
My review: “From Bad to Cursed perfectly balanced the magic, the mystery, and the romance for me. I loved how well each element blended with the others, and I really liked how the ending linked back to the first book”
Dear Author gave this an A, saying “The world building is extraordinary—vivid and elaborate and the spells and hexes and Grimoire and demons were all fantastic and three dimensional. It’s like an adult better version of Harry Potter–with witches at the center instead of magical wizards. The language is also beautifully clear and the plot is fast paced. I was surprised at the denouement–I had not guessed villain’s identity. The mystery is compelling and the love story is sexy and fun”
Darker Fables gave this 3 stars, saying “Though in places I was ready to roll my eyes into the back of my skull, it’s hard to fault this book for its vision. It gives a fun, sultry romance, and the setting is a witchy town by a magical forest lake. What’s not to love? I think the only real issue here is that the author mistakes texture for substance”
A Dance With Books said “what I liked most about this book is returning to Thistle Grove. Getting a better look inside the Asimov family. Seeing the characters from the first book still playing their roles in the community. There still being consequences to what happened then. But most of all Isa who is trying to find how she can be herself and not just that girl from the Asimov family”
Megsbookrack gave this 3.5 stars, saying “This was a fun story. I love the feel of Thistle Grove. It’s cozy and magical, full of interesting characters and events. I will say that I’m not sure how memorable this installment will be for me, but I definitely enjoyed i”
Purchase Links
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop | Libro.fm | Powell’s | Target | Walmart | Waterstones (UK) | Booktopia (Australia) | Books-A-Million | Flipkart (India) | !ndigo (Canada) | Kobo | Audible | Google Books | Apple Books | Thrift Books | Abe Books | Dymocks (Australia) | Blackwell’s (UK) | Shipt
Check out all the other books featured this month on The Curated Bookshelf.
This blog is my home base, but you can also find me on:
Pinterest | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook
The Lily Cafe 
With my interest in fantasy getting a bit bolder, this one and the first in the series sound like something that will make its way onto my bookshelf. Great post.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! This is a really fun series that mixes the mundane and the magical, and Thistle Grove is a delightful town. I hope you enjoy them if you get around to them!
LikeLiked by 1 person