“Tense, wonderfully atmospheric, and perfectly paced, A Spell for Change is an excellent blend of history, fantasy, and horror, with a dash of romance thrown in to sweeten the brew. Nicole Jarvis casts a spell with this novel just as surely as her characters do!” Alyssa Palombo, author of The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel
“Captures the dark heart of rural life at the turn of the century, when three outcasts forge unexpected alliances to challenge the dangerous forces haunting their small town in the shadow of the mountains. With writing so vivid you can taste the sweet tea and smell the cold minerality of underground caves, this is an essential read for anyone who has ever yearned to be more than their circumstances allow.” Alisa Alering, author of Smothermoss
“A Spell for Change delivers on all the best aspects of a fantastical Southern Gothic, alive with magic as prickly, painful, and stubborn, as the characters learning to wield it. Jarvis’s characters are as vivid in their struggles as their joys: Nora Jo, a witchy bookish schoolmistress hiding her love for the girl nextdoor, Kate, a preacher’s granddaughter and a prophet, and Oliver, a prodigal son returned, forever ravaged by ghosts of war both physical and metaphysical. You won’t be able to look away as lives and loves crash and tangle together in a struggle against powers of darkness as real as the trauma, prejudice, and hard living realities of rural mountain life.” Gabriella Buba, author of Saints of Storm and Sorrow and Daughters of Flood and Fury
“Nicole Jarvis’ new Appalachian fantasy novel explores the seductive nature of transgression…This book shows an appreciation for the land’s natural beauty and an understanding of its complicated, violent past. Jarvis weaves folklore and superstition into her narrative, blending the magical elements until they seem inevitable...A Spell for Change is a fantasy book that works not because of its splashy special effects, but because of its respect for the sacrifices required of humans.” Chattanooga Times Free Press
“It’s always refreshing to read historical fantasy in a setting that’s not been done a thousand times, and Jarvis has a gift for the sensory delights of the concrete historical detail.” Reactor
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