GARDEN SPELLS by Sarah Addison Allen

            The Waverly women are singularly gifted women. Claire is gifted with gardening and herb lore. She caters parties using the flowers for specific purposes—honeysuckle allows people to see in the dark; lavender raise spirits, and pansy encourages the eater to give compliments. Her sister Sydney doesn’t know her gift, doesn’t even want to be a Waverly. She runs from her home in Bascom, North Carolina as soon as she turns eighteen abandoning Claire as their mother did years before. And Aunt Evanelle gives things to people—little, unexpected things she knows they will need later.

            Ten years pass before Sydney returns home with her own daughter in tow. Claire’s ordered world is thrown into disorder and the wall she’s constructed around her heart is undermined.

            Sarah Addison Allen has penned a clever tale where a magical apple tree tosses its prophetic apples at people’s feet and flowers mixed with food have predictable magical results. GARDEN SPELLS is a quirky mixture of food, loss, love, and redemption. The love and food magic reminded me of LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE, but GARDEN SPELLS had a sweeter, cleaner tone which I found I preferred. I found myself fantasizing about doctoring my own dishes. Hmm, what was it that made children well behaved. :-) I highly recommend GARDEN SPELLS.