Leslye Walton’s Sophomore Release Doesn’t Disappoint [Review]

The Price Guide to the Occult by Leslye Walton

The Blackburn women are cursed. Ever since the extraordinary witch Rona Blackburn landed on Anathema Island centuries ago and was shunned by the eight “original” settlers, Blackburn witches have been doomed to carry out a brief whirlwind affair with a descendant of the Original Eight. The vengeful curse, however, had unintended side effects: it diluted the Blackburns’ supernatural powers. That’s perfectly all right with seventeen-year-old Nor Blackburn. All she wants is a quiet, unremarkable life—her powers are blissfully unexceptional, her love life pretty much nonexistent. Nor hopes the curse has played itself out through enough generations that she’ll finally be spared the drama. But when a mysterious book comes out promising to cast any spell for the right price, Nor senses a dark storm headed straight for Anathema—and straight for her.

★★★½   

TW: Self-harm

• Leslye Walton’s debut, The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender, became one of my favourite books when it was published almost four years ago. Imagine how excited I was to learn of The Price Guide to the Occult, about a family of witches on an island in the Northwest.
• My initial guess from the title was that Price would be a person and the book would be something that Nor would learn from. Wrong! The title refers to a literal price guide (like a catalogue) published by Fern, Nor’s mother, who has begun selling magical miracles to anyone who orders them. Fern plays a significant role in this story as the antagonist. She’s absolutely horrid – manipulative and abusive – she reminded me how much I appreciate my lovely mother!
• Another tough topic the book deals with is self-harm. Nor used to cut, but sometime before the story begins, she attends therapy appointments and learns to manage her urges to cut. With the difficult situations she encounters in the book, Nor struggles at time to keep that urge under control. I appreciate that the story deals with what can happen after you’ve ‘healed’. It’s not a one-time deal; it’s an ongoing process.
• Walton weaves a small love triangle (just barely), but it’s not a main part of the story. I did like the descriptions of how Nor felt around Reed. Sounds like a typical and relatable teenage crush to me!
• If you have read Ava Lavender, you will notice some differences in tone between that volume and this. Ava Lavender was not originally written for young adults; presumably Price Guide was. Price Guide has a more typical young adult narrative, set in modern times featuring characters like a shy teen, her spunky best friend, and her virally famous mother (a YouTuber endorses her book, she appears on talk shows, etc.). Snippets of what I love best about Walton’s writing – magical prose that tells a grand, fairy tale-esque story – can be found throughout the novel, but they’re not the main feature here.
• Another aspect that differentiates Price Guide from Ava Lavender is gore! I wasn’t expecting this book to be as dark as it is. There are a few nasty scenes. Kirkus has labelled this book ‘horror’. While I wouldn’t put that as the primary descriptor, it definitely fits for some parts.
• The Bottom Line: Although I missed the narrative tone that I fell in love with in Ava Lavender, fans of young adult fiction and witches will find lots to love about The Price Guide to the Occult.