Verity Vox and the Curse of Firefox by

Welcome to this unofficial meeting of our book club, Reading in Public.

We will start by reciting the Reader's Oath: I shall not poo poo on someone else's joy. The speed at which I read does not reflect my intelligence or character. It is simply a sign of my available time and overall exhaustion. I will DNF without mercy and tell everyone to read that one book no one else likes (because it was my favorite).

How Did This Book Come To Me​

So, this happens to me more than I'd like to admit. I opened the Libby app to peruse books at the Nashville Public Library, and I saw one of the books that I had previously put on hold was now available tomorrow. The thing is, I don't remember putting this book on hold. I have smoky, cloudy memories of hearing a book tuber talking about this book, but they could just as easily been talking about any other which book. That's how soft this memory is.

The cover looked cute, and since it's almost autumn, I borrowed it.

What's It About

The story follows a young witch in training as she travels to a town that has been cut off from the world by a terrible curse. The story centers around her time in this town. We get to follow along as she learns more about herself, her magic, and the colorful cast of the town. It has everything you would want in a cozy, autumn read: baked goods, travel by broom, and a shapeshifting cat.

My Experience With The Book

I've recently been testing other young adult books that are categorized as cozy and calm, and I haven't liked any of them. The characters were saccharin, and the pace was alarmingly slow.

I won't list those books that I've DNF'ed here, because I don't want my experience to color yours. I think I was in the wrong headspace to read those books, and I want to try them again sometime.

I'd bring this up because I was surprised that this book captured my attention so quickly, given that it is in the same genre. While the main character is syrupy-sweet, she is still lovable and believable.

The pacing of the book is excellent. Within the first few pages, we get to know how the magic system that dictates her training works as far as she understands it, which gives us an understanding of how she gets from one training assignment to another. The author does an excellent job of answering a lot of questions with the appropriate amount of text.

I didn't read the description or any reviews for this book before I do, so I didn't know what kind of book it was. After reading it, I would be comfortable classifying this as magical realism with sweet romance, as there is a sapphic romance element to the story.

Overall, I loved this book. The magic was at once adorable and elemental. It felt like a warm blanket, and then other parts had me on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen next. The love story aspect of the novel was lovely, sweet, and so pure.

I returned the book to the library immediately upon finishing it, because I'm not a monster, and four people were waiting for it. Then, I went to Bookshop.org and ordered my own copy.

Who Should Read It?

People who enjoy Hallmark movies and Practical Magic.

Readers who love Halloween but would watch Hocus Pocus over any horror movie.

Parents and guardians of children who are interested in reading or have already read this book. It will give you all something to talk about, and it could be your first official book club read. Family book clubs need to be a thing. It's almost autumn, you can start with this cute book.

Happy Reading. Be excellent to Each Other.