Fans of cozy fantasies and compelling adult women protagonists who find purpose—and fabulousness—in nature, magic, and new connections will adore the laid-back, lavender-scented vibes as Olivia goes from destitute loneliness to settling into the charming village of Rowanswood, whose scones, teas, crockery, beasts, magic, and ritual all are described with inviting relish. Olivia’s journey to Cronehood is nuanced, her struggles endearingly human as she finds her path toward letting go of her old life to embrace the new.
I’ll admit it: when I first heard the word crone as a child, it wasn’t flattering. It conjured up images of bent old women with crooked noses, muttering curses over cauldrons. It was a word meant to diminish, to make invisible. Not exactly a flattering image.