Sarah Hogle returns to supernaturally focused Moonville, Ohio for the second book in the series, THE FOLKLORE OF FOREVER. The town’s combination flower, candle, and bookshop is run by the three Tempest sisters. Luna and Romina are self-proclaimed witches from a long line of witches while the youngest sister Zelda doesn’t believe in anything that hasn’t been proven.    Zelda left town at eighteen to wander the country and only recently returned to town as a successful author of a paranormal book series. She struggles to find a story that will resonate with her readers but satisfy the fresh direction her publisher is seeking.  Romina believes a prophecy has been triggered for all three sisters to find love within the year since she recently found love again with her high school sweetheart.    For some reason, she is compelled to go ghost hunting around town with her attractive neighbor who admits he is only spending time with her to try to obtain magic for himself.  What follows is a super slow burn  (not even a kiss until the last 30 pages or so) that reads like a plodding young adult fantasy coming-of-age story.   There was one section that was worth reading about 85% of the book where Zelda talked about how writing and books affect her. “They make you fall in love with people who don’t exist, … they bring you to tears. They disappoint you, …. synchronize your emotions with those of hundreds of other readers …. who will view them through the lenses of their own unique experiences that nobody reads exactly the same book…”. 

Beautiful prose that will resonate with anyone who falls in love with a book and never wants it to end. Ultimately, it is a miss for me for pacing, characters, story, and romance.