The Crone of Midnight Embers

Myrtlewood Crones #1

by Iris Beaglehole

Why don't more 60-something-year-olds get to have fun magical adventures? Delia Spark is caught in a maelstrom. Her former life as a London theatre director is on the brink of implosion amid a scandalous divorce, a tarnished reputation, and, for reasons she cannot fathom, things keep spontaneously combusting around her. Her sixties were supposed to be peaceful, but now even her grown daughter won't return her calls. Escape is the only option. In the remote village of Myrtlewood, she seeks solace, not suspecting that in this quaint haven, far stranger adventures await than the urban chaos she left behind. Delia is oblivious to the undercurrent that her arrival stirs. Amid whispers of magic, she finds herself on the precipice of an extraordinary transformation. As she grapples with these new realities, an ominous shadow lurks - a secret Order, steeped in ancient lore, is watching, plotting and scheming. Delia must confront her destiny. Will she surrender to the enchanting pull of Myrtlewood and the ancient prophecies of the elemental crones, or will she claw back her former life from her power-hungry ex? Welcome to a world where the extraordinary is ordinary, where tranquillity is a veil for the mystical, and where time itself whispers secrets of old served with delicious cakes and cups of tea – or coffee if you insist!

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Witches, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Magic, Audiobook

298 pages, Paperback

First published September 30, 2023

Reviews

[Alison S ☯️ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this book as I wanted something fun, cosy and Autumnal to read in the run up to Samhain, and it certainly ticked all of those boxes. However, I won't be reading any more books by this author as it was a bit silly, and not very well written, being quite clumsy and cliched, with lots of "purple prose".

[Morven · Rating 1 out of 5]

Much like how the main character gains fire powers, I too can start a fire as I take a match to this book.

[Kirsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the premise. But there are so many points of view that I found that I got disconnected. And in fact I skimmed The Order’s and The Rogue’s chapters after halfway through. They just rambled on saying nothing new and not aiding the plot line. It created mystery but unfortunately it also created disjointed storytelling. And to be honest by 75% I no longer cared about them or their parts in the plot. When the book ended I was left with more questions and felt the main story ended abruptly. So in the end the series is not for me. But the writing is good and if you don’t mind multiple pov give it a go.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this. I thought it was going to be a 'coming into her magic' adventure book with a senior character. Instead it reads like the worst road trip ever with dotty old ladies being grumpy with each other the whole time. Really nothing much happens in the book; there's not a ton of plot to go on here. Add in that we have POV from no less than seven characters... it was a hot mess.

[E.G. Parsons · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cliffhanger

Would have given 3 or 4 stars but I hate cliffhangers where you have to buy several books to get one story.

[Krista · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the author for allowing me to read the advanced reader copy. Being of crone age myself it is wonderful to read this story of these 4 strong women. It is a great start and I am eager to see how they face the upcoming danger. This is an intriguing world

[Penny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve quite enjoyed the series before this one by the author, so I was excited to try this new one. We see some old faces and some new ones in this wild ride. I love that the protagonists are not dewy-eyed young people, but ladies who’ve enjoyed life to its fullest. The author laid some clues about some plot that might come to fruition in another book, and I can’t wait to see if what I think is true about certain side characters. Add in an intriguing plot, interesting characters, and great writing, and this was so much fun. I am more than ready for the next one. Highly recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

[James Copeland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great new series!

This is a wonderful new series set in Iris' world. Yes, Myrtlewood is here, and we see some familiar faces! Yay!
This book has multiple points of view, and they flow seamlessly together. There are several mysteries hinted at, and it leaves you craving the next book.
You also get some hints of the wider world, and as usual, the descriptions of some of the food will leave you hungry. I would love a Guinness stew, oh yes.
Iris has written a wonderful new book in this one and the characters are very memorable. Well worth the read and I for one, can not wait for the next.
5 Stars for sure, highly recommended!

[Toni lutz · Rating 4 out of 5]

crones

It was a fun enjoyable read if you like witchy lore this is for you as a crone I would recommend

[Adria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Fab fantasy that takes place in Myrtlewood! This one features Marjie and Agatha and introduces Ingrid, the seemingly crotchety crone of the forest, and Delia, who is new to magic and hasn't a clue she is a crone. What I love most is heroines who are older, experienced in life, even if not in magic, and how, in spite of character differences, pull together, work together, to accomplish the task before them. In our world older women and what they contribute is so often overlooked. It's time books begin to reflect that we DO work well together and support each other, whether in our real world or in the fantastical world that contains Myrtlewood. Bravo!

[Louise · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF Chapter 6

I tried. I wanted to love it. I really did. As a 46 yr old English woman I genuinely hoped for a new heroine to look up to. What I found was an oblivious idiot who (after having children AND grandchildren) ignored things setting on fire, not once, not twice, but THREE TIMES! And an author who think ridiculous made-up swears are what? Cute? Endearing? Charming? What older ladies use in place of profanity in the UK? None of those things are true, but they are enough to put me off. No thanks.

[Arati · Rating 1 out of 5]

Had potential but so chaotically and boringly written that I couldn't be bothered with any more in the series. Struggled through it.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 7/13 of birthday haul, October 2024

I liked this book. I liked that the protagonists were older women. I liked the awakening of powers. Set in the current time, I like that the village of Myrtlewood is hidden from prying eyes and seems a place out of time. I like the relationship that is forming between Declan and Delia.

[Kait · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank god it's over. I very nearly DNF'd even though I hate to do that. Not for me.

[Kristy Grainger · Rating 1 out of 5]

A book in which absolutely nothing of any note takes place. It is the overly long introduction to what I can only imagine is a series of books.

[Gilly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Only a few chapters in and am already bored to death and fed up with ridiculous plot points. This book had so much potential, but I can tell it just isn't going to deliver. Abandoned.

[Melody · Rating 3 out of 5]

Delia, a London director. Her career is tanking after she burned her husband’s lovers brassiere on stage. Seeking to escape the fray and take some time for herself she escapes to the country and ends up in Myrtlewood. She has also been having fires appear near her, drapes in her sitting room, a tea pot et when she gets angry. In Myrtlewood she finds some older ladies who explain her problem. She is a fire witch and apparently one of their long lost crones. This begins an adventure that is rather disjointed and unexplained. I found the writing to not be up to the stand plot not to be to the same standard as earlier books set in Myrtlewood which I quite enjoyed. I hope things improve as the series continues.

[Michele The Stick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cozy urban fantasy novel that follows a divorcee in her early sixties who discovers she's a witch caught up in a prophecy.

It was fun, I do enjoy an older character discovering new parts of herself. It felt like a pilot episode of a TV show.

It's a quick, easy listen full of unique characters.

[Patti Ferreira-Weston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great escape! Forget the craziness of the news today and get lost in this fantasy.

I love anything where women are
powerful, magical beings! It's a plus when there's a group of them working together!

[HayTinaLou · Rating 5 out of 5]

The narrator and the story are just plain cheeky! A much needed series that I can relate to being a woman, witch, healer, lover of tea, knitting, scones, books, mead and cosy pubs. These books were written for me! What an intelligent and inspiring author, great sense of humor, lots of lols here.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Witches, Sparks and talking cats oh my! -- but dull.

DNF

[Amy Marshall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Warning that this is a series and this first book offers no explanations and ends on a cliffhanger. I probably won't read the rest of them.
I did like the multiple POVs and it is light reading.

[Tasha Dudick · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. Could not force myself on.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 rounded up

[Mel Horne · Rating 1 out of 5]

So sorry , but I just couldn’t finish this. I really wanted to like it , but I just didn’t. I found most of the characters vapid and annoying, I felt there was no depth to the writing. I liked the premiss and some of the humour hit the mark, but the rest of it did not rock my boat at all. What a pity.

[Macwolf01 [Elise] · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 🌟

[Pam (Gemini Rising) · Rating 2 out of 5]

The idea of this book interested me (being somewhat of a crone myself), but the potential of the world of Myrtlewood feels unrealized. I prefer dual POV, but the number of POV shifts here really took me out of the story. The contrast between the tone of the witches and the tone of the monks is jarring; they do not seem to belong in the same story. (The ineptitude of the monks contrasting with the attitude of the Crimson Shepherd is, frankly, ridiculous and cartoonish.) And the character development of the protagonist, Delia, is confusing. Her motivations about what she chooses to accept or question are opaque. The only reason I gave this two stars is because I was interested in an older protagonist. I would love to see something like this more fully and cohesively rendered.

[Kelly Daniel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Publisher: ‘Hello, Iris, I’d like you to meet your editor.’
Iris: ‘How about you fuck off!’

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good story, bad editing

PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF EVERYTHING GET AN EDITOR AND PROOFREADER!!!!!!!! The editing is beyond horrible. Typos, misspelled words, missing words, and wrong words entirely happen throughout the book. It’s not too bad at first but gets worse as the book goes on. Add in places where the names are wrong, the time of day suddenly shifts from morning to evening or vice versa and you get a totally confused mess. Which is really unfortunate as the story is pretty interesting. And the characters are much better than in the other Myrtlewood series (Rosemary this means you). It’s a standard chosen ones on a quest type story but with enough twists to make it interesting and I’d love to read more. If I can stomach the nonexistent editing. I’ve read an article by the author and I understand she’s trying to crank books out as quickly as possible to keep up momentum and make money. But slowing down just a bit and turning out quality products instead of rushed mistakes would be preferable to me.

[Becky Henson · Rating 2 out of 5]

so slow

I really wanted to like this and it started out well. It was good to read from existing myrtle wood character’s perspectives but the story is so slow and the descriptions so repetitive especially when writing from the perspectives of the rogue or crimson order. So much so I completely lost interest in reading their chapters and felt they really didn’t add anything to the plot. The book needs a good edit. The multiple grammar errors are also really irritating.