The Crescent Moon Tearoom by Stacy Sivinski | Book Review

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The Crescent Moon Tearoom by Stacy Sivinski
Published by Atria Books on October 1, 2024
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 335
Format: Paperback
Source: Purchased

Content Warnings: Parent Loss, Death, Grief
Rating:

Ever since the untimely death of their parents, Anne, Beatrix, and Violet Quigley have made a business of threading together the stories that rest in the swirls of ginger, cloves, and cardamon that lie at the bottom of their customers’ cups. Their days at the teashop are filled with talk of butterflies and good fortune intertwined with the sound of cinnamon shortbread being snapped by laced fingers. That is, until the Council of Witches comes calling with news that the city Diviner has lost her powers, and the sisters suddenly find themselves being pulled in different directions. As Anne’s magic begins to develop beyond that of her sisters’, Beatrix’s writing attracts the attention of a publisher, and Violet is enchanted by the song of the circus—and perhaps a mischievous trapeze artist threatening to sweep her off her feet—it seems a family curse that threatens to separate the sisters is taking effect. With dwindling time to rewrite their future and help three other witches challenge their own destinies, the Quigleys set out to bargain with Fate. But in focusing so closely on saving each other, will they lose sight of themselves?

I have mixed feelings about The Crescent Moon Tearoom. On one hand, the magic system was fantastic, the main characters were loveable, and the twist was intriguing, but the story fell flat for various reasons.

The Crescent Moon Tearoom follows triplet witches Anne, Beatrix, and Violet Quigley who run a tea-leaf reading tearoom in Chicago at some point in the past. Its unclear exactly when this book takes place. There are references to the train station in town being new and the outfits worn by the customers, but otherwise we are left largely in the dark as to when this story takes place. The first major train station was built in Chicago around 1850 while Chicago Union Station opened in 1925. Women-owned tearooms, on the other hand, became popular in America in the 1920s and were a turning point for women across America, as women could both own, operate, and visit a tearoom without a male chaperon. They were often located in a woman's home or garden, which is exactly where the three sisters run their tearoom. The attire of the women customers, the use of sequins on circus attire, the new train station, and the rise of the tearoom suggests this story takes place some time in the mid- to late-1920s. I mention this because context is important. There are events that occur in this book that may or may not fit historically, and while this is a fantasy, these details are still important. For example, Beatrix is offered a book tour (this really isn't a spoiler in any way) which would have been highly unlikely for a women during the 1920s, no matter how good of a writer she is. The circus also stays in town for months which is highly unlikely as visitation would quickly stagnant. Needless to say, these minor historical inaccuracies bothered me and pulled me out of the story instead of immersing me and interrupted otherwise pivotal moments for the characters.

On top of this, the plot was an overall mess. The triplets are supposedly cursed to separate, something their mother worked hard to prevent. To break the curse and prevent their tearoom from closing, the sisters must do everything they can to remain together all while solving the mystery purpose of three aging witches. Failure to find each witch's purpose will result in the Council seizing their tearoom, thus forcing the sisters to separate, a fate that is described as earth-shattering for the sisters after the loss of both of their parents. You'd think solving these mysteries and breaking the curse would be the main focus on the story, but it isn't. For three sisters who want nothing more than to stay together, they spend the majority of the book apart. There is almost no look into their lives together or just how inseparable the three are supposed to be. The reader is given hints at how things used but not definitive look into it in real time, making the stakes of separating low. I honestly didn't care if they separated or not. Even the twist couldn't completely rectify my complete lack of connection to their crisis and their supposed unbreakable bond of sisterhood. 

While doing their own things, two of the sisters "fall in love." I put this in quotes because the love is largely unexplored. There is very little description of either love interest apart from their profession, leaving me feeling disconnected from the relationships altogether, especially that of Beatrix. To add to this, Beatrix's power feels almost...manipulative, which made me feel icky. Can her love be real if she is manipulating the people around her with her stories? I'll leave that up to you to decide.

Finally, there were some editing issues I greatly detested, errors that pulled me out of the story and left me angry. That or the Quigleys don't listen when people are talking to them. On more than one occasion a subject is breached and the very next page its treated as a 'surprise.' For example, the first time the Council visits to ask the sisters for their assistance (a threat, really), they mention three witches have not completed their Task, or life purpose. Failure to complete your Task will result in the witches turning into ghosts and disruptions in the natural world. The very next page one of the sisters asks how many witches they have to uncover the Task for and, again, are told three. The girls are shocked. Like what...you were literally told not a moment before there were three?! The same issue occurs a couple chapters later when Beatrix meets with a publisher for the first time who tells her that if it weren't for his assistant reading her short story and passing it to him, he'd have never discovered her amazing talent. The very next page Beatrix is shocked the assistant has read her work. Again...what?! You were literally just told he read your work! Ugh! Can you tell I am still upset about this?

Now that I have sufficiently described my issues with The Crescent Moon Tearoom why did it give it 3-stars? Despite the issues outlined above, I did enjoy the characters, the tearoom, the house, and the twist. The Quigleys live in an enchanted house that helps with tasks in the home and tearoom, takes care of the sisters, and otherwise is heavily involved in all that the family does. I absolutely loved the house and honestly wish we had gotten more than we did. Because of the house, the book felt very cozy, especially when coupled with otherwise low-stakes (largely because I couldn't connect to the urgency and neither could the Quigleys.)

Without giving too much away, the twist was beautiful and the ending brought a tear to my eye.  There is the potential for another book to continue the sisters' stories, but it closed in such a way that everything was wrapped neatly in a bow. To add to this, the magic system was beautifully portrayed and the tea-leaf reading largely accurate. I can tell Sivinski did her homework. 

Finally, Anne reminded me a lot of myself, a woman who shirks herself to not outpace the ones she loves. I too have been a victim to my own thoughts and purposely held myself back to avoid making others feel bad. Watching Anne break free for this restraint and grow into her power was liberating, not just for her, but for me as well. Anne is a reminder that "older" sisters and women in general are not responsible for making sure others feel comfortable.

While I found several issues with the book that prevented me from giving it a 4 or a 5, others have loved the story and characters enough to rate it higher. I encourage you to give this cozy fantasy a read, especially during this chiller months when we could all use a heart-warming story.