The Crescent Moon Tearoom – A tale about magic, destinies, and the ties between sisters

Once upon a time a very talented Chicago witch called Clara fell in love with a human, and she decided to marry him. The members of the Chicago coven that she belonged to were appalled that she would choose to marry a non-witch. They were even more horrified when Clara went to live above her new husband’s tailor shop instead of staying in the magical district of the city where she was raised.

   Clara gave birth to triplets, three red-haired girls who could only be told apart by their eyes, which were different colors. Tragically the tailor died when he was still quite young, and his wife soon followed him to the grave.  Instead of leaving their home in the human world, which was what the coven witches expected them to do, the sisters stayed put, turning their father’s shop into a tearoom; a tearoom like none other. 

   The girl’s mother, who was a skilled diviner like so many of her ancestors, had trained her daughters

in the craft of divining. Though Clara taught the girls all the divination forms, she focused on training them to read tea leaves. It therefore felt natural for the sisters to set up a tearoom in their father’s old shop where they could offer hand-crafted tea blends and delectable baked goods, which often contained a touch of magic so that the customers had a wonderful experience. 

   Though the sisters were very different in terms of their temperaments and interests, they were united when it came to the tearoom. They worked well together, each sister focusing her attention on the areas of the business that best suited her skills and gifts. 

   Then one day they were visited by three representatives of the Council of Witches, who told them that the city diviner has lost her powers and they needed the sisters to do a job for them, a “favor” as they put it. The sisters quailed when they heard these words; the Council’s favors always had at least one string attached. Sure enough this favor had a condition; if the sisters do not get the desired outcome they would lose their shop. The job they were given was to help three elderly witches, who would soon be passing on, to find their Tasks. Every witch has a Task that they must complete before they leave this world. If they don’t do so they will forever be stuck between the living world and the hereafter. 

   Soon after the Council members departed, Clara’s dear friend Katherine came to call; Katherine had been a part of the girl’s lives from the very beginning. Katherine was a hex witch who crafted curses, hexes, and blessings. She told them that she could now see that all three of the girls were cursed. She could not, alas tell them what the curse was, but she thought that it had something to do with making sure that the sisters stayed together.

   Determined to complete the job that the council gave them, and to find out what the curse that lay on them was, the sisters got to work. It was not long after this that the ties that bound them together started to fray.   

 This deliciously rich book was a delight to read. Throughout there are wonderful descriptions that are lush with textures, sounds, and scents. Indeed, scents play a special role in the story, which is only appropriate since the sisters blend their teas using herbs, spices, petals and other ingredients, all of which have a scent. I found myself experiencing my own scent memories as I read about how the sisters used cloves and star anise and peony, rose, and chrysanthemum petals in their blends. 

   I so enjoyed getting to know this family. It is fascinating to see how the three sisters, who think that their destiny is set, discover that their futures are in fact linked to their desires and hidden gifts. In addition to the girls there is another family member that completely charmed me. The house in which the sisters work and live plays what some might think is a minor role, but I felt that it was an essential character in the narrative. The house is“ Eager to please but rather strong willed when it came to matters of decoration.” It assiduously watches over its triplet of witches with great dedication and, dare I say, sincere affection. When it thinks one if its occupants is making a mistake, it expresses its opinion in its own singular way. Though the sisters try to curb its decorating enthusiasms, the house still manages to add its own particular touches to the ornamentation. The house is the constant in the lives of the sisters. It knows them so well that it can read their emotions and their magic, which are often thoroughly entwined. The house knows when they are keeping secrets and bending the truth, and though it is building, it still manages to make its displeasure known. 

   I highly recommend this book for readers who like tales that combine magic and mysteries. It will also appeal to those of you who have in interest in the nature of destiny. Are our destinies set in stone or are they more malleable? How much control do we have over the direction that our lives take?

“Anne could practically feel the floorboards vibrating against the bottoms of her boots as the house infused the front parlor with its own kind of magic, one that beckoned you to forget the worries that awaited you outside its doors and linger in a sanctuary of silk and saffron.”

The Crescent Moon Tearoom by Stacy Sivinski can be purchased at your local book store, or online at Bookshop.org, Amazon, and other online retailers. Bookshop.org works to connect readers with independent booksellers all over the world. Every purchase on the site financially supports independent bookstores. The platform gives independent bookstores tools to compete online, and financial support to help them maintain their presence in local communities.