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| Image provided by Penguin Random House |
THE REIMAGINING OF THORNWOOD HOUSE follows land witch Evelyn Sharpe as she begins her new job as the caretaker of a sentient, walking home in the village of Iskendra. When she and her adopted daughter Ruby arrive at the house, it is not in the mood to welcome new residents, and it’s up to Evie to turn the house into a home again. She soon discovers that something deeply damaged about the building is seeping into the forests surrounding Iskendra, and it seems the only way to heal Thornwood House is by unraveling the mystery of what happened to its former caretaker. Evie must rely on her magic and the help of the townspeople—including her charming next-door neighbor—to save Thornwood House and protect the roots she’s started to grow there.
As for my opinion, The Reimagining of Thornwood House has so many things that I love in a cozy fantasy. A magical village, diverse magical talents among the characters, found family, whimsy and lots of heart. I especially loved the Studio Ghibli vibes the character of the sentient house gave this story. But I was also invested in the stakes for Evie and Ruby as bonding with Thornwood house and being accepted by the villagers was needed for Ruby and Evie to have an opportunity to build a real life together. Their neighbor Gil was also a fun character and a sweet potential love interest for Evie. There is an intriguing mystery that involves the house and the Thornwood Forest surrounding it as well. All of these elements combined to keep me turning pages to read more. This is a book I would definitely read again and again. I can't wait for it to come out so I can add a print copy to my shelves.
And just to give you even more of a taste for the book, here is an excerpt of the beginning that was also provided by the publisher:
THE REIMAGINING OF THORNWOOD HOUSE by Jaleigh Johnson
Ace Hardcover | On sale June 9, 2026
Excerpt
Mr. Tansling shuffled some papers and glanced over at Evie with a smile that was probably intended to be kind, except it looked like he'd practiced the expression by studying a wax doll.
"I'm sure you and Miss Keeler are anxious to have this matter resolved," he said. "While it's true that you've assuaged some of my concerns regarding your fitness to adopt Miss Keeler, I'm afraid there are certain doubts that remain."
"Oh?" Evie felt a flush creep up her neck, but she forced herself to ignore his patronizing tone and spoke with all the politeness she could summon. "I wonder that there can be any doubts about my capabilities. Ruby came into my care when she was seven years old. She's eleven now, and has become a capable farseer witch under my tutelage-"
Mr. Tansling raised his hand to stop her, that facsimile of a smile still fixed in place. "Rest assured, all that has been taken into consideration." He cleared his throat. "Forgive me for stating the matter bluntly, but being her teacher is not the same as being her parent. Your inexperience in that area is one of my concerns, and, as Mr. Cinton pointed out, going behind the committee's back and applying for a position outside the ECRA's jurisdiction hardly does you credit. It points to a lack of maturity, which isn't surprising, given that you're only twenty-five years old."
"I didn't go behind anyone's back-" Evie cut herself off. Her voice had risen in frustration, causing Mr. Tansling's brow to arch.
And just like that, she was losing control of the conversation. Were they really going to deny her this, after everything she'd given the ECRA? She hadn't been considered too young to risk her life for the agency, and she'd done so countless times over the last seven years. She'd earned pebble-like scars along her collarbone from hurricane debris, walked through forest fire smoke as black as her hair, and broken more bones than she cared to count. Even if they never acknowledged it, she knew she was one of the best earthwalkers they had.
She'd never asked for a single thing from them in return, until now.
"In addition"-Mr. Cinton again waved the letter from the mayor of Iskendra-"it sounds as if this position as caretaker is a tenuous offer at best. Ms. Cartwright admits in her correspondence that the house has rejected all previous applicants." He sniffed. "What makes you believe you will succeed where others have failed?"
Evie met his gaze. In this, at least, she could summon confidence. "I may be inexperienced as a parent"-four years, I've cared for Ruby, raising her as my own-"but my record as a land witch and an earthwalker in the ECRA is exemplary, and I possess all the traits Ms. Cartwright spoke of as necessary to restore Thornwood house." She raised an eyebrow. "Am I wrong in that assessment?"
"You are not," Mrs. Shields acknowledged. "The committee has taken that into consideration as well, and we have decided to put forth this compromise." She glanced at the other members, who nodded for her to continue, though Cinton seemed as if he would have liked to keep on lecturing Evie. "We will grant you leave to pursue the position in Iskendra on a trial basis for the next four months. If you are accepted as caretaker, the leave will become permanent, and we will release you from your contract."
Evie held her breath. It sounded too good to be true. "And the adoption?" she pressed.
Mr. Cinton and Mr. Tansling shared a glance, but it was Cinton who spoke. "As advocate, Mr. Tansling will conduct a final interview with Miss Keeler before you leave. Provided the adoption is still what she wants, we will approve it, on the condition that you are accepted as caretaker of Thornwood house. However . . ."
Here it comes, Evie thought.
"If, for any reason, you are unable to secure the position of caretaker, you and Miss Keeler will return to the ECRA, where you will stay with the agency as an earthwalker, for the duration of your contract, without seeking employment elsewhere."
Evie remained silent, turning the offer over in her mind. This was a gray area, and everyone here knew it. Not that it came as a shock to her. Gray areas were where the ECRA lived and breathed.
Technically, they were within their rights to summon Evie back if she wasn't accepted as caretaker, but they didn't have the authority to prevent her from seeking employment with a different organization that worked toward the preservation of magical resources.
No, this was all about control. Now that she'd found a loophole in her contract, the ECRA wanted to close it. They didn't like surrendering power, and they didn't want to lose one of their best earthwalkers, not to mention a farseer like Ruby.
That wasn't the worst of it. If she and Ruby were forced to return, if Evie had to continue as an earthwalker, with all the dangers that job entailed, the committee would have the justification they needed to deny the adoption and separate them for good.
It was unimaginable. Evie knew if she let herself think about that outcome, it would destroy the facade of calm she'd built to face the committee.
Gray areas and a devil's bargain-she should have expected nothing less from the ECRA.
But if she agreed to their terms and successfully became the caretaker . . .
Evie didn't even have to consider it. If it meant that Ruby would be her daughter, forever and always, she'd promise the ECRA the moon, and then she'd find a way to get it for them.
In the end, what she was actually promising was going to be much easier-not to mention more pleasurable-to accomplish. She just had to become the caretaker to an aging sentient house, in a quiet little village, far from the ECRA's influence. Cinda Cartwright had declared that all it would take was time, patience, and magical resources.
Evie had those in abundance. Compared to what she had faced being an earthwalker, this job would be a dream.
"I'll do it," she vowed.
Excerpted from The Reimagining of Thornwood House by Jaleigh Johnson Copyright © 2026 by Jaleigh Johnson. Excerpted by permission of Ace. All rights reserved.
About the Author
Jaleigh Johnson lives and writes in the wilds of the Midwest. Her middle grade debut novel, The Mark of the Dragonfly, is a New York Times bestseller. Her other books from Delacorte Press include The Secrets of Solace, The Quest to the Uncharted Lands, and The Door to the Lost. She has also written fiction for Dungeons & Dragons, Marvel, and Assassin's Creed. Johnson is an avid gamer and lifelong geek.
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