HOUSE OF IVY AND SORROW reminds me of TRANSPARENT in terms of what I liked and disliked. This is no surprise because they were written by the same author. However, this book is a notch below TRANSPARENT, and I have rated it so. 
 If you are looking for a novel about witches and magic with a dark undertone, this isn't it. If you are looking for your average contemporary novel with spells and a random curse thrown in, this is it. There is more focus on the romance and pudding than anything else. Yes, you read that right, pudding. 
 These people are obsessed with it. 
 If you like constantly being reminded of the protagonist's attractiveness, look no further. Her friends, family, boyfriend, and her boyfriend's friends all remark on her absolute gorgeousness through lines like: "My friends keep telling me how hot you are" and "Better get used to it, she's only getting prettier." I couldn't root for any of the characters, really. Much less the romance that was almost always in your face. 
 The one thing that kept me reading was the hope for a magnificent solution that would impress the socks off me. I genuinely hoped for one of those "Aha!" moments where some big twist would be revealed. So whenever a comment about the main character's appearance would pop up or something would make me cringe, I kept at it. 
 Needless to say, I didn't find that moment. 
 It's a shame because the book had potential, there was so much that could have been done. It's witches and magic, the possibilities are almost limitless. I wish the author focused more on that aspect rather than the main character's amazing ability to gush over boys and complain.