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violetwillow's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
staticdisplay's review against another edition
2.0
wah wah. I can only say "it was okay." I have never liked Oscar (the "peeping pig" - is that supposed to be comedic or endearing? hate it), and this whole book is about looking for Oscar and missing him and moving mountains to find him. many things fall to the wayside; Lily mostly stops doing magic, she doesn't do much to investigate the mystery, she's rarely in her shop. those are all things I enjoy reading about.
I didn't like the whole "familiar" plot in general.
I understand that a part of Lily's growth is connecting with others and forming a community. sure! there's still room for individuation. in this story, she feels unable to cast magic without Oscar and constantly depends on others. where is the super powerful and independent Lily these books have been building up? I felt more and more blah as the story progressed :(
I've enjoyed this series quite a bit and hope my blahs are a one-off.
I didn't like the whole "familiar" plot in general.
Spoiler
well into the book, Aidan sends Lily a dog as a replacement familiar. the dog also turns into a man named Boye. shortly after introducing this character, he turns on Lily and Sailor. it would have been way more effective to introduce him early in the story and provide him with opportunities to interact and develop his character and then have him betray them, and by effective I mean dramatic and meaningful. instead, it was just conceptually very weird for Lily to order around this man and expect him to do what she says even when he's obviously primarily aligned with Aidan. which is one of many reasons I don't like Oscar - why would you keep around a familiar that someone else gave you? get your own. but also, isn't it a huge problem that Aidan is literally effectively trafficking all of these different "familiars"? yikes! makes it really gross when Lily is ordering Boye around and expects him to do what she says. more reasons why it would have been great to treat him as an actual character instead of a prop!I understand that a part of Lily's growth is connecting with others and forming a community. sure! there's still room for individuation. in this story, she feels unable to cast magic without Oscar and constantly depends on others. where is the super powerful and independent Lily these books have been building up? I felt more and more blah as the story progressed :(
I've enjoyed this series quite a bit and hope my blahs are a one-off.
asanford's review against another edition
4.0
Book #6 is as good as the first five! And now I wait for #7 to be available. This one had a fun tie-in to the Salem Witch Trials. We circled back to some of the previously introduced characters and the relationships are deepening. And there's an interesting focus on Oscar.
amarasanti's review against another edition
3.0
I would give it a 3.5. This is an enjoyable light series.
karen_the_baroness's review against another edition
5.0
A Vision in Velvet by Juliet Blackwell is about Lily Ivory trying to determine who would kill an antique dealer?
Lily Ivory has her hands full with this mystery. She has a lot on her plate dealing with a trunk full of junk besides a gold velvet cape, and then her familiar Oscar goes missing when they get to the tree. Poor Lily is frazzled throughout the story, trying to find answers without her trusted Oscar. What I like about Lily here is that despite not having Oscar around, she was able to figure out how to bring him back and showed true devotion to Oscar. There is a lot to say that I like about this book, but I won't say some because of spoilers.
Lily stumbles upon Sebastian dying at the base of a tree to having Oscar get taken by the tree. She is sure something is evil about that tree and strikes out to figure out what it is. Lily learns a lot about the witch trials in early American history despite not liking the bit of history at all. She has to figure out a lot before finding out who did it and why they did it. I didn't realize who the killer was until they revealed themselves, and I was dumbfounded by it.
A Vision in Velvet by Juliet Blackwell was strangely unique in many different ways. The first was Lily being without Oscar since the beginning of the series, then the fact that sometimes it's best to remember your history as it could help in some weird ways. Ms. Blackwell does such excellent jobs on these stories, and I always get so wrapped up in them every time.
I am giving A Vision in Velvet by Juliet Blackwell five stars, and I'm recommending it. I know I'm a bit late on the bandwagon with these novels, but they are just so good.
What supernatural force is at play to kill an antique dealer and steal Oscar?
Lily Ivory
Lily Ivory has her hands full with this mystery. She has a lot on her plate dealing with a trunk full of junk besides a gold velvet cape, and then her familiar Oscar goes missing when they get to the tree. Poor Lily is frazzled throughout the story, trying to find answers without her trusted Oscar. What I like about Lily here is that despite not having Oscar around, she was able to figure out how to bring him back and showed true devotion to Oscar. There is a lot to say that I like about this book, but I won't say some because of spoilers.
The Mystery
Lily stumbles upon Sebastian dying at the base of a tree to having Oscar get taken by the tree. She is sure something is evil about that tree and strikes out to figure out what it is. Lily learns a lot about the witch trials in early American history despite not liking the bit of history at all. She has to figure out a lot before finding out who did it and why they did it. I didn't realize who the killer was until they revealed themselves, and I was dumbfounded by it.
Five Stars
A Vision in Velvet by Juliet Blackwell was strangely unique in many different ways. The first was Lily being without Oscar since the beginning of the series, then the fact that sometimes it's best to remember your history as it could help in some weird ways. Ms. Blackwell does such excellent jobs on these stories, and I always get so wrapped up in them every time.
I am giving A Vision in Velvet by Juliet Blackwell five stars, and I'm recommending it. I know I'm a bit late on the bandwagon with these novels, but they are just so good.
Other Books in the Witchcraft Mystery Series
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of A Vision in Velvet by Juliet Blackwell.
Until the next time,
Happy Reading!
This review was originally posted on Baroness' Book Trove
ikepauh's review against another edition
3.0
Sweet sweet Sailor and Lily
Heheh at the other practitioners rolling their eyes at Lily's yet another escapade. What can you say, Lily's a rebel!
We're nowhere closer to getting our questions answered.
This time around, poor Oscar is MIA which turns Lily into a sobbing mess, if witches could sob that is.
Heheh at the other practitioners rolling their eyes at Lily's yet another escapade. What can you say, Lily's a rebel!
We're nowhere closer to getting our questions answered.
This time around, poor Oscar is MIA which turns Lily into a sobbing mess, if witches could sob that is.
morticia32's review against another edition
2.0
This has never been my favorite series from Juliet Blackwell. In fact, I stopped reading pretty early in this series because it just wasn't holding my attention. I decided to give it another try with this one. I started with the audio version, thinking it would be something to listen to while my hands were busy with the intricate mittens I am knitting.
Yeah. No. The narrator spoke so quickly I ended up with a headache trying to keep up! I then requested a hard copy from the library. Much better pacing-wise, but I still have to admit I'm not a huge fan.
I will stick with Blackwell's Haunted Home Renovation series (though I wasn't thrilled with the latest installment there either, thanks to the damned love triangle trope!)
Yeah. No. The narrator spoke so quickly I ended up with a headache trying to keep up! I then requested a hard copy from the library. Much better pacing-wise, but I still have to admit I'm not a huge fan.
I will stick with Blackwell's Haunted Home Renovation series (though I wasn't thrilled with the latest installment there either, thanks to the damned love triangle trope!)