Scan barcode
a_h_haga's review
4.0
Actual rating: 3.5/5 stars
Hey! This turned out to me a lot of fun!
I honestly didn't expect that. I hoped, but didn't expect it. I did pick the book up for free, after all.
So, this book isn't hard urban fantasy, as I usually like it. There's not a lot of action, no running around or car chases, and no steamy steamy ness. But that's ok. It was a good chase.
The MC, Zara, is a single mom, 32yo, trying to rais a teenage girl and make sure they're both happy. This was a refreshing thing as well, seeing a woman trying to take care of a kid this way. Althrough I'm starting to think that's part of the cozy mystery thing, as I remember reading another book with the same family dynamic.
In this book, the two learn they're witches after moving to this town, not to mention they get dragged into a murder mystery.
That may be one of the things I liked the least with this book. It wasn't really clear for a long time what was going on. But again, it didn't seem to matter, because I liked Zara and something about the book just pulled me in.
Ok, maybe not the best review ever, but it's what I can think of writing right now, so it's what you get.
Now, I only have to figure out if I should by the first 3 books on audible for 1 credit and listen to the next two, or if I should keep buying them as kindle books. Hard choices.
curiouslykatt's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
paperbackstash's review against another edition
3.0
It crossed my mind Gilmore Girls fans may dig this - most of the story if light and amusing banter between mother and teenage daughter. A new house has been purchased, a new town has been moved into, new neighbors have been introduced, and of course new powers discovered. Yippee!
I like the humor in the book, and the characters - the issue is that there isn't actually a plot-plot. It's fun, it's cute, I liked seeing her accidentally step on the strange boss's toes and meet a ghost in the house (kind of) with a weird aunt and what-not, as well as an unnaturally dreamy neighbor - but interest started waning when the story didn't keep picking up purpose.
I like the humor in the book, and the characters - the issue is that there isn't actually a plot-plot. It's fun, it's cute, I liked seeing her accidentally step on the strange boss's toes and meet a ghost in the house (kind of) with a weird aunt and what-not, as well as an unnaturally dreamy neighbor - but interest started waning when the story didn't keep picking up purpose.
chelseaj91's review against another edition
2.0
Zara Riddle moves to the town of Wisteria for a dream job as a librarian. She hasn't even unpacked her moving boxes when she and her teen daughter, Zoey, are swept up in a murder mystery.
With all the ghosts and supernatural creatures around (Including a real hunk of a wolf shifter! Meow!) it's a good thing the Riddle women are tougher than they look. Now, if only they could handle their new witch powers as well as they've mastered their sarcastic wit!
To be honest, I struggled with this one. It has all the markers for something that I would absolutely dig into (magic, shifters, humor, dash of mystery), but I just couldn't dig into this.
I honestly kind of had an issue with Zara. It did feel like this was trying to go for a Gilmore Girls feel, what with the relationship between Zara and Zoey and everything, but at the same time, it felt like it tried too hard.
Zara was supposed to be this internet sensation, the "cool mom" and half the time, I felt like it just came off as too immature. There were some points that it came across just fine (labeling the boxes, dealing with the supposed ghosts in the beginning, etc). And admittedly, when it wasn't edging into immaturity territory, her humor was actually pretty great. She also spent a lot of time being a little more naive than I felt she was supposed to be? I did like her outlook on things in general. She did get a little too fixated on "who had the most motivation to kill" which felt like it left her open to missing some pretty important things. Or maybe that's just me?
I did feel like there were a lot of things within the story that were left unanswered too. Maybe that's partially because of Zara's fixation on the killing motivation? Since the book was from Zara's POV, and there was her fixation, yeah, I could kind of understand some potential things being left out. But at the same time, it just seemed like there was more that should have been answered considering all the digging Zara did.
I will admit that I'm kind of intrigued with all the things that were/are going on. I might try the rest of the series at some point, but definitely won't be rushing off to grab them
With all the ghosts and supernatural creatures around (Including a real hunk of a wolf shifter! Meow!) it's a good thing the Riddle women are tougher than they look. Now, if only they could handle their new witch powers as well as they've mastered their sarcastic wit!
To be honest, I struggled with this one. It has all the markers for something that I would absolutely dig into (magic, shifters, humor, dash of mystery), but I just couldn't dig into this.
I honestly kind of had an issue with Zara. It did feel like this was trying to go for a Gilmore Girls feel, what with the relationship between Zara and Zoey and everything, but at the same time, it felt like it tried too hard.
Zara was supposed to be this internet sensation, the "cool mom" and half the time, I felt like it just came off as too immature. There were some points that it came across just fine (labeling the boxes, dealing with the supposed ghosts in the beginning, etc). And admittedly, when it wasn't edging into immaturity territory, her humor was actually pretty great. She also spent a lot of time being a little more naive than I felt she was supposed to be? I did like her outlook on things in general. She did get a little too fixated on "who had the most motivation to kill" which felt like it left her open to missing some pretty important things. Or maybe that's just me?
I did feel like there were a lot of things within the story that were left unanswered too. Maybe that's partially because of Zara's fixation on the killing motivation? Since the book was from Zara's POV, and there was her fixation, yeah, I could kind of understand some potential things being left out. But at the same time, it just seemed like there was more that should have been answered considering all the digging Zara did.
I will admit that I'm kind of intrigued with all the things that were/are going on. I might try the rest of the series at some point, but definitely won't be rushing off to grab them
see_sadie_read's review against another edition
2.0
This didn't work for me. Though I suspect it is a matter of taste over quality. There are some consistency issues, people knowing things they haven't been told and such, and I thought the dialogue got too formal at times (especially considering how informal Zara is in general). But for the most part what bothered me wasn't a matter of the book being bad, but of it being everything I dislike.
I found Zara intensely annoying! Yes, I see that we're supposed to think her Gilmore Girl cute. But I found her endless blather like nails on a chalkboard, all her constant media references trite, and her naiveté insincere. I felt like even the author thought her immature, often excusing the things she says by calling them juvenile, long-standing jokes between her and her daughter. The book falls short of calling anyone a poopy-head, but not by much, and only because it's so committed to "ding-dong."
Calling Zara and her crew Mary-Sues would be an understatement. On the upside, the book is 100% clean, not even a curse word is uttered. On the downside, it means the book lacks any sort of grit. So much so that there is barely any tension. I was just this side of board for all of it.
Plus, the book takes a long time to pick up any kind of speed, spending far too much time on dinners and descriptions. (Hope you like adjectives.) Then, once it does, the mystery essentially solves itself off page, leaving the reader out of the action.
Lastly, I disliked Tiffany Williams' narration style. It fit the book really well, actually. And again, the quality is fine. But the places she emphasizes words and her tone, etc, just highlights the overly-sensitive, overtly clean aspect of the book, making all my annoyances stand out even more.
Please don't take the last few paragraphs as my having an issue with clean stories. I just don't know a better way to describe the feel of it, like it's been scrubbed of anything interesting and real. I guess that's my base issue, why people complain about Mary-Sues in general, they don't feel real. They're too idealized to relate to and thus feel fake.
I actually have the audio boxset of the first three books. I went into them with really high hopes. I'm all about cozy paranormal mysteries right now and the main character even has my same name. When you're named Zarah, that's not something you encounter often. I will challenge myself to give the next book a try. Maybe with the world building done the next book will be better for me. I was disappointed with this. But I can 100% see all the things that irritated me so being exactly what another reader will love. To each their own.
I found Zara intensely annoying! Yes, I see that we're supposed to think her Gilmore Girl cute. But I found her endless blather like nails on a chalkboard, all her constant media references trite, and her naiveté insincere. I felt like even the author thought her immature, often excusing the things she says by calling them juvenile, long-standing jokes between her and her daughter. The book falls short of calling anyone a poopy-head, but not by much, and only because it's so committed to "ding-dong."
Calling Zara and her crew Mary-Sues would be an understatement. On the upside, the book is 100% clean, not even a curse word is uttered. On the downside, it means the book lacks any sort of grit. So much so that there is barely any tension. I was just this side of board for all of it.
Plus, the book takes a long time to pick up any kind of speed, spending far too much time on dinners and descriptions. (Hope you like adjectives.) Then, once it does, the mystery essentially solves itself off page, leaving the reader out of the action.
Lastly, I disliked Tiffany Williams' narration style. It fit the book really well, actually. And again, the quality is fine. But the places she emphasizes words and her tone, etc, just highlights the overly-sensitive, overtly clean aspect of the book, making all my annoyances stand out even more.
Please don't take the last few paragraphs as my having an issue with clean stories. I just don't know a better way to describe the feel of it, like it's been scrubbed of anything interesting and real. I guess that's my base issue, why people complain about Mary-Sues in general, they don't feel real. They're too idealized to relate to and thus feel fake.
I actually have the audio boxset of the first three books. I went into them with really high hopes. I'm all about cozy paranormal mysteries right now and the main character even has my same name. When you're named Zarah, that's not something you encounter often. I will challenge myself to give the next book a try. Maybe with the world building done the next book will be better for me. I was disappointed with this. But I can 100% see all the things that irritated me so being exactly what another reader will love. To each their own.
emmybird86's review against another edition
5.0
I love the mother daughter relationship in this book. Zara is a funny character that I enjoyed. I have no idea why it took me so long to start this series. I cannot wait to read the next one.
caitlynne's review against another edition
3.0
3,5 Stars - a cozy and fun quick read, perfect to get my mind of all this Corona stuff tbh.
spidervan's review against another edition
This was Gilmore Girls fanfiction with aspects from Charmed, The Ghost Whisperer, and Twilight. Also, I still cannot get over the fact that the love interest was named Chet. My brain immediately did not trust him partly for that and partly on account of how he was as a person.
claudia_is_reading's review against another edition
5.0
Hilarious! The protagonist is simply fabulous: interesting, funny and compelling. The whole toaster thing is ridiculously funny and if you add to that the whole new house, new town, a new job thing and a surprising reacquaintance with lost family members, you'll have a great book.
But that's not all, because there are also family secrets coming to light, witchcraft and werewolves... sorry! shifters, and the mysterious death of the previous owner of the house, a handsome neighbour and a socially-oriented ghost.
The narration is excellent, and lively, adding to the enjoyment of an already fantastic story.
If you love humorous paranormal mysteries, this is for you :D
But that's not all, because there are also family secrets coming to light, witchcraft and werewolves... sorry! shifters, and the mysterious death of the previous owner of the house, a handsome neighbour and a socially-oriented ghost.
The narration is excellent, and lively, adding to the enjoyment of an already fantastic story.
If you love humorous paranormal mysteries, this is for you :D