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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
This was a pretty fun cozy. Witches, libraries and murder - what's not to love? I really loved how the supernatural elements animated the library and books. Super silly and fun - I will look for more in this series when I need a light read.
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I enjoy paranormal cozy mysteries and this was decent. I enjoyed the library aspect but I felt the rest suffered a little. I will continue to the series though.
This is a very cute entry to magical librarian cozy mysteries. The characters are well-written and the setting is lovely. It starts a bit slow and it does wrap up a bit quickly at the end, but this didn't detract from the overall charm. I will be picking up the next in the series.
Libraries, a librarian, magic, and cats - what's not to love in this hopefully first in a series cozy mystery. Josie leaves her job at The Library of Congress in a self-imposed witness protection to a small town in Oregon. So while she is waiting for a trial back home she has to save the Victorian mansion that houses the library, and discover why there is a dead body in the woods. and figure out she has become a witch. And, that stray cat? He might be her familiar. Lots happens in the book with great characters and a lovely setting.
This is everything I ask for in a cozy mystery. I loved it. The characters were spot perfect. I adored the MC. The side characters were exactly what you expect. I loved the small town and can't wait to spend more time there.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I picked this book up without knowing much about it but the text on the back sounded promising. But right from the beginning, I was not caught by the story nor the writing. I don't know what it was, but the writing seemed kind of random. Sometimes the narrator just jumped from one point to another very suddenly, or omitted details/scenes that would have been very interessting to read about.
The story was a bit all over the place too. Josie (the MC) escapes from corrupt politicians who want her silenced because she saw their sketchy deals but we learn close to nothing about this corruption stuff and that makes the whole thing so unbelievable! Like, that guy who is chasing her, I know nothing about him except his name. What about his case is so important that he needs to kill some random librarian AFTER she already exposed him? And if he truly was this evil villain, why couln't Josie get into a witness protection programm or some shit? Running away but still using her real name seems kind of pointless to me, if bounty hunters are supposedly chasing her.
After running away, Josie takes on this job as a librarian in a small town in Oregon. And there were really some parts of the plot that could have been sooo interesting if well written: A spooky victorian mansion housing a big library, a bunge of characters seeming to have some kind of secret, the mc having this intense connection to books, that all could have been so cool! Instead it just was overshadowed by all the weird writing and cheesy tropes (The MC has a STAR-SHAPED birthmark that she shares with a cat. Cos she is the MARKED one of a long line of witches, but of course nobody told her because her powers are soo strong and DaNgErOuS and her mother wanted to protect her). You also could not form a connection with the characters, even though they were not unlikeable, they just weren't written well enough that you could get a real sense of their personality, and they sometimes behaved unnatural. For example, they find a body in the woods and don't really seem to care; also, the MC accepts her magic soo quickly and suddenly knows how to use it (but we don't even get to see that, because it's just briefly explained how she reads a passage from a childrens' book and BOOM, spell done. The lore how magic/spellcasting works was completely brushed over.)
I also did not really like the ending because the person who ended up being the murderer did not have a convincing, understandable motive (or the backstory just wasn't explained well enough to show the motive).
Overall, I'm just pretty disappointed, because I really wanted this book to be a nice fall read, but instead I got this mess. The story really had great potential, it was just executed badly.
The story was a bit all over the place too. Josie (the MC) escapes from corrupt politicians who want her silenced because she saw their sketchy deals but we learn close to nothing about this corruption stuff and that makes the whole thing so unbelievable! Like, that guy who is chasing her, I know nothing about him except his name. What about his case is so important that he needs to kill some random librarian AFTER she already exposed him? And if he truly was this evil villain, why couln't Josie get into a witness protection programm or some shit? Running away but still using her real name seems kind of pointless to me, if bounty hunters are supposedly chasing her.
After running away, Josie takes on this job as a librarian in a small town in Oregon. And there were really some parts of the plot that could have been sooo interesting if well written: A spooky victorian mansion housing a big library, a bunge of characters seeming to have some kind of secret, the mc having this intense connection to books, that all could have been so cool! Instead it just was overshadowed by all the weird writing and cheesy tropes (The MC has a STAR-SHAPED birthmark that she shares with a cat. Cos she is the MARKED one of a long line of witches, but of course nobody told her because her powers are soo strong and DaNgErOuS and her mother wanted to protect her). You also could not form a connection with the characters, even though they were not unlikeable, they just weren't written well enough that you could get a real sense of their personality, and they sometimes behaved unnatural. For example, they find a body in the woods and don't really seem to care; also, the MC accepts her magic soo quickly and suddenly knows how to use it (but we don't even get to see that, because it's just briefly explained how she reads a passage from a childrens' book and BOOM, spell done. The lore how magic/spellcasting works was completely brushed over.)
I also did not really like the ending because the person who ended up being the murderer did not have a convincing, understandable motive (or the backstory just wasn't explained well enough to show the motive).
Overall, I'm just pretty disappointed, because I really wanted this book to be a nice fall read, but instead I got this mess. The story really had great potential, it was just executed badly.
mysterious
medium-paced
Thanks to the publisher, via Netgalley, for an advance e-galley for honest review.
Honestly, I had a feeling I'd love this one and I really did. The first in a new series, this paranormal cozy features a librarian who, fearing for her safety after whistleblowing about something she overhears at her job at the Library of Congress, takes a job clear across the country as the director of a small town's quirky (and, unbeknownst to her, about to be sold off) public library (the librarian in me is dying at the for-public-use bathtub). This has all the trappings of a good cozy series with a fun community setting and interesting characters. In her new role, Josie is discovering a "talent" for matching readers with the exact right book which is entertaining to watch. Loved it and can't wait for the next.
Honestly, I had a feeling I'd love this one and I really did. The first in a new series, this paranormal cozy features a librarian who, fearing for her safety after whistleblowing about something she overhears at her job at the Library of Congress, takes a job clear across the country as the director of a small town's quirky (and, unbeknownst to her, about to be sold off) public library (the librarian in me is dying at the for-public-use bathtub). This has all the trappings of a good cozy series with a fun community setting and interesting characters. In her new role, Josie is discovering a "talent" for matching readers with the exact right book which is entertaining to watch. Loved it and can't wait for the next.