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bujo_bellel's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I quite enjoyed this one, although I did guess what eventually happened, but I did not guess all the other twists and details. I really like seeing Orville and Vera relationship further develop and I would say that they're really cute. Bradley Marvel is rather interesting, good to know that Vera got someone following around her but thanks to him really. I wonder if we get to see more of the Highland's police chief Ambler and more about Big Eddie, I'm really interested to know more about them. Also I really love the B&B owners in both Shady Hollow and Highland, they sound so nice and they seem like amazing people. I love that we get to see more of Professor Heidegger and Lenore, I honestly really like their characters and they always add more to the story. I could see Mr Fallow being more involved in the next books and I quite like his character. Poor Dorothy, she must have really loved her husband :(
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Blood, Violence, and Gaslighting
Minor: Grief, Stalking, Kidnapping, and Death of parent
kappafrog's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
The third installation of the Shady Hollow book was cosy as usual, but I didn't feel the charm as much as before. A lot of time is spent explaining mundane tasks like ordering coffee or running errands. For some people that is probably part of the appeal, but for me in this one, it was starting to feel like filler to pad out a plot that wasn't enough to fill a whole book. I've never liked the Orville/Vera romance and was also bored by how much more attention it got in this book. Orville is just not that interesting a character to centre a whole subplot around.
The mystery was so obvious in this one. The little "gotcha" with "he's dead, but no actually, he's a twin" didn't work that well. It seemed obvious from the beginning that he was an identical twin!
As usual, Shady Hollow is a pleasant place to spend time in. Seeing the town in fall was pleasant and cosy. The side characters were good - I liked how much Heidegger we got in this one. I always enjoy Lenore and would like to see more of her in the future - she could hold a side plot much better than Orville. Mirror Lake and Highbrow were nice new settings - I particularly liked the bar in Highbrow. But the series is starting to lose me a little with obvious plots and a boring romance.
Oh, one last thing that really bugged me: The reference to smudging with sage. I get that we are suspending our disbelief about animals who live in a world kind of like ours - I normally love that part of the books and don't worry too much about the worldbuilding. But now the Shady Hollow residents appropriate sacred Native American practices? I could have really lived without that. Now I'm wondering, are the Shady Hollow animals all settlers on Native land too? But then, are the species native to North America meant to represent Native people assimilated to Euro-American society? Probably not - which is why it was stupid to put this in the book, as the authors clearly didn't think it through.
As usual, Shady Hollow is a pleasant place to spend time in. Seeing the town in fall was pleasant and cosy. The side characters were good - I liked how much Heidegger we got in this one. I always enjoy Lenore and would like to see more of her in the future - she could hold a side plot much better than Orville. Mirror Lake and Highbrow were nice new settings - I particularly liked the bar in Highbrow. But the series is starting to lose me a little with obvious plots and a boring romance.
Oh, one last thing that really bugged me: The reference to smudging with sage. I get that we are suspending our disbelief about animals who live in a world kind of like ours - I normally love that part of the books and don't worry too much about the worldbuilding. But now the Shady Hollow residents appropriate sacred Native American practices? I could have really lived without that. Now I'm wondering, are the Shady Hollow animals all settlers on Native land too? But then, are the species native to North America meant to represent Native people assimilated to Euro-American society? Probably not - which is why it was stupid to put this in the book, as the authors clearly didn't think it through.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Moderate: Classism, Forced institutionalization, and Gaslighting
Minor: Grief, Medical content, Mental illness, Police brutality, Sexual harassment, Cultural appropriation, and Alcohol
bookshelf_al's review against another edition
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting
brianna_moye's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Murder, Death, and Gaslighting
erin_napkin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Phenomenal autumnal cozy vibes. The plot might be predictable but stay for the cozy woodland animals and small towns.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting
oldladysadie's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Another wonderfully cozy story in the series! The only major drawback for me was a Gilderoy Lockhart-esque character added in this installment -very much not my cup of tea, but not grating enough to ruin the experience for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gaslighting
Minor: Murder
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