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A review by ayundabs
A Spoonful of Poison by M.C. Beaton
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I have always told myself that I like cozy mysteries, maybe because they usually involve puns as their titles, cute covers, and they give me a chance to read something lighthearted in place of all the dark fantasy/thrillers I normally pick up.
I bought this copy randomly secondhand from a book market in 2019. It looked like a fun read, and for once in my life I didn't care if it was not the first book of the series.
What I liked about this book:
The main character. Feisty, opinionated, passionate. It was really fun getting to know the witty Agatha Raisin.
The setting. Such a dainty, cozy, and peaceful vibe, it was just the ideal atmosphere and location for such a genre. Also the rainy weather and nice moments with nature makes me want to read it while curling up under the blanket with a cup of tea.
The side characters. From the suspects to the random middle-aged ladies living in this isolated little town, to the young prodigy Toni that has her own character arc, all the side characters feel well written and fun to read about. I would really enjoy a spinoff book fully centered about Toni, because I think she is more relatable to me, being a young person recently starting her adult career.
What I didn't really like about this book:
This is the 15th or something book of the series, so it's a shame that I don't know much about the main characters, their character development or back stories.
The crime and crime solving itself isn't the most exciting or engaging story in the world, but I didn't really expect much out of this sort of genre.
At times the story could get boring and I would lose track of who is who. Maybe also knowing that this book is so short that it's a bit of a waste of time for me to remember the people anyway, also makes me lose interest in the random suspects and more interested in the main characters/detectives.
Overall, a very nice cozy read. Exactly what you'd expect from something in the genre, with a very interesting main character, but not mindblowing in any way. Will I continue the series (aka go back and read all the previous books)? Maybe! Let me know if you have read the series and if it worth it to read all 15-something books in the backlist ;)
I bought this copy randomly secondhand from a book market in 2019. It looked like a fun read, and for once in my life I didn't care if it was not the first book of the series.
What I liked about this book:
The main character. Feisty, opinionated, passionate. It was really fun getting to know the witty Agatha Raisin.
The setting. Such a dainty, cozy, and peaceful vibe, it was just the ideal atmosphere and location for such a genre. Also the rainy weather and nice moments with nature makes me want to read it while curling up under the blanket with a cup of tea.
The side characters. From the suspects to the random middle-aged ladies living in this isolated little town, to the young prodigy Toni that has her own character arc, all the side characters feel well written and fun to read about. I would really enjoy a spinoff book fully centered about Toni, because I think she is more relatable to me, being a young person recently starting her adult career.
What I didn't really like about this book:
This is the 15th or something book of the series, so it's a shame that I don't know much about the main characters, their character development or back stories.
The crime and crime solving itself isn't the most exciting or engaging story in the world, but I didn't really expect much out of this sort of genre.
At times the story could get boring and I would lose track of who is who. Maybe also knowing that this book is so short that it's a bit of a waste of time for me to remember the people anyway, also makes me lose interest in the random suspects and more interested in the main characters/detectives.
Overall, a very nice cozy read. Exactly what you'd expect from something in the genre, with a very interesting main character, but not mindblowing in any way. Will I continue the series (aka go back and read all the previous books)? Maybe! Let me know if you have read the series and if it worth it to read all 15-something books in the backlist ;)