melycp 's review for:

Experimental Magic by Iris Beaglehole

3.5

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I’m really enjoying the Myrtlewood Mysteries series so far and I’m definitely planning to continue reading. However, I don’t think I enjoyed Experimental Magic as much as I did the first instalment. I’ve always been a fan of first instalments as I like meeting the characters and discovering the world they live in.

I think my main issue with this instalment was Athena. Her mood was all over the place and I get that she’s a teenager, but the way she talks to Rosemary sometimes is horrible. I understand that she’s frustrated because she doesn’t seem to have powers (yet) but it did get a bit ridiculous sometimes. I can definitely see the Gilmore Girls inspiration as she does remind me a lot of Rory and we all know how bad her character went down the toilet.

Talking of the Gilmore Girls inspiration, Rosemary really is like Lorelai. She has the same rambling nature and she does seem effortlessly funny sometimes. I wouldn’t say she’s as charming as Lorelai but I do see the similarities.

I love how much more we learn about the magical world in this instalment. Creatures like werewolves and the fae weren’t mentioned in the first book and I had no idea they would be playing a part in this story. I’m not going to give any spoilers, but the inclusion of these are very imperative to what’s going on and there’s a really interesting surprise about a character’s heritage. 

The cosy vibes are there once again and while I’m not a huge fan of cosy mysteries (I think I need to read more of them) I am enjoying this series. Is it the best series ever written? No, but it does have an interesting story and I like how quickly I can read each book.