I didn't get to read any Halloweeny books this year, mostly because the little Gremlin J takes priority over reading, but I was able to read one. I really love witchy cozy mysteries! and I am so glad I got to read this one. It has everything I wanted, a witch who actually uses magic and makes potions, a murder mystery, and small town vibes. Amber was great, not overpowered and too confident in her powers where she over uses them, but not some shy kitty cat who has trouble sticking up for herself (some authors try to play this off as being polite but come on).

Of course, it was pretty obvious from the get go who the murderer was, even if they try to misdirect you from it. Although, the way it went about was something I did not guess which caught me a little off guard but that just made me like the book even more. It also left off on a little cliffhanger which does make me excited to read the next book, which I will be doing.

One thing I did notice was that there was a bit of an absence of romance. It looks like they are trying to set something up for Amber, a little sprinkling of romance but nothing that would get in the way. I do like romances in cozy mysteries but of course the mystery should come first, so I like that they set it up but didn't make it take center stage. I guess I should get ready for a slow burn if there is to be one (if there isn't that's completely fine with me!)

Overall, a fun book that I very much enjoyed and a series I will definitely continue. ( )

Out of character stupidity for the sake of the plot is the main problem in this one.
These stupid decisions usually work out perfectly against all odds because the author made it so tho.
So you can take comfort in that I guess.
Beyond that, this story just feels a bit unoriginal. I have just read too many samey cozy mysteries I guess.
The magic and its parameters are very poorly defined and seems way too powerful which leads to lots of "why couldn't you have used this spell this other way". I am almost certain this will only get worse with the sequels and I expect lots of "why don't you use this spell you used in a previous book in this situation. It fits the task perfectly and could save the day".

I guess if you don't care to continue the series, only want a light cozy mystery read and are not supersaturated by the genre you might enjoy this a lot more than I did. ( )

A town that was build around loving cats? Sign me up! This book was purrfectly murderous. See what I did there? lol

Cat jokes aside, this was a fun read, had an unexpected arc for the conclusion to the case. I loved how Amber handled dealing with magic in the modern world. The nosy small town was great, and the towns folk were eccentric. Exactly what I would expect from a cat town not wanting to be modernized.

The epilogue is the real reason for my drop in star ranking. The final "cliff hanger" was laughably lame, after all the character development between characters, we get slapped with that kind of an ending? I about rolled my eyes. The well developed world, and plot was plenty to keep readers wanting to read book 2.

I received this book via Review Club - Reading Deals. ( )

Meh ( )

I didn't get to read any Halloweeny books this year, mostly because the little Gremlin J takes priority over reading, but I was able to read one. I really love witchy cozy mysteries! and I am so glad I got to read this one. It has everything I wanted, a witch who actually uses magic and makes potions, a murder mystery, and small town vibes. Amber was great, not overpowered and too confident in her powers where she over uses them, but not some shy kitty cat who has trouble sticking up for herself (some authors try to play this off as being polite but come on).

Of course, it was pretty obvious from the get go who the murderer was, even if they try to misdirect you from it. Although, the way it went about was something I did not guess which caught me a little off guard but that just made me like the book even more. It also left off on a little cliffhanger which does make me excited to read the next book, which I will be doing.

One thing I did notice was that there was a bit of an absence of romance. It looks like they are trying to set something up for Amber, a little sprinkling of romance but nothing that would get in the way. I do like romances in cozy mysteries but of course the mystery should come first, so I like that they set it up but didn't make it take center stage. I guess I should get ready for a slow burn if there is to be one (if there isn't that's completely fine with me!)

Overall, a fun book that I very much enjoyed and a series I will definitely continue. ( )