Elle Hartford
I read the whole series years ago and have been going back through it. I thought the first book was my favorite, but this one definitely gave it a run for its money! You don't have to read them in order, but it is really satisfying to see the character growth when you do. :) Love the dynamic between Brenna and Shawn, and the way they come together!
The mystery was twisty and the setting was good! To be honest though this is more of a 3.5 for me because I just didn't love any of the characters. Now, [slight spoiler] some of the truly hateful characters do turn around by the end of the book, and that's awesome. But it was a little hard getting far enough into the book to see them change.
Also – this is a super small, grammarian thing, so please forgive me for saying it! – the author writes dialogue in kind of a confusing way. Anytime someone does something while speaking, she breaks it into two paragraphs instead of one, often just using a pronoun to introduce the new dialogue. I find that makes me work harder to follow the conversation– and as an author who really works hard on my dialogue, it feels sloppy to me. I'm not a devoted Christie reader but I have noticed that Agatha Christie formatted dialogue in a similar style and her influence is really clear in this book. (In both good and – in this case, to me – less-good ways.) There might not be anything technically wrong with doing that, it just is a tiny pet peeve of mine. Rant over! xD
In short, Agatha Christie and classic mystery fans will probably want to give this one a look!
My favorite book of the series!! And for a trilogy that, from book one, combines wonderful friendships and relatable characters with mystery and magical discovery, that is saying something. :)
Seeing the way Emily and her friends make everything come together is extremely satisfying. Plus, along the way we learn some truly endearing and enlightening backstory about several characters. I won't spoil anything, but I'll say I haven't been so invested in fictional people in quite a while! ;)
This book is funny and adventurous while also being thrilling and touching, too. I didn't see the end coming– and it was perfect! I wholeheartedly recommend this series and can't wait for the next one, The Bellerose Witchline series. I'm definitely going to have that one on preorder as soon as I get the chance! :D
To be honest, this is more of a 3.5 for me. I did enjoy the last third or so of the book and the mystery itself! But the mystery took a while to develop, and it took me a long time to feel engaged with the story. I think I just didn't connect with the characters– Hayley can be funny, but she's not quite my cup of tea. Though I won't go on with this series, folks who love culinary cozies might want to give this one a try.
I loved this start to a new series! The town is idyllic and in one of my favorite settings, upstate New York. The mystery is really twisty and keeps moving along. But my absolute favorite part of the story is the bonds between the characters! I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who enjoys cozies or small-town mysteries, and I'm already looking forward to the next one. :D
I received an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion, and I'm very happy I did! :)
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion, and I'm very happy I did! It's a very fun collection of historical cozies. Even though I haven't read many historical lately, I was immediately sucked into these tales! Perfect for putting you in the holiday spirit. I definitely recommend this to lovers of cozy mystery and historical fiction alike!
An excellent sequel!
A very thrilling, enjoyable read! The plot is twisty enough to keep you guessing and we meet some fun new characters along the way. (And some scary ones too...) I especially loved learning more about Rabbit and seeing Tara in action :D I'd wholeheartedly recommend this, even if you haven't read the first book (although you should!). :)
I loved this book! It was so fun to read a cozy set in Arizona, and with two such adorable dogs as companions. :) Alara has a wonderful support system and truly cares for her friends – and to me, the feel of the community is what really makes a cozy mystery stand out. This one knocks it out of the park in that regard, and I would definitely recommend this to anyone who likes cozies (especially paranormal ones!). I'm excited to read more!
I love the premise – alternate universe/magic and steampunk mystery. Wonderful! There can always be more books like that. :)
The one drawback for me was that even though Henri and Jamie (the main characters) were totally likeable, I personally didn't connect to them. I'm a super character-oriented reader, so this made it hard to get into the book. Henri, the primary narrator, embodies a lot of my favorite tropes – cold to most people/dedicated to one person, the intellectual forced into the field, etc – but unfortunately he didn't feel like more than those tropes to me. I think it's because I never really had a feel for what he wanted/why he was writing a novel rather than a sterile report. And while it's always pretty clear what Jamie wants – or at least what Henri thinks she wants, haha – I had a hard time sympathizing with her. She's gone through some incredibly traumatic events, but she presents as a Mary Sue with an addiction to pop culture references (some of which started to feel fan service-y, which may be why I didn't like her as much). She has friends in super high places who are all super protective and give her as much as they can, and she's kind of living her best life, aside from not having some Earth conveniences. She's never, ever vulnerable, which on one hand makes total sense given her backstory, but on the other hand was kind of alienating, because Henri spends a lot of time feeling sorry for her/worrying over her and meanwhile she's operating at a really high level in all situations, even when she's in bed for a few days. Maybe I'm just jealous? xD Rant over.
The bottom line is that the world here is really cool, and my reservations about the characters might just be because I'm weird. :) I'd recommend this to people looking for a mystery set in a nontraditional world. Especially people who love anime or steampunk.
I really enjoyed the NJ setting and wry humor from the protagonist. The mystery is well done, and most of the characters are likeable – I didn't like Maxie at all at first, but she grew on me. :) Of the cozies I've read set in NJ or “down the shore,” this is definitely the one I'd most readily recommend!
A note: I saw in other reviews people complained about the grammar, but I didn't have the same problem at all. Some sentences are long and phrase-y, sure, but I followed them just fine. Then again, I grew up reading Bronte and tend to write long sentences myself, so maybe I am biased. xD
A wonderful, fun-filled cozy! The narrative switches seamlessly between a couple different perspectives, which highlights the interwoven story lines and the comedic capers the characters get in to. And speaking of the characters, I love them – human, canine, and dragon alike! Plus, the recipes in the back look delicious.
Overall this was a charming adventure, and I'd recommend it to anyone who likes quirky or paranormal cozy mystery!
I recieved an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion, and honestly I really enjoyed this book. :)
The mystery is good and I love Figaro and Aunt Ginny! I probably wouldn't recommend it to people struggling with their self-esteem or grief, though.
To be honest, this wasn't the right cozy for me. Though I know it was meant to be funny/realistic, I found Poppy's attitude difficult to read. As someone who has struggled with body image issues and grief, maybe I was extra sensitive to it. There were also stereotypes that again were probably meant to be funny but left me feeling uncomfortable. To me it seemed a bit like a book from a different time. I hesitated about reviewing this at all, but I felt like it might help people to know what they're getting in to.
Bottom line: it could be a fun read for people looking for a cozy set in NJ (Cape May is awesome!) but I personally won't continue with the series.
This is definitely an academic book – heavily cited, organized, and a bit dense at times – but in my opinion it's still interesting to the casual reader because of the quotes & insights from notable figures at the time! I'd recommend this to anyone looking to dive into the 1840s and the book world in particular. It was fun to see that no matter how much things change, some themes remain the same!
Different from the Disney version!
As a kid I was not a fan of the Disney movie, so I had reservations about the book. But it came highly recommended and I'm really glad I read it. The book is insightful and thought-provoking. I'd definitely recommend it, especially to folks who like classic stories. (Speaking of, The Classic Tales podcast has a great audio version for free in their archive!)