Tag Archives: cozy paranormal mystery

Book Review – Witch Myth: Wildfire, by Alexandria Clarke

I picked up an Audible code for a free copy of Witch Myth: Wildfire, by Alexandria Clarke. The cover looks Christmasy, even if the blurb doesn’t. So, I’d meant to read it over the Christmas break but never got around to it. So, I listened to it on Twelfth Night as I took the Christmas decorations down.

When a 16-year-old girl disappears from her hometown without a trace, stumping the local police force, the only person who has any hope of finding her is her older sister, Kennedy. The siblings share an otherworldly bond, which leads Kennedy to the peculiar, deserted town of Yew Hollow. Kennedy soon uncovers a coven of witches, a tragic secret, and something that she never knew about herself. When her number one priority is her little sister’s safety, Kennedy’s decision to stay in or leave Yew Hollow is the hardest one she’ll ever make.

As I said, I picked this up because the cover made me think it was a Christmas story. But it isn’t. It’s set in October and ends long before December. I suspect that if I took the time to look, I’d find that this isn’t the cover the book always has, but that the author changed it to catch the seasonal readers. I feel a little manipulated by that, if I’m honest. (Of course, doing that would require figuring out the naming convention of having two books…maybe series…named Witch Myth and even Witch Myth: Wildfire, explicitly. I’m confused.)

I thought this was ok. Not fabulous, but not complete trash either. But I wouldn’t call it a cozy paranormal mystery. Paranormal, yes. Mystery, yes. But there is very little cozy to be had. So, don’t go in expecting anything the cover or subtitle leads you to expect. Yeah, still feeling a little manipulated over here.

All in all, I liked the characters, and the writing was mechanically fine. But the story feels like a spin-off, the characterization is on the simple side, and the book ends on a cliffhanger at exactly the point it feels like the actual story (as opposed to all the setup) looks to actually be starting.

Lastly, the audio production and narration were only OK. Several words were oddly pronounced. Let me rephrase; a lot of words are mispronounced. And there is the occasional noticeable blip in the smoothness of the narrative, where you could tell it has been spliced together. Both of these yanked me out of the story when they happened.

So, all in all, not a real winner for me. But mostly, it just didn’t catch and hold my attention. I think those who like the genre will enjoy it.

Other Reviews:

Book Review: One Poison Pie, by Lynn Cahoon

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I borrowed a copy of Lynn Cahoon‘s One Poison Pie from the local library.

What’s a kitchen witch to do when her almost-fiancé leaves her suddenly single and unemployed? For Mia Malone, the answer’s simple: move to her grandmother’s quirky Idaho hometown, where magic is an open secret and witches and warlocks are (mostly) welcome. With a new gourmet dinner delivery business—and a touch of magic in her recipes—Mia’s hopes are high. Even when her ex’s little sister, Christina, arrives looking for a place to stay, Mia takes it in stride.

But her first catering job takes a distasteful turn when her client’s body is found, stabbed and stuffed under the head table. Mia’s shocked to learn that she’s a suspect—and even more so when she realizes she’s next on a killer’s list. With Christina, along with Mia’s meddling grandma, in the mix, she’ll have to find out which of the town’s eccentric residents has an appetite for murder…before this fresh start comes to a sticky end. . .

I think this has a really fun cover and the story is really sweet. But I was super disappointed by how little magic is actually in it (practically none), the romance is basically instant relationship (so no satisfying getting to know one another or romantic tension AT ALL), and turns out you really need to have read the prequel that I didn’t even know existed when I picked the book up at the library. Ok, you don’t need to. I was able to follow the plot, but there was a lot I felt I was missing, having not read it, and that always effects my enjoyment of a book. (I strongly feel book one of a series is where you should be able to pick up a series, without feeling like you’re missing anything. If you can’t the numbering needs to be changed, IMO.) But the writing is clear and editing clean. I’d read another Cahoon book.

Book Review of Dead Eye (Tiger’s Eye Mystery #1), by Alyssa Day

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I picked up a copy of Dead Eye, by Alyssa Day, during a freebie day on Amazon.

Description from Goodreads:

For Jack Shepherd, tiger shape-shifter and former soldier, life is heading for a dead end. Dead End, Florida, to be exact. When he learns that he inherited a combination pawn shop/private investigation agency from his favorite uncle, Jack’s first job is to solve his uncle’s murder. Because sometimes it takes a tiger’s eye to see the truth.

Review:

I thought this was amusing, but a little light on content. I liked the characters but didn’t think the romantic subplot was developed well enough. (Day seemed to be hinting at something interesting that never came to anything.) The plot stood alone, but I definitely felt the fact that it is a spin-off series. There were just too many references to past events the reader has no access to if they’ve not read the other series. The mystery was neatly set up, but the villain was dispatched with shocking ease and the whole thing felt anticlimactic. All in all, I liked it enough to read more of Day urban fantasy/ paranormal mystery writing, but not enough to call her a favorite.