ARC Review: “Pawsitively Secretive” by Melissa Erin Jackson

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Title: Pawsitively Secretive

Author: Melissa Erin Jackson

Genre: Cozy paranormal mystery

Pages: 284

My rating: ★★★★✭

Read from: 21/12/19 – 28/12/19

The E-Arc Pawsitively Secretive was kindly provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This has not altered my opinion of the book.

Spoiler warning: this is book 3 in a series, the synopsis and review will/might have spoilers for the previous books, but not for this one.

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Not all secrets are meant to be kept.

After two stressful months, Amber Blackwood is determined to have a few weeks of peace before the Here and Meow Festival descends on her small town of Edgehill, Oregon. That peace doesn’t last long; when she and the committee attend a meeting at the mayor’s house, Amber is pulled aside by the mayor’s daughter, Chloe, who Amber babysat for in high school. The mayor has forbidden Chloe from dating, but she recently met an older boy through a chat app and is desperate to meet him. Amber advises Chloe to tell her father about the boy.

Hours later, Mayor Deidrick frantically puts in a call to Amber: Chloe, the always well-behaved teenager, seems to have snuck out her bedroom window—and now she’s not answering his calls. When Amber helps search the town for the girl, she happens upon Chloe’s abandoned car. Her driver’s side door is open, and while her purse is inside, her phone is gone.

Working alongside Chief Brown, Amber uses her magic to figure out what might have happened to Chloe. The more they dig, the more they unearth secrets from the seemingly affable mayor’s past. The charismatic politician has both a hair-trigger temper and a suspicious death linked to his past.

As if the mayor’s increasingly strange behavior isn’t bad enough, Amber and the chief also contend with an out-of-town private investigator, nosy reporter Connor Declan, and an even nosier population of Edgehill residents who start to question why Amber and the chief are spending so much time together. Undaunted by these obstacles, Amber races against the clock to help ensure Chloe doesn’t become another statistic—assuming the mayor doesn’t stop her first.

Review:

After reading and loving the first book of the series to death, the odds were stacked in favor of me loving Pawsitively Secretive, and I did!! Like the two previous books, this is a cozy mystery with a witch hiding in plain sight as its main character. She has now befriended the chief of police, and this is the first time she is actually part of an investigation and helping in any and every way she can!

Lovely cast of characters, the side-characters are being fleshed out and are enjoyable to read about. I loved that they got to play a bigger part in this book than in the previous ones, which is not a surprise as Amber is getting more out and making friends now. The mystery was enjoyable too. Even though the culprit ended up being exactly who I thought it would be, I still second-guessed myself a couple of times along the way.

I also loved how magic finally got to play the role I originally wanted from the first book. It is a proper part of Amber’s life and she uses it to do so many amazing things! Some plot twists and characters not being who they first seemed also added to my enjoyment. And the ending… dear lord. Give me the next book already!!!

I 100% recommend this series if you are looking for a cute, relaxed mystery mixed with witchcraft and secrets!

❀ Mathilde

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The Reading Year 2019

On By wordsandspinesblogIn Reading Journey1 Comment

I decided I wanted to write a blog-post about my reading year, as a way to look back at everything I read and review how my reading journey went. I also really wanted to sit down and make some statistics for my own reading, just for fun! And so that is what I did. I’ve had a look at genres, authors’ genders, ratings and more. So without further ado, let’s get into it!

Goodreads summary:

As you can see in the picture above, I ended up reading a staggering 159 books in 2019. That is an insane number, and one I am so proud of just because I beat my record from 2018! This means I read an average of 13,25 books per month. My record was 19 books in a month and the lowest was 8 books in a month.

The average book-length being 324 pages doesn’t surprise me, as I have read a lot of smaller books this year! Many graphic novels and comics and manga. My average length in 2018 was 432, so a big reason as to why I’ve read so many books this year is that many of them were tiny. On average I read 141 pages per day in 2019, which I am also very happy with. I obviously didn’t read every single day, I definitely had some slumps where I read nothing for weeks. But I did do my best to try and read at least a little bit every day, even just a couple of pages. I wanted to make books a more common part of my life than they have previously been. Safe to say: I succeeded.

I also sat down and made some bar-charts, to better understand the different numbers of 2019. Here they are, for you all to see:

Male vs. female authors:

How many stars I gave:

Books sorted by genre:

Looking at these charts, I am suddenly aware of some things that previously just hadn’t crossed my mind. Like how insanely much fantasy I read, compared to other genres. And how I probably shouldn’t say that my favorite genres are fantasy and sci-fi, seeing how I only read 4 sci-fi books in 2019!? Crazy. I also realize I should be a bit stricter on my ratings, which I will do my best to be this year. I’m always so worried that someone will take offense or be hurt if I give extremely bad ratings, but I have to stop worrying and start being honest. If I hated a book, then I hated it. It is as simple as that! We all have different cups of teas, and I should be honest about mine!

Well, I’m going to leave you here. I hope you have an amazing reading year this year, and that you discover many new favorites!! Also, if you did some research on your own reading year, please comment down below, I’d love to compare! 🤩

❀ Mathilde

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ARC Review: “This Christmas” by J.R. Hart

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Title: This Christmas

Author: J.R. Hart

Genre: Holiday romance, LGBT

Pages: 209

My rating: ★★★★☆

Read from: 20/12/19 – 20/12/19

The E-Arc This Christmas was kindly provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This has not altered my opinion of the book.

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Alex Ross can’t catch a break when it comes to Christmastime. With a long history of bad holiday experiences—like getting rejected under the mistletoe or playing referee to his mother’s divorce—he’s just trying to survive it.

New in town and a stranger to everyone, he plans on ignoring the holiday altogether. That would be easier if his ridiculously cheerful new neighbor would cool it on the Christmas hype. Nicholas is annoying and loud. Worst of all, he’s also impossibly attractive and nice to everyone. It’s getting harder for Alex to deny his interest, especially when Nicholas leaves Christmas cookies at his door and wages a snowball fight against him on the coldest day of the year.

Can Alex open up to him and get into the holiday spirit before he endures another ruined Christmas?

Review:

I really liked this book! It features a character so over the top festive and ready for all things Christmas, and another character who is struggling with finding his cheer and is haunted by bad memories and thoughts now that the holidays are rolling around. They made such a nice contrast to each other.

I really loved the way they communicated and how different they were. Communicating through notes and cookies and extra caramels made for such a sweet (get it? sweet?) romantic build-up! I also love that Alex could recognize when he was being over the top negative or when he was in the wrong for thinking or acting the way he did, and how he tried to be better. Way to go! I loved their initial meeting and how they ended up as neighbors, it made for a nice and realistic drive of the romance.

I absolutely recommend this if you’re looking for a Christmas romance that has a little more depth and more struggle to get into the spirit of the season! I read the book in 1 day, it was easy to get into and I really just wanted to know how they would end up together! The ending even had me tearing up a little bit.

❀ Mathilde

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ARC Review: “One Week ‘Til Christmas” by Belinda Missen

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Title: One Week ‘Til Christmas

Author: Belinda Missen

Genre: Romance, women’s fiction

Pages: 179

My rating: ★★★★☆

Read from: 19/12/19 – 20/12/19

The E-Arc One Week ‘Til Christmas was kindly provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This has not altered my opinion of the book.

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Two people. One chance meeting. Seven days to Christmas.

Isobel Bennett is waiting for the number 11 bus when a man quite literally falls into her lap. Snow is falling, Christmas lights are twinkling, and a gorgeous man with dark brown hair has just slipped on ice and is now pressed against Isobel.

Isobel knows she’s not imagining the chemistry between them. But then his ride arrives and, embarrassed, he beats a hasty retreat, murmuring apologies – and Isobel realises only too late that she didn’t manage to catch his name…

When she runs into him again the next morning, she decides it’s fate.

It’s a second chance for Isobel and Tom – but there’s only one week until she’s leaving London for good. Seven days of enjoying all the festive delights the city has to offer: ice-skating at Somerset House, mulled wine on the Southbank, Christmas shopping at Liberty.

There’s magic in the air and mistletoe in the trees – but what will happen when the week is over?

For fans of Josie Silver, Lucy Diamond and Marian Keyes, this is one Christmas romance you don’t want to miss!

Review:

This was such a cute, wholesome book! It was a super fast read and I loved the setting, it gave me perfect Christmas vibes. Both the main characters were interesting and their communication was awesome. Finally someone who tries talking about important stuff early on, because it is important to talk about!! Miscommunication between fictional characters (when for no reason at all) is the worst.

Isobel and Tom’s romance was heart-warming and super cute! I loved how they were brought together by coincidence and simply found out they really enjoyed each other’s company. It happened fast (I mean, the book takes place for 10 days), but it never felt rushed or too much like insta-love. The ending was perfect and left just enough open for the reader to imagine what happens next.

It has to be said that it was pretty obvious what would happen in the book and how it would come to pass, but I don’t think that’s necessarily too negative for a Christmas-y romance like this. So I say: if you’re looking for a cute and fast romance for the holidays, give this a try!

❀ Mathilde

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ARC review: “North! Or Be Eaten” by Andrew Peterson

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Title: North! Or Be Eaten

Author: Andrew Peterson

Genre: Fantasy, children’s fiction

Pages: 352

My rating: ★★★★✭

Read from: 10/12/19 – 18/12/19

The E-Arc North! Or Be Eaten was kindly provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This has not altered my opinion of the book.

Spoiler warning: This is book 2 in a series, the synopsis and review will/might have spoilers for book 1.

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Janner, Tink, and Leeli Igiby thought they were normal children with normal lives and a normal past. But now they know they’re really the Lost Jewels of Anniera, heirs to a legendary kingdom across the sea, and suddenly everyone wants to kill them.

In order to survive, the Igibys must flee to the safety of the Ice Prairies, where the lizardlike Fangs of Dang cannot follow. First, however, they have to escape the monsters of Glipwood Forest, the thieving Stranders of the East Ben, and the dreaded Fork Factory.

But even more dangerous are the jealousies and bitterness that threaten to tear them apart. Janner and his siblings must learn the hard way that the love of a family is more important than anything else.

Full of characters rich in heart, smarts, and courage, North! Or Be Eaten is a tale children of all ages will cherish, families can read aloud, and readers’ groups are sure to enjoy discussing for its many layers of meaning. Extra features include new interior illustrations from Joe Sutphin, funny footnotes, a map of the fantastical world, inventive appendices, and fanciful line art in the tradition of the original Frank L. Baum Wizard of Oz storybooks.

Review:

So we are back with Tink, Janner and Leeli, who now know who they are and why they are being chased. The book picks up right where the first book left off and it is immediately gripping and exciting to read. I loved this a lot more than the first one! I actually loved this surprisingly much. It has a lot more action and the plot was always driven forward by something I did not see coming, which was fun.

This book also follows one of the sibling more than the others: Janner. I personally loved this! It made it a lot more interesting to read the book, to know how he experienced it and what he thought about things. Janner, who now knows he is The Throne Warden, tasked with protecting his brother. But his brother seems to be so ungrateful and uninterested in his sudden role as king, and Janner can’t help but be annoyed. We see Janner grow a lot as a person in this book, he becomes a lot more independent and more secure in himself. He’s slowly but surely learning to trust himself.

Another thing I loved about North!, as opposed to the first book, is that the world-building grew a lot. Because the characters are running through foreign lands, we get to experience more of the world alongside them, which was a lot of fun. We also finally got to know more about Podo’s past, and why he knows everything he does. We, alongside the characters, get to experience being chased by monsters in the woods, trying to outsmart the thieves known as Stranders, being caught and separated and having our wits and loyalties put to the test. This was a proper exciting book to read, and I think it is perfect for the younger audience and families. The book also has fun illustrations, footnotes and maps, which makes the world seem all the more real.

I would highly recommend this book, and this series, to anyone looking to go on an adventure! It’s a perfect read for parents reading to their children or for youngsters reading on their own. It is also a lot of fun for the older audiences, like me! I really loved it and I will most likely be continuing on with the series, to read book 3 and 4.

❀ Mathilde

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Review: “The Fever King” by Victoria Lee

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Title: The Fever King

Author: Victoria Lee

Genre: Fantasy, YA, LGBTQ

Pages: 376

My rating: ★★★✭☆

Read from: 22/11/19 – 08/12/19

The E-Arc The Fever King was kindly provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This has not altered my opinion of the book.

Synopsis from Goodreads:

In the former United States, sixteen-year-old Noam Álvaro wakes up in a hospital bed, the sole survivor of the viral magic that killed his family and made him a technopath. His ability to control technology attracts the attention of the minister of defense and thrusts him into the magical elite of the nation of Carolinia.

The son of undocumented immigrants, Noam has spent his life fighting for the rights of refugees fleeing magical outbreaks—refugees Carolinia routinely deports with vicious efficiency. Sensing a way to make change, Noam accepts the minister’s offer to teach him the science behind his magic, secretly planning to use it against the government. But then he meets the minister’s son—cruel, dangerous, and achingly beautiful—and the way forward becomes less clear.

Caught between his purpose and his heart, Noam must decide who he can trust and how far he’s willing to go in pursuit of the greater good.

Review:

I went into this book with low expectations, but I was pleasantly surprised by how captivated the story made me. The dynamic between Noam and Dara, how their relationship grew and the way they interacted was one of my favorite parts of the book. I also really loved how complex most of the characters were. This is not a book of black and white, most of the characters are grey and I love it!!

Noam is a great main character, and I loved being present in his mind as he went through the changes that he did. Watching him learn more about the magic he suddenly inhabits and watching how it changes him as a person was awesome. He is a very analytical character who muddles things over, but it was never an annoying thing to have to read. The magic system is also interesting, albeit a tad confusing. There are some “rules” to it, but it annoyed me a bit that it wasn’t more clear how it actually works. But that might be something we figure out later in the series, I hope!

Speaking of later in the series, I really want to read book 2 right now!! I’m worried about the characters I suddenly found myself fond of and I want to know what happens next plot-wise. The plot took a sudden turn and I didn’t see it coming, which is another reason this was a good read. Plot twists are my favorites, and this one was very enjoyable. I also love how it kind of did a 180 afterwards and ended at a completely different place from what I was expecting!

Overall this was a very enjoyable read. The reason I “only” gave it 3.5 stars is that I struggled getting into it a bit and some of the side characters were so little present that I kept forgetting who they were. I also kept mixing up characters because of different names being used. And some of the flashbacks (or whatever I can call it) just left me awfully confused, I still don’t quite know what they had to do with anything. But I would definitely recommend this book! Especially if you are into futuristic stories of magic and political intrigue!

❀ Mathilde

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Review: “On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness” by Andrew Peterson

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Title: On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness

Author: Andrew Peterson

Genre: Fantasy, children’s fiction

Pages: 304

My rating: ★★★☆☆

Read from: 02/11/19 – 18/11/19

The E-Arc On the Dark Sea of Darkness was kindly provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This has not altered my opinion of the book.

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Janner Igiby, his brother, Tink, and their disabled sister, Leeli, are gifted children as all children are, loved well by a noble mother and ex-pirate grandfather. But they will need all their gifts and all that they love to survive the evil pursuit of the venomous Fangs of Dang, who have crossed the dark sea to rule the land with malice. The Igibys hold the secret to the lost legend and jewels of good King Wingfeather of the Shining Isle of Anniera.

Full of characters rich in heart, smarts, and courage, On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness is a tale children of all ages will cherish, families can read aloud, and readers’ groups are sure to enjoy discussing for its many layers of meaning. Extra features include new interior illustrations from Joe Sutphin, funny footnotes, a map of the fantastical world, inventive appendices, and fanciful line art in the tradition of the original Frank L. Baum Wizard of Oz storybooks.

Review:

This book was very slow to get started. It felt like it did not get anywhere in regards to actual plot and it was a little all over the place to begin with. But when the book ended, I found myself intrigued and wanting to continue on to the second book. For me the first half of the book was a 2-star read and the second half was closer to a 4. Therefore I landed comfortably on a medium 3!

I really liked both the world-building and the characters in the book. I mean, an ex-pirate grandfather and three very wild children who all have their own quirks? Sign me up! The grandfather might have been my favorite character of all, either him or Peet the Sock Man (which is such a funny name). What fell flat for me when reading it was that it felt like a very long buildup. Almost like a prequel to the actual story that will begin in book 2. However, I think this book will be a lot more fun for younger readers. I imagine it is a perfect book to read with your children, with illustrations and footnotes so you can teach your children about all the things that make up this fantasy world!

I will continue on to read book 2, because I want to see where the story might go. But if I feel as bored throughout book 2 as I felt for long parts of this one, I will simply have to face the facts. This is intended for a slightly younger audience. They will find joy where I find a lack of deeper plot and more complex story-lines. I absolutely recommend this for the youngest ones, and for families!

❀Mathilde

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Review: “The Shrike & the Shadows” by Chantal Gadoury and A.M. Wright

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Title: The Shrike & the Shadows

Author: Chantal Gadoury, A.M. Wright

Genre: YA Fantasy / Retelling

Pages: 365

My rating: ★★☆☆☆

Read from: 27/10/19 – 01/11/19

The E-Arc The Shrike & the Shadows was kindly provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This has not altered my opinion of the book.

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Men have gone missing before.

The village of Krume is plagued by a haunted wood and a hungry witch. It’s been that way for as long as Hans and Greta can remember, though they have never seen the witch themselves; no one has.

When men start to disappear once again in the cover of night – their bloody hearts turning up on doorsteps – the village falls into frenzied madness.

Hans and Greta, two outcast orphans, find themselves facing accusations of witchcraft and are met with an ultimatum: burn at the stake, or leave the village forever. 

With nowhere else to go, they abandon their only home.

As they venture into the strange forest, their path is fraught with horrific creatures, wild and vivid hallucinations, and a mysterious man tied to the witch’s past.

The Shrike is watching, just beyond the deep darkness of the woods.

Review:

Going into this book I was expecting a lusciously dark retelling of Hansel and Gretel. I wanted magic, a scary witch hunting them and to feel the terror of being chased through the strange forest. Instead I got a barely present antagonist, a form of insta-love and the two blandest main characters ever. This book was sadly a huge disappointment.

The thing I wanted the most of out this book was the dark, eerie atmosphere of a witch stealing away men and returning their hearts afterwards. The promise of a strange forest that would be terrifying, both to the twins and to me as a reader. The sad thing is that I got none of this. The antagonist, this scary witch, was barely present in the story at least. Characters kept talking about the witch, there were a million references to her and what she could do, or what she might be doing, but she was never properly present to actually spread terror and darkness. After a while, hearing about her became a bore. I just knew she would never actually show up. It was like the book was making sure I knew this witch was of little consequence, she wouldn’t have much say.

The next thing is that the romance in the book was cringe-worthy and annoying. There was no reason for this insta-love to happen, and I kept being put off by the way they acted around each other and how they kept saying that they were the same and understood each other like nobody ever had understood them before. Like, spare me. You’ve known each other for less than a week.

I did really enjoy this book for the first ~40%, before the romance had been introduced and when the witch was still a looming threat. I love fairytale re-tellings and I initially loved this take on Hansel and Gretel. But sadly I have to give this book a 2-star rating. I was just too put off by the romance and the lack of drive in the plot to be interested in the story. If I had been the person to DNF books, this would have been an easy DNF. I will not be reading the sequel.

❀Mathilde

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Review: “Sisters of Shadow and Light” by Sara B. Larson

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Title: Sisters of Shadow and Light

Author: Sara B. Larson

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 368

My rating: ★★★✭☆

Read from: 13/10/19 – 27/10/19

The E-Arc Sisters of Shadow and Light was kindly provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This has not altered my opinion of the book.

Synopsis from Goodreads:

“The night my sister was born, the stars died and were reborn in her eyes…”

Zuhra and Inara have grown up in the Citadel of the Paladins, an abandoned fortress where legendary, magical warriors once lived before disappearing from the world―including their Paladin father the night Inara was born.

On that same night, a massive, magical hedge grew and imprisoned them within the citadel. Inara inherited their father’s Paladin power; her eyes glow blue and she is able to make plants grow at unbelievable rates, but she has been trapped in her own mind because of a “roar” that drowns everything else out―leaving Zuhra virtually alone with their emotionally broken human mother.

For fifteen years they have lived, trapped in the citadel, with little contact from the outside world…until the day a stranger passes through the hedge, and everything changes.

Review:

What drew me in to this book from the beginning was actually the synopsis and the quote in it. It sounded kind of poetic and right up my alley. Even though it did not live up to all my expectations, I still really liked this book!

Sisters of Shadow and Light is rich with lore and myths about these great Paladins, of which Zuhra and Inara know so little. They were supposedly the great heroes of the world, with amazing magical powers. But where are they now? Zuhra has grown up more or less alone, yearning for the few moments she gets with her sister Inara, when the “roar” subsides. Being locked inside an abandoned citadel with no friends, she spent her days dreaming about the legendary Paladins, longing for more information. Then one day, the hedge that has kept them imprisoned lets a man pass into the citadel, and suddenly everything changes. Here is the chance Zuhra had always wanted. The chance to learn more about the father who so suddenly disappeared. About the “roar” that has been stealing her sister for as long as she has lived.

This is where the story kicks off and I found myself intrigued right from the beginning. With this mysterious stranger, an unfamiliar power and so many secrets to uncover, I could barely put it down. I love the two main characters, Zuhra and Inara. I love the focus this book puts on sisterhood and friendship, above romantic interests and insta-love. Zuhra is a character one could easily feel attached to. She sneaks away books to read and is always looking to learn more and discover the hidden truths. This made her a great main character!

The world-building and the magic system are also highly enjoyable, once one gets to the point where things become more clear. The book is written so that as the characters learn more about the world, so do we. So we are going on a journey with the characters, to figure out what actually happened the night Inara was born. The mystery of it all makes the book addicting and fast-paced. I think the writing is really good as well, I appreciated a lot of the inner thoughts of the characters and a lot of the descriptions of the places.

The reason this book landed on 3.5 stars is that I did not like the romances at all. I found them more or less annoying and unnecessary and I think the book would have been much better without, or with them in a much smaller scale. Both romances felt a lot like insta-love and I hate how it took the focus away from the sisterhood of Zuhra and Inara. I also found myself annoyed with how the story progressed and the characters acted towards the end, which brought down the level of enjoyment.

This being said, I really like the way the book ended. It’s obvious that it is written to have a sequel and I think it did a really good job of wrapping up the plot-line but also making me excited for the next book. I am actually really looking forward to see where the story goes in the next book and what happens now. I also appreciated the plot-twist towards the end, even though it felt kind of out of place.

To summarize: this is a book about adventure, magic, family, sisterhood, secrets and lies. It is fast-paced, has a great cast of characters, stunning descriptions and an engaging plot. I would recommend it to fans of magical adventures and complex characters!

❀ Mathilde

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Review: “Pawsitively Cursed” by Melissa Erin Jackson

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Title: Pawsitively Cursed

Author: Melissa Erin Jackson

Genre: Fantasy / Cozy Mystery

Pages: 328

My rating: ★★★★☆

Read from: 05/10/19 – 13/10/19

The E-Arc Pawsitively Cursed was kindly provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This has not altered my opinion of the book.

Synopsis from Goodreads:

The only thing more twisted than a cursed witch is her family tree.

For the past fourteen years, Edgehill’s resident secret witch, Amber Blackwood, has been haunted by her parents’ deaths. The whole town knows about the tragedy, but the details remain a mystery even to Amber. From her tiny studio apartment above her shop, The Quirky Whisker, Amber can see her partially rebuilt old house out on the edge of town. Although she now has a good life—delighting children with her magically infused toys, concocting healing tinctures for Edgehill’s residents, doting on her cats, Tom and Alley, and sitting on the committee for the town’s annual Here and Meow Festival—she feels stuck in the past.

Amber suspects the fire that killed her parents was set deliberately by a witch from the cursed Penhallow clan, from whom no one has heard even a whisper since the night her parents died. The clan’s sudden disappearance is no coincidence to Amber, but her aunt Gretchen refuses to believe there’s a connection and urges Amber to stop looking for someone to blame. So Amber is shocked when Aunt Gretchen shows up unexpectedly, claiming the Penhallows have resurfaced and that one of them is heading for Edgehill with Amber in his sights.

Aunt Gretchen knows more about the fabled clan than she’s letting on. Amber is determined to find out what her aunt is hiding, and what the Penhallow seeks, before the same treacherous force that took Amber’s parents’ lives claims her own.

Review:

After reading and loving the first book in this series, “Pawsitively Poisonous”, I was so thrilled to get an arc of the sequel from Netgalley. I went into this book with high hopes and was not disappointed. Amber is trying to solve a mystery of her past, namely the death of her parents. When a cursed witch from the Penhallow clan surfaces and is coming for her, she is convinced there was more to her parent’s death than people have been telling her.

In this book we get to follow Amber as she delves into her own past. We get to see her backstory and the reasons behind why her life is the way it is. I definitely recommend reading the first book before going into this, even though they are supposedly fine to read as standalones. After reading the first book I was very curious to learn more about Amber’s past and her magic abilities, which is probably a big reason as to why I loved this book. Because the second book does not have the murder mystery of the first one, it is more character-driven.

The only reason I didn’t give this book 5 stars is because it kept re-telling everything that happened in the first book, which I found extremely annoying. It also straight-up revealed the answers to all the mysteries of the first book, which, if you hadn’t already read the book, would ruin it. I also think, for people who haven’t read the first book, all the name-dropping of characters who are wholly irrelevant to the story in this book would make people lose their focus. At least I know it would have for me. So, definitely read book 1 first!

This book has everything I want from a fun, witchy read. It has magic, different areas of witchcraft, romance, mystery, family and a curse that could ruin it all. I really liked how character-driven this book was, and how we got to see Amber growing a bit more and starting the journey out of her safe shell. I am really excited for book 3, and there is no doubt in my mind that I will be getting it!! If you’re looking for a cozy mystery, laden with witchcraft and cats, then start reading this series! I recommend starting with book 1: Pawsitively Poisonous.

❀ Mathilde

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