herbalmoon's review
4.0
Excellently entertaining. A few things I didn't understand (despite being part of Bast's world), but mostly readable and worth continuing with the series.
The only thing I hated (and this should really be illegal in the world of writing) was the dead cat. Seriously, if I was able to smack every author that put a tortured and/or murdered cat in their books, my hand would hurt long before I was done!
The only thing I hated (and this should really be illegal in the world of writing) was the dead cat. Seriously, if I was able to smack every author that put a tortured and/or murdered cat in their books, my hand would hurt long before I was done!
bookkoob17's review
2.0
Eh, it was ok. The main character wasn't really that likable and there wasn't a lot of sleuthing.
lunasgathering's review
2.0
This had potential and failed miserably. The protagonist, who seemed intelligent at first, turned out to be one of those too stupid to survive the story even though she does. Too many decisions Bast made should've gotten her dead. Even the character said as much near the end of the story.
The mystery wasn't a surprise as we're given the killer fairly early on and the only "surprise" is how they are brought to justice. The magick in it feels contrived, like the author read a little on a few "celebrities" and built her story around that. The circumstances that draw her into the so-called mystery are also highly unbelievable. I think the thing that bothered me the most was how horribly Bast talked about everyone she supposedly considered her friends. She came across as petty, high-handed, and self-absorbed which should be impossible for someone so stupid, but there you have it.
There are two more books in the series I have no intention of finishing. I can easily find Pagan/Wiccan authors that respect their Craft and know how to tell a realistic story with a likable (and intelligent) protagonist. For starters, Shirley Damsgaard's Abby and Ophelia Mysteries.
p.s. On a side note I just discovered when looking up what else Edghill had written that she also wrote with Marion Zimmer Bradley. That makes the magick in her book even more suspect when I've heard exactly what kind of a person MZB truly was.
The mystery wasn't a surprise as we're given the killer fairly early on and the only "surprise" is how they are brought to justice. The magick in it feels contrived, like the author read a little on a few "celebrities" and built her story around that. The circumstances that draw her into the so-called mystery are also highly unbelievable. I think the thing that bothered me the most was how horribly Bast talked about everyone she supposedly considered her friends. She came across as petty, high-handed, and self-absorbed which should be impossible for someone so stupid, but there you have it.
There are two more books in the series I have no intention of finishing. I can easily find Pagan/Wiccan authors that respect their Craft and know how to tell a realistic story with a likable (and intelligent) protagonist. For starters, Shirley Damsgaard's Abby and Ophelia Mysteries.
p.s. On a side note I just discovered when looking up what else Edghill had written that she also wrote with Marion Zimmer Bradley. That makes the magick in her book even more suspect when I've heard exactly what kind of a person MZB truly was.
threadybeeps's review
5.0
I'm afraid this has caused me to have a most unproductive weekend. Delightful.
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