thegreatpike27's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
lakecake's review
4.0
I won a copy of this book through Goodreads Giveaways.
This was an excellent entry into a new series and now I can’t wait to get the next one. Technically a novella, this does a great job of introducing Mia, her grandmother, and Magic Springs, Idaho without being overwhelming. Mia and Grans are wonderful characters, there’s just enough witchiness to make it interesting but not overwhelming and the town and it’s inhabitants take shape in the background. The mystery is a little light, but that’s ok in such a short book. Really looking forward to the next one!
This was an excellent entry into a new series and now I can’t wait to get the next one. Technically a novella, this does a great job of introducing Mia, her grandmother, and Magic Springs, Idaho without being overwhelming. Mia and Grans are wonderful characters, there’s just enough witchiness to make it interesting but not overwhelming and the town and it’s inhabitants take shape in the background. The mystery is a little light, but that’s ok in such a short book. Really looking forward to the next one!
kristinconnolly's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Cute little murder mystery with a food and magic twist
megs_s's review
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
peggyemi's review against another edition
4.0
Chili Cauldron Curse is a quick, fun novella by author Lynn Cahoon. It is set in Idaho and introduces the reader to Mia, Grans, and the rest of the cast of her upcoming new series, the Kitchen Witch Mysteries. As the title suggests, there is a paranormal element to this new series, which I don't mind at all. Mia is relatable and the type of character that I believe I will enjoy as the series progresses. She heads home to visit her Grans and winds up with more than she bargains for - a volunteer project organizing the town food bank and a dead body. The story progresses nicely and we are introduced to a number of the town's citizens, some of whom I imagine will make reoccurring appearances in the series. The mystery was not as well developed as some of her other novellas, and Mia didn't do all that much in terms of sleuthing, but I thought this was a nice way to introduce the characters and provide a backstory before jumping into the first full-length book in the series.
I enjoyed the read and it made me curious and interested in reading the first book due out early next year. This author is a favorite of mine and I am always willing to try something new. This is a departure for her usually cozy mysteries, in that there is a paranormal element. I'm looking forward to seeing what she brings us with this series.
I voluntarily read a digital advanced reader copy provided to me by the publisher, Kensington Books, through Netgalley. The opinions are my own.
I enjoyed the read and it made me curious and interested in reading the first book due out early next year. This author is a favorite of mine and I am always willing to try something new. This is a departure for her usually cozy mysteries, in that there is a paranormal element. I'm looking forward to seeing what she brings us with this series.
I voluntarily read a digital advanced reader copy provided to me by the publisher, Kensington Books, through Netgalley. The opinions are my own.
lolasreviews's review against another edition
3.0
I received a free copy of this book through the publisher on Netgalley. I voluntarily reviewed this book.
I heard lots of good things about Lynn Cahoon's books, so when I saw this prequel to her new series on Netgalley I excitedly jumped on the chance to read it. Chili Cauldron Curse is a fun short prequel novella to this new series. I liked getting a feel for the characters and the town where I think this series will take place as well as the magical aspect. There also is a short murder mystery to be solved.
I enjoyed this novella, while it was short it didn't feel rushed and moved along on a good pace. I often have difficulties with shorter reads to really get into the story and get familiar with the characters and that was something I struggled with here a bit as well. I liked what we saw of the characters so far and I definitely look forward to reading more and getting to know the characters better.
The mystery was pretty straightforward, which is understandable given the shorter length of this one. I have to say I liked the rest of the story more with the food bank volunteer work and the chili contest. The mystery progressed quite quickly and there isn't as much time to talk to potential suspects and really get to wondering who had done it. By the time you have some suspects the mystery gets solved already. The main character also solved the mystery sort of by accident. It was nice how she sort of just hears things instead of really have to investigate and her focus is on the volunteer work.
I liked main character Mia and her Grandma and hope to see more of them in the future books. I do feel like there's a lot of them we don't know yet and I had some trouble to really get a feel for their characters, but I like what we saw so far. There were a few instances where the dialogue felt a bit off.
I liked how this prequel kinda sets the stage for the first book, with the volunteer job and her being in another town than where she lives and then the events at the end of the book. I am curious to see what she will do next and how she adjusts to things after the events of this prequel. I also liked the paranormal aspect, there are scenes in which magic is used and a few mentions of what is possible.
To summarize: this was a fun short and serves as an introduction to this new paranormal cozy mystery series. I liked reading it and look forward to the first book in the series. The mystery was pretty straightforward and not as engaging, but that makes sense as it's a shorter read. I liked what I saw of the main character Mia and a few interesting side characters and I hope we get to see more of them in the first book. The paranormal element was interesting too. All in all this is a nice short taste and I look forward to the first book.
I heard lots of good things about Lynn Cahoon's books, so when I saw this prequel to her new series on Netgalley I excitedly jumped on the chance to read it. Chili Cauldron Curse is a fun short prequel novella to this new series. I liked getting a feel for the characters and the town where I think this series will take place as well as the magical aspect. There also is a short murder mystery to be solved.
I enjoyed this novella, while it was short it didn't feel rushed and moved along on a good pace. I often have difficulties with shorter reads to really get into the story and get familiar with the characters and that was something I struggled with here a bit as well. I liked what we saw of the characters so far and I definitely look forward to reading more and getting to know the characters better.
The mystery was pretty straightforward, which is understandable given the shorter length of this one. I have to say I liked the rest of the story more with the food bank volunteer work and the chili contest. The mystery progressed quite quickly and there isn't as much time to talk to potential suspects and really get to wondering who had done it. By the time you have some suspects the mystery gets solved already. The main character also solved the mystery sort of by accident. It was nice how she sort of just hears things instead of really have to investigate and her focus is on the volunteer work.
I liked main character Mia and her Grandma and hope to see more of them in the future books. I do feel like there's a lot of them we don't know yet and I had some trouble to really get a feel for their characters, but I like what we saw so far. There were a few instances where the dialogue felt a bit off.
I liked how this prequel kinda sets the stage for the first book, with the volunteer job and her being in another town than where she lives and then the events at the end of the book. I am curious to see what she will do next and how she adjusts to things after the events of this prequel. I also liked the paranormal aspect, there are scenes in which magic is used and a few mentions of what is possible.
To summarize: this was a fun short and serves as an introduction to this new paranormal cozy mystery series. I liked reading it and look forward to the first book in the series. The mystery was pretty straightforward and not as engaging, but that makes sense as it's a shorter read. I liked what I saw of the main character Mia and a few interesting side characters and I hope we get to see more of them in the first book. The paranormal element was interesting too. All in all this is a nice short taste and I look forward to the first book.
mariellais's review against another edition
2.0
This was weird.
The writing style felt disjointed and choppy. The characters either had no personality or would change their personality to force the plot along. This novella is only around 60 pages but it felt like it went on forever.
Speaking of plot, there really wasn't much of one. Most of the novella is spent on tedious details and information I as a reader did not care about. If I wanted to read about someone trying to set up a food bank I'd have picked up a book on that, and not a novella that claims to be a cozy mystery.
Also, for a book that's supposed to be about witches and cooking, there was very little of both of those. All of the time was spent on the food bank setup.
I read this novella because I was interested in checking out the books in this series. I'm not sure if I will now.
The writing style felt disjointed and choppy. The characters either had no personality or would change their personality to force the plot along. This novella is only around 60 pages but it felt like it went on forever.
Speaking of plot, there really wasn't much of one. Most of the novella is spent on tedious details and information I as a reader did not care about. If I wanted to read about someone trying to set up a food bank I'd have picked up a book on that, and not a novella that claims to be a cozy mystery.
Also, for a book that's supposed to be about witches and cooking, there was very little of both of those. All of the time was spent on the food bank setup.
I read this novella because I was interested in checking out the books in this series. I'm not sure if I will now.
maddy_elizabeth11919's review against another edition
4.0
I thought was a great starter book for the series. I absolutely loved Mia and all that she stood for. I even loved Christina who was let’s be a honest, a bit of an idiot at time. I so was not expecting them to figure who did like that. The only thing I didn’t like as much about this novella was the fact that we didn’t really see her sleuthing skills. I mean sure she overheard conversations and such but she didn’t go out with the intent of figuring out who did it.
ladyofbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Chili Cauldron Curse by Lynn Cahoon is a delightful novella of witchiness, cozy murder mystery, and cooking all wrapped up in one. I don’t believe that I’ve read anything by this author before, but a short mystery from Kensington Publishers sounded like just the thing to read.
The story takes place with a chili cook off. Mia, our main character, runs the event in terms of cleaning up a food bank for her grandmother, whose a practicing Wiccan. Magic runs in the family, however Mia’s not near as powerful as her grams, though she tries. When she volunteers to assist in running the food bank to help feed the poor, with the chili cook off upcoming as an event, she doesn’t bargain on finding a dead body right before the event’s set to take place…the body belonging to Dorian Alexander, who happens to be her grandmother’s boyfriend.
Threats abound, magic occurs, and cats get inhabited by ghosts in this delightful cozy mystery. This was a fun paranormal mystery, with a spark of potential romance sideplot that was interesting to me as well. With a recipe in back for chili that I’m intrigued in trying one day during the winter holidays, I highly recommend this novella for those in the mood for a fun, light hearted read. I’m pleased to give this five stars, and I’m definitely going to keep reading more from this author in the future.
The story takes place with a chili cook off. Mia, our main character, runs the event in terms of cleaning up a food bank for her grandmother, whose a practicing Wiccan. Magic runs in the family, however Mia’s not near as powerful as her grams, though she tries. When she volunteers to assist in running the food bank to help feed the poor, with the chili cook off upcoming as an event, she doesn’t bargain on finding a dead body right before the event’s set to take place…the body belonging to Dorian Alexander, who happens to be her grandmother’s boyfriend.
Threats abound, magic occurs, and cats get inhabited by ghosts in this delightful cozy mystery. This was a fun paranormal mystery, with a spark of potential romance sideplot that was interesting to me as well. With a recipe in back for chili that I’m intrigued in trying one day during the winter holidays, I highly recommend this novella for those in the mood for a fun, light hearted read. I’m pleased to give this five stars, and I’m definitely going to keep reading more from this author in the future.