honeyflyagaric's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
A great cozy mystery! I found this to be a lovely, relaxing read and a pretty solid mystery overall. Be warned that the uncovering of clues is fairly slow-paced, with a greater focus on the motivations of the characters rather than the evidence and murder method. It’s definitely more of a “who-dunnit” than it is a “how-dunnit”.
The characters are all charming and have at least a small level of depth to them (though I wouldn’t go into it expecting major character development or otherwise deeply-written characters). However, there are a few side characters who I found myself rooting for or wanting to learn more about, but once something interesting was revealed about their characters, they were just… kind of dropped? Overall, I don’t terribly mind, since they were dropped for not being relevant to the mystery any longer, but it was still a bit disappointing. There are also some characters who rely on racial stereotypes, such as Lefty the raccoon and Sun Li the panda. Depiction of stereotypes isn’t automatically a bad thing, but they don’t seem to have much going for them outside of being “a criminal” or “from the East”. These stereotypes are occasionally addressed with some level of nuance, but most of the time are not. It’s not super relevant to the plot, but it did sometimes rub me the wrong way.
The focus is more on the well-developed atmosphere, a wonderful mix of cute small-town vibes with something sinister lurking beneath. One significant strength of this book is just how much Shady Hollow feels like a small town, not shying away from the good or the bad parts of that. Sure, it’s romantic and cozy, but there’s also the sense that the residents of Shady Hollow are largely close-minded and content to jump for the easiest solution to a complex murder, lending to a constant undercurrent of tension and giving Vera’s occupation as a news reporter some extra interest and relevancy.
I don’t think this is a terribly groundbreaking mystery on a technical level. The final reveal might not “wow” you if you’ve read more complex mystery stories, but I’ll reiterate that the strength of this book isn’t necessarily with the intricate mystery or the characters themselves, but rather with the excellent atmosphere and presentation, with a constant stream of whimsy and giggle-inducing wit throughout the narration. It’s written, paced, and executed very well, making it an extremely solid pick for anybody in need of a nice murder mystery to fall into for a few minutes before heading to bed. I would absolutely recommend it to any fan of cozy mysteries, though if you prefer wide, sprawling, and complicated mysteries, you might not get everything you want out of it.
The characters are all charming and have at least a small level of depth to them (though I wouldn’t go into it expecting major character development or otherwise deeply-written characters). However, there are a few side characters who I found myself rooting for or wanting to learn more about, but once something interesting was revealed about their characters, they were just… kind of dropped? Overall, I don’t terribly mind, since they were dropped for not being relevant to the mystery any longer, but it was still a bit disappointing. There are also some characters who rely on racial stereotypes, such as Lefty the raccoon and Sun Li the panda. Depiction of stereotypes isn’t automatically a bad thing, but they don’t seem to have much going for them outside of being “a criminal” or “from the East”. These stereotypes are occasionally addressed with some level of nuance, but most of the time are not. It’s not super relevant to the plot, but it did sometimes rub me the wrong way.
The focus is more on the well-developed atmosphere, a wonderful mix of cute small-town vibes with something sinister lurking beneath. One significant strength of this book is just how much Shady Hollow feels like a small town, not shying away from the good or the bad parts of that. Sure, it’s romantic and cozy, but there’s also the sense that the residents of Shady Hollow are largely close-minded and content to jump for the easiest solution to a complex murder, lending to a constant undercurrent of tension and giving Vera’s occupation as a news reporter some extra interest and relevancy.
I don’t think this is a terribly groundbreaking mystery on a technical level. The final reveal might not “wow” you if you’ve read more complex mystery stories, but I’ll reiterate that the strength of this book isn’t necessarily with the intricate mystery or the characters themselves, but rather with the excellent atmosphere and presentation, with a constant stream of whimsy and giggle-inducing wit throughout the narration. It’s written, paced, and executed very well, making it an extremely solid pick for anybody in need of a nice murder mystery to fall into for a few minutes before heading to bed. I would absolutely recommend it to any fan of cozy mysteries, though if you prefer wide, sprawling, and complicated mysteries, you might not get everything you want out of it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Racism, and Xenophobia
Minor: Police brutality
There is a character who experiences discrimination due toSpoiler
being a raccoontiredcreature's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Loved the concept, loved the cover art;
Did not love the mystery, nor the characters;
The setup promises to show you how the idyllic façade of a community unravels to show the darkness and dirt underneath, but in the end everybody went home to their comfy little woodland lives feeling jolly about themselves, and without having learned anything from what they had done;
Reads fine enough, and I really wanted to like this, but I cannot
Did not love the mystery, nor the characters;
The setup promises to show you how the idyllic façade of a community unravels to show the darkness and dirt underneath, but in the end everybody went home to their comfy little woodland lives feeling jolly about themselves, and without having learned anything from what they had done;
Reads fine enough, and I really wanted to like this, but I cannot
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia
Moderate: Hate crime
Minor: Police brutality
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