aydotjaydot's review
3.0
I did enjoy this book, but I'm having a fairly hard time with the heroine and her romantic drama. The confusion that she's dealing with in the book is something that I find really upsetting and unfair to everyone in the situation. I do like the prose and the story is good, and while I have a bit of a :\ about the structure (staggered climaxes leave me a bit cold), it did keep me interested and engaged. But triangles leave me cold these days, even when they're "confused".
believedcrazy's review
5.0
Disclaimer: I received this book free through Goodreads First Reads.
Reading this book made me crave ice cream with every new chapter, and I don’t even like ice cream! That’s how good this book is, it makes you want things you don’t even like.
Let me start by saying that I haven’t read the first book in this series, so I was worried I would go into this book not knowing any of the characters, but thankfully character backgrounds are fleshed out towards the beginning of this book so I immediately felt comfortable reading this. I will try to pick up the first book however, because reading Drowned Vanilla just made me more and more curious as to Tabitha’s adventure in the first book.
Okay now onto the book. Drowned Vanilla is a truly magical book. I wasn’t expecting to like it as much as I did, I was worried it might be a bit too eccentric in a ‘trying too hard to be different’ kind of way, but this book balances all it’s elements perfectly. It has just the right amount of romance without overpowering the story or taking away from the plot, whilst also having enough crime that I wasn’t dissatisfied, and to top it off it added interesting elements like recipes and blog entries which kept the story fresh and engaging.
This book is set in Tasmania, which was really interesting to me because I do live in Tasmania and I’ve never read a fictional novel set here before so it was really exciting to read this and be surrounded by that sense of familiarity.
The characters are what really make this book special. They were all written with such care and given such distinctive voices, I was never bored or irritated reading them, even the characters I didn’t care for. Tabitha is definitely going on my list of favourite protagonists, she is intelligent and confident, but she is also flawed, and I couldn’t help fall in love with her as the book went on. I loved reading Stewart too, he’s a character I’m going to remember for a long time. I especially like that Stewart’s Scottish accent was written as it would have been spoken, it made him even more fun to read.
The pacing of this book is great too, not once did I feel like it was rushing for a conclusion, or dawdling to add more pages, it was done so well I wasn’t bored reading this once. The mystery element of this was great because I was intrigued from the beginning about the murder, but also didn’t manage to guess what was going to happen at the end.
So I definitely think this book is worth reading and I will follow the series as it goes on, I’m excited to see what Tabitha gets up to next. Please read it, it's going to be different than anything you've ever read before.
Reading this book made me crave ice cream with every new chapter, and I don’t even like ice cream! That’s how good this book is, it makes you want things you don’t even like.
Let me start by saying that I haven’t read the first book in this series, so I was worried I would go into this book not knowing any of the characters, but thankfully character backgrounds are fleshed out towards the beginning of this book so I immediately felt comfortable reading this. I will try to pick up the first book however, because reading Drowned Vanilla just made me more and more curious as to Tabitha’s adventure in the first book.
Okay now onto the book. Drowned Vanilla is a truly magical book. I wasn’t expecting to like it as much as I did, I was worried it might be a bit too eccentric in a ‘trying too hard to be different’ kind of way, but this book balances all it’s elements perfectly. It has just the right amount of romance without overpowering the story or taking away from the plot, whilst also having enough crime that I wasn’t dissatisfied, and to top it off it added interesting elements like recipes and blog entries which kept the story fresh and engaging.
This book is set in Tasmania, which was really interesting to me because I do live in Tasmania and I’ve never read a fictional novel set here before so it was really exciting to read this and be surrounded by that sense of familiarity.
The characters are what really make this book special. They were all written with such care and given such distinctive voices, I was never bored or irritated reading them, even the characters I didn’t care for. Tabitha is definitely going on my list of favourite protagonists, she is intelligent and confident, but she is also flawed, and I couldn’t help fall in love with her as the book went on. I loved reading Stewart too, he’s a character I’m going to remember for a long time. I especially like that Stewart’s Scottish accent was written as it would have been spoken, it made him even more fun to read.
The pacing of this book is great too, not once did I feel like it was rushing for a conclusion, or dawdling to add more pages, it was done so well I wasn’t bored reading this once. The mystery element of this was great because I was intrigued from the beginning about the murder, but also didn’t manage to guess what was going to happen at the end.
So I definitely think this book is worth reading and I will follow the series as it goes on, I’m excited to see what Tabitha gets up to next. Please read it, it's going to be different than anything you've ever read before.
katydidinoz's review
4.0
It's hard to say if this books is stronger than A Trifle Dead or of I was familiar enough with the characters and voice to just dive right in, but I zoomed through this book in just over a day - it even held my attention on an airplane!
Also I'm with Tabitha on vanilla...
Also I'm with Tabitha on vanilla...
cibani's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
celiaedf12's review
3.0
Fun culinary mystery - set in December, the perfect Christmas holiday read, and temptingly filled with ice-cream recipes.
brocc's review
5.0
Please, someone tell me there is more. Such a comforting read. I really feel like some icecream now...
tsana's review
4.0
Drowned Vanilla by Livia Day is the second Culinary Crime novel, following A Trifle Dead which I reviewed last year. I think Drowned Vanilla is a bit less geeky, but I think I enjoyed the twists and turns of the mystery more. This isn't spec fic, by the way, it's firmly realistic crime/mystery.
This is another mystery story in the same vein as A Trifle Dead. If you enjoyed that book, definitely read Drowned Vanilla. I believe this is what's known as a cosy mystery. Tabitha is called up by a friend of a friend to help find a girl who's mysteriously disappeared. The disappearance turns out to be only the beginning (of course) and soon Tabitha is haring back and forth across the Tasmanian country side trying to get to the bottom of things — or trying unsuccessfully not to get more involved.
As well as the mystery elements, the story involves Tabitha's quest to make all the ice cream flavours (except vanilla) and inflict them on her friends (several recipes included). And her ongoing love-life confusion. The love triangle set up in the first book continues to be a source of angst for her and slight confusion for the reader (or, well, me anyway). I don't find it an annoying addition to the story, but I found her choices odd (I'm on Team The Other One, is what I'm saying).
But basically, Drowned Vanilla was an excellent book and I pretty much read it in two sittings. There were only two things I didn't like: the dearth of dairy-free frozen deserts (somewhat inevitable), and the fact that the Greek family celebrated Christmas in December (with no comment as to why, which made me a bit sad). I feel confident most readers won't be bothered by either of those elements.
Drowned Vanilla is a gripping and entertaining read and I recommend it to anyone who likes crime novels, banter and/or Tansy Rayner Roberts' other writing. If you enjoyed A Trifle Dead, I don't think you'll be disappointed.
4.5 / 5 stars
You can read more of my reviews on my blog.
This is another mystery story in the same vein as A Trifle Dead. If you enjoyed that book, definitely read Drowned Vanilla. I believe this is what's known as a cosy mystery. Tabitha is called up by a friend of a friend to help find a girl who's mysteriously disappeared. The disappearance turns out to be only the beginning (of course) and soon Tabitha is haring back and forth across the Tasmanian country side trying to get to the bottom of things — or trying unsuccessfully not to get more involved.
As well as the mystery elements, the story involves Tabitha's quest to make all the ice cream flavours (except vanilla) and inflict them on her friends (several recipes included). And her ongoing love-life confusion. The love triangle set up in the first book continues to be a source of angst for her and slight confusion for the reader (or, well, me anyway). I don't find it an annoying addition to the story, but I found her choices odd (I'm on Team The Other One, is what I'm saying).
But basically, Drowned Vanilla was an excellent book and I pretty much read it in two sittings. There were only two things I didn't like: the dearth of dairy-free frozen deserts (somewhat inevitable), and the fact that the Greek family celebrated Christmas in December (with no comment as to why, which made me a bit sad). I feel confident most readers won't be bothered by either of those elements.
Drowned Vanilla is a gripping and entertaining read and I recommend it to anyone who likes crime novels, banter and/or Tansy Rayner Roberts' other writing. If you enjoyed A Trifle Dead, I don't think you'll be disappointed.
4.5 / 5 stars
You can read more of my reviews on my blog.
calissa's review
4.0
Disclaimer: I was provided with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This review may contain spoilers for previous books.
I love to read speculative fiction but every now and then it is good to take a break and read something else. Usually, it's romance, but occasionally I like to dip into some crime. In Drowned Vanilla I get the best of all three: a crime novel with a strong romantic plot written by a spec-fic author in another guise. Having devoured A Trifle Dead during Dewey's read-a-thon, I was delighted when I was offered a review copy of Drowned Vanilla.
Time has passed since A Trifle Dead. Tabitha's roommate Ceege has been dumped by his girlfriend, one of Tabitha's love interests has left town, and she is struggling to get used to having days off now that Xanthippe has taken over as co-owner of Cafe La Femme. I liked this sense of life having moved on, despite traumatic events. Things have changed, and so has Tabitha.
The writing style has also changed slightly. Each chapter now begins with a snippet of writing from the perspective of a particular character, most often Tabitha. These snippets include things like a list of ice cream flavours Tabitha wants to create, some of her recipes (including commentary), or email exchanges on potential menu items with Cafe La Femme's chef. It was an excellent way of illustrating the characters' preoccupations and reinforcing that sense of daily life continuing inevitably onward.
Tabitha is the glue that keeps the story together, but she's not always a likeable character. She comes across as surprisingly judgemental in this book, though that gets folded into the plot rather nicely. There are also times when she comes across as shallow; her preoccupations with food, vintage clothing and her complicated love-life arise at some rather inappropriate moments. However, her flaws make her easy to relate to and it's clear that her heart is in the right place. She may be shallow, but she also cares for the people around her--not just her friends but also the strangers she encounters.
To return to Tabitha's complicated love-life, new readers should be aware that the series features a love triangle. I'm not usually a fan, but I feel it is handled well. Both love interests are shown in a positive light and given equal weight. I found this made it genuinely difficult to pick a "team" and thus helped me to empathise with Tabitha's dilemma. I also very much appreciated that neither of them tried to change who Tabitha was. They may not be happy with the situation, but they handle it with maturity instead of resentment.
While Drowned Vanilla may seem as fluffy as one of Tabitha's desserts, it only serves to disguise the serious issues underneath. In particular it delves into the way the internet and social media is increasingly blurring the line between public and private lives. It also examines the difficulties faced by those living in rural areas.
Speaking of rural areas, the series is set in Tasmania. I really loved this. The way Hobart is depicted as an oversized small town where there are very few degrees of separation between everyone felt very authentic and reminded me of my own hometown of Canberra.
The story was an excellent continuation of the series and one I very much enjoyed. If you like your murder mysteries short and sweet but with a rich flavour, Drowned Vanilla is for you.
This review first appeared on Earl Grey Editing.
I love to read speculative fiction but every now and then it is good to take a break and read something else. Usually, it's romance, but occasionally I like to dip into some crime. In Drowned Vanilla I get the best of all three: a crime novel with a strong romantic plot written by a spec-fic author in another guise. Having devoured A Trifle Dead during Dewey's read-a-thon, I was delighted when I was offered a review copy of Drowned Vanilla.
Time has passed since A Trifle Dead. Tabitha's roommate Ceege has been dumped by his girlfriend, one of Tabitha's love interests has left town, and she is struggling to get used to having days off now that Xanthippe has taken over as co-owner of Cafe La Femme. I liked this sense of life having moved on, despite traumatic events. Things have changed, and so has Tabitha.
The writing style has also changed slightly. Each chapter now begins with a snippet of writing from the perspective of a particular character, most often Tabitha. These snippets include things like a list of ice cream flavours Tabitha wants to create, some of her recipes (including commentary), or email exchanges on potential menu items with Cafe La Femme's chef. It was an excellent way of illustrating the characters' preoccupations and reinforcing that sense of daily life continuing inevitably onward.
Tabitha is the glue that keeps the story together, but she's not always a likeable character. She comes across as surprisingly judgemental in this book, though that gets folded into the plot rather nicely. There are also times when she comes across as shallow; her preoccupations with food, vintage clothing and her complicated love-life arise at some rather inappropriate moments. However, her flaws make her easy to relate to and it's clear that her heart is in the right place. She may be shallow, but she also cares for the people around her--not just her friends but also the strangers she encounters.
To return to Tabitha's complicated love-life, new readers should be aware that the series features a love triangle. I'm not usually a fan, but I feel it is handled well. Both love interests are shown in a positive light and given equal weight. I found this made it genuinely difficult to pick a "team" and thus helped me to empathise with Tabitha's dilemma. I also very much appreciated that neither of them tried to change who Tabitha was. They may not be happy with the situation, but they handle it with maturity instead of resentment.
While Drowned Vanilla may seem as fluffy as one of Tabitha's desserts, it only serves to disguise the serious issues underneath. In particular it delves into the way the internet and social media is increasingly blurring the line between public and private lives. It also examines the difficulties faced by those living in rural areas.
Speaking of rural areas, the series is set in Tasmania. I really loved this. The way Hobart is depicted as an oversized small town where there are very few degrees of separation between everyone felt very authentic and reminded me of my own hometown of Canberra.
The story was an excellent continuation of the series and one I very much enjoyed. If you like your murder mysteries short and sweet but with a rich flavour, Drowned Vanilla is for you.
This review first appeared on Earl Grey Editing.