Scan barcode
purplesky25276's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
The plot was great. The characters were wonderful. The scenes were magical. This book was well written. I enjoy how Imogen doesn't exactly stumble upon bodies like other cozy mysteries. I like that she discovers who the killer is with actually having some type of evidence.
theavidreaderandbibliophile's review against another edition
4.0
Grimoires, Spas and Chocolate Straws by Erin Johnson is the eighth Spells & Caramels novel. Imogen Banks and her friends are still residing in Kusuri on Badlands Island. They are living in Jiji’s guesthouse and earn their keep by helping the guards with their duties and other chores around the house. The group is getting an opportunity to go to the beach with the guards for the manta monster migration festival at Umiru. While the guards will be protecting the fisherman, the bakers will get to enjoy the spa treatments offered by the oriental town. After indulging in the dragon spa treatment at Doragon Spa, there is an uproar when a client is found dead in the sand. Imogen wonders if their hostess, Miss Sara who is referred to by locals as the “black widow” could be the culprit since she was arguing with the victim prior to his death. Things are further complicated when Yann, a fellow baker, falls head over heels for Miss Sara. They do not want Yann to become the next man ensnared in Miss Sara’s web. Imogen and her fellow bakers set out to uncover the truth and get their vacation back on track.
Grimoires, Spas and Chocolate Straws is another entertaining installment in the Spells & Caramels series. I do suggest reading the books in the Spells & Caramels series in order. Each book builds upon the previous one. Grimoires, Spas and Chocolate Straws is a creative cozy mystery with magical elements. Erin Johnson has a vivid imagination. She has created whimsical worlds with quirky characters and plenty of humor. I found Grimoires, Spas and Chocolate Straws easy to read thanks to the author conversational writing style (It has an ease to it). The story progresses along at a steady pace with vibrant descriptions of the forests, the monsters, and the distinctive spa town of Umiru. It is nice to see the various characters pairing up, but they are still maintaining their close friendships. We get to find out more about Imogen’s brother, Horace. I was quite surprised by his revelations. Iggy provides levity with his one-liners (I enjoy his droll commentary). The book has a special ending that will please fans of the series. The mystery is not complex, but I had a good time following the clues and zeroing in on the killer. My rating for Grimoires, Spas and Chocolate Straws is 4 out of 5 stars (I liked it). I am eager to find out what happens next with our band of bakers in the next Spells & Caramels tale.
Grimoires, Spas and Chocolate Straws is another entertaining installment in the Spells & Caramels series. I do suggest reading the books in the Spells & Caramels series in order. Each book builds upon the previous one. Grimoires, Spas and Chocolate Straws is a creative cozy mystery with magical elements. Erin Johnson has a vivid imagination. She has created whimsical worlds with quirky characters and plenty of humor. I found Grimoires, Spas and Chocolate Straws easy to read thanks to the author conversational writing style (It has an ease to it). The story progresses along at a steady pace with vibrant descriptions of the forests, the monsters, and the distinctive spa town of Umiru. It is nice to see the various characters pairing up, but they are still maintaining their close friendships. We get to find out more about Imogen’s brother, Horace. I was quite surprised by his revelations. Iggy provides levity with his one-liners (I enjoy his droll commentary). The book has a special ending that will please fans of the series. The mystery is not complex, but I had a good time following the clues and zeroing in on the killer. My rating for Grimoires, Spas and Chocolate Straws is 4 out of 5 stars (I liked it). I am eager to find out what happens next with our band of bakers in the next Spells & Caramels tale.
socorrobaptista's review
4.0
Uma narrativa cheia de intrigas, mistérios antigos e crimes aparentemente insolúveis, com muita comida, declarações de amor, e reencontros. Muito bom.
renreads8891's review
5.0
Oh the feels
What’s not to love about this series. The characters are wonderfully funny and the story always keeps you on your toes. The last few chapters will definitely make you happy cry so be prepared with tissues. I can’t wait to see what’s next!!!
What’s not to love about this series. The characters are wonderfully funny and the story always keeps you on your toes. The last few chapters will definitely make you happy cry so be prepared with tissues. I can’t wait to see what’s next!!!
lolasreviews's review
4.0
I was in the mood for a fun paranormal cozy mystery, so I decided to pick up book 8 in this series. It was a joy to be back with Imogen, Iggy and all their friends. In this book they're still on the island and decide to accompany their guard friends to visit a sea town filled with spas. They're hoping for a relaxing vacation. Ofcourse things never go that smoothly and they land in the middle of another murder mystery.
The previous book I enjoyed less than the rest of the series and I had hoped this book would be better again, and it was. Now that I know they're stuck on the island and wasn't hoping for the overarching plot line to continue as much, I could enjoy it more as it was. Although I am still a bit sad there isn't much about the overarching plot line that we followed more strongly during the first six books. There is a bit of explanation about that in this book and some interesting reveals regarding Horace, which I was missing in book 7, so I am glad it was present here a bit at least. That first scene with Leo felt like it came completely out of the blue and only made sense later.
I am happy to say that this book was a lot more fun again than the previous book, which is what I am looking for when I pick up one of these books. Now that they're settled a bit on the island they have a bit of a place and friends too, things seem to go a bit smoother on that front. There also was more character interactions again and some of the side characters we met in the previous book, but mostly the friendly ones are left now. And ofcourse there is more Iggy. I love Iggy he's such a great character,
The mystery doesn't start till later in the book, but that kinda works here. They have to go to the town at the sea first before the mystery starts. The scene with the water and when Imogen meets Leo was a bit weird and felt like it slowed the start down a bit, but it all ties in more with the plot later. Then once they're in the town at the sea the mystery gets rolling. A man dies while having the signature treatment at the spa and Imogen and the rest tries to solve the mystery.
The mystery wasn't too complex. There are three main suspects sort of and they all have some sort of motive, it's just figuring out who took it further and actually killed the guy. The strange thing is that for a big part of the book, actually up till the end of the mystery, they aren't even sure whether the victim got killed or whether it was an accident. I am usually not a fan of those plot lines as I rather know that thing for sure as it always makes the main character seem a bit too suspicious someone with how they're seeing a murder everywhere without proof.
It was fun to learn a bit about this town and the people in it and there's also a tie with the monsters. We see a few more monsters, but it still a bit on the background. Besides the mystery plot line, there are some character related plot lines that continue. There are some new romances blooming as well. And there is just a little bit that nods toward the overarching plot line.
One thing that bothered me again in this book was the weird mix of Asian and western. This book is probably set in Japan, it's never explicitly mentioned, but that seems to be the vibe the author is going for. But then other things don't quite fit with that vibe, words that are used not quite in the right manner and Asian/ Japanese style thins that get combined with more western things. It was quite confusion and felt off to me. And throughout the book there are multiple such things and it keeps popping up in different situations.
To give an example the seaside town is first referred to as onsen town, when they arrive they only use the word spa suddenly, which does seem to be the right word for what these things are. And then later the word bathhouse is thrown in a few times. All of these words have a different vibe and meaning and it was just confusing how they're all used for the same thing and how there was no consistent use of only one word. I am not sure whether the author didn't do enough research or whether it's done on purpose.
Something I did like about the setting the author creates is how she gives all these towns and happenings a magical touch. There is a monster watching festival and they have these magical themed gifts and items around. There are some magical creatures around and magic is used for some of the treatments at the spa. It's a lot fun and I like how it;s subtly woven into everyday live, it makes it all feel more real.
I liked reading about Imogen again. I also like how she works closely with hank while solving this mystery. And their romance seems to be going well. It was nice to see Yann take a bigger role in this book with his infatuation with the Black Widow. Then there's Iggy, who is one of my favorite characters, he's just so fun to read about. Then there is the usual cats of side characters. It also was interesting to see Sam have a bit of a beginning romance with captain Kenta.
To summarize: This was another fun read in this series. I thought it was better than the previous book, which is partly because my expectations have been adjusted now. This story is again set on the island and there's very little about the overarching plot line. I now expected this and it didn't bother me as much, although I am really curious what's going on with the reveals at the end of book 6. There is an interesting reveal about Horace in this book. And a bit of a weird scene with Leo at the start, which makes more sense later. This book had again that fun vibe I enjoy about these books. There is a mystery to solve and some characters plot lines as well. The mystery is pretty straightforward with 3 possible suspects and they have to figure out which of them is the murderer. I was not surprised when we discover who did it, but it was fun to follow along as the character discover the clues. One things that bothers me is the weird mix of Japanese and western style elements and words, I am not sure whether this is a lack of research or intentional. It's confusing and feels off to me. I like reading about these characters and following them along as their stories progress. Only two more books to go in this series!
The previous book I enjoyed less than the rest of the series and I had hoped this book would be better again, and it was. Now that I know they're stuck on the island and wasn't hoping for the overarching plot line to continue as much, I could enjoy it more as it was. Although I am still a bit sad there isn't much about the overarching plot line that we followed more strongly during the first six books. There is a bit of explanation about that in this book and some interesting reveals regarding Horace, which I was missing in book 7, so I am glad it was present here a bit at least. That first scene with Leo felt like it came completely out of the blue and only made sense later.
I am happy to say that this book was a lot more fun again than the previous book, which is what I am looking for when I pick up one of these books. Now that they're settled a bit on the island they have a bit of a place and friends too, things seem to go a bit smoother on that front. There also was more character interactions again and some of the side characters we met in the previous book, but mostly the friendly ones are left now. And ofcourse there is more Iggy. I love Iggy he's such a great character,
The mystery doesn't start till later in the book, but that kinda works here. They have to go to the town at the sea first before the mystery starts. The scene with the water and when Imogen meets Leo was a bit weird and felt like it slowed the start down a bit, but it all ties in more with the plot later. Then once they're in the town at the sea the mystery gets rolling. A man dies while having the signature treatment at the spa and Imogen and the rest tries to solve the mystery.
The mystery wasn't too complex. There are three main suspects sort of and they all have some sort of motive, it's just figuring out who took it further and actually killed the guy. The strange thing is that for a big part of the book, actually up till the end of the mystery, they aren't even sure whether the victim got killed or whether it was an accident. I am usually not a fan of those plot lines as I rather know that thing for sure as it always makes the main character seem a bit too suspicious someone with how they're seeing a murder everywhere without proof.
It was fun to learn a bit about this town and the people in it and there's also a tie with the monsters. We see a few more monsters, but it still a bit on the background. Besides the mystery plot line, there are some character related plot lines that continue. There are some new romances blooming as well. And there is just a little bit that nods toward the overarching plot line.
One thing that bothered me again in this book was the weird mix of Asian and western. This book is probably set in Japan, it's never explicitly mentioned, but that seems to be the vibe the author is going for. But then other things don't quite fit with that vibe, words that are used not quite in the right manner and Asian/ Japanese style thins that get combined with more western things. It was quite confusion and felt off to me. And throughout the book there are multiple such things and it keeps popping up in different situations.
To give an example the seaside town is first referred to as onsen town, when they arrive they only use the word spa suddenly, which does seem to be the right word for what these things are. And then later the word bathhouse is thrown in a few times. All of these words have a different vibe and meaning and it was just confusing how they're all used for the same thing and how there was no consistent use of only one word. I am not sure whether the author didn't do enough research or whether it's done on purpose.
Something I did like about the setting the author creates is how she gives all these towns and happenings a magical touch. There is a monster watching festival and they have these magical themed gifts and items around. There are some magical creatures around and magic is used for some of the treatments at the spa. It's a lot fun and I like how it;s subtly woven into everyday live, it makes it all feel more real.
I liked reading about Imogen again. I also like how she works closely with hank while solving this mystery. And their romance seems to be going well. It was nice to see Yann take a bigger role in this book with his infatuation with the Black Widow. Then there's Iggy, who is one of my favorite characters, he's just so fun to read about. Then there is the usual cats of side characters. It also was interesting to see Sam have a bit of a beginning romance with captain Kenta.
To summarize: This was another fun read in this series. I thought it was better than the previous book, which is partly because my expectations have been adjusted now. This story is again set on the island and there's very little about the overarching plot line. I now expected this and it didn't bother me as much, although I am really curious what's going on with the reveals at the end of book 6. There is an interesting reveal about Horace in this book. And a bit of a weird scene with Leo at the start, which makes more sense later. This book had again that fun vibe I enjoy about these books. There is a mystery to solve and some characters plot lines as well. The mystery is pretty straightforward with 3 possible suspects and they have to figure out which of them is the murderer. I was not surprised when we discover who did it, but it was fun to follow along as the character discover the clues. One things that bothers me is the weird mix of Japanese and western style elements and words, I am not sure whether this is a lack of research or intentional. It's confusing and feels off to me. I like reading about these characters and following them along as their stories progress. Only two more books to go in this series!
shelbyleannblacker's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
karen_the_baroness's review against another edition
5.0
Can Imogen and her friends solve a mystery about the man in the sand?
Grimoires, Spas and Chocolate Straws by Erin Johnson is another excellent book by this fabulous author. This story left me feeling a lot of things for each of the characters. I have to say that I’m rooting for them all and their love interests. Ms. Johnson has a way of doing that to us in each of her books in the Spells and Caramels series.
What I like:
- Imogen is still my favorite character, and she is the one that is telling the story.
- It's not like she is trying to be a dead body magnet, but she can’t help herself if she happens across one. Well, kind of hard not to with this doozy of one.
- We learn more about what happened when King Roch sent the monsters to Badland Island. I think it’s always refreshing to learn about how this event affected so many people.
- Hank is more involved this time on helping Imogen with finding the killer than the last two times.
- The other likes that I have would be a spoilers
What I don’t like:
I didn’t like the way that Imogen handled some situations. She could have told Yann about the girl he is crushing on differently. I also didn’t like that Horace didn’t have any more portal mirrors so now he can't he escape if he needs to. The last thing that I dislike is that Imogen's friends didn't believe that she wouldn't be investigating the murder. I mean if they didn't talk about the death all the time she wouldn't be thinking about it.
What I’m curious about:
I am curious about if Imogen and her friends will be saved from the Badlands Island? Or do they even want to be saved?
Five Star
Grimoires, Spas and Chocolate Straws by Erin Johnson is a five-star book. I loved every single bit of it. Ms. Johnson also did make me cry twice while reading this book. I won't say when those two times were at, but you will get a full range of emotions reading this story. This book is a fantastic read, and I can’t wait for her next book.
Anyways until the next time enjoy this review brought to you by,
This review was originally posted on Baroness' Book Trove
laileanah's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
3.0
This was okay.
I'm kinda ready for the over all story to move along.
I'm kinda ready for the over all story to move along.