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jillos1's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
loismc's review against another edition
4.0
Quick Read
Cute storyline. Easy read. Writing and editing are not bad. Characters could have had more dimension and the story could have been more detailed.
Cute storyline. Easy read. Writing and editing are not bad. Characters could have had more dimension and the story could have been more detailed.
rlbridges's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-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? No
2.0
kontresia's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
cutenanya's review against another edition
3.0
More like a 2.5
This book is the beginning to a new series and there is more depth to this book than just a murder mystery. The characters are interesting, the cat is amazing, and the writing is not bad.
Unfortunately, the ending is too abrupt and rather than creating a pathway so that readers can figure out the mystery, this is closer to just throwing the ending at the readers. That can constitute a fatal mistake for a murder mystery. Fortunately, the focus of this series is more on the house, the treasures in the attic, and not the murder mystery so the series may still stand on its own, but it certainly has not peaked my interest enough to continue.
This book is the beginning to a new series and there is more depth to this book than just a murder mystery. The characters are interesting, the cat is amazing, and the writing is not bad.
Unfortunately, the ending is too abrupt and rather than creating a pathway so that readers can figure out the mystery, this is closer to just throwing the ending at the readers. That can constitute a fatal mistake for a murder mystery. Fortunately, the focus of this series is more on the house, the treasures in the attic, and not the murder mystery so the series may still stand on its own, but it certainly has not peaked my interest enough to continue.
pastelpageturner's review against another edition
3.0
Simple yet Enjoyable
I liked this first book. There are some flaws but easily overlooked. For free it wasn't so awful. I like the characters. I hope as the series goes on we learn more details. Rec for someone who wants a quick read.
I liked this first book. There are some flaws but easily overlooked. For free it wasn't so awful. I like the characters. I hope as the series goes on we learn more details. Rec for someone who wants a quick read.
sapphireee1's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-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
3.0
mariepier_kin's review
funny
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
3.0
sarah_moynihan's review against another edition
2.0
This book was okay, that's the best that I can say about it. I feel like it had the potential to be a great cozy mystery, but kind of fell flat. If would have benefitted from some more subtlety being used to guide us and the characters through the mystery. I was really disappointed. I really enjoy murder mysterious, especially ones that might have a Halloween-ish vibe, and take place in New England. But this one just didn't deliver. And they weren't even witches! I felt so betrayed.
The dialogue was clunky and didn't have a natural flow to it. And I seriously don't know what that accent was supposed to be with the dialog written for Ed and his brother. Not anything from New England surely? I live in northern New England and have never heard anything resembling it here. At least not from any person who is from here. It didn't even go the sterotypical route and drop the 'r's.
There were certain instances where characters knew details that they hadn't learned yet. Like with the scarf. Jake somehow already knows that it was a scarf that they had been digging for in the garden, even though Overton had only said that there was a tip about Morgan burying something in the garden, not a specific object. But even so, he knew that it was Prudence's scarf which was also quite possibly the murder weapon, even though he had no way of knowing that she was supposed to be wearing it when she was murdered. And everyone seems to automatically know that she was stangled with the scarf even though it was never established when it was first being investigated, and hadn't been on or with the body when she was found, and there was that added factor of a newt shoved into her throat.
And speaking of the newt, they question early on who could have overheard Morgan's comment and then used the opportunity to kill Prudence and pin it on Morgan....but it was a very short window of time, how did someone follow Prudence, manage to murder her in a conveniently secluded place where there just so happens to be an abundance of newts, get their hands on one of the newts to plant it on the body, presumably kill it, shove it down her throat, and get away unseen? All within the matter of a few minutes? Nah, not buying it.
Sure, more than one person. But it still come across as really contrived.
The nose ring? That isn't even at the crime scene, merely nearby it and just so happens to be the key they need to cracking a major clue.
The friend that goes away on a completely random vacation when his friends are in trouble without any warning. A friend who is supposedly so close that he's basically a brother. Not sure if this was intended to be a red herring and throw suspicion on him for the weird behavior. But this clearly happens so that they have to ask around to see if anyone living or staying near the woods saw anything suspicious. And the very first person they ask has the information they need. Seeing someone running out of the woods and not feeling the need to go to the police about it. Someone running from the woods who just so happens to have a very distinctive neck tattoo that she somehow is able to see from a distance, even though he's wearing a hoody. A tattoo so distinctive that as soon as it's mentioned, the youngest sister knows exactly who it is: first and last name, and even home address. Oh and guess what, he has the exact type of piercing to match the one found near the crime scene.
The youngest sister magically having these amazing hacking skills at the exact moment they'll come in handy to break the case, skills which were never mentioned or even elluded to before.
Potentially not having the money for the taxes that they must pay to keep the house and shop. But then getting the money exactly when they need it. Plus guess what: it's double what they need. Well isn't that just the perfect coincidence. Problem solved, happy days are here again. And the money came from the necklace in the attic, which they had planned to buy back from their pawn shop friend because they don't want to part with any family heirlooms. But then it's suddenly sold, without any decision to do so. Okay then.
The romance is really chilidish. Fiona is a woman in her early thirties, yet she reacts to Jake like she's in middle scholl and this is the first boy that she'd had a serious crush on.
And for a group of sisters that are supposedly so close, Fiona is quick to feel some sense of suspicion over her sister's innocence, even if she won't admit to it out loud. And for Jake and Fiona both being so adamantly opposed to developing any form of relationship or attachment to someone, to the extent of refusing to admit to, even to one's self, any modicum of attraction; they sure do quickly turn a 180. Without any character development or progession into this change. It goes from "ew, gross, never, not worth it" to "oh hey, so sexy, let's make out and date."
Most of the book is from the point of view of Fiona, but there is a chapter from Morgan's and random snippets from Jake. But it didn't flow seemlessly, the transitions between character views gave me pause each time. And the constant quoting of the cat's every sound and narration of its every move. And that the cat basically did everything for them and solved the entire damn mystery. Ugh.
And there weren't subtle clues for them to follow to lend a sense of realism to the case. There was some heavy-handed foreshadowing and some seriously large bread crumbs left at every step for these bumbling, amateur seuths to follow. And some seriously over-done coincidences.
I will not be continuing further with this series.
The dialogue was clunky and didn't have a natural flow to it. And I seriously don't know what that accent was supposed to be with the dialog written for Ed and his brother. Not anything from New England surely? I live in northern New England and have never heard anything resembling it here. At least not from any person who is from here. It didn't even go the sterotypical route and drop the 'r's.
There were certain instances where characters knew details that they hadn't learned yet. Like with the scarf. Jake somehow already knows that it was a scarf that they had been digging for in the garden, even though Overton had only said that there was a tip about Morgan burying something in the garden, not a specific object. But even so, he knew that it was Prudence's scarf which was also quite possibly the murder weapon, even though he had no way of knowing that she was supposed to be wearing it when she was murdered. And everyone seems to automatically know that she was stangled with the scarf even though it was never established when it was first being investigated, and hadn't been on or with the body when she was found, and there was that added factor of a newt shoved into her throat.
And speaking of the newt, they question early on who could have overheard Morgan's comment and then used the opportunity to kill Prudence and pin it on Morgan....but it was a very short window of time, how did someone follow Prudence, manage to murder her in a conveniently secluded place where there just so happens to be an abundance of newts, get their hands on one of the newts to plant it on the body, presumably kill it, shove it down her throat, and get away unseen? All within the matter of a few minutes? Nah, not buying it.
Sure, more than one person. But it still come across as really contrived.
The nose ring? That isn't even at the crime scene, merely nearby it and just so happens to be the key they need to cracking a major clue.
The friend that goes away on a completely random vacation when his friends are in trouble without any warning. A friend who is supposedly so close that he's basically a brother. Not sure if this was intended to be a red herring and throw suspicion on him for the weird behavior. But this clearly happens so that they have to ask around to see if anyone living or staying near the woods saw anything suspicious. And the very first person they ask has the information they need. Seeing someone running out of the woods and not feeling the need to go to the police about it. Someone running from the woods who just so happens to have a very distinctive neck tattoo that she somehow is able to see from a distance, even though he's wearing a hoody. A tattoo so distinctive that as soon as it's mentioned, the youngest sister knows exactly who it is: first and last name, and even home address. Oh and guess what, he has the exact type of piercing to match the one found near the crime scene.
The youngest sister magically having these amazing hacking skills at the exact moment they'll come in handy to break the case, skills which were never mentioned or even elluded to before.
Potentially not having the money for the taxes that they must pay to keep the house and shop. But then getting the money exactly when they need it. Plus guess what: it's double what they need. Well isn't that just the perfect coincidence. Problem solved, happy days are here again. And the money came from the necklace in the attic, which they had planned to buy back from their pawn shop friend because they don't want to part with any family heirlooms. But then it's suddenly sold, without any decision to do so. Okay then.
The romance is really chilidish. Fiona is a woman in her early thirties, yet she reacts to Jake like she's in middle scholl and this is the first boy that she'd had a serious crush on.
And for a group of sisters that are supposedly so close, Fiona is quick to feel some sense of suspicion over her sister's innocence, even if she won't admit to it out loud. And for Jake and Fiona both being so adamantly opposed to developing any form of relationship or attachment to someone, to the extent of refusing to admit to, even to one's self, any modicum of attraction; they sure do quickly turn a 180. Without any character development or progession into this change. It goes from "ew, gross, never, not worth it" to "oh hey, so sexy, let's make out and date."
Most of the book is from the point of view of Fiona, but there is a chapter from Morgan's and random snippets from Jake. But it didn't flow seemlessly, the transitions between character views gave me pause each time. And the constant quoting of the cat's every sound and narration of its every move. And that the cat basically did everything for them and solved the entire damn mystery. Ugh.
And there weren't subtle clues for them to follow to lend a sense of realism to the case. There was some heavy-handed foreshadowing and some seriously large bread crumbs left at every step for these bumbling, amateur seuths to follow. And some seriously over-done coincidences.
I will not be continuing further with this series.