Catching Up

71. 
Title: [In a Witch’s Wardrobe]
Author: Juliet Blackwell
Pages:
Genre: Paranormal Cozy Mystery
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition:
Date Completed: September 29, 2013
Rating: ***1/2

Lily once again finds herself neck-deep in an investigation - actually, more than one.  First, she is tasked by Aiden to discover just who killed one Wiccan coven member, and poisoned another (also accidentally poisoning her young daughter).  And if the threat of a murderer isn't enough, a series of vandalisms at the hands of an anti-magic hate group has disrupted the neighborhood. 

The mysteries as a plot device are less compelling to me than the personal relationships; here, Lily is forced to reconcile herself with growing attached to others, and the emotional turmoil that can come just from caring.  As always, I find the personal development very satisfying, and Blackwell's cliffhanger of a conclusion is sure to lead me to her next installment. 



63.
Title: [Gulp]
Author: Mary Roach
Pages:
Genre: Nonfiction
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Gifted
Date Completed: August 24, 2013
Rating: ****

Mary Roach has been between the sheets, on the edge of the afterlife, in the grave, and out in space.  In Gulp she's back to her roots - the body - as she takes a "trip down the alimentary canal."  After a bit of a disappointment from [Packing for Mars], it was good to see her there.  In Gulp Roach is once again pestering scientists and asking inappropriate questions, and along the way exposes the secrets behind foot testing, flavored pet foot, and Elvis' super colon.  While someone in the field may not learn something new, it kept this general audience member interested and giggling. 

58.
Author(s): Terri Garey
Title: [Dead Girls Are Easy]
Publication: Kindle
Pages:
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Acquisition:
Date Completed: July 23, 2011
Rating: **

Dead Girls are Easy is DOA. The characters are flat and unsympathetic, the protagonist is obnoxiously inconsistent, and the plot is poorly paced.

57.
Author(s): Juliet Blackwell
Title: Hexes and Hemlines
Publication: Kindle
Pages:
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Acquisition:
Date Completed: July 21, 2011
Rating: ***

46.
Author(s): Juliet Blackwell
Title: A Cast-Off Coven
Publication: Kindle
Pages:
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Acquisition:
Date Completed: June 3, 2011
Rating: ***1/2

Juliet Blackwell's "Witchcraft Mysteries" are not the most compelling cozy mysteries I've read of late, but I feel like the series has promise. The protagonist - a natural witch and owner of a second-hand clothing store in California - leaves something to be desired (for example, she is established as a character with major trust issues - which I can accept - but she willingly accepts a familiar who is likely a spy from another witch she doesn't trust - which I cannot accept), but her developing character promises to be increasingly compelling as the series continues.

The mystery itself takes a backseat, and there are some narrative elements that I would have liked to have seen further developed, but for the second in a series A Cast-Off Coven isn't far off the mark.

99.
Author: Juliet Blackwell
Title: Secondhand Spirits
Publication: Kindle
Pages:
Genre: mystery
Acquisition:
Date Completed: December 22, 2010
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

My response to Juliet Blackwell's Secondhand Spritis varied chapter by chapter, and was overall far more positive towards the end than it was in the beginning. Early in the novel the writing is a bit wooden, and seems focused more on explaining contemporary religious practice - with a BIG dollop of the fantastic - than on developing characters or plot. Blackwell claims that she received this information from extensive interviews with active practitioners, and perhaps it may be interesting to some who are not as familiar, but I found her to be a bit contradictory; early in the novel the main character scoffs at anyone who isn't a "natural" witch, favoring a supernatural representation, and therefore passing judgment on the very people who apparently supplied the information.

However, as the novel progressed the story itself took center stage over the lectures, and the narrative became far more interesting. Certain elements of the mystery itself actually took me by surprise, which I appreciated. I think the bumps and bruises I found along the way may smooth out as the series progresses, and I may very well seek out the next installment.