Aubrey Law

There is a lot to unpack here so bare with me. I'm give this book a 4 star because I thoroughly enjoyed the world building and the ideas that were attempted. This indie author has a great world, she just needs the help of a developmental editor. If you can get past all of that, it's worth the read.

I mean it's a badass black witch back from hell. What more could you ask for? Every magical creature all rolled into one world? It's got that too. I'm often disappointed when books only acknowledge one type of creature but ignore the rest. If witches are real, isn't everything?! In Black Annis' world, it's all real, and all of it hates her.

The book has massive amounts of telling, straight out stop the story, and let me drop this large world build on you, telling. So it is startling at points. A whole lot of story is crammed into a few days, and a short book. The plot moves fast, you can't spend a week playing getting to know you, and letting lost items become more lost. So I get that it is crammed into a few days, but the book should be way longer. Annis has the pleasure of teaching nosy Sonja about the magic world, why make Sonja nosy if Annis isn't going to indulge her and world build through showing & explanation? They run into every creature imaginable but instead of Annis showing/teaching Sonja, the story is stopped and we get a monologue explanation directed at the reader.

I got Annis' obsession with the dagger, shiny toy, distraction from her own woes, etc. don't want it in the wrong hands, so it might as well be in her hands.

I also liked Annis & Sonja in general, they would have sucked had it been some kind of insta love, we're going to be a team lets do this through out the whole book. I was thrilled at the ending, and their different woes going on through out the book. Sonja being a noob to a lot of the truth of the magical world, and falling for scams, that all felt on point. Annis being gone for 400 years could have been laid on a little thicker, she adapted to the modern day quite easily. But I'm super interested in the Ashley left overs inside her. She has a reputation, and I really liked the message that reputations aren't always what they are cracked up to be. She didn't nail everything, all the time. Which again is a huge bonus for me with main characters.

The book left me with a lot of the right questions, which is why I feel it's just a developmental edit issue. I didn't notice any grammatical or sentence type issues.

I hope that the author hits it out of the park when she releases an update for this book, and the series over all. It has a lot of great potential.… (meer)

Wicked Fun

When I saw the cover of this book I had to read it! I love Halloween, (and Christmas). When the temperature goes down to the fifties, my mind screams fall. I start searching for Halloween books to read.
I was excited to get this book and really hoping it would be worthy of kicking off Halloween for me. Yes, I am aware it is September, what is your point? I have fairy lights up, hot chocolate and comfy jammies. I just needed the book. This book was what I was hoping for. With a crazy mix of some lovable characters that include witches, leprechauns, gnomes, trolls and more, I was enchanted from the start. The book has a collection of three mysteries. They moved along at a fast pace and weren't especially difficult. I wasn't put off by that at all due to the rollicking fun I was finding in them. At the end of the book I was satisfied but also sad. I wanted more of Wanda and her crazy adventures. I wanted her to visit Corky. I want her to meet someone better than Tom. I want Sam to get together with Amber. I want to hear about Aunt Hazel's date. I want to know how Alice and Jinxy made up. I want to read about their reactions to the last mystery. I could go on with what I want to know. There is more. The fact that I want to know so much more should clue you in with how much I enjoyed myself. I really am looking forward to the next adventure in Pumpkintown.
For those who wish to know: there is some mild language used. There are references to sex, (and cheating), but no explicit actions. The violence level I would have as fair. There is a lot going on and much of it involves murder and attempts to murder. Nothing was gory though. The writing, to me, would be placed as mature young adult for the references about sex. The mystery is not difficult.
I would like to thank BookTasters on Twitter for hooking me up with the book. I would like to thank the author for the review copy of her book. I agreed to give an honest review and that is what I have done. The opinions stated are based upon my feelings and thoughts while reading the book.
If you are looking for a fun way to pass a couple of hours give this book a try.… (meer)

I really enjoy reading the Pumpkintown Perils series. They are quick reads that are filled with fun! Wanda and Sam are back right where we left off. They have new mysteries to solve though, including the death of a character I liked. "Sigh."
I look forward to these books as, for me, they are great stress relievers. I prefer to make time to read the book in one sitting just because I get so involved in the rollicking adventures the oddball characters have. I truly do get upset if I have to stop, (something I noticed with this one because my week went sideways and got super busy). I had started it and was at the forty percent marker when my week blew up. I started from the beginning again today so I could fully enjoy it my way. My recommendation would be to start it when you have a couple of free hours. The time will fly by as you keep turning pages to see what happens next. The book is not a typical mystery book where there is a murder and a lot of tension. This is more like, yes there is a murder but there are so many zany things going on that it is more fun than tense. I run about 50/50 in solving the mysteries.
For those interested there is swearing, alcohol use, sexual references, a cliffhanger ending and endless fun. If you are looking for an entertaining, stress-free, laugh friendly evening, try this series. Because the books have cliffhangers I do recommend reading them in the order written.
I would like to thank BookTasters for introducing me to this book and the author who provided a copy for review consideration. I am looking forward to the next volume of Pumpkintown Perils.… (meer)