When the Crow's Away by Auralee Wallace

 When the Crow's Away by Auralee Wallace, 291 pages

This visit to Evenfall finds Brynn Warren attempting to corral the recently deceased Mort Sweete long to solve the mystery of his murder.

The first book was so good, and the second only continued to get better.  It was interesting to see how life with magic worked, since in the first book Brynn largely tried to ignore it. I was truly enjoying this book it drove off a cliff and left us hanging for a book three that may or may not be forthcoming. 

In the Company of Witches by Auralee Wallace

In the Company of Witches by Auralee Wallace, 330 pages

From the MARC: "When a guest dies in the B&B she helps her aunts run, a young witch must rely on some good old-fashioned investigating to clear her aunt's name in this magical and charming cozy mystery."

Cozy mysteries are some of my very favorite reads to curl up with! I found Wallace's witching world of Evenfall delightfully enjoyable. The characters are strange in an endearing way without being cloying or cookie cutter.  If you're looking for an enchanting palate cleanser between heavier reads, In the Company of Witches just might fit the bill

 

Young Hag and the Witches’ Quest by Isabel Greenberg

Young Hag and the Witches’ Quest by Isabel Greenberg

272 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Once there was magic in Britain. There were dragons and wizards and green knights and round tables and kings that pulled swords out of stones. But now, the doors to the Otherworld have closed, and the magic is gone. All that is left are the stories of those bygone days. Young Hag, her mother and her grandmother, Ancient Crone, are the last of the witches in Britain. At least, that’s what Ancient Crone says.

Young Hag has grown up hearing those tales and believing in her the power of her Grandmother. But when tragedy strikes, and their world is shaken, Young Hag turns her back on magic. She is sick of the tales of family curses, faerie doors, lost magic, and ancient swords. If they are witches, where is their magic when they really need it?

And then one day they find a changeling baby in the woods. Confronted with real magic at last, Young Hag has no choice but to believe. She sets off on the greatest quest of her life; to bring the magic back to Britain. But when faced with magic and myth, can Young Hag put aside her doubts and fears? Or will she simply become a forgotten footnote in the tale of famous kings and wizards?

Ghost of a Potion by Heather Blake

Ghost of a Potion by Heather Blake, 323 pages

From the MARC: "...it's Halloween in Hitching Post, Alabama, and potion shop owner Carly Bell Hartwell has an especially spooky customer to handle... With all the ghosts that haunt her at this time of year, Carly doesn't exactly rush to celebrate Halloween. Even a costume ball organized by her boyfriend Dylan's mother, Patricia Davis Jackson, holds little allure. But to please Dylan, who wants peace between the two women, Carly reluctantly agrees to go. Gossip around town is that architect Haywood Dodd plans to make a big announcement at the party. But before he can address the crowd, he's found dead with Patricia standing over him, holding the murder weapon. Anxious to clear Patricia's name and perhaps broker a truce with her, Carly would love to use her snooping skills to find the real killer. Only she has bigger problems to deal with-ghosts are flocking to her for help, including a very persistent Haywood Dodd..."

This third installment of the Magic Potion Mysteries might be my favorite. Blake's approach to ghosts felt novel, the mystery was well woven, and the Dylan reveal was actually surprising. I sincerely wish Blake hadn't abandonded this mystery series, because while this book doesn't end on a cliffhanger, it does end in a way that tantalizes me with what-could-happen. 

 

One Potion In the Grave by Heather Blake

One Potion In the Grave by Heather Blake, 325 pages

From the MARC: "When Katie Sue Perrywinkle walks into the Little Shop of Potions, Carly is surprised and delighted to see her old childhood friend. Katie Sue fled her hometown and a troubled family over a decade ago. But she’s not back for a social visit. She’s come to settle a score with Senator Warren Calhoun, who is in town for his son’s high-profile wedding.

 

But before Katie Sue has a chance to voice any objections, she’s forced to forever hold her peace. After finding her friend dead, Carly vows to find her murderer. Were the corrupt Calhouns willing to go to any lengths to avoid a scandal? Did Katie Sue’s family take the term “bad blood” to a whole new level? And why did the bride-to-be come to Carly for a love potion? As Carly gets closer to the truth, a killer is planning a very chilly reception.…"

Unusually for a second-in-series, I enjoyed this book as well, if not more, than the first.  Slipping back into the world of Hitching Post was comfortable and comforting. 

 

A Potion to Die For by Heather Blake

A Potion to Die For by Heather Blake, 327 pages

From the MARC: "As the owner of Little Shop of Potions, a magic potion shop specializing in love potions, Carly Bell Hartwell finds her product more in demand than ever. A local soothsayer has predicted that a couple in town will soon divorce -- and now it seems every married person in Hitching Post, Alabama, wants a little extra matrimonial magic to make sure they stay hitched. But when Carly finds a dead man in her shop, clutching one of her potion bottles, she goes from most popular potion person to public enemy number one."

I really enjoy magical realism, witchy comfy reads, and Blake's world was a comfortable, entertaining place to be. 

 

Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola

Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola, 36 pages

Strega Nona is a witch who helps those who come to her, curing headaches, getting rid of warts, and helping people fall in love. But Strega Nona is getting older and needs help, and Big Anthony inadvertently volunteers for the job. 

Big Anthony discovers Strega Nona has a magic pot that makes pasta. When Strega Nona goes on a trip, Big Anthony tries to impress the town with endless pasta but without knowing how to properly turn the pot off, the whole town is in danger of drowning in pasta!

I didn't know about the Strega Nona books until I was an adult, but I think they have a magic all their own. From the homey illustrations to an ending well deserved, I thoroughly enjoyed this Strega Nona adventure. 

 

The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness

The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness, 561 pages

From the MARC: "Historian and witch Diana Bishop and vampire scientist Matthew Clairmont return to the present to face new crises and old enemies."

Originally this series was a trilogy and thus ended with The Book of Life. If this were to be the end of the Bishop-Clairmont tale, it would have been a satisfying ending. I really enjoyed the way Harkness blended magic and science. The characters were written richly, weaving together in a tapestry worthy of Diana's own cords. Given the state of the world, it was also illuminating that the end of the major conflict of the book resulted in inclusion and togetherness.  Not the author's intention from 2014, but it struck me as an interesting parallel.  

 

Shadow of Night by Deborah Harknes

Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness, 583 pages

The second book of the All Souls series covers Diana and Matthew's adventures timewalking in Elizabethan London searching for a witch to properly train Diana, and to find an intact Ashmole 782 manuscript. But soon it becomes evident that the longer they stay in the past, the more they risk the future and must fight to find a way back. 

 

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness, 579 pages

Diana Bishop is the last in a long line of powerful witches. Immersing herself in alchemical academia, Diana refuses to acknowledge her magic until one day she inadvertently accesses a magical text that had been lost for hundreds of years.  Before she knows it, Diana is plunged into the world of creatures--witches, vampires, and daemons--where she is pursued by all three. When Diana teams up with a dark and mysterious vampire named Matthew de Clairmont, she realizes too late her life is changed forever and she will have to not only accept her power but also how to wield her growing list of magic to defend those she loves. 

I read this book because a patron recommended it to me, and I'm so very glad that he did. Harkness' world feels magnificently authentic and her attention to all the little details gives an electric charge to not just her characters, but the world itself. Everything unfolded with a chaotic sort of purpose but in a way that rang true. 

 

A Demon's Guide to Wooing a Witch by Sarah Hawley

A Demon's Guide to Wooing a Witch by Sarah Hawley -- 432 pages

Calladia Cunnington knows she's rough around the edges, despite being the heir to one of small-town Glimmer Falls' founding witch families. While her gym obsession is a great outlet for her anxieties and anger, her hot temper still gets the best of her and manifests in bar brawls. When Calladia saves someone from a demon attack one night, though, she's happy to put her magic and rage to good use . . . until she realizes the man she saved is none other than Astaroth, the ruthless demon who orchestrated a soul bargain on her best friend.

Astaroth is a legendary soul bargainer and one of the nine members of the demon high council--except he can't remember any of this. Suffering from amnesia after being banished to the mortal plane, Astaroth doesn't know why a demon named Moloch is after him, nor why the muscular, angry, hot-in-a-terrifying-way witch who saved him hates him so much.

Unable to leave anyone in such a vulnerable state--even the most despicable demon--Calladia grudgingly decides to help him. (Besides, punching an amnesiac would be in poor taste.) The two set out on an uneasy road trip to find the witch who might be able to restore Astaroth's memory so they can learn how to defeat Moloch. Calladia vows that once Astaroth is cured, she'll kick his ass, but the more time she spends with the snarky yet utterly charming demon, the more she realizes she likes this new, improved Astaroth . . . and maybe she doesn't want him to recover his memories, after all.

A Witch's Guide to Fake Dating a Demon by Sarah Hawley

A Witch's Guide to Fake Dating a Demon by Sarah Hawley -- 367 pages

Mariel Spark is prophesied to be the most powerful witch seen in centuries of the famed Spark family, but to the displeasure of her mother, she prefers baking to brewing potions and gardening to casting hexes. When a spell to summon flour goes very wrong, Mariel finds herself staring down a demon—one she inadvertently summoned for a soul bargain.

Ozroth the Ruthless is a legend among demons. Powerful and merciless, he drives hard bargains to collect mortal souls. But his reputation has suffered ever since a bargain went awry—if he can strike a bargain with Mariel, he will earn back his deadly reputation. Ozroth can’t leave Mariel’s side until they complete a bargain, which she refuses to do (turns out some humans are attached to their souls).

But the witch is funny. And curvy. And disgustingly yet endearingly cheerful. Becoming awkward roommates quickly escalates when Mariel, terrified to confess the inadvertent summoning to her mother, blurts out that she’s dating Ozroth. As Ozroth and Mariel struggle with their opposing goals and maintaining a fake relationship, real attraction blooms between them. But Ozroth has a limited amount of time to strike the deal, and if Mariel gives up her soul, she’ll lose all her emotions—including love—which will only spell disaster for them both.

Practical Magic (Practical Magic, #1) by Alice Hoffman

 Practical Magic (Practical Magic, #1) by Alice Hoffman-317 pages

⭐⭐1/2

Sally and Gillian Owens become orphans at a very young age and move in with their eccentric old aunts. Their aunts are witches who practice magic and do spells to aid people hopelessly in love. When they get older, Gillian becomes a wanderer and Sally marries Michael, a local young man. Michael dies when he's struck by a vehicle and Sally takes it hard. A year later, Sally moves herself and her two girls, Antonia and Kylie, to New York away from the aunts. Sally wants a normal life for her family. Can Sally really be normal and can Antonia and Kylie? Or will they all be drawn back into magic and towards the aunts? I didn't like the book too much, mostly because of the meandering writing style. There are other factors, also. The movie is much better than the book in this rare instance. 

Bad Blood by Demitria Lunetta

 

Bad Blood by Demitria Lunetta  274 pages

All sixteen-year-old Heather MacNair wants is to feel normal, to shed the intense paranoia she’s worn all year like a scratchy sweater. After her compulsion to self-harm came to light, Heather was kept under her doctor’s watchful eye. Her family thinks she’s better—and there’s nothing she wants more than for that to be true. She still can’t believe she’s allowed to spend her summer vacation as she always does: at her aunt’s home in Scotland, where she has lots of happy memories. Far away from all her problems save one: she can’t stop carving the Celtic knot that haunts her dreams into her skin.

Good friends and boys with Scottish accents can cure almost anything…except nightmares. Heather can’t stop dreaming about two sisters from centuries ago, twins Prudence and Primrose, who somehow seem tied to her own life. Their presence lurks just beneath the surface of her consciousness, sending ripples through what should be a peaceful summer. The twins might hold the key to putting Heather’s soul at rest…or they could slice her future deeper than any knife.

This was an easy read. I liked the simple story, and you don't need to have a strong knowledge of witches to understand it like some stories I've read. 

Time's Convert by Deborah Harkness

Time's Convert by Deborah Harkness -- 448 pages

On the battlefields of the American Revolution, Matthew de Clermont meets Marcus MacNeil, a young surgeon from Massachusetts, during a moment of political awakening when it seems that the world is on the brink of a brighter future. When Matthew offers him a chance at immortality and a new life free from the restraints of his puritanical upbringing, Marcus seizes the opportunity to become a vampire. But his transformation is not an easy one and the ancient traditions and responsibilities of the de Clermont family clash with Marcus's deeply held beliefs in liberty, equality, and brotherhood.

Fast-forward to contemporary Paris, where Phoebe Taylor--the young employee at Sotheby's whom Marcus has fallen for--is about to embark on her own journey to immortality. Though the modernized version of the process at first seems uncomplicated, the couple discovers that the challenges facing a human who wishes to be a vampire are no less formidable than they were in the eighteenth century. The shadows that Marcus believed he'd escaped centuries ago may return to haunt them both--forever.

A passionate love story and a fascinating exploration of the power of tradition and the possibilities not just for change but for revolution, Time's Convert channels the supernatural world-building and slow-burning romance that made the All Souls Trilogy instant bestsellers to illuminate a new and vital moment in history, and a love affair that will bridge centuries.

The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness

The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness -- 561 pages

Bringing the magic and suspense of the All Souls Trilogy to a deeply satisfying conclusion, this highly anticipated finale went straight to #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. In The Book of Life, Diana and Matthew time-travel back from Elizabethan London to make a dramatic return to the present—facing new crises and old enemies. At Matthew’s ancestral home, Sept-Tours, they reunite with the beloved cast of characters from A Discovery of Witches—with one significant exception. But the real threat to their future has yet to be revealed, and when it is, the search for Ashmole 782 and its missing pages takes on even more urgency.

Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness

Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness -- 584 pages

Picking up from A Discovery of Witches’ cliffhanger ending, Shadow of Night takes Diana and Matthew on a trip through time to Elizabethan London, where they are plunged into a world of spies, magic, and a coterie of Matthew’s old friends, the School of Night. As the search for Ashmole 782 deepens and Diana seeks out a witch to tutor her in magic, the net of Matthew’s past tightens around them, and they embark on a very different—and vastly more dangerous—journey.

The Indigo Spell (Bloodlines, #3) by Richelle Mead

The Indigo Spell (Bloodlines, #3) by Richelle Mead-401 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Sydney Sage continues her Alchemist mission to protect Jill Dragomir from her enemies. Things get complicated by a witch coming after her and her teacher Ms. Terwilliger. Sydney learns more magic and becomes more comfortable around magic. Also, Sydney tracks down former Alchemist Marcus and gets his story. Her relationship with Adrian continues to evolve. Can Sydney continue to deny her feelings for Adrian? Will the witch defeat her and/or Ms. Terwilliger? I continue to enjoy reading this series and look forward to reading the next book. 

The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling

The Ex Hex (The Ex Hex #1) by Erin Sterling, 308 pages

"Nine years ago, Vivienne Jones nursed her broken heart like any young witch would: vodka, weepy music, bubble baths…and a curse on the horrible boyfriend. Sure, Vivi knows she shouldn’t use her magic this way, but with only an “orchard hayride” scented candle on hand, she isn’t worried it will cause him anything more than a bad hair day or two.

That is until Rhys Penhallow, descendent of the town’s ancestors, breaker of hearts, and annoyingly just as gorgeous as he always was, returns to Graves Glen, Georgia. What should be a quick trip to recharge the town’s ley lines and make an appearance at the annual fall festival turns disastrously wrong. With one calamity after another striking Rhys, Vivi realizes her silly little Ex Hex may not have been so harmless after all. 

Suddenly, Graves Glen is under attack from murderous wind-up toys, a pissed off ghost, and a talking cat with some interesting things to say. Vivi and Rhys have to ignore their off the charts chemistry to work together to save the town and find a way to break the break-up curse before it’s too late." --Goodreads blurb

The synopsis of this story sounded great, but just didn't end up being a good read for me. I think some of it had to do with the audiobook narrator, but a lot of it had to do with the writing and stuttering plot as well. 

Kingdom of the Feared by Kerri Maniscalco

Kingdom of the Feared by Kerri Maniscalco -- 464 pages

Emilia is reeling from the shocking discovery that her twin sister, Vittoria, is alive. But before she faces the demons of her past, Emilia yearns to claim her king, the seductive Prince of Wrath, in the flesh. Emilia doesn’t simply desire his body, she wants his heart and soul—but that’s something the enigmatic demon can’t promise her.

When a high-ranking member of House Greed is assassinated, Emilia and Wrath are drawn to the rival demon court. Damning evidence points to Vittoria as the murderer and she’s quickly declared an enemy of the Seven Circles. Despite her betrayal, Emilia will do anything to solve this new mystery and find out who her sister really is.

Together Emilia and Wrath play a sin-fueled game of deception as they work to stop the unrest that’s brewing between witches, demons, shape-shifters and the most treacherous foes of all: the Feared. Emilia was warned that when it came to the Wicked nothing was as it seemed. But, have the true villains been much closer all along? When the truth is finally revealed, it just might end up costing Emilia her heart.

Two curses.
One prophecy.
A reckoning all have feared.

And a love more powerful than fate. All hail the king and queen of Hell.