Star Witch (The Lazy Girl's Guide to Magic, #2)

by Helen Harper

[jesstheaudiobookworm]

4.5 ★ Audiobook⎮I’m a little ticked off that my audiobook listening seems to be in an upswing just as the month of October, a.k.a. my favorite listening month, is coming to a close. I’m trying to pack in as many paranormal listens as I can before the 31st. And as this seems to be the month for reviewing second installments, I decided to return to a series I started earlier in the month.

Something weird must be going on with me because I almost never review second installments. Since they tend to be extensions of the first installment in a series, I hardly ever find them worthy of a separate review. Star Witch not only had a different setting and premise than Slouch Witch, but I wound up slightly preferring it over its predecessor. Considering these two things, I decided it was worth gushing about once more.

While the romance is progressing nicely in this volume, it was the mystery plot that had me more intrigued this time. Don’t get me wrong, Raphael Winter still has me swooning all over the place. Just his name is swoon-worthy. Say it with me: Raphael Winter.

Star Witch combined fun with fright. Take the setting of a hit reality TV show, combine it with a necromancer on the loose and my ears are at full attention. Plus, there’s Ivy… just being Ivy. That’s entertainment enough! Ivy is showing slight signs of character growth, as is Raphael, but she’s still humorously (and relatably) lazy and indulgent. In other words, she’s broken the mold for female protagonists! I’m so glad that Helen Harper is allowing Ivy to remain true to character. She’s the main reason I’m falling fast for this series.

The other reason is Helen Harper, herself. I love that each of these installments picks up right where its predecessor left off. It’s extremely conducive to the type of binge listening I’m doing right now! Harper’s style of writing is irreverent, funny, and down-to-earth. I can’t remember the last time I said an author’s writing sounded “down-to-earth”, but it’s a high compliment from me. I’m thrilled to see that she has several other paranormal series out on audiobook, all narrated by Saskia Maarleveld. I’ll be visiting those series soon enough. But now, if you’ll excuse me, my download of Spirit Witch has just completed and I’m off to hear more Ivy Wilde.

Narration review: The only complaint I had regarding Tanya Eby’s narration of Slouch Witch had to do with her lack of a British accent when voicing the main character, who appears in all other ways to be very British. That complaint notwithstanding, Eby’s narration continues to be marvelous. I’m extremely pleased with the amount of character distinction she provides. Such characterizations assist in my visualization of the characters immensely. And she has nailed Ivy’s sass perfectly. Eby has made an already relatable character seem even more realistic and almost tangible. ♣︎