Reviewed by Silvara on
I received this book for free from Obsidian in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
I loved all the Southern-isms in the book. The way the characters talked, the phrases they used for things, the foods and parties and everything. It made the book feel more real, even though I did not grow up in the South, I could picture it all perfectly in my head.
I'm used to cozy mysteries where the business that the main character owns (if they own one at all) plays some part in the mystery. And while this one DID use the potion shop, it was in a very round about way. Most of the focus in this book was on the ghosts and the mysteries themselves. Which is good and as it should be.
I also liked how there were a few side mysteries that Carly had to solve alongside the major one. It wasn't confusing, and it didn't feel like they were filler to make the book longer. They way they fell out was believable and at times funny.
I loved the description of the dress Carly wore to the gala event in the beginning of the book. And I totally knew what was going to end up happening with Louella. I loved all the interactions Carly had with her mama, as well as most of the ones she had with Patricia. I could see Carly and her daddy hiding out from her mama, and all the characters really had that real-person feel to them. They were well-developed enough you could almost expect to run into them when leaving your house.
I didn't have any clue who the killer was before the reveal at the end. And it was done so well, even the explanation as to why they were a killer made sense.
If you haven't read this series yet, you should!
This review was originally posted on Fantasy of the Silver Dragon
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 11 October, 2015: Finished reading
- 11 October, 2015: Reviewed