Animal Embroidery Workbook: Step-by-Step Techniques & Patterns for 30 Cute Critters & More by Jessica Long

 
Animal Embroidery Workbook by Jessica Long

My Rating: ★★★★★

I received a copy from HarperCollins Publishers through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

As someone new to embroidery, I thought this book would be a great help on top of having cute patterns and was not disappointed. The opening has a lot of good information on the basics of getting started, including the different ways to put the outline of a pattern on fabric based on the type of fabric you are using. I also love the finishing techniques that are included, especially the double hoop. I was aware of most of these methods since I’m a cross stitcher, but I’ve never seen the double hoop finishing method and I can’t wait to try it.

There is a comprehensive stitch guide included, which is great for beginners like me. If any stitch does not make sense, it is easy to look how a how-to video and it suddenly makes sense. Plus, the patterns have tips geared toward each pattern, such as how to make transferring that particular pattern easier on yourself or choosing a fabric shade to make it pop. There are little ideas on how to take the patterns to the next level if you’re up to it and things like that. I think it’s a great touch.

I absolutely love this book and plan on purchasing it. I can’t wait to make my favorite pattern included, Honeybee Love, when I think I’m up to making something a little more complex. All in all, I think it’s a great book all around and can’t wait to make some of the patterns included.

Bread of the Dead (Santa Fe Cafe Mystery #1) by Ann Myers

 

Bread of the Dead by Ann Myers
My Rating: ★★★

Rita is starting her life over as a single parent and chef working at the Tres Amigas Café under her friend and snoopy boss, Flori. Life is good when the main mystery in her sight is Flori’s obsession with a potential cheater in the Day of the Dead bread-baking contest when her daughter discovers her landlord dead. Shaken to the core, Rita becomes convinced that her landlord was murdered while her bitter ex complains about the imaginary crime and her amateur investigating.

I decided to pick up this series opener because it seemed like a good cozy to read given Halloween is coming up. The more I read it, the more I was glad that I picked it up because it was so funny. Between Rita’s shenanigans and Flori’s fun personality in addition to her own shenanigans, I was having a good time laughing while reading. Myers brings such a great cast of characters to the table that it is the real selling point of the book. There are very few unlikable characters, and trust me, you’ll know who they are when you see them. I could honestly follow this entire series for however long it goes on for just for the characters and their hilarious antics. It’s truly what we all need, especially right now when we’re all having such a bleak year.

Plus, the food descriptions had me ready to eat. I was surprised that there wasn’t a recipe at the back of the book like there usually is with books following bakers and chefs, but it’s not a dealbreaker. I can make much of the food that was described, and I love to bake on top of that. However, if you look forward to making a recipe the characters in these types of cozies were making, be aware that there isn’t one featured in the book.

That said, I do think the mystery itself was lacking. All suspects were obviously red herrings, but the buildup on the actual killer was lacking so they seemed like a red herring as well. I wish there was some foreshadowing or a lead that pointed in this character’s direction earlier on. By the time the character seems like they might be suspicious, everything is revealed and then we’re suddenly at the final chapter wrapping up the book.

As much as it hurts me to give a book I loved three stars, this is a cozy mystery and mystery is something that this book lacked. I will be checking out the next book, but I hope the mystery aspect is something that improves over time because I think that Myers has something good going here.

Wayward Witch (Brooklyn Brujas #3) by Zoraida Córdova

 
Wayward Witch by Zoraida Córdova
My Rating: ★★

Rose’s life has been turned upside down. First, she was accidentally trapped in a tree by Alex. Then she had to deal with zombies and everything that came with it thanks to her other sister, Lula. On top of that, she found out that her magic is much different than what she thought it was. Now that her death day has creeped up, she’s convinced her family’s happiness is a band-aid that’s about to be ripped off. Her father’s return is not what her family imagined it would be, and she’s convinced everyone is just pretending to be happy instead of enjoying the lull before the next big crisis. Then she finds out her father has been lying about not remembering his time in the fairy realm, and it opens a whole new can of worms.

I absolutely loved the first two books in the series, so I was excited to read the third and final book in the trilogy. I wish I could say I loved this as much as the previous books. Sadly, I have mixed feelings about this one. Something seems to be missing and I can’t put my finger on what that is other than it felt unfinished when I got to the end. I got to the final chapter and said, “That’s it?” I watched Rose go through so much before finally getting back to her family only to find the closing very rushed and lacking in heart and substance. Unless I’m mistaken and this isn’t the end of the series, this was a pretty lackluster and rushed way to tie up the story in the final chapters.

That said, there is a lot of good here. Rose narrates the final book, and it was so much fun to see the world through her eyes. On top of this, we get a whole new cast of characters when she finds herself abducted and taken to a fairy realm called Adas. The descriptions are so beautiful, and the characters are so complex, that I had a lot of fun watching her journey progress. I loved the new characters so much. I wish that more of them were developed more than they were, but not enough to make me feel that any of them were lacking.

However, I do think that the fast pace and sheer number of new characters was confusing at times, especially early on. It took me a hot minute to get the characters down because it seemed like someone new was popping up everywhere I turned. It’s also fast paced, but it still somehow left me feeling like a lot and nothing happened at the same time. I came out of the book feeling like I got dropped out of a crazy whirlwind where too much and not enough happened. It’s entirely possible that we’re meant to feel this way, but it’s still a strange feeling.

All in all, while the characters and setting is great, I find that this is the weakest link in the series. I hope it turns out that this is not a trilogy because there are a lot of loose ends that have been left open, and I think that there is a lot more story that can be told especially since it feels so unfinished. I’ve got my fingers crossed that a novella or fourth book in the series is something that occurs somewhere down the line.