This Delicious Death by Kayla Cottingham

 
This Delicious Death by Kayla Cottingham
My Rating: ★★★

I received a copy from Sourcebooks Fire through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When Zoey, Celeste, Valeria, and Jasmine feel good enough to go to a music festival, they had no idea they were in for a threat against everything that makes them who they are. The group of best friends survived a pandemic, but not the one you’re thinking about. They survived Hollowing, which caused a percentage of the human population to become zombies, or ghouls as people like to call them. In their case, they’re among the many who became Hollowed. Now that it’s finally safe enough to resume everyday life thanks to SynFlesh, they’ve received permission to visit a music festival. Unfortunately for them, someone is poisoning as many Hollowed folks as they can at the festival, and it’s causing them to go feral.

I love zombies, so I knew I had to read this the second I read the synopsis. We follow a group of friends who were brought together after the Hollowing, which turned them into flesh eating zombies. Because the Hollowed aren’t dead and are able to resume their lives as usual thanks to SynFlesh, a synthetic meat just for Hollowed folks, people began to call them ghouls. Life is going as well as it can for the four friends, so they decide to celebrate graduating high school by going to a music festival.

Because I love zombie stories, I also love when these stories step outside of the usual zombie box. In this case, Zoey, Celeste, Valeria, and Jasmine are friends facing a world against them because they were infected by the mysterious pathogen that made them one of the many Hollowed. They live with what they did when they were first feral, as many Hollowed folks killed and consumed people. Many of the chapters begin with a flashback to one of these four character’s memories from that time, either from what they remember while they were feral, or what life was like when they first returned home. I think I might’ve liked this book more if it took place during this time, as these were the most well-thought out and interesting parts of the book.

That said, I think the book is good for what it is, a young adult paranormal novel. We spend a lot of time bouncing back and forth between each of these friends, and watch them get to the bottom of the mess that is someone poisoning them, causing them to go feral at levels Hollowed folks has never gone before. At its core, this is a book about friendship, and the lengths people are willing to go to help and save the people they care about. There’s also a little bit of mystery, since they put on their amateur sleuth hats, determined to get to the bottom of what is going on. If you’re expecting a traditional horror novel, this won’t be the book for you, but I think it’s worth a read if you’re a big fan of all things zombie.

It’s also worth noting that there is a page devoted to content warnings right before the first chapter. It’s really nice to see more and more books list whether or not there is something that may trigger someone, whether it’s at the top of each chapter or somewhere after the title page. I think the list in this book is probably the most comprehensive one I’ve seen so far.

That Time I Got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion at a Werewolf (Mead Mishaps #2) by Kimberly Lemming

 
That Time I Got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion at a Werewolf by Kimberly Lemming

My Rating: ★★★★

All Brie wants is to spend her time at the tavern in peace. Instead, she’s got her neighbor trying to woo her despite telling him to scram. Now that Brie’s throwing anything she can get her hands on at his head, including her best friend’s baked potato. That’s when the guy tries to slip her a drink, so you know what? It’s his own fault she tossed it at his head! Only he dodged it, so it went flying at some poor stranger’s head. It’s a damn shame that it turns out it was a love potion, and the werewolf known as Felix is now madly in love with her. What did Brie ever do to deserve this, and how can she convince him that she’s not his fated mate?

I read the first book along with the first short story and absolutely loved it, so I was excited to pick up book two! While this book wasn’t as exciting as the first one, it was still absolutely hilarious on top of being fun. We follow Brie, Cinnamon’s best friend and neighbor, and Felix through their hilarious love story that begins with a love potion. Brie just wants to enjoy her drinks, cheese, and romance novels when she’s got a werewolf convinced he’s in love with her. It’s like Felix and the love potion came straight out of one of her shifter romance novels, but it turns out living the romance novel life isn’t as fun as she thought!

Meanwhile, Felix has the terrible luck of meeting his fated mate at the same time he got hit with a full bottle of love potion. At least, he thinks she’s his fated mate, but he’s about to find out if she ever lets him stick around long enough to prove it’s fate and not all the doing of a love potion. Sadly, Felix wasn’t as great a character as he seemed in the first book. It’s not that he’s smarmy or anything, it’s just that the poor guy is under the influence of a love potion and it’s making him go crazy! Though, it was interesting to learn more about his upbringing. The male protagonists tend to fall flat in this series, but I think it’s starting to go in the right direction here and I support that progress.

So we follow these two love birds try to prove to each other that they mean business, only there’s this silly love potion in the way as they fall in love for real this time. I did enjoy seeing characters from the first book, especially when we see my favorite character from the entire series once again! I hope she turns up in the third book, and I know there will be a third book… I just want to see Usha and Dante get their own individual books at some point. I have a feeling we will, and I’m ready for it!

A Curious Beginning (Veronica Speedwell #1) by Deanna Raybourn

 
A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn

My Rating: ★★★

When Veronica Speedwell’s aunt passes, she announces her death in the newspaper and prepares to travel in the name of romance and butterflies. Unfortunately for her, all she’s done is announce her location by announcing the death of her last living guardian. Veronica grew up believing she was an orphan, thinking little of how many times she had to move during her upbringing. It turns out she’s not who she thinks she is, and there’s a target on her back along with a mystery to unravel if she wants to survive.

I picked up this book excited about a mystery taking place in the late 1800s, and quickly found myself struggling with the protagonist. At first, Veronica is seemingly unique as a woman who would rather pursue fleeting romances while pursuing her scientific passion. However, it turns out that Veronica fancies herself not like other women. The character is written as someone who is not like other women while being oh-so-smart. This quickly became grating rather than being the great character she could’ve been. The best part is that she’s not as smart as she thinks she is, but she spends the whole book proving that she is and it’s supposed to be believable.

Stepping back from Veronica, this is mostly a fun book to read. For me, it’s the overall cast that made the story. There’s a cast of interesting to hilarious characters, but we mainly follow Veronica and her accidental sidekick, Stoker. The two find themselves on the run with Stoker accused of a murder he didn’t commit, and they’re both so stubborn that they butt heads all the way to the end. I like Stoker and the many characters who came in and out of the book, and honestly, they are really what made the book for me.

The mystery itself was an interesting one, though I figured the majority of it out early on. I did find that the way the mystery was wrapped up fell pretty flat for me, and I find it unbelievable that the parties hunting Veronica are satisfied with it. Well, I guess I’ll have to suspend a little more belief here, but I can’t say that I find it believable in any way. That said, I’m debating on whether or not I want to continue the series because while it was a fun book, Veronica was really getting on my last nerve. I would rather her actually be unique than fluffing her own ego about how she’s not like other women and having others join in to remark on this as well as how she truly is different. If I met her in real life, I would avoid her like the plague while she was busy patting herself on the back on her smarts that tend to miss the mark.

The Way Home (The Woods #9) by James Tynion IV, Michael Dialynas

 
The Way Home by James Tynion IV, Michael Dialynas
My Rating: ★★★★★

After eight volumes following the inhabitants of Bay Point after they were mysteriously transported somewhere way out in the galaxy, the stakes are high and more will be lost in the last fight to save humankind in this final volume. It’s been a wild ride and while there were some shaky moments, the story pulled together and became the type of thrilling tale that sucks you in and spits its readers out at the end wondering, what now? I mean this in a good way because it’s one of those stories that feels like it’s been with me much longer than it has been, and now that it’s over, I don’t know what to do with myself at the moment.

The final two volumes pull out all the stops and really went full force both with the story and the artwork. Every panel packs a punch, and I had to read these volumes back to back because I was so absorbed that I couldn’t put it down. It was amazing to follow these characters finding out who they are at the core when faced with crazy odds no one would ever think they’d face in a sci-fi setting. I also love that we eventually returned to Earth and saw what was going on with the people left behind, and that everything eventually came full circle.

Any questions I had during the series were answered by the end because the plots are all wrapped up rather than leaving a whole bunch of loose ends. This is a story that I would love an epilogue for, but at the same time, I also like that it’s open ended. I have a good idea of what came next for these characters, and it’s one of those open ended endings that I’m excited about. I’ve come out of the series feeling the same way I do after watching the ending of a really great movie series, and I gotta say that it’s always a great feeling to have.

Mexico, Margaritas, and Murder (Sally and Pearl Adventure Club #1) by Wendy Day

Mexico, Margaritas, and Murder by Wendy Day
My Rating: ★★★

When Sally’s husband passes, she’s not sure what to do with herself. She spent the majority of their marriage as the housewife of a very grumpy man, but now she’s widowed and her children have families of their own. Now that Sally is free to do what she wants and be her own person, she doesn’t even know where to start, but you know who does? Pearl, her best friend of ten years, who has decided it’s time they go on a trip to Mexico.

After reading the second book in the series, I decided to give this series a solid chance because the writing is good and I really like the characters. Because I read the second book first, I didn’t really get to know much about her husband or marriage other than it wasn’t a good marriage. The longer I was reading, the more I learned what a terrible marriage she felt trapped in. I feel so bad for Sally and how she had been emotionally beat down and defeated for all those years with no way out. We learn small pieces about her marriage throughout the book, especially as Sally starts to learn how to be herself again without someone harshly judging her.

We also learn a lot about Pearl, who is naturally very tight-lipped about her past because it hurts and she’s trying to live in the moment. I was having a hard time believing these two best friends were such good friends at first, but the longer I read, the more I believed it. The shenanigans they went through were hilarious, and I could see how these characters continued to grow throughout the book.

This time around, the book was indeed a cozy mystery! I like how the mystery was being set up soon after they arrived. It was an easy mystery to solve, but that doesn’t matter when the story was a fun read. We’ve got Pearl deciding to test out her skills as an amateur sleuth, which turns out to be a bumpy ride for both her and Sally. At least the pair were having fun until things went south because they were out there poking the bear. I’m glad I decided to give this series a solid chance because it’s well written and I love the characters.

Christmas, Cabernet, and Chaos (Sally and Pearl Adventure Club #2) by Wendy Day

Christmas, Cabernet, and Chaos by Wendy Day

My Rating: ★★½

I received a copy from Open Sky Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When Sally learns that she won’t have any family around on Christmas, she’s devastated. That’s until her crush turned friend, Mike, invites her to visit him in McKenzie Bridge. Delighted by the invite, Sally drags Pearl all the way over to the small town that takes Christmas to the next level. Pearl doesn’t have an ounce of the Christmas spirit in her, but Sally sure does, so it’s a Christmas miracle when they find themselves getting more and more involved in the small town’s holiday snafus.

If you’re looking for a book that feels like a Hallmark Christmas movie wrapped up in a neat book cover, then this is the book for you! It’s bursting from the seams with Christmas cheer complete with a Christmas miracle. I was excited to start this book thinking it was a holiday cozy mystery, but quickly discovered it’s certainly cozy, but where was the mystery? Well, without spoiling anything, there was hardly anything mysterious going on. By the time there was a mystery for these crime solving best friends to investigate, the book was almost over, and the mystery itself was one tiny dud.

I think my favorite part about the entire book is Pearl. She’s funny, grumpy, and doesn’t have a filter. We follow Sally and Pearl, but I really enjoyed following Pearl the most. I also like the small town Christmas vibes, and the book itself made me feel like I was reading a cozy holiday Hallmark movie turned into a book. There’s also a good cast of core characters, and the book itself is pretty well written. I just wish it wasn’t presented as a cozy mystery because it certainly was not. I spent a portion of the book wondering what it was trying to be because it was drawing too many things in at the same time. We’ve got a cozy holiday, a baking contest, a light holiday romance, a tiny dud of a mystery, and a few Christmas miracles all wrapped into one cute read. I kept wondering where the mystery was even as the small mystery was happening.

I’m rating this as a cozy mystery because this is what it was presented as, and so it’s a solid 2.5 stars out of 5 stars. However, I do think it’s a cute and fun read on top of being well written, so it would’ve gotten a higher rating if it was presented as contemporary or women’s fiction.

Kitchen Witchcraft for Beginners: Spells, Recipes, and Rituals to Bring Your Practice Into the Kitchen by Dawn Aurora Hunt

Kitchen Witchcraft for Beginners by Dawn Aurora Hunt
My Rating: ★★★

I received a copy from Callisto Media through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

In this beginners guide, one learns how to set up their kitchen for witchcraft along with some basic rules before diving into the recipes. The opening of the book is set up a bit like a textbook, but it is lacking some information such as how to protect yourself while doing spellwork and such, though that is just a google search away to get started on researching. It’s more of a kitchen spell book than anything, which is great if that’s what you’re looking for, but there’s some important information that’s missing for actual beginners before they get started. I think this is a great companion to other books for beginners, and it’ll be great for people who are looking to expand their knowledge toward work that involves the kitchen space.

Mistlefoe (Mead Mishaps #1.5) by Kimberly Lemming

 
Mistlefoe by Kimberly Lemming

My Rating: ★★★★★

After the false goddess was destroyed and all the demons under her spell were freed, all hell broke loose. Humans are panicking and waiting for a demon attack, so they’re panic buying anything they can get their hands on, especially weaponry. Unfortunately for Ruby’s family, her dad made the mistake of stealing ore from a fox demon’s territory so they could make more weapons. The problem? The fox demon cursed him and the ore, so everything he and his family forges has a personality of its own, and they’re scaring off the customers by insulting everyone. Armed with one cursed long-blade and some peace offerings, Ruby is on a mission to get the curse lifted even if it takes her on an unexpected adventure.

I thought the first book was hilarious, but this novella? This was the funniest thing I’ve read in my life. The entire first page had me laughing so hard that I was clutching my stomach with tears of laughter rolling down my face. The best character in this novella is Alexis, who is a cursed sword that is actually a gift to the series. I would follow an entire series based on her adventures. Ruby is a great character, though I wonder how her dad would feel about the deal she struck with the fox demon who cursed him. Speaking of the fox demon, his name is Lucca and I actually really liked him even if I think he might be forgettable in the long run.

That said, this was an excellent and fast paced novella that honestly felt like a full length book all packed into 60 pages, and I mean that in the best possible way. There was never a moment where I felt like there was a lack of information, and while I think there could’ve been more character development with Lucca, I’m really happy with this read. I’m really looking forward to checking out the next book in the series now.

That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon (Mead Mishaps #1) by Kimberly Lemming

 
That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming
My Rating: ★★★★

Cinnamon just wants to live a peaceful life with her family, expand her spice farm that she loves, and never go on an adventure. In fact, adventure is the exact opposite of what Cinnamon wants. It’s why she and her friends dyed their hair pink to make themselves less appealing for the goddess when it came time for the latest quest selection. The pink dye seems to have worked like a charm, but unfortunately for Cinnamon, she’s stumbled upon a quest after getting drunk and accidentally saving a demon.

This book came highly recommended as a hilarious romance and I was truly not prepared for how funny it actually is. It had me laughing so hard from the first chapter all the way to the epilogue. We follow Cinnamon, who is a spice farmer who knows what she wants, and adventure is not on that short list. Unfortunately for her, she’s stumbled face first into an adventure when she drunkenly saves a demon on the way home. It turns out that her town’s goddess is actually an undead witch who has tricked humans into worshiping her all while she enslaves and bewitches the demon folk. As much as Cinnamon doesn’t want adventure, it seems a quest has fallen into her lap and she is not going to stay silent while others are suffering.

Majority of the book is absolutely hilarious, but there are some serious plot points, so prepare yourself for that. There’s a great cast of characters headed by Cinnamon, who is absolutely wonderful and well developed. I also love her family and that realistic sibling energy, which had me laughing. I also love Usha, who came around fast. I also love Felix and Ambrose, which I wish we got to know better than we did. Fallon was fun and seemed mostly one dimensional, but I can’t complain since Cinnamon wasn’t one dimensional at all.

All in all, I had a lot of fun reading this. I laughed a lot and look forward to checking out the next in the series. If you’re looking for a hilarious romance that will have you laughing out loud, this may be the book for you.

Unfamiliar, Vol. 1 by Haley Newsome

Unfamiliar, Vol. 1 by Haley Newsome

My Rating: ★★★★★

I received a copy from Andrews McMeel Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

In the first volume of this webcomic, we follow Planchette as she finally moves to a magical town where she won’t be the only witch around. As a kitchen witch, Planchette has magic on her side… at least that’s what she thought, because it turns out she bought a haunted house and she doesn’t know how to sort out the haunting! Planchette makes her way around town making new friends while looking for someone to perform an exorcism, allowing us to follow her new friend’s lives as well.

I picked up this book because it sounded adorable and heartwarming, and it sure didn’t miss the mark! We follow Planchette and the friends she meets along the way. I can’t even choose a favorite because I love Planchette, Pinyon, Sun, and Babs equally. Pinyon is a witch who appears to not have any powers, Sun is working day and night so she can afford to have a curse removed, and Babs is an introverted siren who hopes to be more like Sun. Each of these characters become friends through the course of the first volume, and to think it all began with a haunted house!

There’s so many charming characters and storylines, and then there’s a few darker storylines that we’re about to watch friendship blaze the way through them. Each of the main characters have many layers and are full of surprises while the townsfolk are a bunch of interesting characters I’m excited to see more of. It’s also a surprisingly fast paced read. There’s a lot going on without being overwhelming, and we’re slowly introduced to characters so we can get to know them rather than suddenly have a large amount of new characters on our hands at every turn. I really like how the story is written and pulled together, so I’m excited to see what happens next.

Of course, the artwork is adorable! It’s colorful, cute, and fun. I really like the concept art that’s featured at the end of the volume, allowing us to see the early sketches of the characters compared to the final results. It’s always fun to see!

Heathen: Vol. 3 by Natasha Alterici, Ashley A. Woods

Heathen: Vol. 3 by Natasha Alterici, Ashley A. Woods

My Rating: ★★

When Aydis finally arrives at the land of the gods, she discovers that simply stating her demands for Odin gets her nowhere. As Aydis deals with coming face to face with a wall, everyone she once knew back at her village is in danger as Odin’s army marches into battle with them.

I’m disappointed by the final volume in this series. The story isn’t as good, there’s loose endings, Aydis strangely gets tossed into the backseat of her story. It feels very rushed, and a good portion of the second half doesn’t even make sense given the overall series. Plus, the showdown with Odin along with the overall ending is extremely anticlimactic. I’m pretty sad about how this entire volume went because it could’ve been a great ending to a wonderful series, but it just falls flat.

The artwork is nice, but there was a new artist and it just didn’t have the same impact. However, I don’t think that’s the artist’s fault. The story itself lost its magic, so I think even if there wasn’t a new artist on board, the magic in the artwork would’ve still gone missing. It’s sad all around, and I spent much of the volume looking like a reaction gif due to how the story lost everything that it had going for it. As I said, the overall ending was extremely anticlimactic. I don’t know what happened with this volume, but I do hope to check out more of the author’s work because they are extremely talented.