Welcome to Litsy!

1. Finish the tagged book 😀
2. Kili says he can‘t change the channel because he doesn‘t have thumbs. 👍🏻
3. I‘d like to be an otter: swim around all day and break shells with rocks. 🦦
4. ✅

4 ⭐️ Usually I read more graphic and gore thriller/mystery novels and this one was a smidge too cozy for me. Still loved it and will definitely read the second - how can you not be intrigued by a cursed stage magician who tries to solve the mystery of her assistant‘s death?! Delicious food with recipes included makes this a book you shouldn‘t read on an empty stomach.

Magic and mystery together — a great combination! I loved the MC and her quirky family, and the way food, tradition, and legend were woven into the story. The mystery was a good one, even if the culprit was a touch obvious. I will agree with others that there were a couple too many branching offs, but then again, the major theme of the book WAS misdirection. Overall, I enjoyed this, and I‘d definitely read more from this author.

This was ok, but not as exciting as I hoped. Maybe cozy mysteries aren't my thing. 6/10.
@Blueberry

My first two planned books for #ThingsInCommon ❤️

RED COVERS

Too slow-moving for me. I skipped most of the 2nd half and just read the last few chapters.

Giving this a pick because I liked the locked room mystery angle and the diverse cast. There were a lot of subplots and the story itself was kind of uneven, but often first books are rough as the author finds their footing and learns the new characters and setting. Overall, a decent cozy.

#cozymystery

Been on a good reading streak lately. Was trying to decide what to close out the year on and thought I‘d start the tagged.

Characters could have been more fleshed out - now this felt like there was more telling and less showing.

I loved the family with several magicians and all those secret doors & hidden places. But the writing made this still feel a bit dry and boring.

I think the story itself was okay and it was interesting to see how the mystery would get solved. But I think this was way too long for this amount of action.

#Spookoween2022 #SeriesRead2022

#OminousOctober #Trick
@Eggs @alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
@StayCurious

This first in a new series by Pandian, framed around a locked room mystery, has a bit more heft than many cozies. We meet Tempest Raj after she flees Las Vegas for home following the spectacular failure of her latest magic show; a failure that may be related to the family curse, “the eldest dies by magic.” A pretty good tale, but there are almost
too many story arcs as the author struggles to introduce the new series. Sometimes less is more.

@Avanders Your lovely package containing the tagged book arrived a couple of days ago. 😀 Looking forward to diving in!
#LMPBC Round 15 #GroupM @Kdgordon88 @MaleficentBookDragon @suvata #CozyMysteries #Cozies

#ThingsinCommon

Unfortunately didn‘t love this book like I wanted to. It was recommended by Deanna Raybourn and Anna Lee Huber (2 of my favs). But I was exhausted by this book. It was so repetitive and just felt so long. It was interesting to read a book about a magician and Indian/Scottish family. But just didn‘t love it.

My first published review is in this month‘s Library Journal! 🥰

I found Gigi Pandian‘s books through another favorite author - Juliet Blackwell - and was thrilled to find a new series featuring two of my favorite things: magicians and hidden staircases/rooms. Pandian introduces Tempest Raj, the youngest in a line of magicians on her mother‘s side and artists and builders on her father‘s side. Tempest is an appealing, sassy, smart female lead who has tremendous potential to grow through the series.

First in a new series, with secret staircases and magic! It was quite long, so as to setup a lot of other longer term mysteries, but I‘m intrigued enough to see what book 2 brings.

Very good #bookmail