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francijo's review against another edition
4.0
This is not usually my kind of book, but it was a fun, light vacation read. I’d read more in the series.
tatterededges's review against another edition
3.0
I HATE the way the author spells magic in this book. It irritated me no end and since she uses the stupid word in every 2nd paragraph, I'm surprised I even finished reading the book.
The book took me all of 6 hours to read, so not a particularly large investment. It's an easy read without a very complex plot. Nothing much happens for the first 25 chapters though and then it all kicks off in the last handful and concludes with a rather convoluted and not very believable climax.
Ophelia's reaction to her friend Brian's death is pretty extreme and she goes with that extreme reaction for four years only to then just decide not to be that way anymore. Seems unlikely. Her moving on from Rick to Ned in the space of a page seems a bit unlikely too considering she's avoided contact with absolutely everyone for years.
It's the first in a series of books but I'm not sure I'll bother reading anymore. None of the characters are particularly engaging.
The book took me all of 6 hours to read, so not a particularly large investment. It's an easy read without a very complex plot. Nothing much happens for the first 25 chapters though and then it all kicks off in the last handful and concludes with a rather convoluted and not very believable climax.
Ophelia's reaction to her friend Brian's death is pretty extreme and she goes with that extreme reaction for four years only to then just decide not to be that way anymore. Seems unlikely. Her moving on from Rick to Ned in the space of a page seems a bit unlikely too considering she's avoided contact with absolutely everyone for years.
It's the first in a series of books but I'm not sure I'll bother reading anymore. None of the characters are particularly engaging.
ameserole's review against another edition
4.0
Witch Way to Murder is the first book within the Ophelia & Abby series. I was pretty excited to jump into this because October is basically around the corner. Lurking behind September and waiting to tackle me with all the witchy books.
From the very beginning, I really liked getting to know Ophelia and Abby. Their relationship was kind of cute but also in a way that I couldn't relate to. Mostly because I never knew my grandparents because they all died when I was pretty young. So, I live vicariously through characters who have relationships with their own grandparents.
Back to the book. Abby finds out one of her best friends, Bran, dies and starts to blame herself. Of course, this is when she shuts everyone out (including her grandmother) and we all know that's never the way to go. Along the way, we do meet some other side characters and they were kind of fun. Not sure how I feel about the Rick at the moment, but who knows... my opinion might change later on.
Definitely hoping Ophelia's attitude towards certain things will change drastically for the better in the next book. If not, might need to riot.
From the very beginning, I really liked getting to know Ophelia and Abby. Their relationship was kind of cute but also in a way that I couldn't relate to. Mostly because I never knew my grandparents because they all died when I was pretty young. So, I live vicariously through characters who have relationships with their own grandparents.
Back to the book. Abby finds out one of her best friends, Bran, dies and starts to blame herself. Of course, this is when she shuts everyone out (including her grandmother) and we all know that's never the way to go. Along the way, we do meet some other side characters and they were kind of fun. Not sure how I feel about the Rick at the moment, but who knows... my opinion might change later on.
Definitely hoping Ophelia's attitude towards certain things will change drastically for the better in the next book. If not, might need to riot.
thelizardqueen's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This is an impressive start to the series. Damsgaard manages to avoid the now-familiar formula of the cozy mystery and instead gives us a flawed, troubled protagonist who's well worth getting to know. The supernatural elements are consistently portrayed without an iota of cutsieness. I look forward to learning more about Ophelia's abilities along with her in future books.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Cozy with an edge. Do give this series a try.bikes_books_yarn's review against another edition
4.0
Couldn't put this down and ended up staying up well past my bedtime to finish it off. Love it when a book grabs you like that!
amibunk's review against another edition
3.0
If I'm being honest, this book was averagely mediocre. The characters lacked real depth, the story was fairly predictable, the writing was neither horrible or superb. However, I enjoyed this modest novel and sometimes that's all you need.
vikingwolf's review against another edition
3.0
Firstly, I do not read cozy mysteries and this kind of book usually has me running screaming for the hills. Five books in this series came to me as part of a book trade so I thought the least I could do was to try the first one. And I was pleasantly surprised!
Unlike a few of the reviewers here, I did like Ophelia. She is suffering from the guilt and trauma of her best friend's death where she was unable to use her magic to save him from a killer. Now she has turned away from her magic and closed herself off from others getting close to her. I have sympathy because I know what stress and depression can do to you and I felt for her situation, and it was fun to see her struggle with social situations and crime solving. I loved her grandmother Abby, the witch pensioner who was kind and funny and a bit kooky. I really liked Darci, the blonde bombshell library assistant who is smarter than she lets everyone believe. There were good laughts with her and the gossipy old women who torment Ophelia through the book. They lurk like vultures looking for something to feed on and her irritation with them was understandable! I also enjoyed Darci's master plan which goes horribly wrong and lands Ophelia in trouble again.
I did NOT like the potential love interests Rick and Ned. Ned seems fine until Ophelia won't share information about Rick and he goes all macho and aggressive, insulting her and being an ass. Not what I would consider dating. But Rick was an obnoxious, irritating, vain, slimy, cocky piece of crap who I would cheerfully have kneed in the nuts if he had been harrassing me like that. He was determined to be a giant pain in the butt, asking personal questions, quizzing her about her life and movements, stalking her on a daily basis and refusing to take no for an answer when she wouldn't date him. I despised him. And if you didn't guess his real identity based on his behaviour then you must have fallen asleep during the book! It was dead obvious who he was.
The author does give you plenty of suspects-angry Ned, the slimy politician, the sinister psycho shop owner, obnoxious Rick, the sheriff, the deputy we never see, the guy who hates women's fiction, the drug addict, the skulking quiet brother etc. Come to think of it, all the men in town were weird or dodgy in some way. I did find it easy to guess who was involved but it didn't spoil the story. I did find the reasons for what was going on quite interesting and Ophelia's unwanted visions were a nice touch. I also liked the idea of a witch trying to get answers on the Internet!
This is not a masterpiece of fiction or a scary thriller, nor is it really an all out paranormal mystery as there isn't magic on every page. It is am amusing, entertaining, light fluffy mystery set in a small town with some interesting characters. You could quite easily read this in one day or night and be resonably entertained. Try it if you like cozy mysteries with a paranormal twist.
Unlike a few of the reviewers here, I did like Ophelia. She is suffering from the guilt and trauma of her best friend's death where she was unable to use her magic to save him from a killer. Now she has turned away from her magic and closed herself off from others getting close to her. I have sympathy because I know what stress and depression can do to you and I felt for her situation, and it was fun to see her struggle with social situations and crime solving. I loved her grandmother Abby, the witch pensioner who was kind and funny and a bit kooky. I really liked Darci, the blonde bombshell library assistant who is smarter than she lets everyone believe. There were good laughts with her and the gossipy old women who torment Ophelia through the book. They lurk like vultures looking for something to feed on and her irritation with them was understandable! I also enjoyed Darci's master plan which goes horribly wrong and lands Ophelia in trouble again.
I did NOT like the potential love interests Rick and Ned. Ned seems fine until Ophelia won't share information about Rick and he goes all macho and aggressive, insulting her and being an ass. Not what I would consider dating. But Rick was an obnoxious, irritating, vain, slimy, cocky piece of crap who I would cheerfully have kneed in the nuts if he had been harrassing me like that. He was determined to be a giant pain in the butt, asking personal questions, quizzing her about her life and movements, stalking her on a daily basis and refusing to take no for an answer when she wouldn't date him. I despised him. And if you didn't guess his real identity based on his behaviour then you must have fallen asleep during the book! It was dead obvious who he was.
The author does give you plenty of suspects-angry Ned, the slimy politician, the sinister psycho shop owner, obnoxious Rick, the sheriff, the deputy we never see, the guy who hates women's fiction, the drug addict, the skulking quiet brother etc. Come to think of it, all the men in town were weird or dodgy in some way. I did find it easy to guess who was involved but it didn't spoil the story. I did find the reasons for what was going on quite interesting and Ophelia's unwanted visions were a nice touch. I also liked the idea of a witch trying to get answers on the Internet!
This is not a masterpiece of fiction or a scary thriller, nor is it really an all out paranormal mystery as there isn't magic on every page. It is am amusing, entertaining, light fluffy mystery set in a small town with some interesting characters. You could quite easily read this in one day or night and be resonably entertained. Try it if you like cozy mysteries with a paranormal twist.
blodeuedd's review against another edition
2.0
See, I finally did read another cozy mystery ;)
Ophelia is a librarian. She has a haunted past. The townsfolk like her, but avoid her. Her grandmother is a witch, but only Ophelia knows this. Her only friend is a woman working at the library, and they are not even friends in a way.
Yeah, Ophelia really pushed people away. But then a mysterious hot guy shows up. And there are strange things happening in town. And then there is that dead body, and her grandmother telling her that she must solve this.
It was a light mystery that I could read fast. Ophelia was nice when you got to know her. There is a hint of romance. But the next book I have is book 6 and it was not that awesome that I will buy the rest. I will just read that sixth book one day.
Ophelia is a librarian. She has a haunted past. The townsfolk like her, but avoid her. Her grandmother is a witch, but only Ophelia knows this. Her only friend is a woman working at the library, and they are not even friends in a way.
Yeah, Ophelia really pushed people away. But then a mysterious hot guy shows up. And there are strange things happening in town. And then there is that dead body, and her grandmother telling her that she must solve this.
It was a light mystery that I could read fast. Ophelia was nice when you got to know her. There is a hint of romance. But the next book I have is book 6 and it was not that awesome that I will buy the rest. I will just read that sixth book one day.