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chrism6's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death
renpuspita's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
In the Company tell the story about the Warren witches and their B&B in the small town called Evenfall. They are mostly good witches with our heroine, Brynn can converse with the dead, while her aunt Izzy is a kitchen witch and the other aunt, Nora is a garden witch. Brynn's uncle, Gideon, deal with premonition but for something that happen in the past, he rarely left the B&B attic. Like your usual cozy mystery, there was a murder with a mix of closed room case. There's some sleuthing by Brynn to clear Nora's name because Nora is the person that discover the victim body. There's a mystery of whodunnit while the whydunnit itself is pretty much simple to guess.
This book main theme is apparently how to deal with your grief and let the past go. The grief is pretty apparent not just from Brynn that lost her husband a year before the story start and make her lost her ability to perform magic, but to others characters as well. However, the grief theme also overwhelmed another aspect, like the mystery. The mystery itself is pretty easy to guess. Sure, there was false lead and some red herrings, but in the end my guess was right. This book is more like how to deal with your family, and the mystery just like a second theme. There's so many family drama, not only between the Warrens, but also from the victim family. In which, when the truth behind the victim demise come out the light, all I feel is a sadness. How, even bound by blood, family can be strangers and tear each other apart, all that left are regrets.
While I enjoy reading Brynn's voice since the story is told entirely from her PoV, I have problem with one of the aunt and she's Nora. At first I think Nora's problem is her temper that running hot, contrast with her big sister, Izzy that pretty much a peacemaker and hate conflict. However, I see that Nora just love to girlbossing to the point it's become so annoying to read. She's not only bossy, sometimes childish, aggressive, abrasive and maybe a little bit narcissistic; but I don't like the way Nora gaslighting Brynn to move on from her grief. She literally challenge everyone and while I get that this is the way Nora care for people she love and she never hesitate to play bad witch or use forbidden spell to help a friend in need, I just don't like her gaslighting. I also feel that there's not much groveling from Nora since she think her attitudes were justified while in the other side Brynn say sorry because Brynn hide the fact that her magic was gone because of the grief. It's just feel..unfair. Brynn try her damnedest to clear Nora's name from being a culprit yet Nora pay it by gaslighting Brynn to move on and accept that her husband is gone.
The writing itself actually pretty good since the author successfully make me hating Nora and try to sympathize with Brynn, lel. There's also no detective or law enforcement that lead the investigation just like in any cozy mystery I read since the mystery mostly solved by Brynn playing amateur sleuth and with some help of magic. I did enjoy read this one, but I just hope that Nora's part can be handle differently.
Graphic: Death, Gaslighting, and Grief
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Toxic relationship
Minor: Domestic abuse, Car accident, and Death of parent
nanoauthor's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Child abuse and Murder
Minor: Domestic abuse
alexisgarcia's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Violence, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Blood, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Child abuse, and Grief
jeimy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Wallace took really conventional things like witches, murder, small towns and made it unique. The way she brought the setting to life, made the characters multi-dimensional and likable, and kept me hooked along the way is just amazing.
But my absolute favorite thing about this book is that we have a woman protagonist who doesn’t see finding love as her main focus. Instead, we get to
Moderate: Death and Grief
jenncortes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Grief and Death
delilahreads's review against another edition
3.5
Moderate: Death
laurel616's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
- Cozy mystery vibes
- No romance subplot that takes over the book
- Main character is a witch in a family of witches
However, I couldn't get over the characterization of many, but most egregiously Nora. This is supposed to be an older and experienced witch and she is acting like someone in a bad sitcom - just stirring the pot and acting (or threatening to act) on all these wild emotions that are not reasonable for a mature adult that has been hiding as a witch their whole life.
I was also really disappointed in how the characterization of Gideon plays out. He's disability-coded, but
Overall, I don't think I am going to remember this book in a few months, nor do I have interest in reading the rest of the series.
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death and Murder
Minor: Death of parent and Domestic abuse
tiny_bookdragon's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Death
Minor: Domestic abuse
d0505's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Grief, Death, and Murder