Customer Reviews

A Charmed Death (Bewitching Mysteries, No. 2)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This second outing of the "Bewitched series' continues the story of Maggie O'Dell. It is 2 months since the action of the 1st story took place. Liss (Maggie's boss at Enchantments)is still recovering from her sister's murder, and has left Maggie to deal with the shop. A trio from the local high school comes into Enchantments.
When the trio's leader Amanda, buys an antique clock at Enchantments, the true story starts. Amanda is found dead and everyone starts finding her killer. The story does not POP until Liss comes into this book. She is the glue to this series and without her it is not as enjoyable. Maggie grows as an empath, and learns she has more power that she thought. Marcus, a major player in the series, grows and we see his attraction to Maggie, but Maggie thinks that he and Liss are an item, so she does not see Marcus as a suiter. Maggie's sometime boyfriend policeman Tom returns. He does not understand the world of the metaphysical. Marcus is more Maggie's type, so we'll see how these relationship progresses. This book delves further into the metaphysical without being 'preachy'. This is a fine book and hope the series continues to grow.

I agree that this series has more meat than normal, but I keep waiting for Maggie to grow up. She is almost 30 years old, and she is totally cowed by her obnoxious mother and feels like "Kee-rect" is an appropriate answer to a question. I was happy to see that at the end of the novel Maggie called on her powers to protect herself, but despaired that she was in the situation in the first place because she allowed a murderer to boss her around. She also seems to be leaning toward a romance with a person who not only doesn't believe in her power but actually belittles it and her. Please make her more age appropriate in the next novel.

A Charmed Death is the second in the Bewitching Mystery series. Fun and lighthearted, but with enough serious to hold my attention, this series is quickly becoming addicting.

Small town Hoosier Maggie O'Neill is slowly learning how to use her new powers and is making more friends since joining a ghost hunting society. Aside from a bit of confusion in her love life (choosing between the staid cop or the hot ghost hunter) and a small amount of spiritual energy bouncing around her apartment, all is well in Maggie's life. Things have gotten mostly back to normal since the murder in the first book, The Trouble With Magic and she hopes it stays that way. As we all know though, things never stay the same. When a popular but somewhat catty high school girl suddenly disappears, it puts a pall over Maggie's small town. After Amanda Roberson's body is found in local creek, Maggie is drawn to the investigation.

People think that small towns are like an open book; there are no secrets. But as Maggie soon discovers, there is always more to people than meets the eye. She learns things about her fellow residents, including the "innocent" victim, that she never wanted to know. After finding a memory card containing compromising photos of Amanda and an unknown male, Maggie gets more than she bargained for. Not only do the photos completely change the scope of her investigation but they also put her in danger. After a break in at her apartment it is clear that she is making someone a little nervous. It's the final confrontation though, that makes her a bit worried that she will not live to see the end result.

This series, while a bit tame compared to other paranormal fare, is delightful and entertaining. The characters are all very endearing and well developed. When clues started popping up in reference to the identity of the murderer, it was enough to lead you in the right direction but not quite enough to give it away and I liked that. It always drives me nuts to figure it out in the first few chapters. As a whole, these books are easy to recommend to anyone and I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

Reviewed at Bitten by Books Paranormal Fiction Review Site by Becky

There's a dark paranormal cloud hanging over Stony Mill, and Maggie O'Neill is troubled by it, almost as much as she's troubled by the spirits who seem to inhabit her apartment. When a group of teens visits Enchantments and one of them ends up dead, Maggie finds herself embroiled in the mystery. Suspense is high, not only during the search for the killer but during a ghost hunt at a haunted cemetery as well. And between Tom the policeman, and Marcus, a friend who seems to want to be more, the sexual tension in A CHARMED DEATH is palpable. I have especially enjoyed watching Maggie grow into her mystical persona, which makes for a startling and rewarding climax in this book. I'm just sorry that I have to wait for HEX MARKS THE SPOT. Read Madelyn Alt and enjoy!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I have to agree with the first reviewer who said it was better than the first- it really was. I even said that to myself at the end. I like seeing the growth of Maggie's character and the development of some complications in her life.

I also like to see the questioning of things. Its done tastefully and honestly. Ms. Alt pulled that part of quite well.

I also like seeing how things are going with Marcus I look forward to reading more of that.

This is my first review of any book here on Amazon and I read quite a bit. But I just felt moved to say what a good job I felt Ms. Alt did and its a joy to see her growth as a writer.

These books are fantastic if you want to stay inside on a snowy night beside the fire place. They are mysterious though lacking on the exciting side, more of a Nancy Drew slow progress style with a boom of an ending. They are interesting though with the witchy side to them. I think somewhat unrealistic especially for so many dramas to be happening in this small, sleepy, quiet town as the Maggie the MC always tells the reader. But they are fun, quirky and down right comforting. Enjoyable but no masterpieces.

A Charmed Death, the second bewitching mystery in the series, finds Maggie settling into the new life that fate has thrown her way. As a character, she has grown in terms of confidence and comfort, and her narrative reflects the positive changes in her life. When tragedy once again strikes her small town Maggie keeps her wits about her, and is ready to help in any way she's asked.

I was not as enthralled with A Charmed Death as I was the previous novel, and I found myself constantly bothered by Alt's use of dialects. The teenagers are wooden and forced, Felicity sounds a bit ridiculous, and the Amish member of N.I.G.H.T.S. had me rolling my eyes. I enjoyed the development of Maggie's character (and Marcus' character) much more than the two-dimensional "sidekicks" of the novel, and I'm hoping the third in the series will continue to flesh out the characters that really "matter."

If the first entry into the series was a toddler's first clumsy attempts at walking, then the second book in the Bewitching Mysteries series shows that the books are quickly maturing into a series worth reading.

The plotline of this book has Maggie plunged headfirst into yet another murder mystery in her hometown. When the high school's resident mean girl turns up dead no one is quite sure where to look. The high school sweetheart? The lovestruck friend? Or is it someone completely unexpected? In any case expect a good dollop of witchcraft and slight hints at romance.

Overall I really liked the series. There's one or two things that could be changed, most noticably the romantic triangle. It's painfully obvious that Marcus is interested in Maggie (and not dating Liss). It's even more obvious that Tom is not right for Maggie- their romantic scenes just come across as awkward and the reader can't help but wonder when Maggie will realize that she's dating the male equivalent of her mother & sister. For that matter I can't help but wonder if this is all going to pay off in a future book when Maggie FINALLY realizes that she can be her own person without running away or alienating her family. (I.E., her breaking it off with Tom is the defining moment when she realizes that she doesn't have to put up with people telling her how she should live her life or being condescending.) That's pretty much the only big thing that is flawed so far in the series. I know that Alt's probably saving it for some big scene later on in the series, but I can't help but get a little frustrated and impatient. It's just a bit tedious. In any case Alt needs to trim the dead weight (Tom) out of the series & either make him less condescending (making him a more believable romantic possibility) or downgrade him to an occasional character.

4.8/5

Madelyn Alt is truly terrific! This second book of hers picks up where the first one left us, nearly seamlessly, and lives up to the promise of being as good IF NOT BETTER than the first time around. Her main character Maggie is as flawed and human as the rest of us, which makes us love her more because she is so much like us "mere mortals". The mystery that occurs is not one of those "oh, I know who did this" types where you know the bad guy in the first few chapters -- it sneaks up on you and slaps you in the face at the very end, making you wonder "geez, what just happened to me?" I would highly recommend this author, and will continue to buy her books as long as she chooses to write them!

This is a cute mystery to wile away the evening. Easy readiing and fun characters help make it a breeze.