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on August 16, 2014
I'm scratching my head over this book. Not sure how many stars I want to give it. I liked the actual story but found other parts of the dialogque tedious and at times unnecessary. The lead character Stacy is okay and her two boyfriends not so bad. Her cousin Cinnamon I certainly could have lived without. What a nasty piece of work (IMO anyway) I didn't find her character funny at all and was saddened that such a go getter is such an angry person and nasty to everyone. I doubt I will purchase another book in this series based on how upset the book made me. Of course, everyone's take on 'humor' is different.
on November 11, 2016
I really enjoyed this book. The storyline was well written and the characters were nicely fleshed out. I have to say I didn't really see the end coming. I like Chance better than Leo for Stacey, but what can you do?
on May 10, 2017
This book was entertaining and I really enjoyed all of the characters. I enjoyed it so much that I went through the whole series and enjoyed it from beginning to end.
on October 2, 2013
This series must be read in order. This is the first book.
A reluctant witch who doubts her powers and is a journalist...What more could you want? Mystery and mayhem seem to follow Stacy wherever she goes... much to her dismay.
This book is a mishmash of many genres and I adore that :) Instead of a coming of age it is a coming into power scenario laced with intrigue and action and adventure set in a world that could very well be our own . Unlike a lot of modern fantasy there is no strain to believe Stacy and Cinnamon are the girls you grew up with. She knows her heritage but does not really believe she has any real power of her own even though she knows magic exists.
I can't wait to read the next book Bloodstone (A Stacy Justice Mystery Book Two) and I honestly hope the author continues to write this series for a long time to come :)
***This series is suitable for adult readers
A reluctant witch who doubts her powers and is a journalist...What more could you want? Mystery and mayhem seem to follow Stacy wherever she goes... much to her dismay.
This book is a mishmash of many genres and I adore that :) Instead of a coming of age it is a coming into power scenario laced with intrigue and action and adventure set in a world that could very well be our own . Unlike a lot of modern fantasy there is no strain to believe Stacy and Cinnamon are the girls you grew up with. She knows her heritage but does not really believe she has any real power of her own even though she knows magic exists.
I can't wait to read the next book Bloodstone (A Stacy Justice Mystery Book Two) and I honestly hope the author continues to write this series for a long time to come :)
***This series is suitable for adult readers
on June 27, 2017
I enjoyed the Opal Fire so much I went back to Amazon and bought the whole series. I’m reading book 4 in the Stacy Justices series Emerald Isle. Good summer reads!!!
on November 16, 2014
Unlike any witch story I have read before & it FAR surpasses them all. Stacy is strong and independent, but not bitter, overbearing, evil or seriously maladjusted as I have encountered in some books. She is inspiring. Her familiar, Thor, is a Great Dane and Annino's experience with dogs shines through. It really brings a book down for me when the author includes a dog but obviously knows little or nothing about them. I love the way that magic is presented in Opal Fire. Yes, it's magic, but it's also wisdom, being tuned in to one's internal world, and other reality based concepts. I bought this with doubts that I would enjoy it much, but it was available via a special Amazon deal so I decided to give it a try because of Thor. So glad I did! Annino is my new favorite fiction author and I'm rapidly reading the rest of the series. Highly recommended!
on October 15, 2012
As the stars say, I really liked this book. This does not, however, mean it was without its problems.
Issue #1: Stud-in-residence (the police chief) calls ex-stud (contractor/carpenter) "Bob the Builder" - more than once. Both are (understandably) concerned for the MC's safety. When they are trying to talk her into staying safe, they say things like "don't be such a Nancy Drew" or "you're running off like Dora the Explorer".
Seriously? Two adult macho males referring to children's TV programming? I would have let Bob the Builder pass (though it twanged something in my head), but Nancy Drew and Dora the Explorer?
Issue #2: In a small section the author's editor apparently went on break. In the space of just a few pages, I read "peaked into the refrigerator", "share's my blood" and "for Cinnamon and I". All three of these are glaring errors that shouldn't have existed had the writer paid attention through middle school English/Grammar classes.
Having griped about those two issues, I must reiterate that I really liked the book. It had a slight comic book feel to it - A good slice of humor, quirky supporting characters, some adventure and danger, and an ending that I didn't figure out until it was time to do so.
Issue #1: Stud-in-residence (the police chief) calls ex-stud (contractor/carpenter) "Bob the Builder" - more than once. Both are (understandably) concerned for the MC's safety. When they are trying to talk her into staying safe, they say things like "don't be such a Nancy Drew" or "you're running off like Dora the Explorer".
Seriously? Two adult macho males referring to children's TV programming? I would have let Bob the Builder pass (though it twanged something in my head), but Nancy Drew and Dora the Explorer?
Issue #2: In a small section the author's editor apparently went on break. In the space of just a few pages, I read "peaked into the refrigerator", "share's my blood" and "for Cinnamon and I". All three of these are glaring errors that shouldn't have existed had the writer paid attention through middle school English/Grammar classes.
Having griped about those two issues, I must reiterate that I really liked the book. It had a slight comic book feel to it - A good slice of humor, quirky supporting characters, some adventure and danger, and an ending that I didn't figure out until it was time to do so.
on December 20, 2014
Stacey Justice is a wonderful character, along with her family. I love characters who don't believe in their paranormal powers until something happens to make them believe. The stories are very well written mysteries, but with the paranormal involved. I absolutely loved this book!
on November 29, 2012
The premise behind this book is certainly not new...paranormal heroine + small town + murder mystery. If you like those types of books (which I do), then this would be a good one (the second book is better but you really can't just jump into it or you'll be completely lost).
Pros:
-I enjoyed the characters. The author included quite a few side characters but somehow managed to not lose them and they were all ultimately relevant one way or another.
-This has to do with characters but I did like Stacy and her sidekick cousin, Cinnamon. Often a downfall of books in this genre would be the heroine themselves. Instead of creating strong, kickass leading ladies, authors often end up with heroines that are stubborn to the point of being stupid and unecessarily hostile to every guy they meet. Stacy is not one of those. She has a stubborn streak (as all heroines in this genre do, I believe) but it's not over-the-top and she has her moments where she loses her temper but I didn't find her annoying in the slightest. I have read books where I have been unable to finish simply because all I could think about was how much I wanted to punch the main character in the face (great example would be To Kill a Warlock by H.P. Mallory...I LOVED her Jolie Wilkins series so I'd still recommend the author, just not this particular book), this was definitely not one of them. In fact, when I was mostly through the book I was surprised at how few times, if any, I had really been frustrated with her.
-This book was never meant to be the ultimate murder mystery nor does it pretend to be. It's a light, entertaining read with a murder mystery as the driving point to keep the story going. For that, I thought it was decently done. I liked that while I had a hunch (which turned out to be right) pretty early on, the author threw in enough twists so that I was never quite certain and there were a few directions the story could've taken.
Cons:
-The biggest con would have to be the ending, which is also why I've taken off a star. For the non-spoiler version I will just say that things just seemed kind of thrown together and why the characters were where they were simply didn't make sent to me. It seemed like the characters were just there because that was how it had to happen in order for the story to progress the way the author wanted it to. Now for the spoiler version I still won't name names because I can make my point without names that way those who want a little more information can still read without me completely giving everything away.
**SPOILER**
So here are my complaints about the ending (well...more like the big showdown).
1. So baddie1 and baddie2 just HAPPENED to be at the same place Stacy was? Why were they there? They had no reason to be there. That's a pretty big coincidence. Now baddie1 we can assume followed but I think any book where you have to make an assumption about something kind of critical is missing something. Baddie2...there really was just no reason for him/her to be there at all.
2. Ok...as I said above I liked Stacy and she really didn't do anything stupid up until this point but then she just kind of fell apart in a way that really didn't even make sense. Once again, it seemed like the author had her say the things she did only because this was where the big scene was supposed to take place, not because it was natural for the character. I mean, really, you're face-to-face with the murderer...this would be a good time to try to diffuse the situation, not accuse the person of murder and tell them all you know about evertyhing. That's an incredibly stupid thing to do and not something anyone with an ounce of common sense would do. I mean...that's pretty much just asking to be attacked, especially since before Stacy reveals all it doesn't appear the murderer is onto her. The author realizes this as well and puts out one of those 'I don't know why I said it but I did' kind of statements which is a pretty weak cover.
Overall the book was great up until the end where it fell apart a little for me but it didn't stop me from instantly jumping to book 2 (better than book 1).
*Oh and one review I read mentioned how it was very unrealistic in the sense that Stacy could bring her dog everywhere. I'd agree with that except for the fact that the author makes it clear multiple times that this is one of those everyone-knows-your-name kind of towns so the rules tend to be a little different in those towns. After all, Stacy has pretty much grown up with these people and everyone knows her and her family so, for me, it's not entirely unbelievable that she can bring her dog places I wouldn't be able to bring mine.
Pros:
-I enjoyed the characters. The author included quite a few side characters but somehow managed to not lose them and they were all ultimately relevant one way or another.
-This has to do with characters but I did like Stacy and her sidekick cousin, Cinnamon. Often a downfall of books in this genre would be the heroine themselves. Instead of creating strong, kickass leading ladies, authors often end up with heroines that are stubborn to the point of being stupid and unecessarily hostile to every guy they meet. Stacy is not one of those. She has a stubborn streak (as all heroines in this genre do, I believe) but it's not over-the-top and she has her moments where she loses her temper but I didn't find her annoying in the slightest. I have read books where I have been unable to finish simply because all I could think about was how much I wanted to punch the main character in the face (great example would be To Kill a Warlock by H.P. Mallory...I LOVED her Jolie Wilkins series so I'd still recommend the author, just not this particular book), this was definitely not one of them. In fact, when I was mostly through the book I was surprised at how few times, if any, I had really been frustrated with her.
-This book was never meant to be the ultimate murder mystery nor does it pretend to be. It's a light, entertaining read with a murder mystery as the driving point to keep the story going. For that, I thought it was decently done. I liked that while I had a hunch (which turned out to be right) pretty early on, the author threw in enough twists so that I was never quite certain and there were a few directions the story could've taken.
Cons:
-The biggest con would have to be the ending, which is also why I've taken off a star. For the non-spoiler version I will just say that things just seemed kind of thrown together and why the characters were where they were simply didn't make sent to me. It seemed like the characters were just there because that was how it had to happen in order for the story to progress the way the author wanted it to. Now for the spoiler version I still won't name names because I can make my point without names that way those who want a little more information can still read without me completely giving everything away.
**SPOILER**
So here are my complaints about the ending (well...more like the big showdown).
1. So baddie1 and baddie2 just HAPPENED to be at the same place Stacy was? Why were they there? They had no reason to be there. That's a pretty big coincidence. Now baddie1 we can assume followed but I think any book where you have to make an assumption about something kind of critical is missing something. Baddie2...there really was just no reason for him/her to be there at all.
2. Ok...as I said above I liked Stacy and she really didn't do anything stupid up until this point but then she just kind of fell apart in a way that really didn't even make sense. Once again, it seemed like the author had her say the things she did only because this was where the big scene was supposed to take place, not because it was natural for the character. I mean, really, you're face-to-face with the murderer...this would be a good time to try to diffuse the situation, not accuse the person of murder and tell them all you know about evertyhing. That's an incredibly stupid thing to do and not something anyone with an ounce of common sense would do. I mean...that's pretty much just asking to be attacked, especially since before Stacy reveals all it doesn't appear the murderer is onto her. The author realizes this as well and puts out one of those 'I don't know why I said it but I did' kind of statements which is a pretty weak cover.
Overall the book was great up until the end where it fell apart a little for me but it didn't stop me from instantly jumping to book 2 (better than book 1).
*Oh and one review I read mentioned how it was very unrealistic in the sense that Stacy could bring her dog everywhere. I'd agree with that except for the fact that the author makes it clear multiple times that this is one of those everyone-knows-your-name kind of towns so the rules tend to be a little different in those towns. After all, Stacy has pretty much grown up with these people and everyone knows her and her family so, for me, it's not entirely unbelievable that she can bring her dog places I wouldn't be able to bring mine.
