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Juvenile humor from alleged grownups, cutesy behavior at inappropriate moments...apparently this author thinks those are humorous, and I think they’re dreadful. Examples: "Okay, missy miss. Someone is certainly a crab apple today.” and “Sera held a hand over her mouth, hiding a smile. "What do you find so funny?" Em said. "I can't help it. Whenever you say Queen Witch, all I can think of is Queen Bit—" She threw her arms into the air. "That's enough! If y'all want to survive until the summer solstice, by all means, make jokes.” But they’re so funny—yeah, if you’re six, maybe. These women are supposed to be old enough and mature enough to run their own businesses, but this is the dialogue Boyles gives them? It’s so off I don’t know why no one else told her it wasn’t working. And then there’s the bit where Dylan is so happy that the Unicorn King—who is an intelligent, well-spoken being—didn’t poop on the carpet... This thing was just painful to read. I gave the book two stars because the writing was reasonable, and the plot wasn’t bad—it’s just the characters and dialogue I couldn’t handle. Wish I’d stopped wasting my time sooner.
I'm so glad I stumbled across this book on social media! I instantly fell in love with the cute cover art and title, and the content of the book was just as much fun. Heroine Dylan Apel is a boutique owner/clothing designer in a small Alabama town. She has a special gift with needle and thread that makes her customers feel transformed when they put on her clothes. What she doesn't know is that her gift is a magical one (ditto for her sister who creates bliss-inducing desserts at the bakery next door). Dylan only learns the truth when her most obnoxious client is incinerated by a dress that Dylan had planned to wear herself. Seems a malevolent witch wants Dylan's powers and will stop at nothing to get them. So, Dylan has to learn how to harness her magic, figure out the intricacies of witchy politics, and stay safe until the Summer Solstice. Fortunately, she has her sisters, her kooky, just-revived-from-a-catatonic-state grandmother, the South's Queen Witch, and a sexy bodyguard to help her solve the mystery of who wants to hurt her.
This book has it all - magic, mystery, family secrets, humor, and romance, and it was a fast-paced, entertaining read from beginning to end! I appreciated that there were several twists and turns in the plot that I did not see coming. (I spent most of the book being sure I know who the evil, power-stealing witch was only to end up being dead wrong!) I've read quite a few books involving characters with supernatural powers, plus I've watched many TV shows in that genre (including all 8 seasons of Charmed which was about a trio of witchy sisters), so I didn't expect this book to feel as clever and fresh as it did. Kudos to Ms. Boyles for reinventing the wheel and doing some really imaginative world-building in this book. I particularly liked the idea of there being Witch Police and how strict (and scary!) they were.
As much as I enjoyed all of the female characters in the book, I ended up being most fascinated by Roman Bane, the enigmatic bodyguard Dylan finds herself crushing on despite knowing what a bad idea it is. Roman had such a complex and tragic backstory, plus let's be honest, he's HOT. (I kept imagining Alexander Skarsgard as the character since he was described as being tall, with longish blond hair.) I can't wait to see where the Dylan/Roman relationship goes in future books, especially since things left off in a very interesting place for them. Also, I want to find out what happens with Dylan's other sisters. (Middle sister Sera has powers and an unhappy love life while Reid, the youngest Apel sibling, seems to have missed out on inheriting any witchly gifts and she's got a thing for their hunky next-door neighbor.)
I will be counting down the days until Book 2 of this series is released!
I will be honest. For the life of me, I do not understand how this book has so many four and five star ratings. This book has the POTENTIAL to be that, but isn't.
Appearance (there's a reason I'm reviewing appearance): The book has a nice cover, print is of a good size, binding seems secure. There are a few layout issues, but very minor. The book is a bit odd-sized for this type of paperback, which was my first clue that this was a self-published book.
Content: Boyles has potential (and since she has more books, hopefully the following issues have been resolved). The concept is there, the personalities are there, and the ability to write is there; the follow through needs some work. A professional editor would have been a great help here, and this is also where the self-publishing is very evident. Issues of editing concerning word choice and language are evident, such as character being described as "ADD" when it comes to her nails (she is constantly repairing nails that she deems too chipped) when the author meant "OCD." This is just one example of incorrect word choice/awkward similes that an editor should have been able to help with.
The main character is supposed to be... 26, I believe. She is a business owner, and one of three sisters. She (and her sisters) come across as if they are in their mid-teens. The type of language used, the reactions, and logic... all feel incredibly immature, especially from women that have started their own businesses. Each character has a very distinct personality, but not much depth. The youngest sister, in particular, has been relegated to not-yet-adult due to her age of 18, and then the odd-one-out; something which is repeated frequently. A part of this stems from the author's type of humour, but a part seems to come from a habit of cyclical storytelling. There were repeated mentions of concerns about safety and death, but there was no feeling that any of the sisters were actually in danger, despite the murder.
This is also supposed to be a mystery. The book felt more like an exploration of the sisters trying to learn magic (taught very strangely by everyone), with very little actual detective work. The deductive (faulty) leaps were painful.
The romantic elements also felt incredibly juvenial, again due to the language used to describe the romantic interest and the main character's pull to him.
I want to repeat: This book had potential. All of the elements are there, they just need refining and some re-wording. The book is an easy, light read with decent humour.
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