Melissa Erin Jackson

When Amber Blackwood's best friend Melanie is found dead, clutching a vial of headache tonic from Amber's curiosity shop, Amber becomes the prime suspect. Determined to find justice for her friend and to clear her own name, she must use her witchy gifts to track down Melanie's real killer.

Pawsitively Poisonous

Colleen

3 Stars
 
*A enjoyable cozy paranormal novella that could have used a bit more fleshing out*
 
ARC provided by Ringtail Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
 
 
Last year, I read Jackson’s debut novel, The Forgotten Child, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I’ve been on the lookout since for the sequel. It turns out Jackson’s next book is the start of a separate series – this one a cozy mystery series with a paranormal element. So although that isn’t a genre I gravitate towards, I was curious about it and was able to get an ARC from Netgalley.
 
The biggest disappointment about Pawsitively Poisonous was the length. At a mere 201 pages, this is only a short novella. It was fun and easy to read in a day. But I really wanted more meat to the story. Both the plot and the character development could have used some fleshing out.
 
The story is about Amber Blackwood, a young woman who runs an odds and ends store called The Quirky Whisker. Amber is also secretly a witch – the good kind. But when her friend is murdered and Amber is a suspect, she decides to use every tool at her disposal – including her magic – to help solve the case.
 
The story is set in the fictional town of Edgehill which centers everything around its cat festival. Yes, really. The story is full of cat puns, so if the title made you groan then you might want to skip this one. All of the streets are named for breeds of cats. All of the businesses have cat pun names. It was an awful lot of cats. It was cute and quirky but also a bit overwhelming.
 
Another thing I want to mention was that for “good witch” meant to do no harm, Amber spent a ridiculous amount of time using her powers to manipulate people. She spent most of her time using potions and spells to get people to reveal information or do what she needed – obviously without their knowledge or consent. It was handled in an uncomfortable way. And Amber couldn’t even rely on the excuse of good intentions, because she admits in the story that her motivation is as much about clearing her own name as it is about finding justice for her friend.
 
The mystery itself was straightforward. I was surprised that there wasn’t much romance in the story, because that usually goes hand in hand with cozy paranormal mysteries. But it does set up potential romance for the sequel as well as leaving several other threads to be followed later on. The story also ends in an obvious set up for the next book. But although the story was cute and entertaining enough, I’m much more excited for the sequel to The Forgotten Child than the sequel to Pawsitively Poisonous.


RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 4 Stars
Writing Style: 3 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 3 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 3 Stars
Level of Captivation: 4 Stars
Originality: 3 Stars

Sabetha Danes

A town that was build around loving cats? Sign me up! This book was purrfectly murderous. See what I did there? lol 

Cat jokes aside, this was a fun read, had an unexpected arc for the conclusion to the case. I loved how Amber handled dealing with magic in the modern world. The nosy small town was great, and the towns folk were eccentric. Exactly what I would expect from a cat town not wanting to be modernized. 

The epilogue is the real reason for my drop in star ranking. The final "cliff hanger" was laughably lame, after all the character development between characters, we get slapped with that kind of an ending? I about rolled my eyes. The well developed world, and plot was plenty to keep readers wanting to read book 2. 

I received this book via Review Club - Reading Deals.

Pawsitively Poisonous

Reviews