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A Wonder Cats Mystery #1
A Hiss-tory of Magic
Cath Greenstone, her cousin Bea, and her hippie aunt Astrid live in Wonder Falls, a small town near the mystical Niagara Falls. They run the Brew-Ha-Ha café, and naturally, they’re witches hiding in plain sight along with their three magical cats, Treacle, Peanut Butter, and Marshmallow.
When Brew-Ha-Ha's baker is burnt to a crisp, along with their beloved café, Aunt Astrid lets out a big family secret: a powerful spell book, a Greenstone heirloom from the Salem days, has been stolen from its secret hiding spot in the café. If it’s fallen into the wrong hands, black magic could destroy not only Wonder Falls but the world.
A secret society… A new detective with a shady past… A once-bullied local returning to town as a multimillionaire.
Who in town could know Cath’s family secret? Cath, Bea, and Astrid must use their witch powers to uncover the deadly truth. Cath communicates with their cats, also magically inclined, and they help uncover more than one secret lurking in wonderful Wonder Falls.
When Brew-Ha-Ha's baker is burnt to a crisp, along with their beloved café, Aunt Astrid lets out a big family secret: a powerful spell book, a Greenstone heirloom from the Salem days, has been stolen from its secret hiding spot in the café. If it’s fallen into the wrong hands, black magic could destroy not only Wonder Falls but the world.
A secret society… A new detective with a shady past… A once-bullied local returning to town as a multimillionaire.
Who in town could know Cath’s family secret? Cath, Bea, and Astrid must use their witch powers to uncover the deadly truth. Cath communicates with their cats, also magically inclined, and they help uncover more than one secret lurking in wonderful Wonder Falls.
229 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 2014
553 people are currently reading
1585 people want to read
About the author
Harper Lin
90 books931 followersHarper Lin is the 3x USA Today Bestselling Author of several popular cozy mystery series—8 and counting!
When she’s not reading or writing mysteries, she loves going to yoga class, hiking, and baking with friends and family.
Be the first to hear about early bird discounts and new book releases by signing up for Harper's Newsletter: https://goo.gl/R7XmFR
www.harperlin.com
When she’s not reading or writing mysteries, she loves going to yoga class, hiking, and baking with friends and family.
Be the first to hear about early bird discounts and new book releases by signing up for Harper's Newsletter: https://goo.gl/R7XmFR
www.harperlin.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 167 reviews
March 20, 2015
An absolutely gorgeous cover and the kernel of a good cozy mystery plot with a solid puzzle behind it. But too many copyediting errors to ignore and the writing itself would have benefitted from some professional editing.
Full review: http://jenn.booklikes.com/post/112982...
Full review: http://jenn.booklikes.com/post/112982...
August 18, 2020
Cath, her cousin Bea, and her Aunt Astrid are witches who live in the small town of Wonder Falls, near Niagara Falls. They run a coffee shop in town, and are shocked when it is destroyed by fire and their pastry chef is found inside. Cath's old friend Min is a suspect because he was seen in the area, but Cath knows he isn't guilty. With the help of their three cats, will they be able to prevent an evil group from destroying more of the people and things that they love? A cute paranormal mystery for cat lovers.
July 10, 2015
I got this book for free, during a special offer I found on the author's Facebook page
I've heard that in the original version, this book was filled with typos and other mistakes. Luckily, it has been edited, so for me, it was a smooth read.
This was different than everything else I've read by Harper Lin. Actually, I don't think I've ever read a cozy mystery with magic. And the best thing is, I liked it. The most interesting thing were the cats' voices. Every cat (Treacle, Marshmallow and Peanut Butter) has a unique voice, which made their POVs interesting.
There was a lot of characters just dumped at me in the beginning and I had trouble keeping track of who they were and what their relationships were: Nadia, Naomi, Ruby, Reuben, Darla, Darren... I especially liked Blake and I hope we see more of him in the next book.
I've heard that in the original version, this book was filled with typos and other mistakes. Luckily, it has been edited, so for me, it was a smooth read.
This was different than everything else I've read by Harper Lin. Actually, I don't think I've ever read a cozy mystery with magic. And the best thing is, I liked it. The most interesting thing were the cats' voices. Every cat (Treacle, Marshmallow and Peanut Butter) has a unique voice, which made their POVs interesting.
There was a lot of characters just dumped at me in the beginning and I had trouble keeping track of who they were and what their relationships were: Nadia, Naomi, Ruby, Reuben, Darla, Darren... I especially liked Blake and I hope we see more of him in the next book.
March 8, 2015
I only gave this book two stars because although it was an OK read, it needed quite a bit of work in the editing. Quite often I was unsure from which character's point of view the chapter was being told. It looks like it'll be part of a series and so many wonderful series (The Dark Tower, The Dresden Files) got off to wobbly starts. I love the premise, it was not a bad cozy mystery, just needed polish.
September 7, 2016
I just can't even with this book.
The good things? Concept had possibilities and the cover is gorgeous.
The bad things? Everything else.
The first chapter right off the bat was poorly done. It came off as babbling - which was supposed to have the character come off distraught and would have been fine if it also didn't come off a little pretentious. Supposedly we are supposed to believe this is a journal entry but it's painfully obvious it's mostly an out the author took as a short cut into explaining everything.
Now, this method isn't unusual, but when you do it badly...it's very noticeable.
Why would someone who just needs to write events down to "get them out" take the time to try to explain things so thoroughly that even a non-witch would understand? She says she shouldn't even be writing down and basically this is just for her, so why are you writing it as if you're probably going to give it to someone to read? (who must be normal/human going by the approach which is supposed to be a no-no? Is this a set up for a story down the road when she lets someone read all this? Who knows and I really don't care at this point)
Again, not an unusual approach writers have taken, but it just came off so poorly that I have to point it out.
In the following chapter, she goes on to explain about a witch's familiar (essentially). Except one minute she's going on about how her cat is bonded to her and her aunt's cat is bonded to her aunt, etc...then the next she just makes a freaking leap that Superman would have been proud of by following it immediately up with how her cat is bonded to the other cat and Lo! They can speak long distances telepathically and that's that.
(No really. It was almost the same sentence she did it in.)
By this point I was literally "the things I do for a reading challenge. This is only page 22. I've got 207 pages left. O.M.F.G"
By the time I got about halfway through the book, I wanted to throw the towel in. Most of the stuff felt more like filler than actually pertaining to the story. There was even a chapter dedicated to the cats talking.
By 103, I went from O.M.F.G to Dafuq did I just read?
I forced myself to finish though. The last chapter was probably the best of it all for two reasons.
First - it actually did improve at that point and was able to hold my attention longest.
Second - because it was finally OVER.
In summary:
Despite the concept being interesting, the overall flow of the story was choppy, writing was weak, grammar and spelling poor, and the dialogue was just plain bad for the most part.
Needless to say I won't be continuing with this series and I doubt I'll be reading anything by the author again any time soon.
The good things? Concept had possibilities and the cover is gorgeous.
The bad things? Everything else.
The first chapter right off the bat was poorly done. It came off as babbling - which was supposed to have the character come off distraught and would have been fine if it also didn't come off a little pretentious. Supposedly we are supposed to believe this is a journal entry but it's painfully obvious it's mostly an out the author took as a short cut into explaining everything.
Now, this method isn't unusual, but when you do it badly...it's very noticeable.
Why would someone who just needs to write events down to "get them out" take the time to try to explain things so thoroughly that even a non-witch would understand? She says she shouldn't even be writing down and basically this is just for her, so why are you writing it as if you're probably going to give it to someone to read? (who must be normal/human going by the approach which is supposed to be a no-no? Is this a set up for a story down the road when she lets someone read all this? Who knows and I really don't care at this point)
Again, not an unusual approach writers have taken, but it just came off so poorly that I have to point it out.
In the following chapter, she goes on to explain about a witch's familiar (essentially). Except one minute she's going on about how her cat is bonded to her and her aunt's cat is bonded to her aunt, etc...then the next she just makes a freaking leap that Superman would have been proud of by following it immediately up with how her cat is bonded to the other cat and Lo! They can speak long distances telepathically and that's that.
(No really. It was almost the same sentence she did it in.)
By this point I was literally "the things I do for a reading challenge. This is only page 22. I've got 207 pages left. O.M.F.G"
By the time I got about halfway through the book, I wanted to throw the towel in. Most of the stuff felt more like filler than actually pertaining to the story. There was even a chapter dedicated to the cats talking.
By 103, I went from O.M.F.G to Dafuq did I just read?
I forced myself to finish though. The last chapter was probably the best of it all for two reasons.
First - it actually did improve at that point and was able to hold my attention longest.
Second - because it was finally OVER.
In summary:
Despite the concept being interesting, the overall flow of the story was choppy, writing was weak, grammar and spelling poor, and the dialogue was just plain bad for the most part.
Needless to say I won't be continuing with this series and I doubt I'll be reading anything by the author again any time soon.
January 28, 2020
Well This gripped me from the start. I like the familiar bond. The mystery was good and I liked how the author melded the magic into the normal world. I liked how you were lead down one path only to have a clue spin you around.
March 18, 2016
Treacle, Marshmallow and Peanut Butter star as the cats in this series, along with their people Cath, Bea, and Astrid, who just happen to be witches. As is the "norm" for witches, it's getting more and more difficult to keep their secret for the townsfolk, especially when someone slips up in a moment of weakness. This first book in the series focuses on a fire in their Brew-Ha-Ha café and the murder of their baker. While they wait for the insurance to sort things out and reopen their café, the trio searches for the murderer and also their missing spell book.
There's a secret society, cats who can talk to Cath, shady characters, a love interest...quite a bit going on for an intro book...maybe a bit too much. Lin obviously has cauldrons full of good ideas; I'll give more of the series a chance in the hopes that she spreads them out a bit more and spends some more time flushing out the main characters (not the cats, of course. She flushed them out pretty well,considering they're cats).
There's a secret society, cats who can talk to Cath, shady characters, a love interest...quite a bit going on for an intro book...maybe a bit too much. Lin obviously has cauldrons full of good ideas; I'll give more of the series a chance in the hopes that she spreads them out a bit more and spends some more time flushing out the main characters (not the cats, of course. She flushed them out pretty well,considering they're cats).
June 14, 2015
I'm stretching by giving this 2 stars. I hate to give it 1 start because it did have an interesting plot but was just done all wrong. What could have been a cute little mystery got bogged down in little to no editing. By that I mean run on sentences, bad grammar, misspelled words, and just plain confusing sentences that had to be re-read to understood. It also go bogged down with different pov's including the pov's of a couple cats! Overall it tended to be a really confusing read that had a dank nugget of an interesting plot. Shinned up and polished this could have been a great start to an interesting new series. However as it stands I don't think I can force myself to read anything else by this author.
August 31, 2015
Modern witches have to be very careful and hide their magical abilities--remember the Salem Witch Trials? Better to hide then to start that up again even if you no longer live in Massachusetts! So this family of witches live a normal life-well mostly. Of course Cath can literally talk to cats through thought transference and the three cats have a lot to say-not to mention having to save their humans from themselves and others and literally solve mysteries for them!
This is a cute cozy mystery and I already have Book 2 so that should tell you how much I enjoyed it.
A Hiss-tory of Magic
This is a cute cozy mystery and I already have Book 2 so that should tell you how much I enjoyed it.
A Hiss-tory of Magic
May 23, 2020
I enjoyed this book. I especially liked the cats and the overall mystery plot. I will read more books from this series. What I didn't like was the POV changing from character to character. It often changed without logic or warning. This also meant that not enough time is spent with any one character to feel anything about them. Some of the sentence structure was awkward. However, I still enjoyed the story and see potential for the development of the characters.
July 29, 2020
Meh. The first page just rambles, and several places in the book are just too confusing as to what's going on. I love mysteries, books with cats as main characters, and fantasy and paranormal books. This has all 3, but not well put together. I won't be reading any more of the series.
May 15, 2021
Magic under your nose
This was a good and very likeable introduction to a world in which magic is there for all to see but which few sees. This is the world of orphan Cath, her aunt, Astrid, her cousin Bea and their cats, Peanut Butter, Treacle and Marshmallow. A world where their lives are carried out 'normally' amongst the unsuspecting (including Bea's husband Jake).
If you happen to be a cat lover then you will enjoy this book, if you happen to like the paranormal also then you will like it even more.
This was a good and very likeable introduction to a world in which magic is there for all to see but which few sees. This is the world of orphan Cath, her aunt, Astrid, her cousin Bea and their cats, Peanut Butter, Treacle and Marshmallow. A world where their lives are carried out 'normally' amongst the unsuspecting (including Bea's husband Jake).
If you happen to be a cat lover then you will enjoy this book, if you happen to like the paranormal also then you will like it even more.
April 18, 2018
4.25★ Audiobook⎮Confession: I’m a crazy cat lady. With three rescues of my own, it’s fair to say I’m upset with all things feline. So, of course, A Hiss-tory of Magic was an automatic listen for me. It helps that I’m also interested in Paranormal fiction, specifically books pertaining to magic. The crossover between witches/magic and cats is my literary sweet spot.
I’ve never heard of Harper Lin, much less heard anything from her, so I had no idea what to expect from this. I was in the mood for something light and quirky and A Hiss-tory of Magic delivered. It turned out to be considerably more substantive than I was expecting. I’ve heard cozy mysteries where animals help their human familiars solve crimes, but they always end up being shallow and downright silly. A Hiss-tory of Magic was a fair bit more intellectual, as cozy mysteries go.
For starters, the writing was heads and tails above anything similar that I’ve heard. Lin dedicated significant time to world building and character development, while balancing the action and plot. There wasn’t a whole lot going on in the romance department, which suited me just fine. There’s plenty of time for something romantic to develop at a more natural pace in future installments.
A Hiss-tory of Magic felt more like the first installment in a series rather than a serial. It reminded me a lot Halfway Dead and somewhat of The Lazy Girls Guide to Magic. There’s so much potential here. A Hiss-tory of Magic set this series off to a great start. There’s a good chance I will continue with it.
Narration review: I have to consider the narration of A Hiss-tory of Magic to be its weakest point. Although, it certainly wasn’t terrible, by any means. Anne James has a pleasant timbre to her voice and she provided adequate characterization. But there was something off with her pacing and inflection that kept niggling the back of my mind throughout the production. It always seemed like she was over enunciating the words and her inflections seemed to rise at the end of statements, making them sound like questions.
Overall, this wasn’t a huge deal. But it did slightly detract from my listening experience, so it’s worth a mention. I will say, however, That it wouldn’t stop me from hearing the rest of the series (once it’s released). ♣︎
I’ve never heard of Harper Lin, much less heard anything from her, so I had no idea what to expect from this. I was in the mood for something light and quirky and A Hiss-tory of Magic delivered. It turned out to be considerably more substantive than I was expecting. I’ve heard cozy mysteries where animals help their human familiars solve crimes, but they always end up being shallow and downright silly. A Hiss-tory of Magic was a fair bit more intellectual, as cozy mysteries go.
For starters, the writing was heads and tails above anything similar that I’ve heard. Lin dedicated significant time to world building and character development, while balancing the action and plot. There wasn’t a whole lot going on in the romance department, which suited me just fine. There’s plenty of time for something romantic to develop at a more natural pace in future installments.
A Hiss-tory of Magic felt more like the first installment in a series rather than a serial. It reminded me a lot Halfway Dead and somewhat of The Lazy Girls Guide to Magic. There’s so much potential here. A Hiss-tory of Magic set this series off to a great start. There’s a good chance I will continue with it.
Narration review: I have to consider the narration of A Hiss-tory of Magic to be its weakest point. Although, it certainly wasn’t terrible, by any means. Anne James has a pleasant timbre to her voice and she provided adequate characterization. But there was something off with her pacing and inflection that kept niggling the back of my mind throughout the production. It always seemed like she was over enunciating the words and her inflections seemed to rise at the end of statements, making them sound like questions.
Overall, this wasn’t a huge deal. But it did slightly detract from my listening experience, so it’s worth a mention. I will say, however, That it wouldn’t stop me from hearing the rest of the series (once it’s released). ♣︎
July 17, 2016
I'm not sure what it was about this book that just didn't click with me. It had everything I like... cats, magic, witches and mystery... but I came away from it feeling meh. It wasn't the writing, that was fine, I just didn't feel a connection to any of the characters. I think too many characters were introduced all at once and it was somewhat confusing to figure out when the cats were talking. Very cool concept. If I had cared one bit about any one character I would have rated higher but they felt flat and uninteresting. The mystery was interesting...and maybe book 2 is better, I don't know. But for this one, I wanted to see how it ended but I was so ready for it to end. Too bad, I had hoped to find a fun new series to enjoy.
March 28, 2021
Quite a delightful read
I thoroughly Enjoyed This cozy mystery! The characters were well developed and the storyline flowed nicely! I look forward to reading more in this series!
I thoroughly Enjoyed This cozy mystery! The characters were well developed and the storyline flowed nicely! I look forward to reading more in this series!
March 21, 2016
I have terrible news. I didn't think I had read this book and so I started it on my Kindle only to realize I had read it about two weeks ago. It is not a good thing to have a book be so forgettable. I gave it a quick scan to apprise myself of the details before writing the review.
1- I did not care for the voice used.
2-The cats were too cutsie.
3-I didn't like any of the characters.
For a more detailed review and other suggestions go to www.talesuntangled.wordpress.com
1- I did not care for the voice used.
2-The cats were too cutsie.
3-I didn't like any of the characters.
For a more detailed review and other suggestions go to www.talesuntangled.wordpress.com
April 19, 2016
An OK paranormal book on witches and cats. The focus was on white witches and their cats, so there are some chapters on the cats' POVs too. The transition between human and cat POV is smooth and does not hamper the flow of reading. The suspense was also not identifiable till the end so it was yet another bonus point to the book.
It was interesting to read, but not every engaging to say that I loved it. Just an OK addition to the cozy mystery list
It was interesting to read, but not every engaging to say that I loved it. Just an OK addition to the cozy mystery list
July 18, 2017
Wow. I've finally met a cozy mystery I didn't like! And it's about cats too!
This has been on my to-read for ages, so when I saw the first three books going cheap on Kindle I knew I had to buy it. Unfortunately I got to around 75% of book one and just couldn't continue. The writing is poor, the plot is either weak or poorly presented and the reasoning behind why the characters say and do was kind of pathetic.
Not a good book for me, one star.
This has been on my to-read for ages, so when I saw the first three books going cheap on Kindle I knew I had to buy it. Unfortunately I got to around 75% of book one and just couldn't continue. The writing is poor, the plot is either weak or poorly presented and the reasoning behind why the characters say and do was kind of pathetic.
Not a good book for me, one star.
December 15, 2021
Absolutely infuriating. Childish writing style. Too many exposition dumps. Boring ass MC. Horrible character development that was not helped by the fast pace of the book. Cliche as hell. Oh and ofc, the astronomical amount of plot holes and Inconsistencies in the narrative that I spotted. This book drove me wholly insane.
Honestly the only reason I gave it two stars is because at least it has some solid worldbuilding (even if the explanation was a bit confusing).
Honestly the only reason I gave it two stars is because at least it has some solid worldbuilding (even if the explanation was a bit confusing).
January 29, 2015
Good story. Needs some work to be even better
This got 3stars because I liked the story in general. It needs more detailed continuity and a clean flow of facts. But this is just book #1. Give Harper Lin time. She can create an interesting story. The rest is improving her craftsmanship. That takes more books.
This got 3stars because I liked the story in general. It needs more detailed continuity and a clean flow of facts. But this is just book #1. Give Harper Lin time. She can create an interesting story. The rest is improving her craftsmanship. That takes more books.
January 6, 2016
A fun book filled with lots of cat conversations and magic. I enjoyed the family and their cats. It was a fun mystery.
June 16, 2016
It wasn't great, but it wasn't bad. I don't know really what to say about it, but it was one of those that I had to see how it ended.
November 14, 2021
Baca buku ini cukup refreshing karena menggabungkan unsur magical realism dan juga misteri. Jadi ini ceritanya semacam terjadinya kebakaran di salah satu toko kue gitu dan juga terbunuhnya salah seorang pekerja di situ. Tokoh utamanya yang adalah seorang penyihir di sini semacam mencurahkan segala yang dia miliki dan bisa gitu deh untuk mengetahui kejelasan demi kejelasan gitu. Namun nggak disangka bahwa seiring ditelitinya kasus ini justru timbul banyak kejadian aneh yang membuat kita bertanya siapa dalang di balik semua ini.
Aku suka bagaimana unsur magical realsimnya di sini yang magical gitu (apaan sih). Kemudian aku juga suka bagaimana penulis juga membuat ketegangan ceritanya perlahan-lahan menanjak naik sampai ke bagian penyelesaian masalah. Dan di sini ada hal yang menarik yaitu penuturan kisah melalui sudut pandang seekor kucing. Dan sini aku juga suka dengan tokoh-tokoh kucing di sini yang ikut "berpartisipasi" menyelesaikan konflik yang ada.
Cukup seru dan aku jadi penasaran sama buku-buku karya Harper Lin yang lainnya. Dan mungkin kalau ada kesempatan aku bakal mempertimbangkan untuk lanjut ke buku keduanya.
3,8 stars.
Aku suka bagaimana unsur magical realsimnya di sini yang magical gitu (apaan sih). Kemudian aku juga suka bagaimana penulis juga membuat ketegangan ceritanya perlahan-lahan menanjak naik sampai ke bagian penyelesaian masalah. Dan di sini ada hal yang menarik yaitu penuturan kisah melalui sudut pandang seekor kucing. Dan sini aku juga suka dengan tokoh-tokoh kucing di sini yang ikut "berpartisipasi" menyelesaikan konflik yang ada.
Cukup seru dan aku jadi penasaran sama buku-buku karya Harper Lin yang lainnya. Dan mungkin kalau ada kesempatan aku bakal mempertimbangkan untuk lanjut ke buku keduanya.
3,8 stars.
March 1, 2021
I growing more and more addicted to Harper Lin's work. Her books are short, sweet and I love her characters. Cath is occasionally irritating, but I love her ability to commune with her cats and I love the personalities she's developed in said cats. I think Peanut Butter will forever have a place in my heart. And that they are characters of considerable importance makes me like this book all the more. The plot was a little rusty, but I think this series has potential!
January 26, 2021
I really loved these magical cats and the conversations they had with each other as well as with Cath, the only one who could really communicate with them. It was a good compelling mystery that made me want to hurry up and find out whodunit. The showdown was pretty epic too!
February 8, 2022
Per me è no.
Popsugar Reading challenge: A book with an onomatopoeia in the title
Around the year in 52 books: A book with a time-related word in the title
The 52 books club challenge: A book with less than 2022 Goodreads ratings
Popsugar Reading challenge: A book with an onomatopoeia in the title
Around the year in 52 books: A book with a time-related word in the title
The 52 books club challenge: A book with less than 2022 Goodreads ratings
October 10, 2022
I enjoyed this sweet, quirky mystery about magic and cats. It wasn't an edge of your seat mystery, but it was a really nice cosy evening read.
August 18, 2015
A Hiss-Tory of Magic by Harper Lin is the first book in A Wonder Cats Mystery series. Cath Greenstone is thirty-three and a witch. So is her cousin, Bea (and soul sister) and her Aunt Astrid. Together they run the Brew-Ha-Ha in town. Cath has the power to speak with animals. She seems to have a special affinity for cats. Cath “owns” (as much as you can own a cat) named Treacle. Treacle was a street cat who stills likes to roam about the town (he can open the cat door). They live in Wonder Falls, Ontario (Canada).
Cath wakes up with the image of a fire in her head (thanks to the cat) and immediately checks in with her Aunt Astrid (via her cat). When they arrive at the Brew-Ha-Ha, they discover that their baker, Ted Lanier is dead. When they can get back inside the café, they immediately go down into the secret space. This is where they kept the family spell book. While the book is gone, they only got a fake. Aunt Astrid takes the real book home with her to keep it safe. Detective Blake Samberg is the newest member of the Wonder Falls Police Department. They cannot, of course, tell him about the spell book. Bea’s husband, Jake Williams is Blake’s partner (he does not know about their magic either). Who wants their spell book? Who even knew that they are witches? Bea, Cath, and Aunt Astrid set out to find the culprit before their secret gets out. Cath discovers a pendant at the fire. Blake seems to recognize the symbol, but he is keeping the information to himself. Cath is happy to discover that her old friend, Min Park is back in town. They were good friends growing up but lost touch when he went away to college and work. Is it a coincidence that Min returned to town the day before the fire? Cath hopes Min is innocent and what could Blake be hiding.
A Hiss-Tory of Magic is an interesting book. The magic is complicated and confusing (I prefer simple magic). The characters are intriguing and I look forward to learning more about them in the next book. I give A Hiss-Tory of Magic 3.5 out of 5 stars. It is an easy book to read (there are some rambling sentences) and can easily be finished in a couple of hours.
Cath wakes up with the image of a fire in her head (thanks to the cat) and immediately checks in with her Aunt Astrid (via her cat). When they arrive at the Brew-Ha-Ha, they discover that their baker, Ted Lanier is dead. When they can get back inside the café, they immediately go down into the secret space. This is where they kept the family spell book. While the book is gone, they only got a fake. Aunt Astrid takes the real book home with her to keep it safe. Detective Blake Samberg is the newest member of the Wonder Falls Police Department. They cannot, of course, tell him about the spell book. Bea’s husband, Jake Williams is Blake’s partner (he does not know about their magic either). Who wants their spell book? Who even knew that they are witches? Bea, Cath, and Aunt Astrid set out to find the culprit before their secret gets out. Cath discovers a pendant at the fire. Blake seems to recognize the symbol, but he is keeping the information to himself. Cath is happy to discover that her old friend, Min Park is back in town. They were good friends growing up but lost touch when he went away to college and work. Is it a coincidence that Min returned to town the day before the fire? Cath hopes Min is innocent and what could Blake be hiding.
A Hiss-Tory of Magic is an interesting book. The magic is complicated and confusing (I prefer simple magic). The characters are intriguing and I look forward to learning more about them in the next book. I give A Hiss-Tory of Magic 3.5 out of 5 stars. It is an easy book to read (there are some rambling sentences) and can easily be finished in a couple of hours.
January 17, 2016
I thoroughly enjoyed the story of witchcraft, murder, cats that can communicate with humans, and more. Against the backdrop of Niagara Falls, two cousins and their aunt/mother run a small cafe. However the cafe is destroyed by fire at the beginning of the book. Much of the story is trying to find out who was responsible not only for the fire, but for the theft of a family magic book that was removed before the fire was set. I was fascinated by the way the cats could communicate with Cath (one of the three main characters who are all witches), but also confused by much of what was said or done. I felt as though the author had too many ideas, too little time, or too little editing with the book. I wanted to love it but was deeply disappointed. I am not sorry I read it-perhaps a second reading would help me sort it all out., I thought the basic characters were likable and well thought out. But perhaps Cath said it best when she said, "I'm trying to make sense of all this, but I don't know where to begin..."
November 6, 2020
The power of three
Astrid, Bea, and Cath are all witches. They live in a small town that has three waterfalls. They only use their powers for good since if you don’t it comes back an slaps you really really hard. The adventure is the setting of how it all began. Many things are left unanswered. Promises are left unasked, and minds are changed on what the future holds....
Astrid, Bea, and Cath are all witches. They live in a small town that has three waterfalls. They only use their powers for good since if you don’t it comes back an slaps you really really hard. The adventure is the setting of how it all began. Many things are left unanswered. Promises are left unasked, and minds are changed on what the future holds....
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