Review: Becoming Crone by Lydia M. Hawke

Becoming Crone by Lydia M. Hawke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a fun book that, at last, didn’t have to do with someone under 60. It only took a couple of nights to get through. I do wish it were in Audible, but text-to-speech was still doable.

A mature woman whose marriage is over and the offspring has a child of his own finally finds her power, and boy, it’s a lot!

And her caretaker is a gargoyle. Her name is Kevin!

Hopefully, those weren’t spoilers.

It was such an entertaining book; I now have the second book lined up.

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Review: Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

So, not my kind of book. But you’ll love this book if you like romance, especially paranormal romance with Greek mythology built in.

I must admit Devon Sorvari (Narrator) did a fantastic job telling the story.

Look, I realize I am not the target audience. So I don’t want to be mean or disparaging. I did finish reading, so it kept me engaged for that long. I don’t see reading the rest of the series. But I know others will love it. It is written well. May I just use the part I loved most: Flying. I’ll not ruin anything with spoilers with that bit.

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Review: A Ghoulish Midlife by Lia Davis

A Ghoulish Midlife by Lia Davis
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I needed a light read. This did the trick. Though it had scary topics, it was all tongue-in-cheek fun.
Coleen Marlo, the narrator, was fun to listen to, although her males sounded hoarse and hard to distinguish from each other.

This is a story for you if you like witchy stories with humor. It is a fast read; I think I read it in one night. It’s weird that I still call listening to a book ‘reading.’ But it goes in my head as if my eyes were on it. I like Audible because I don’t have to have the light on to read. I like how narrators can pronounce words that might not be common in my world. And in this case, Coleen giggled or nearly shouted at the appropriate moments, keeping me interested the whole time.

Sadly, I am not in the mood to reach out for the next book. I think it was the googly, girlie attitude toward the handsome man. I hate that stuff. Not romantic. Just small-minded reasons to do things. I like stronger, smarter characters.

Still, like I said before, it was a quick, fun read.

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Review: The Novice by Taran Matharu

The Novice by Taran Matharu
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

This book was not my cup of tea. One of my best friends loved it, so don’t take this review to heart.

If you loved Wheel of Time, Lord of the Rings, etc. This book is for you. Those and this are too male-heavy and too similar that I just got bored. I never got into the main character. I never felt anything about him was worth my time.

But, please don’t take my word for it. It was a quick read that I borrowed from the Libby library app. The text-to-speech was enabled for those who like to listen to books as they do other things like artwork with their hands. So it was painless. Still, when it got to the preview of the next book, I didn’t care if the MC was alive or dead. I was ready to move on to a series more to my liking.

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Review: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’m on my second reading of this book. I read the actual hardback the first time. Now the eyes wouldn’t be able to. So I chose to listen to Jim Dale read the book to me. For the most part, he is a good narrator, but ugh, for the females. He makes them sound like he’s making fun of them. And he seems to use the voice of Hagrid for another character making it a bit confusing.

Still, I am raising my rating from three stars to four as I found this more pleasant this time. I don’t know if it is my interpretation of the book versus how Jim Dale portrayed it. I just remembered this book as scary and dark. Yet this time, I found it lighter and happier. Maybe I knew where it was going, so I didn’t shake in fear?

As with the first two books, I find them male-heavy, which is disappointing because it is a female author. Seeing that she chose to be more acceptable to males by having a male pseudonym makes me admire her less. But maybe now, she might not choose that path.

Since I have the collection on Audible, I plan to continue listening. I do wish there was another actor to play the females. Still, how many can say, “Buckbeak’s back” multiple times without tripping over their tongues? Jim Dale got points for that!

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Review: Siren Magic by Lucia Ashta

Siren Magic by Lucia Ashta
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What a fun diversion from the more serious reading I’ve been doing lately. However, I hate reading about yet another mermaid, not in the water. That’s my inner spirit. I miss swimming so much!

In this case, the mermaid is part angel. And she knows nothing about any of her powers and is put in a totally new situation to her—legs on land, with wings.

It was an excellent bedtime book. It was exciting while soothing. So much so that I had to pick up the next book and started reading it last night.

If you like the occasional fantasy and don’t mind a young adult bent, this would be fun for you, too.

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Review: The Curious Affair of the Witch at Wayside Cross by Lisa Tuttle

The Curious Affair of the Witch at Wayside Cross by Lisa Tuttle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was different! And fun!

After so many problems with the text-to-speech and a miraculous fixing, I got to hear the whole book. Here let me share the blurb that brought me to diving in.

“The paranormal answer to Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, Jesperson, and Lane are turning the Victorian era upside down in this bewitching series from John W. Campbell Award winner Lisa Tuttle.”

As much fun as this adventure was, I did get angry with how the women were treated. And how they accepted the treatment. But it was that era, so I guess it wouldn’t be right to have a down-right rebel, though Bridgerton is doing a good job of bending the historical rules.

I was lucky to find this on NetGalley.

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Review: Ever Strange by Alisa Woods

Ever Strange by Alisa Woods
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It seemed I was on a witch-reading spree lately. Here’s another and, I think, better than the others. It was free, so that’s even better. The main character was well developed. The storyline kept me engaged. And if you need spice, this book has it without getting into the realms of erotica. Nice that fantasy leaves a bit to your imagination. You might enjoy this book. I did.

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Review: Payback’s a Witch by Constance Barker

Payback’s a Witch by Constance Barker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this and the second book out of order as I wasn’t sure which was which. I wish that the Kindle people would put a large number on the little image of books so that it wouldn’t happen the way it did for me.

That said, I wasn’t as far off in what I believed happened in the second book and first book. I was prepared to read number two again if I needed it, but it all straightened itself out in my head.

This series is very light and fun a kind of cozy mystery. So if you are looking for a fun quick read, check these out. And the plus is that they are free with Kindle Unlimited. I hope you get the chance to check them out.

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Review: No Crones About It by Amanda M. Lee

No Crones About It by Amanda M. Lee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If you are looking for a fun distraction, nothing too heavy or crazy, this is it. This series is about fun. Of course, you have to be the kind of person who enjoys a bit of snark.

There is a bit of shapeshifter and witchy romance but it is far from angsty. It is just the right amount of tension and fun between two people.

I am grateful to Kindle Unlimited to get to read this little gem.

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