gods

Review of Owl Hallows’ Eve by Leanne Leeds

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Synopsis:
A Halloween festival in a town full of mediums.
A medium dead in the corn maze.
And a debt to the god of the dead that just came due.

Astra Arden has avoided Cassandra—hard to feel welcome when the mayor blames you for her son’s death. But when the town’s ghosts go silent and Hades calls in her mother’s old favor, avoiding it stops being an option. Someone in Cassandra is keeping a soul that belongs to the Underworld, and the Arden sisters have until the festival ends to bring it home.

Then a medium turns up dead under a sign in her own handwriting, the town closes ranks, and the mayor bans Astra from the grounds. Now she’s solving a murder from the couch above a gas station—in a town that won’t talk, hunting a soul in a town that talks to nothing else.

And midnight is coming either way.

Review:
“My sister had more faith in her father’s good nature than three thousand years of literature did, and I kind of loved her grumpy gothic butt for it.” (Page 104)

I absolutely loved this book. Astra has come so far from where she started out; she has friends and family that she relies on and communicates with. She is learning to be better in the roles she hasn’t had before, such as wife, and at being a sister who is present but not smothering or acting in a more parent role. This book focused on something important from earlier in the series; the star cards. While perhaps we have become too accustomed to the intervention and appearance of Gods/Goddesses in the lives of the Ardens, given the lineage of the sisters, it was great to see how connected (or not) the rest of the pantheon really is with the family. This book really helped put the timeline of Astra’s return home in perspective with how grown up and mature Ayla has become, and how she does have a life and identity outside of the family. I loved this mystery, and I honestly hadn’t seen what had happened coming at all! There were a lot of twists and turns, confusion, and ultimately, a conclusion that makes the next book need to be available immediately!

Cliffhanger warning, but the book was phenomenal!

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Owl the Small Things by Leanne Leeds

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Synopsis:
Astra Arden just wants one quiet week at home.

After a locked-island murder investigation that left the whole team running on coffee fumes and borrowed sleep, she’s earned it. But the moment she walks through the door, she discovers Aunt Gwennie has been secretly dating Detective Briggs—and before Astra can process that, things around the house start going wrong.

Small things, at first.

A shelf collapses when no one’s near it. The garden gate swings shut on Briggs’s fingers. A batch of Gwennie’s famous snickerdoodles tastes like soap. Arden House has always had a personality, but this feels personal.

Then the small things stop being small.

Someone—or something—has Briggs in its sights. And with the human detective dodging hexes he can’t see, Astra has to figure out who’s targeting him and why before the small things turn deadly.

But the deeper Astra digs, the more she realizes the threat isn’t coming from outside. It’s coming from inside the family — from a ghost who can’t let go and a house that takes sides.

Welcome back to Arden House. The snickerdoodles are fresh, the owl is judging you, and the walls have opinions.


Review:
“Interrogation and sisterhood share exactly one technique, and it’s this one. Patience.” (Page 20)

“He’s going to keep coming back either way. He’s got that energy. He’s like if a casserole wouldn’t take no for an answer.” (Page 23)

This series has been doing a great job of shifting focus from having only Astra as the star of the show to showcasing other people in the family. This time, both Althea and Ayla played pivotal roles in figuring out exactly what is going on. Briggs is a good man so it’s great that the family comes together to support him, and while it seemed like the answer to what was happening might have been obvious, it was slightly different than what was expected. As usual, a quick, fun, light, clean read by Leanne Leeds.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯

Review of Owl Shook Up by Leanne Leeds

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Synopsis:
When Aunt Gwennie’s famous snickerdoodles go missing before the annual cookie competition, Astra and her sisters prepare for a bitter battle over the sweet treats. But the trouble turns deadly when Aunt Gwennie’s rival, Agatha Blackwell, is found dead with a snickerdoodle stuffed in her mouth.

With Archie’s help, Astra dives into the cutthroat competition of Forkbridge’s baking scene. Secrets are simmering about Agatha’s controversial new recipe, stolen ingredients, and suspected poisonings. As she sifts through motives and investigates shifty behavior behind the scenes, Astra discovers that she may be in over her head.

Can Astra clear Aunt Gwennie’s name and crack the case before the cookie crumbles? Or will the sisters watch Aunt Gwennie’s cookie legacy come crashing down like an underbaked soufflé?

Find out in this delectable tale filled with baked goods, betrayal, and bewitching hijinks galore.

No gore, intimate scenes, or swearing – only a captivating story suitable for adults.

Review:
As always, a decent story, quick read cozy mystery by Leanne Leeds. There were a few parts that I personally felt were a bit jumpy. Clearly a big point of this novel was to show that Astra wasn’t prioritizing the correct things, needs to learn to organize herself better, but it seemed daft that she never really investigated anything regarding the sudden death. She sort of visited the scene and checked her own house, but the whodunit being found out (and her presence when it did) was entirely coincidental. There were many angles and loose ends left out about Carla, Iva, and Clarkson. I really did love the introduction of another magic-tech gadget from her magical military days. I do hope that such things will continue to make appearances. All in all, a good quick read, and I’d recommend to anyone who likes modern fantasy cozy mystiers.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯

Review of Owl In Due Course by Leanne Leeds

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Synopsis:
When a mysterious toy soldier arrives on her doorstep and announces it’s here to test Archie’s loyalty, witch Astra Arden can’t help but laugh. After all, it’s not every day that a plastic soldier shows up claiming to be sent by the goddess Athena.

As they work to unravel the clues surrounding the toy soldier’s arrival, ominous forces gather and Astra races against time to uncover the truth—and they realize that this might not be as funny as they thought.

With the fate of their family and Archie’s future on the line, the Arden sisters must navigate a series of impossible choices and confront divine secrets from the past that threaten to tear everything apart.

Amidst the magic and mystery of the yule celebration, Astra and her sisters must use all their wit and cunning to uncover the truth and outsmart the scheming gods. Will they be able to outmaneuver the powerful deities, or will the sisters succumb to their trickery like so many before them?

Review:
I loved this book and was instantly drawn to it once the story began; I couldn’t put it down. I thought this was it, finally, I was getting the full picture of all that could be with Athena’s tests and what Astra would do for Archie. Unfortunately, this story while a bit convoluted didn’t meet the expectations it set up from the beginning. While I’d say I loved 90% of the book, the ending 10% is what I didn’t quite enjoy. Including the ending; which was so frustrating and annoying to have that happen after all we have been through with Astra that if I weren’t so invested in these characters I’d stop reading the series! This had gripped me so tightly I finished it the day I started!

Mild SPOILERS:
While I am glad that there is sort of a resolution between Astra and Jason that was definitely not what anyone had in mind!! I am also glad that the girls learned who their fathers are, but I only found two of the four really made sense. Ayla’s father made sense entirely and I could understand Ami’s as well given what we know of her but I couldn’t really think of a good argument/connection between Althea and Astra and their respective father’s.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯

Review of Owl Spell Broke Loose by Leanne Leeds

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Synopsis:
Astra Arden never expected to find murder at a self-help festival organized by a secretive sect. But when an unexplained storm cuts off all communication with the mainland, she realizes she’d better solve it—and fast.

When Astra Arden agreed to join her best friend on a camping trip to a private tropical island, she had no idea what was in store. But when the four-day festival looks like it’s run by a warring self-help cult, and the island seems to be claimed by a mysterious goddess with a hidden agenda, Astra soon finds herself in a whirlwind of intrigue and secret agendas that she can’t ignore.

As they try to make sense of the clues and solve the mystery, they realize that the danger is closer than they thought, and that someone on the island is determined to keep the truth hidden at any cost.

But with the stakes so high and the clock ticking down, will Astra and Archie be able to solve the mystery in time—or will they become the next victims?

Review:
This book was absolutely brilliant. Betrayal, insanity, Astra having to depend on and trust her magic. I loved how all of the relationships were tested and put through the ringer and that Astra and Archie, through their combined sass, had to try to figure out exactly what is going on. The characterization is spot on and you’re left wondering right at the end whether or not Astra will be able to survive this encounter. I love the use of magic that connect both to ancient India as well as The Golden Compass and Harry Potter; this author clearly has good taste! Looking forward to continuing the series and seeing exactly where Astra finally ends up. This book is the first of the series I’d give a full five stars to; it wasn’t obvious what was happening and there were enough twists and turns to leave you wondering up until the end.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯