Book 36, 2022

In the Company of Witches by Auralee Wallace

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Last night, I finished reading In the Company of Witches by Auralee Wallace. This is the first book in the author's "Evenfall Witches B&B" series of cozy mysteries. Narrative is in first-person pov of main character Brynn Warren.

For centuries, the Warren family of witches have used their magic to secretly help the residents of Evenfall. However, when the town harridan dies as a guest in the Warrens' B&B, the townspeople seem to turn on them. Brynn wants to help her aunts Izzy and Nora, especially since the police are homing in on Nora as a suspect, but she hasn't worked any magic since the tragic death of her husband. Unfortunately, Brynn has (or had) the power to speak to the dead, which would have come in handy when questioning a murder victim. Instead, Brynn leaves the magical aspect up to her aunts while she engages in a more mundane investigation. Everyone in town knew that Constance was at odds with her family, and Brynn focuses her attention there. In the meantime, Nora isn't helping her case by refusing to divulge some of her own secrets while simultaneously shooting off her mouth at the worst moments. When Brynn finally works up the nerve to try her magic again, she nearly causes a disaster. Will she be able to harness her powers in time to find out who really killed Constance?

This book had everything I like: magic, mystery, cats, but I had a difficult time immersing myself in it. It was an enjoyable read; it simply wasn't engrossing. I liked Brynn as a character. Frankly, I didn't care for Nora. She came across as far too abrasive. I liked Nixie, a secondary character who is desperate to learn that magic is real. I was confused by the character of Williams, who is a female teacher, but is only ever called Williams. Is that her last name, and if so, why do people call her simply by her last name? Confusing!

Favorite lines:
♦ "Constance! Murdered or not, I swear to every power in this plane of existence I will shatter your soul into a million tiny pieces, scatter them across the universe, then set each and every one of them on fire for a thousand years if you so much as touch that closet one more time!"
♦ "Well, are you coming? I'm sure there'll be enough room on the pyre for all of us."
♦ "Maybe I'll take a trip in February. Get some sun. Buy myself a new hat."
Oddly enough, all of these quotes are from Nora. Huh. Maybe I liked her more than I realized.

I'm reeeeeeeallly waffling between a 3 and a 4 here. I wish I could award half stars! Eh, I'll bump it up to a four.