Half His Age by Jennette McCurdy

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Jennette McCurdy, a former childhood actress, exploded onto the literary scene in 2022 with her debut memoir, I’m Glad My Mom Died. I devoured this book that ended up shooting to bestselling status and marked McCurdy as an author to watch. It is currently my favorite memoir I’ve read. So earlier this year when McCurdy released her first step into fiction with her novel Half His Age I didn’t even need to read the summary to know I was going to read it. And read it, I have. And what a wild, memorable novel it turned out to be. 

The plot of the novel smacks you in the face. Waldo is a 17 year old senior in high school who works part time at Victoria Secret to help pay the bills at home. She is raised by a single mother who works nights, is hardly home, and has a boyfriend addiction. They live in poverty, Waldo primarily eating junk food and frozen dinners. She also uses her part time income to feed her shopping addiction, turning to online shopping carts at any inconvenience or strike of boredom. 

Waldo is also hiding a secret: she is obsessively consumed by her major crush on her creative writing teacher, Mr. Korgy. Mr. Korgy is married with a child, not to mention about 20 years older than Waldo, and her teacher. But Waldo is undeterred. If anything, she is a character that does not give up until she gets what she wants, single minded in her pursuit. Unfortunate to say, Waldo is successful; her and Mr. Korgy begin an affair. The writing of the affair is explicit, often revolting and off-putting, themes that carry to other parts of the novel as well. Waldo doesn’t hold any thoughts or actions back; if you don’t like novels that make you uncomfortable, this one probably isn’t for you. 

Luckily I love a novel that makes me uncomfortable! Even though there were parts of the unfolding obsession and affair that made me cringe I thought McCurdy did such a good job writing a realistic teenage character. Waldo is hard to like at times, there were moments I wanted to grab her by the shoulders and shake her. But there were also times I wanted to give Waldo a hug and apologize to her for the uncontrollable circumstances she finds herself in: in poverty, raising both herself and her mother, dealing with struggling friendships and low self esteem, as well as the eternal wanting of a teenager. Waldo wants and wants and yearns and thinks she knows everything better than anyone and that just felt so real, such a relatable teenage girlhood experience. Then of course I wanted to hug Waldo because her teacher takes advantage of her, abusing his power and ultimately Waldo. She’s a lost teenager on a journey to not be lost anymore, navigating life and growing up all by herself, and I appreciate the way her story came together in the end.

I cannot stop thinking of this bold novel. It’s a coming-of-age story that deals with consumerism, generational trauma, power, female rage, classism, and ultimately the sometimes painful lengths someone will go to feel loved. I like that it isn’t a gentle novel; it’s rattling and disconcerting. McCurdy uses the voice of the novel to caution against the student/teacher relationship, but it feels well done and subliminal by the end of the story, as Waldo is an active participant in the relationship, blatantly seeking out Mr. Korgy. I would recommend this novel to readers that like some weird and uncomfortable with their novel, that don’t mind explicit language and intimate scenes, and that can appreciate a different spin on the coming-of-age genre. At this point I’d read McCurdy’s grocery shopping list if she published it. Jennette McCurdy, thank you for becoming a writer; I’ll take another novel anytime you are willing to write one.

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Review by Sarah Grace, Adult Programming Coordinator

Heather by Caitlin Mullen

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Callie Hauser has grudgingly returned to her isolated hometown of Pine Lakes as the newly instated Chief of Police. She has abandoned her fast paced life as a narcotics detective in the big city to help care for the person she loves most in the world – her friend Jane, who was badly injured in a hit and run some months before. Feeling restless and haunted by her return to the life she left behind as a teenager, and brimming with a thirst to prove she has earned her new title, Callie throws herself into her work as police chief. One night, she overhears talk of a 90’s cold case where a baby Jane Doe was found deceased on the side of the road in the woods. Callie decides to re-open the case, believing that things aren’t quite what they seem – what if something happened to the mother, and no one has been asking the right questions these past thirty years? Her investigation leads her to old rumors about a troubled teenage girl named Sabrina Riley, who disappeared around the same time Baby Doe was found.

The book then takes us back to 1990, where smart and obedient Annabelle Riley has become preoccupied with the new distance between herself and her wild and charming twin sister Sabrina. Sabrina has started seeing an older man she calls the Coyote, and Annabelle feels the weight of this relationship coming between the two of them. By the time winter comes around, both sisters have disappeared from Pine Lakes, never to be seen again.

As Callie is searching for answers, she discovers more secrets that cause her to reevaluate herself and the town she used to call home. Through alternating points of view, the reader is able to slowly uncover not only what happened to lead up to the crime in question, but how the impacts of the choices characters have made and the things they have concealed ripple out for generations.

Author Caitlin Mullen, winner of the 2021 Edgar Award for Best New Novel, does an excellent job at conveying an eerie and atmospheric feeling throughout the novel, where the town itself is as ominous and unnerving as the people within it. The town of Pine Lakes is located in the Pine Barrens, a 1.1 million acre forest in the state of New Jersey that has its own colored past. A quiet and remote place full of bogs and abandoned mining towns, it is also said to be the birthplace of the legendary Jersey Devil, who lurks within the forest with its unearthly screams, disturbing the locals, and serving as an omen of tragedy. This folktale is permeated throughout the narrative in clever ways.

As the mystery is solved and the culprit is made public, Heather also provides an insightful critique on the ways social media and true crime content dehumanizes the people involved and disregards the truth in favor of the more sensational and provocative narrative.

I would recommend this novel to any reader who enjoys slow burn mysteries with morally complex characters. If you enjoyed God of the Woods by Liz Moore or any of Tana French’s novels, you will definitely want to check out Heather by Caitlin Mullen.

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Review by Samantha Monk, Reference Librarian.

The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett

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After a seventeen-year wait, Kathryn Stockett returns with her second novel, THE CALAMITY CLUB. Her debut, THE HELP, was published in 2009, and after hearing several glowing endorsements of her new novel, I could not wait to get my hands on it. 

Like her previous novel, Stockett’s new offering is set in Mississippi, though this time the year is 1933, one of the bleakest years of the Great Depression. Times are hard, and everyone is doing their best to make ends meet.

The story opens with Birdie Calhoun trying to figure out a way to help her family pay the property taxes on their home in the tiny, rural town of Footely, Mississippi. Her father is deceased, leaving Birdie, her mother and her spitfire grandmother to tackle the problem. They finally decide Birdie should travel to the slightly larger town of Oxford to visit her socialite sister, Frances, and ask for a loan.

After an all-day journey, Frances is less than thrilled to have Birdie show up on her doorstep. But, in an unexpected turn of events, it is Birdie who ends up helping Frances and her new family.

The story is told from two perspectives: Birdie’s and that of 11-year-old Meg Lefleur, a girl living in an orphanage. The two stories eventually intersect when Birdie volunteers at the Oxford orphanage where Meg is staying, bringing their very different worlds together. 

Stockett brings many of the strengths of her previous novel to this one—memorable characters, a richly drawn historical setting, and a storyline that balances drama with moments of humor. Readers get a compelling story that propels the action forward while also gaining a sense of what life was like during one of the country’s most difficult periods. Through the striking contrast between the sisters’ socioeconomic circumstances—one struggling to keep her family afloat and the other living a privileged life—Stockett explores family, class, loyalty and the lengths to which people will go to survive using whatever skills and resources they have. 

Birdie is an especially engaging character. Matter-of-fact, determined and fiercely loyal, she is not easily intimidated, even when she finds herself in an unfamiliar world far removed from the one she knows. Meg, meanwhile, brings the viewpoint of a child who has learned much too early how uncertain life can be. As their stories gradually intersect, their relationship gives the novel much of its emotional heart. 

Readers who loved THE HELP will find familiar elements here: Stockett’s interest in women whose lives and contributions often go unnoticed, as well as her use of Mississippi as an important part of the story. Yet THE CALAMITY CLUB is ultimately quite different from her debut. The Depression-era setting gives the novel a very different social and economic backdrop. While women remain at the center of the story, Stockett focuses more heavily on their autonomy, resourcefulness and ability to determine their own futures. And rather than emphasizing broad social change, the novel is more concerned with the immediate, often desperate struggle to survive—and the strength women find by relying on one another. 

After such a long wait, Stockett’s return to fiction is a welcome one. THE CALAMITY CLUB is ultimately a story about family, struggle and generosity. Readers who enjoy strong female characters, historical fiction and stories about women finding strength in one another will find much to appreciate here. Seventeen years is a long time to wait for a second novel, but Stockett has returned with a story that makes the wait worthwhile.

Review written by: Jeana Gockley, Joplin Public Library Director

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Kill the Beast by Serra Swift

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Lyssa is seeking revenge. A bounty hunter that dispatches faerie-made monsters, Lyssa has spent the last thirteen years attempting to rid her world of as many monsters as possible, on a revenge path after a faerie-made monster murdered her brother. Lyssa is good at what she does, often in high demand for monster killing. She is smart, strong, and driven by redemption for her brother, guilt for her role in his death, and grief at his passing. This combination has made her unstoppable in the monster killing business, except for the one monster she wishes to kill the most: the beast that murdered her brother. This beast has been impossible to track down for Lyssa (not for lack of trying) as it has not resurfaced in the thirteen long years Lyssa has been searching. Lyssa has even made friends with an ancient witch that helps her prepare for and kill beasts, yet this particular beast has evaded them both. 

Enter the melodramatic male main character, Alderic. Alderic wants the same beast dead that Lyssa does and hires her for the job. He just so happens to have a claw from the beast and knows where its lair is, two very instrumental things for Lyssa to kill the beast. Where Lyssa is gruff and poor and quick to anger, Alderic is her opposite: rich, soft, and a bit of an airhead. Something I liked about this novel is how the author, Serra Swift, flips one of the typical male/female character stereotypes, making Lyssa the more hardened, seldom emotional type, and Alderic the nice, compassionate character. The more we learn about them the more their opposing characteristics help one another. Lyssa begins to express more compassion and feels a pull to open up to Alderic; Alderic likewise feels a pull to open up to Lyssa and reveal more of his underestimated hidden talents. 

Working together, Lyssa and Alderic must collect several materials to bind into a weapon that will kill the beast. Along with Lyssa’s bullmastiff Brandy, Lyssa and Alderic begin to form an unexpected friendship as they travel. But the more Lyssa gets to know Alderic, the more dark secrets and hidden depths she finds out about him. Why, exactly, does Alderic want the beast dead and how does he know so much about it? Things don’t quite line up about Alderic and Lyssa must discover if this new friendship, the first she has had in a long time, can coexist with her long standing goal of killing the beast. 

Even though this was a slow read, the character and plot development were good enough to keep me reading, and I liked the way Swift brought everything together in the end. It has a good bit of humor to it which helps lighten the elements of grief and anger. Lyssa was a very raw character and while she has her flaws I enjoyed seeing her story and her character progress throughout the book. There are elements similar to a Beauty and the Beast story, but different. I appreciated that there are multiple types of loving relationships represented in this novel, including queer, straight, and platonic, especially for a fantasy with a female/male main character duo. The best part of the novel for me was undoubtedly the relationship between Lyssa and Alderic. Their dialogue was cute and witty and their relationship was different from any novel I’ve recently read. I would suggest this book to readers that enjoy fantasy with a combination of cozy and adventure, who don’t shy away from themes of grief and redemption, and who like some complicated relationships thrown in the mix. 

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Review by Sarah Grace, Adult Programming Coordinator

GOLDFINCHES by Mary Oliver, illus. by Melissa Sweet

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My family and I have recently become enamored with birdwatching. Late spring and early summer signal peak migration season, so birdwatchers can see many species that may only be in the area for a limited time. We have seen many beautiful and brightly colored birds, from the chatty indigo bunting to the flitting bright red summer tanager. My favorite bird, however, is the American goldfinch. Maybe it’s the bright yellow on its chest or the fact that they, like me, love native plants. A goldfinch sighting just feels special. 

When I came across an illustrated picture book of Mary Oliver’s poem Goldfinches, illustrated by award winning artist Melissa Sweet, I knew I had to buy it. If you are unfamiliar with Mary Oliver, she was, and continues to be, a revered poet who often wrote about nature and its ability to soothe life’s deepest aches. Although she is one of my favorite poets, I was admittedly a bit unsure about how it would translate into a picture book for children. Upon seeing just the inside cover, I immediately knew that Melissa Sweet not only did Oliver’s work justice but transformed it into a visual masterpiece. 

The front pages include the book’s color palette painted on notebook paper, as well as the objects in the book that encouraged the use of these specific colors. Though it comprises just a small rectangular section of the inside cover, this visual welcoming sets the stage for the whole book. Seeds are described as, “teeth of mice, but black” and robin eggs are described as “pale-blue eggs.” The inside cover also includes a quotation from Oliver about the purpose of her poems. Goldfinches can be read as a traditional picture book, but this is really a book to be savored. Each page contains a collage of bright colors, plant and bird illustrations, and the scientific names for the flora and fauna mentioned throughout. Sweet includes zoomed-in illustrations of seeds and callouts of relevant scientific information. Although most pages include scientific elements, the colored pencil and watercolor artwork, combined with collage art and hand-lettered text, makes Goldfinches feel much richer than a science textbook or basic nature primer. 

Readers who are new to Mary Oliver will quickly come to realize what is so special about the poet. As it says in the opening pages, Oliver’s writing is a way to honor the beauty of the natural world. In Goldfinches, Melissa Sweet honors both the beauty in the natural world and in Oliver’s words. This book is one worth reading and rereading.

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White River Crossing by Ian McGuire

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If you value that there was once a Cormac McCarthy in the world, a writer who had his characters say such things as “Your heart’s desire is to be told some mystery. The mystery is that there is no mystery,” then it’s more than recommended you pick up an Ian McGuire novel. His settings are historical and violent, where optimism is always in short supply. It may sound paradoxical, but such bleakness opens the possibilities, especially in the hands of an expert novelist.

In White River Crossing, it’s 1766 and a small group leaves Prince of Wales Fort in what is now Manitoba. Three of the men are technically employed by the Hudson’s Bay Company, but the fort’s chief factor has them swear not to divulge the true nature of their mission to the others. The reason: they believe gold deposits exist far in the north, and they intend to keep it for themselves.

Their indigenous guide, Datsanthi, thinks it’s a bad idea, for he doesn’t trust the Inuit in the far north. Not only is the feeling mutual among the Inuit, two of the Hudson’s Bay men, Thomas Hearn and John Hearn, don’t trust each other either. To say the least, things are not going to go well.

Back in England, Hearn once studied to become a minister. But the sudden deaths of his mother and sister obliterated his faith. Scripture “became like frail constructions designed to obscure the horrid truths of human suffering and death.” Bookish and a loner, he stands in contrast to Shaw, a man for whom logic and reason hold little purchase. Shaw will be swayed “by only the application of a moral force as massive, brutish, and unyielding as his own.”

Throughout, it’s almost impossible for each respective faction to fully understand each other. While it might be benign and amusing that an Inuit chief who is ridiculously squat in build be described as resembling a “fairground pugilist,” it’s downright dangerous for the Company men not to fully appreciate how the indigenous operate in their demon-haunted world. Their daily motivations, of course, are very different from men willing to risk everything for gold.

When Keasik, Datsanthi’s daughter in law, is convinced that the fat-bodied raven following the party is actually a spirit seeking revenge, a weary Hearn eventually tells her that sometimes a “bird is just a bird.” Keasik basically pities him, wondering how he and others like him know so little about the world. She knows a “curse is still a curse.”

As one calamitous event begets another, tagging along with these folks as things deteriorate makes for a captivating read. It’s of course a tale of how avarice spins one’s moral compass. But it also illustrates how the pursuit of gain can become dangerously “self-justified, unchained by fear” and can make one feel “fully, astoundingly, alive.” In a world of pain and chaos, holding the coin of the realm in your hand will often cause it to close to an unyielding fist.

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Review by Jason Sullivan

The Adventure Zone by The McElroy Family and Carey Piestsch

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Since January, I have been slowly re-reading my favorite graphic novel series. Not just because I love it, but because the finale is coming – the seventh and final volume, THE ADVENTURE ZONE: STORY AND SONG.

The Adventure Zone series is an adaptation of an actual play Dungeons & Dragons podcast. In the podcast, one participant is running the D&D game while the other participants embody characters that experience the world the Game Master has created.

This series focuses on three main characters. Magnus Burnsides is a human fighter, known for throwing himself into danger to protect anyone and everyone. Taako is an elven wizard with a large vocabulary of swears and a flair for the dramatic. Merle Highchurch is a dwarven cleric who is not particularly religious and not really into mining – his cohorts find him lovably incompetent.

The boys – as they are affectionately known by fans – have won battle-wagon races, saved a one-horse western town that was stuck in a time loop, and survived a demented carnival game designed to destroy them. They solved a murder on a train, they saved the world from being transformed into pink tourmaline, and they failed to stop the destruction of a village which was consumed by magical fire. You can’t win them all.

The books are full of the kind of humor that fans of the podcast expect; it is both silly and irreverent by turns. But the interpersonal relationships are the heart of the story. Both the friendship of the core trio and their interactions with the characters they meet during their adventures.

The overarching story that connects this series is the quest for seven relics scattered throughout the world. Magnus, Merle, and Taako belong to an organization called the Bureau of Balance, which dedicated itself to finding and eliminating these relics before their powers fall into the wrong hands.

Each relic has a specific ability but they all affect their bearer’s mind. They corrupt even the most well-intentioned use of their power. The Bureau – thanks in large part to the boys – has found and destroyed six of the seven relics, but the Bureau’s director has been keeping secrets. And Magnus, Merle, and Taako will not rest until all their questions are answered.

Because I listened to the podcast, I do know how this story ends. I also know that there is a lot of ground to cover in one book. Many mysteries remain unsolved; some of those mysteries even remain undiscovered. This is going to be a dense book, but – to paraphrase The Adventure Zone’s goddess of fate – it’s going to be amazing.

The final volume of The Adventure Zone comes out this month. I suggest you start from the beginning, but the library’s copy of STORY AND SONG is on pre-order; it should be here in a matter of days!

 

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Book review by Alyssa Berry, Technical Services Librarian

The Crime Brulee Bake Off by Rebecca Connolly

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Summer is a great time to read cozy mysteries – they are light-hearted, quick reads with interesting and usually quirky characters. You can relax and be entertained whether you are on a beach, in the shade, or taking advantage of the air conditioning.

Rebecca Connolly’s foray into the genre, the Claire Walker series, starts with The Crime Brulee Bake Off. Claire is a history teacher who loves to bake. In fact her education degree was obtained so she could pay the bills while working on her passion.

In pursuit of her dream to be a baker, she applied to be a contestant on Britain’s Battle of the Bakers. Once one of Great Britain’s most watched series, the audience seems to be losing interest. But it is Claire’s favorite show and she gladly went through all the applications, preliminary bakes, and psychological testing. Now she is waiting for a phone call. When the call comes, Claire‘s first reaction is panic but she has 8 weeks to calm down and work on her recipes before filming begins.

Producers are hoping that having the contest at a grand historic home will renew interest. The setting will be the estate of Jonathan Ainsley, an investment banker. He is the seventeenth Viscount Colburn of Blackfirth Park and the surrounding village.

Jonny, as his family calls him, thinks it is utterly bizarre that a reality program wants to use a historic home but he agreed. Taking care of and preserving the huge estate for future generations is expensive and this money will certainly help.

The filming and baking will take place in a pavilion and the historic kitchens and mill. Other than background shots, the home itself is off limits and the grumpy viscount (as the local village calls him) wants it that way.

Given the setting, the theme for the season is historic bakes. The show consists of two judges, two hosts, nine contestants, and a historian to make sure the ingredients used would have been available before 1900.

A segment consists of two bakes, Classic and Occasion, with a different theme for each week. All of the contestants are encouraged to explore the historic kitchens and mill even though they won’t be used for baking, just for filming.

With the first bake done, Claire is doing just that when she runs into the viscount in the mill. Out for a stroll, Jonny is surprised to find Claire but soon finds himself agreeing to provide her information and taking a sudden interest in baking.

After the second bake of the first episode, Claire and a couple of her fellow bakers are talking about their efforts when they realize the baker with the most impressive first two bakes, Lesley, is missing. Thinking she may have gone for a walk, they set out to look for her. Claire finds her at the mill.

Lesley has been murdered. The manner of death is eerily similar to the death of the tenth viscount’s wife. Her death was never solved and the local legend that grew out of the unsolved crime is a source of irritation for Jonny.

The local police force is small and this will be the first murder investigation for Detective Watson. It would seem that the murderer is someone very familiar with the local legend and the details of that first murder. But Watson is unsure how to proceed and he asks for Claire and Jonny’s input.

With the producer adamant about continuing to film, Claire will have access to the other bakers who must be considered as suspects. Jonny is willing to help as he’ll get to spend more time with Claire.

Then another contestant is attacked. Solving the crime becomes imperative. Can they find the culprit before there are no bakers left?

This one definitely fits the light-hearted read category and it is amusing. Claire uses baking terms in place of swear words so you never know what she’ll say next. It has romance and like most baking cozies, you’ll find recipes at the end.

Both this title and the just released second in the series are in the large print collection at the library. Read-alikes for this series are Darci Hannah’s Beacon Bakeshop mysteries and Sarah Graves’ Death by Chocolate series.

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Review by Patty Crane, Reference Librarian

The Shippers by Katherine Center

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In the opening of this newest Katherine Center offering, Josephine Burton is about to walk down the aisle to marry her fiancé, Pearce, when her best friend, Cooper Watts, makes a surprise appearance after being absent from her life for four years. Cooper had RSVP’d no, but after he unexpectedly shows up at the wedding venue, JoJo calls off the wedding.  

JoJo believes she is unlucky in love, but her real problem is a pattern of retreating whenever a relationship becomes serious. Pearce seemed perfect because he was self-absorbed and often absent.  She could never quite lock him down, but after the wedding date was set, her old pattern reemerged. 

After her wedding is called off, JoJo is soon boarding a cruise ship with her family as part of a destination wedding for her older sister Ashley.  Ashley works in marketing and is pursuing a master’s degree in marriage and family counseling. Through Ashley’s guidance, JoJo becomes convinced that this cruise adventure is exactly what she needs to break her cycle of failed relationships. She believes reconnecting with a childhood crush, Finn Turner, will provide the closure she needs to build a healthy relationship. 

As JoJo waits to board the ship, guess who shows up?  Yep, Cooper again, despite having RSVP’d no.  Soon she has shared her plan with Cooper and recruited him to assist her with her mission of closure. 

For Cooper’s part, he is a great assistant. In fact, he is JoJo’s biggest cheerleader.  He shows up for her whenever she needs him. Whether she is evicted from her room by her hypersexual cabin mate, struggling through a mini golf tournament, or left alone on the dance floor when Finn takes a work call, Cooper is there. There is no question that these two best friends belong together. The questions are how quickly will they figure it out and what will it look like along the way? 

That may seem like a spoiler, but the author has a note at the beginning of the book that tells readers there is going to be a happy ending. That the couple gets together. At first, I thought this was weird, but why not be upfront about it? That is what I expect from a rom-com book. That is why I read them. I want that happy ending. Yes, I want the drama, the fun, the shenanigans along the way, but ultimately, I want to know the time and energy I have invested in a book will be rewarded with a feel-good wrap up. Kudos Katherine Center! Thank you for giving me a happy ending and making it a fun ride along the way.

Highlights of the book include Center’s ability to write relatable characters and spot-on dialogue. JoJo quickly had my support; the emotional insight the narration provided about her inner thoughts had me rooting for her the entire book.  And Center’s description of Cooper, not only his unique sense of style, but his steadfast support of JoJo, made him easy to adore, and watching their friendship evolve was compelling.

Fans of beach reads, friends-to-lovers romances and vacation settings will find plenty here. In fine form, the author delivers exactly what readers expect from her books – humor, heart, relationship insight and a well-earned happy ending.

 

Review written by: Jeana Gockley, Joplin Public Library Director

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A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna

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Sera Swan used to be one of the most powerful witches in Britain. An aspiring teenage talent, magic came easy to her and was her closest friend. Then, Sera’s great-aunt Jasmine died, and in a split second decision, Sera resurrected her. The spell brings Jasmine back to life (as well as her dead pet chicken, Roo-Roo), but at the cost of Sera’s magic. Sera used to see her magic as an endless, starry night sky, but now in her thirties her magical sky is filled with holes and Sera has barely any magic left at all. 

This is how Sangu Mandanna’s cozy fantasy novel A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping opens, and for the remainder of the novel we share in Sera’s madcap adventures as she tries to get her magic back. Sera spends the majority of her time running the inn her and Jasmine own, the Batty Hole Inn. It’s got that cozy cottage charm only a British inn could have, with some quirks thrown in, of course. Sera had given up hope of ever having her magic back until she learns about a book owned by Britain’s Magical Guild. Unfortunately for Sera, her resurrection spell broke major Guild rules, and she has been exiled from the Guild with no access to its library permitted. 

Enter the novel’s wacky yet lovable secondary characters. In true cozy fantasy fashion, hijinks facilitated by the inn’s well-meaning, long-time residents are plentiful, as well as humorous and heartwarming. The guests at the inn range from the previously mentioned undead chicken Roo-Roo, Sera’s nephew Theo, Sera’s great-aunt Jasmine, a knight from the village Medieval Fair named Nicholas who takes knightly chivalry very seriously and wears nothing but his knight’s armor, a witch named Clemmie that accidentally turned herself into a fox and is now stuck that way, a retired dance teacher named Matilda who gardens (badly) and would love the inn to get a goat, and the newest arrivals a fellow Guild member, Luke, and his sister, Posy.

Guests is the official term since they are staying at the inn, but they are all really found family. They’ve all been in search of something after not really fitting in wherever they went, and found themselves at Batty Hole Inn with fellow outcasts that, while looking for a place to stay, were really in search of an accepting home. The zany group bands together to help Sera get her magic back, fight the Guild, keep the inn together, all while avoiding tripping over the undead chicken. And what cozy fantasy wouldn’t be complete without a little romance between Sera and Luke. 

This was a cute, easy read with lots of laughs and well written characters. The cozy fantasy vibe was there with the magic, mentions of baked goods and tea, and the English countryside setting. I flew through this book because I liked the characters and their development so much. At times the humor did seem to be trying a little hard, and I’m not quite satisfied with the way the novel ended. Overall I would recommend this novel to cozy fantasy fans that enjoy a somewhat predictable yet cute plot, especially alongside a cup of tea and baked dessert.

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Review by Sarah Turner-Hill, Adult Programming Coordinator