#witchiswhenitallbega

Rating: 2-2.5/5 Stars

Trigger Warnings: Mentions of murder, semi-graphic descriptions of murder aftermath (victims) - I think that’s it, but if I missed any, please do let me know!!

Review

This book was whatever for me. I read this book because I had seen some reviews on goodreads that this book was a cozy mystery read and I was (and still am) in the mood for mystery but a chill one, you know? So I decided to read this!

It was... decent. It was less of a mystery and more of a “figuring out she’s a witch and exploring her new abilities” which isn’t bad, but I was there for the mystery. 

I was actually quite disappointed with the murder mystery. I had seen another review that the murder was essentially not necessary in the plot, and I had totally agreed after reading the book. To be honest, I’m not really sure why the murder mystery was even there? Other than to give the MC a job as a P.I. I guess, but it really wasn’t necessary here. The murder mystery was also disappointing in how there didn’t seem to be much of “intent” and “motive” behind it. I mean, we do figure out who and why, but it was lackluster and fell kinda flat for me.

 I mean, the murder itself had so much potential to be interesting!! A murderer who seems to target women whose last names are animals?? (i.e. Fox) The potential it had behind the why was so big, but then it just whoosh! goes downhill... 

I was also kinda not into the romance or the MC herself. First off, the romance didn’t really have a good start built up? It had potential to be a really fun enemies-to-lovers relationship but there just wasn’t much build-up on it. I don’t know how the relationship will develop in the series and I don’t really care aha...

Also for the sibling relationship, it was kind of in-your-face? Like, the MC would always say something that would bring attention to how quirky or how “sibling-like” their sibling relationship was - it was weird. I had connected it to like reading about the early 2010′s Wattpad female MC describing herself as really pretty but saying she’s ugly and not like the other girls (you know what I mean, right?), but in like, a sibling relationship version, I dunno, it was weird to read and kinda turned me off. To be fair, I don’t have the sibling relationship that people post about on twitter or instagram posts, but still.

But yeah, this book wasn’t much of a cozy read - it was short, but disappointing.

I will say, I do understand that this is the first book of a series, but this book wasn’t captivating enough for me to want to pick up the rest of the series.

Ramblings (Spoilers)

I don’t have a lot of side rambles or thoughts while I read this book that I haven’t mentioned in my review above, but man! Am I disappointed over the murder mystery!! I would have been so interested behind the killer’s motive and everything else! I don’t know if it was the author’s point to have the murder in the end, have nothing to do with their last names, but I was disappointed when that happened. It was as if she focused all her energy on writing on her discovery of a witch, and then decided to put in some effort on the murder mystery. 

Maybe it’s because I’ve been watching Criminal Minds but I was really wanting a juicy murder mystery, you know?