LOVED IT!

Meet Lily Ivory, San Fransisco's newest resident witch. She owns and runs a vintage clothing shop in the Haight area. Soon after aquiring a bunch of old clothes from elderly Mrs. Potts, her little neighbor Jessica gets snached by a demon named La Llorna. Soon after, Mrs Potts is found dead in her home in the middle of a pentagram.

Now Lily must work hard to figure out the connection between the two crimes, save the girl, clear her name, and banish the demon. (and she does it all with class and style)

She is supported by a colorful cast of friends, including a myth-buster, a local male witch, her new familiar (think Black cat, only a gargoyle-slash-pig -- who TALKS), and a local coven of witches.

I am highly anticipating the next in the series, due out June 2010. I think this book was far better than Madelyn Alts Bewitching series. Theres a whole lot more spell casting, and i found that the information provided along the way throughout the book was extremely accurate, as far as practicing witchcraft goes.

This book had a nice blend of paranormal, suspence, magic, rituals, humor, mystery, and a lite budding romance. Its a very well done mystery! No sex scenes, and no swear words.

A perfect little cozy!

Share/Like this Review?

Well, it was different than what I was expecting. There were excellent and realistic depictions of witchcraft mixed with the more fantastical Hollywood depictions of it. I felt conflicted by this throughout the entire book. I guess I don't understand why the author chose to mix realism with fantasy as much as she did. Weird. I enjoyed the store and the cast of characters quite a bit. I liked the setting, the action, and most aspects of the story. I just didn't like the real versus Hollywood versions of magic. It was just so inconsistent for me that it took away some of my enjoyment. I would be willing to give the next book in the series a try, though. There were definitely enough positives for me to go into the next one with an open mind.

Share/Like this Review?

Juliet Blackwell has written the first book, Secondhand Spirits, in her Witchcraft Mystery series and I just loved it! I found Lily Ivory to be a thoroughly likable witch who hopes to finally settle and make a home in San Francisco's bay area, specifically in the colorful and historically offbeat Haight Ashbury neighborhood. Throw in two sexy albeit different men, one maniacal demon, a frightening urban legend come to life, and other delightful characters...well then, you have the ingredients for a great book. I didn't stop until the last page, then moaned dramatically when I realized the next adventure with Lily Ivory and friends would not be until next June of 2010! Kudos to a wonderfully talented author with a wicked pen and a lovely imagination. If you enjoy settling in with a mystery that involves magic, ghosts, goblins, sexy male witches, hunky mythbusters and a grab bag of cheerfully eccentric characters...then this is a great read and treasure for your keeper shelf. Buy it and enjoy! I give it my highest recommendation.

Share/Like this Review?

I really liked this book... a very good start by new author. The storyline is well written, I like the fact that the main character, who is a witch, shows respect for her powers and magic, she didn't over due it and made the magic she performed seem believable... the author actually seemed do have done some research on performing spells and use of the craft. Also nice to read about a male witch character.

I am excited to read the sequel book.

Share/Like this Review?

Very enjoyable. Ms Blackwell will have lots of flexibility with this series in the future. The main character, Lily, and her supporting cast can grow in all different direction. Plot was quick and fun. Discussion of vintage clothing was interesting. My was okay, not great but kept you interested. I will definately get the second book when it comes out in June.

Share/Like this Review?

This is a frothy mystery with a little paranormal thrown in, I'd say it's skimmed milk really. If you're looking for a light read, this could be it, but don't expect much. The story is of a displaced witch trying to settle in San Francisco via a vintage-clothes shop on Haight Street, who ends up dealing with child-stealing demon La Llorona. The plot goes along okay until the rather disappointing climax, which to me was full of holes, writing-wise. Meant to be a series, you can see the story buds that are meant to grow later on. But for this book, those sketchy references leave you with an incomplete feeling. If you want a meatier witch, try Kim Harrison The Hollows series.

Share/Like this Review?

Secondhand Spirits is an enjoyable and admirable story that will draw you into a world of magic, spirits, witchcraft, vintage clothes, and friendships. While the story does have a light feel, this is not a frothy, comedic mystery at all. I enjoyed the story of Lily and her evolving life as much as the mystery.

The writer is clearly gifted and has done her research.

Juliet Blackwell or (Haley Lind) did a great job of reeling me into her book. I would definitely recommend trying "Secondhand Spirits". It was a pleasure to read.

Share/Like this Review?