Kristina A. reviewed on 3/11/2023 + 1528 more book reviews

Snuffed Out by Valona Jones is the debut of A Magic Candle Shop Mystery. The cover is what drew me to Snuffed Out. I love the colors, the cat, and the touch of magic. I had a difficult time wading through this story especially the first few chapters. The author is setting the stage for the series. I liked the descriptions of the historic district of Savannah. The story is told from Tabby's point of view, so we are subject to all her thoughts. Tabby is timid and afraid to use her powers. There was an incident in the past which has caused Tabby to be afraid of using her abilities. Sage is the bolder sister with strong abilities. It feels that Tabby is influenced by Sage's abilities and choices. Sage uses her powers too often. She should not use her abilities to influence others. Sage is prejudiced against non-witches. The twins are energetics which means they can manipulate energy. I was not a fan of the main characters (as you can tell). I found Tabby to be wimpy. There are frequent mentions of the incident that caused Tabby to lock up her powers, but the details are not given up front. The descriptions of their powers were tedious (they helped my insomnia). I found the transitions to be choppy. There is a romantic partner for each sister. The chemistry was missing. It felt like they had boyfriends because they were supposed to not because they cared for the person. The mystery was okay. The sisters go around talking to various townspeople trying to uncover the truth (we meet a lot of people). They uncover secrets and suspects. Some aspects of the mystery are farfetched and others for convenience. There were too many characters. It is hard to keep them straight. I like Auntie O. She is a delightful character. There are repetitive details. We do not need to be reminded all the time that the twins are witches, how they manipulate energy, or about the incident that has caused Tabby to ignore her powers. I like that the story had a diverse cast, but the way one person's gender was handled was insensitive. There are confusing and conflicting details. It was a challenge to get through this story. I feel that Snuffed Out could have used another round of edits. Snuffed Out is a Southern cozy mystery with energetic candles, supernatural sisters, a deceased customer, a suspected salesclerk, a historical city, and a curious cat.

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