This was a super cozy tale by an author who is new to me. With unique characters from Penelope, our rock nerd, to her non-witchy mother to her other friends including the furry ones, this book provided a well rounded group of people to meet for this first time. There was something about Penelope's mom that just felt relatable. I don't know if it was the mother's well expressed desire for grandchildren or her antics with the craft or her spitfire side as she exited the police station but there was just something about her that made me think of my feisty mother.
Penelope was unique with a different job than I've normally seen in cozies. The mystery offered plenty of red herrings and plenty of lines for Penelope to tug trying to find answers. Something set off my spidey sense early in the story so I actually guessed the killer so the mystery for me was to understand why out of all the characters that one person range false for me. Before I made this next statement, I am not a believer in the healing power of crystals but it was still neat to have the lesson after each chapter explaining each to the reader. Those brief interruptions could be skipped to keep the story flow going and then read later.
My biggest complaint was the ship. I really wanted to ship Penelope one way especially after his endearing klutz moment in front of her but I fear the author is going another way. With that said, we are going to need more stories if that ship is going to start making sense since the reader was predisposed to dislike him. More stories sounds just about right to me because this book was enjoyable. It was a solid 4.5 star tale.
Thanks to NetGalley and Giverny Press and the author for the opportunity to read this ARC.