The Hearth Witch’s Guide to Magic and Murder by Kiri Callaghan

Thank you to Kiri Callaghan, Poisoned Pen Press, and NetGalley for providing this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. Commissions may be earned on links in this article.

Book Recap: After spending 200 years in a constant state of nightmares, Avery is awakened to help solve a murder that turns into a very unusual case. As she tries to navigate London in its current form, she requests the assistance of Saga, a local woman with a medical background, in order to solve this magical case.

Top Tropes/Themes:

• 🪄 Magic in the Real World

• 💗 Positive Relationships

• 🔍 Murder Mystery

Spice Rating: 🫑 (glimpses and kisses)

Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5 stars)

Let’s Talk About It…

I can’t say enough good things about this book! It was such an enjoyable read from start to finish.

This book has multiple different points of view, but the two primary narrators are Avery and Saga. Avery is from the magical world and after being sentenced to 500 years of a magical sleep filled with nightmares, she is awakened early after 200 years to assist in an unusual murder case. As you can imagine, the world has changed a lot while she was sleeping and she needs help. To better understand the current world, she requests the help of her neighbor, Saga, who just completed her first year of medical training. The two women begin working a case that is close to Saga’s family in order discover who is committing a series of murders in London.

While this book isn’t traditionally cozy as there are several moments that are darker thanks to the magical nature of these murders, it has many cozy elements. Our characters are often enjoying tea and snacks together. They have very healthy and positive relationships and in between working the case, they are spending time researching. The relationship between Avery and Saga was well written and I enjoyed watching them grow closer as the story progressed.

This book is the first in The Hemlock Saga, but if you are worried about it being an unfinished series, don’t! This book wraps up nicely and doesn’t have a cliffhanger ending. If you like reading mysteries, but also love a good fantasy novel then this is a book you want to add to your TBR.

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