I finished this book in January, but I wanted to follow through with my goal of writing reviews for all the books I read this year, so here I am! I’ve never written a book review before, but I’m going to try my best! Today, I am reviewing the first installment in a new cozy mystery series by Angela M. Sanders called Bait and Witch.

I actually came across this book on the Kindle store back in October of last year. I was looking for a fun read with witchy vibes for Halloween, and I fell in love with the cover. Books, magic, and a playful cat companion? Sign me up!

Around that time, however, is when I first learned I was pregnant, so I became really distracted by everything related to pregnancy and stopped reading for a couple months. Once January rolled around and I had renewed my reading goals for 2022, I decided to carry on with this book and I finally finished it on January 20th.

At the time of reading, this book was free to download as part of the Kindle Unlimited subscription service. I really enjoy having Kindle Unlimited because while they do sometimes offer popular mainstream titles, they also have lots of great smaller authors and self-published works. Browsing through Kindle Unlimited is how I discovered the cozy mystery genre in the first place!

Synopsis

“Josie Way loved working among the Library of Congress’s leather-scented stacks—until she uncovered corruption and made herself a target. As Wilfred, Oregon’s new librarian, Josie can stay undercover until the case goes to court. But life in this little town isn’t as subdued as she expected. The library, housed in a a Victorian mansion, is slated to be bulldozed. Still digesting the news that her safe haven is about to become scrap lumber, Josie discovers a body in the woods . . .

Almost as shocking, Josie learns that she’s descended from a long line of witches—and her powers have suddenly sprung to life. With help from a spoiled alley cat who just may be her familiar, Josie’s thumbing through a catalog of suspects, hoping she can conjure a way to save her library—and her life. . . “

Quoted from Goodreads

My Impressions

As you can tell from this synopsis, there is a LOT going on in this story! Political scandal and intrigue, Josie’s new job as a librarian, getting to know the quirky locals in a small Oregon town, the drama surrounding the library, Josie’s magical powers, and of course a murder!

What I Liked

I really loved that the story took place in Oregon! I lived in Oregon for three years for university, so the state and the natural beauty of the landscape there have a special place in my heart. I also liked that our main backdrop was a cozy library in an old Victorian house. I had no problem imagining the old furnishings, Victorian architecture, and shelves full of books.

I also liked the premise – of Josie ending up in a small town because she was on the run and in hiding. Usually in cozy mysteries, the protagonist moves to a small town for a change of pace or to start fresh after a bad breakup, etc. So I thought it was a unique choice to have her arrive in Wilfred for an entirely different reason.

Overall, I liked Angela M. Sanders’ style of writing and it made for an easy and enjoyable read.

What I Didn’t

I actually felt like there was a little bit too much going on. Josie is dealing with the scandal in DC while trying to solve a murder, save the library and her job, hide her identity, help the local citizens with various individual problems, and also figure out her new magic powers. I would have preferred if she only was dealing with one or two of these dilemmas instead of all of them at once because it was a lot to juggle. Her magic especially didn’t seem to get the attention in the story that it needed and I wanted to know more about it since finding out you have powers is kind of a big deal!

Similarly, I felt like there were too many characters introduced in this first installment. I would have preferred to meet a few key players in the town and save some of the other quirkier townspeople for future installments.

My Star Rating

For me, giving a book three stars is not a bad thing. It just means a book was perfectly adequate and probably enjoyable to read, but it maybe didn’t leave a lasting impression or suit my personal taste. And that basically sums up how I feel about Bait and Witch. It was fine and easy/enjoyable to read, but some of it wasn’t to my personal taste, nor was it very emotionally impactful for me. And that’s okay!

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You can check out Bait and Witch (Witch Way Librarian Mysteries #1) on Amazon. And let me know in the comments – do you like to read cozy mysteries?

Thanks for reading!