Kat's Reviews > Witch Is When It All Began

Take your average British sitcom and mix in the paranormal and you have this series. It's cute, quirky, original, and just a lot of fun to read, especially if you're a lover of British humor. The author also loves wordplay, though, word to the wise, some of it only works with regional British accents and/or knowledge of British slang, so if you feel like you just missed a joke, chances are you probably did. It took me a while for some of them.

These books are being pedaled as mysteries, and they are. Sort of. If you squint.

Admittedly, they mysteries are there. And they are both fully fleshed out and solvable by dropped clues. I solved several, missed others but could see where I went wrong. But they are small things, sometimes solved before the book is half over, so if you're looking for a meaty mystery read you won't find it here. Instead, the main focus of the book is on Jill's families, both old and new, and her development as a witch.

Woven throughout is the foundation mystery of the series--who The Dark One is and why he's after her. Five books in and the author is still lightly sniffing around that plotline, so don't expect t to go anywhere fast; the distinct impression received is that it won't until Jill is a bit more magically capable.

This is not a series that takes itself seriously. It contains a cat that does semaphore, a knitting receptionist, bickering twins, franken-monster beanie babies, the grandma from hell, a slightly OCD main character, and enough odd situations, running jokes, and strange, quirky characters to keep a reader smiling throughout. Each book is a light, fast, fun read, great to curl up with on one's downtime or after a hard day.

And the question of the hour--would I recommend these books to a friend? Absolutely!