Almost thirty, unemployed, and with a failed engagement. It seemed like all of witch Cassiopeia’s prayers to the goddess of fortune had gone totally unanswered.
Down on her luck, Cassiopeia has no choice but to return to her grandmother’s coffee house where she grew up. The familiar neighbourhood brings back memories, both good and bad.
While she tries to find her feet, she meets a grumpy cat with a secret and reconnects with an old friend in the local antique store. Everything seems to be going well… except that her magic isn’t responding like it should. What’s a witch to do when everything in life seems to be going wrong? First step, make a good cup of coffee!
****
The Coffee House Witch & The Grumpy Cat is first book in the Cobblestone Coven series and it follows witch Cassiopeia and her return to her hometown. It’s a cozy fantasy with a sapphic romance in a magical world with talking animals and lots of light-hearted banter.
That was…short. I can’t call it a let down. The end of the book does state that there is more to the story. But how much do I care? I’m not really sure.
I was trying to read a different book and was just not clicking with the characters, so I taste tested this one. I don’t often read sapphic. I liked Legends & Lattes and it’s not out of my interests, I just don’t pick it up much. This one has a plethora of rainbow flavored characters and represented nicely.
I just…feel like it could have had a lot more. Like it was just getting started. I know what it is. It feels like the test chapters you send to a publishing house – the first 3 or 4, so that you can figure out if you’re going to waste your time writing the rest.
It was cozy. And I like the world build. I’m wondering if I’m into British literature at the moment. Maybe. I think the main character and the supporting cast are well done. I like that they are gentle, supportive individuals. I honestly was getting the sense that there was going to be no villains or antagonists and wondering how there was going to be any rising action and then it just stopped…
That was odd.
Guess I’ll just need to put the next book on my wishlist. I do think it would probably be fine if both were put together. A nice chunky book isn’t the death of an author.
I’m not sure if I can suggest it. Because it was just getting started! It can’t even really be called a short story. It’s just a halved book.
Alright. Maybe I’m a bit upset at it. Like…what was I doing here waiting for the rising action?
The editing was alright. There were a few grammar mistakes, but if you aren’t hair triggered to flinch at a wayward comma, then you’ll be just fine. It was pretty clean all things considered.
I just wish there was…an outcome? The other half? I don’t think splitting it was necessary and I’m not thrilled it was set up like that. But I can’t review it poorly for not meeting my specific expectations. It just wasn’t a method I vibed with. I can’t even in good faith point at the thing and say it needed an extra chapter here or there to help round it out. It’s missing an entire half of a story, if anything it feels like it’s missing a full 3/4 of a story. It plays like the intro where you’re just starting to learn who the caste is and what is maybe at stake. I was just loosely starting to get a concept as to the time of year the story was taking place in.
