Audiobook Review – Sprinkles and Sea Serpents (Sugar Shack Witch Mysteries, Book 1) by Danielle Garrett, Narrated by Amanda Ronconi (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Paranormal/Mystery
Length: 6 hours and 56 minutes
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Release Date: February 09, 2021
ASIN: B08SR6XQ6X
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Sugar Shack Witch Mysteries
Source: Borrowed Audiobook from Audible
Rating: 4/5 stars
“Thanks to a series of unfortunate events—and one backstabbing frenemy—home is exactly where I’m headed. Back to Winterspell, the small community in Eastern Washington, where magic runs rampant and humans are outlawed. Faster than you can say hocus pocus I’m unpacking my bags and settling into the guest room of my parents’ house, trying to ignore the creeping sensation that I’ll never break free again.
The one thing Winterspell has going for it is the sweets shop in the center of town, a bakery filled with magical creations designed to enchant the tastebuds and charm even the pickiest of connoisseurs. Luckily for me, I get the friends and family discount since my parents own the famous Sugar Shack. If I want room and board I have to frost cupcakes and sling macaroons with the rest of the fam.
Unfortunately, things in Winterspell aren’t all sugar cookies and rainbows. According to the local news, a dangerous sea serpent has claimed the lives of three missing girls. The journalist in me has to have a look for myself, and what I find is something far more deadly.
Something that makes me wish I’d stayed in the bakery.”
Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the Sugar Shack Witch Mysteries. I borrowed this on audiobook from Audible.com.
Thoughts: I liked this, it was a cute and fun paranormal mystery. There isn’t anything particularly special about this; the mystery is straight-forward, and the magic is not fully developed. However, I enjoyed the quirky town or Winterspell and like Rosella’s family. To be fair, I am in a stressful and busy time of life right now and I just wanted something easy and fun to listen to while I worked around the house…this was perfect for that.
Things aren’t going great for Rosella; she was sabotaged at work which led to her being fired and she broke off a long-term relationship. She has no money and feels like she’s having to start over completely. She ends up back in her parents’ house in the magical community of Winterspell trying to put the pieces of her life back together. There she is drawn into a mystery about disappearing women and a sea serpent in the lake. Things look up a bit when a sexy hunter comes to town to look into the mystery and enlists Rosella’s help.
I think this was probably better on audiobook than it would have been in ebook format. Ronconi is the perfect narrator for this and really brings Rosella’s snarky personality to life. I enjoyed Rosella’s family and the quirky town of Winterspell. I love Rosella’s magic power to talk to animals and enjoyed the sassy talking cat she has with her. I also enjoyed Ryan, the hunter who enters the picture; him and Rosella are snarky and witty with each other and they are fun to read about.
Is there anything special or groundbreaking here? Absolutely not. The mystery was simple, and the magic is not fully explained. However, the family interactions were cute, and I liked the banter between Rosella and the hunter. I also liked that there are hints of a bigger magical community here, of Rosella’s powers being more influential than she thinks, and of Rosella being able to develop into a full-fledged hunter herself.
My Summary (4/5): Overall this is a simple, cute, fun paranormal read. It was exactly what I needed at the time I read it. Nothing in here is ground-breaking or complex. However, I enjoyed the main character, her family, the budding romance, the animal magic, and the potential for Rosella to come in to her magic powers in a big way. I plan to continue with the series. I would recommend to those looking for a light-hearted, simple paranormal read.
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