A Cast-Off Coven

Witchcraft Mysteries Series, Book 2

By: Juliet Blackwell

Narrated by: Xe Sands

Students are spooked at the San Francisco School of Fine Arts, and Lily is called in to search for possible paranormal activity. In return she's been promised a trunkful of Victorian-era clothes recently discovered in a school storage closet.

But Lily finds something else: the body of a wealthy patron of the school. In between running the store and seeing her new boyfriend, Max - a "mythbuster" who is uncomfortable with her witchcraft - she uses her sleuthing skills to try to solve the murder. Soon Lily senses something from the school's vintage clothes, but it's not the smell of mothballs - it's the unmistakable aura of evil intent.

©2010 Juliet Blackwell (P)2012 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Set in a vintage clothing store and starring a sensible and entertaining witch, this series will please paranormal fans." ( Romantic Times)

Excellent audio!

Originally posted at Fantasy Literature.

A Cast-Off Coven is the second book in Juliet Blackwell’s WITCHCRAFT MYSTERY series. In the first book, Secondhand Spirits, we met Lily Ivory, a witch who recently moved to San Francisco after being run out of her hometown in Texas (we don’t know why yet). She has an affinity for old clothes — she can feel the previous owner’s past emotions in them — so she opened a vintage clothing store which is becoming successful because she has a talent for pairing her customers with the exactly the right items. In the first novel Lily made new friends, gained Oscar the goblin for a familiar, met a hot investigative journalist named Max, and solved a murder.

Now Lily has been asked to come to the local Fine Arts school because the students think there may be a ghost living in a closet full of vintage clothing. In return for Lily’s ghostbusting services, they’ll give her the clothes. But on Lily’s first visit to the school, someone is murdered. This looks suspicious because Lily has only been in town for a few months and it’s the second murder she’s been associated with. As Lily tries to solve the crime, she manages to stir up something evil and she’s the only one who can prevent more mayhem in San Francisco.

So far the WITCHCRAFT MYSTERY series has been quite a fun read. San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury district makes a great setting for a vintage clothing store and it’s clear that Juliet Blackwell knows the area. Lily and her friends are sweet (not snarky and sarcastic), Oscar the scared goblin is adorable (he masquerades as a pot-bellied pig when Lily’s in public), and Max is an appealing love interest. In this installment we get to know each of them a little better. The romance takes a backseat to the plot and love scenes happen off camera. There is little humor, the language is clean, and the murders are not gruesome. These books are definitely cozy mysteries — not paranormal romance or urban fantasy — but the supernatural elements are strong.

I’ve got a few minor quibbles that I’ve noticed but which haven’t affected my enjoyment of this series too much (yet). One is that nearly every guy Lily meets (the reporter, the police detective, the male witch, the new fine arts professor) is hot, which seems unlikely (or maybe I just need to visit to San Francisco). Another issue, which is a common one for cozy mysteries, is that the puzzle pieces fall too neatly together. Lily tends to be in just the right place to get just the right clue, even if she doesn’t yet realize it’s a clue. (Lily can occasionally be a little dense when it comes to clues and there were a couple of times that I wanted to smack her to let her know she was looking at one). I was willing to overlook these small problems and hope they don’t become bigger ones later in the series.

I listened to Tantor Audio’s version of A Cast-Off Coven which was read by Xe Sands. I thought she did a great job. Her slight Southern accent for Lily was perfect and, believe me, Southern accents can be painfully annoying if the narrator isn’t careful. Xe Sands also managed to make the men sound like men — another important feature for this type of story. I’m planning to pick up the next audiobook, Hexes and Hemlines. I’m hoping to see it go on sale at Audible soon but, if it doesn’t, I’m willing to spend one of my credits for it.

Enjoyed

I am really enjoying this series. Can’t wait to read what’s next. I recommend it

A Delightful Witchy Mystery!

A Cast-Off Coven is Juliet Blackwell‘s second installment in A Witchcraft Mystery series. You can check out the review for the fist book – Secondhand Spirits here.

A Cast-Off Coven was an enjoyable story. With high mystery elements and great characters the audiobook flowed nicely. Juliet Blackwell does a great job executing her story. She makes you feel like part of the action and I easily connected with the protagonist – Lily Ivory. Lily is a highly likable character that ends up in the middle of some interesting situations. Lily’s character had some great character growth in A Cast-Off Coven and it certainly made me want to keep reading more about her world.

The only real downside to this book (in my opinion) is that although Lily is told many times she is witch with great power, not only does she doubt herself, but there is no way to gauge her abilities. The other only real witch or warlock in this series displayed no power in A Cast-Off Coven and I have a hard time picturing what her great powers are compared to. If there were other witches or examples to give you a basis of what bottom of the barrel power is vs high ranking power – I think It would clear some of this up.

A Cast-Off Coven is a light read with some great paranormal aspects. Witches, demons, and ghosts line the pages in various aspects.

Audiobook thoughts: Xe Sands executes the story well. Being a southerner (Texas) I think the accent is a little off, but not enough to be distracting. The pace of the reading is done quite well and keeps up with the story. I listened this via Audible and would recommend this audiobook.

I rate A Cast-Off Coven 4 out of 5 Bullets!

Another nice addition to this series!

Where does A Cast-Off Coven rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I liked the book, I have decided to read all her titles, I like the characters.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

It had twists and turns, more so that the first in the series. Still more of a cozy mystery with a nice witchy twist.

Which character – as performed by Xe Sands – was your favorite?

Lilly Ivory, she has a calm determination that comes across more as a real person than just a book character, like you are talking with her.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No, but bought all the other audiobooks by this author.

Any additional comments?

Nice series, cool to have a nice Pagan twist to a cozy mystery series and fashion too boot!

She’s learning how she has friends

Liked the strength she shows when she has be strong and brave. Love the pig.

So enjoyable!

If you could sum up A Cast-Off Coven in three words, what would they be?

As I continue to read this series, I am really enjoying meeting all the same characters from the first book again. The author is developing the personality of the main character nicely and I look forward to more interaction with the supporting characters. Great narration!

another riveting book in this series

Loving this series so far. Excellent and interesting story lines. Not repetetive. My new favorite.

I preferred the first.

When I read the first of the series, it took me a while to warm up to the character and the narrator. I liked the mystery and thought that the resolution was exciting and satisfying.
I liked this mystery much less, but I appreciated the world building. Hopefully #3 will be better.

Witchy but not spooky

I think inwanted it to be more “thriller“ or spooky. It was lighthearted and entrrtaining but not addictive. Narrartor was great, as usual!

Speaking French

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This is the second book of the Character Lilly Ivory as she grows more comfortable with being a witch and embracing her power. I'd this one as I did the first: funny and light, not violent or obscene. My observation for book two is the same as it is for #1; I wish the writer Juliet Blackwell would allow herself to give more depth to the characters. The French nuns were a major point in the book, but I still didn't really get to know these women and why they chose that path or why/if they had been deceived; the point was glazed over quickly in the story. I still liked the story however.

Would you recommend A Cast-Off Coven to your friends? Why or why not?

One could enjoy the book apart from the series, but I would recommend that you read book one first and the series in order.

Have you listened to any of Xe Sands’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Other than this series, no, but I like how Xe Sands reads for the characters.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I wish I had that type of time, but I certainly wanted to read it all the way though.

Any additional comments?

Audible should put more Juliet Blackwell book on Audio.