Bailey Cates

First: Ms. Cates really does owe an apology to Druids everywhere. She briefly tells us that the secret society of quasi-Druids that is featured in the novel is not the norm. But then for the whole rest of the novel, the society and members are referred to as Druids. I found this really offensive, to tell the truth.

In fact, I see nothing Druidic about the society in question, and really, I sincerely wish she had not used that term at all for the group. The average cozy mystery reader is going to come away with a VERY unpleasant and deeply incorrect understanding of Druidry.

I would have bombed this rating as a 1-star because of it, but the rest of the story was kind of interesting in a "this has nothing to do with actual Witchcraft or Paganism or Druidry" way. I do like the protagonist and her coven, and tales of Savannah, but the whole spooky Samhain stuff was a bit much.

All in all, Ms. Cates is making me ache for the far more fun, accurate, and believable Dolores Stewart Riccio's Divine Circle of Ladies series.… (mere)

I enjoyed this a lot. The subplot of how Katie starts to realize she is a hereditary Witch veered dangerously close to pop culture silliness, but mostly stayed true to how it feels to recognize one's calling to the Craft.

That is, it was not so obnoxious or sensational that I was annoyed. In fact, I liked Ms. Cates' treatment of the subject, although the male Witch character was a little, umm.. much.

Still though, it was an interesting plot, good characterizations, and, as a fan of Savannah, a very enjoyable entertainment. Looking forward to checking out the next one.… (mere)