One of my big heroes of indie publishing came recommended to me a couple of years ago, by my dad. I have to admit that the title caught me immediately. I have a raging sweet tooth, so starting out with "cupcakes" when paired with "magic" was an instant hook. Meghan had grabbed me before I saw the genre, before I met the main character, or anything else.
It starts out with such a simple, unassuming cover. I see that cherry, and I want to devour everything to do with this book. I mean, it really did appeal to my baser desires, to be quite honest.
I read the audiobook at work, back when I had a job that I could do that. (The narrator was amazing, but that's beside the point.) The only other urban fantasy I'd read before I picked up the Dowser Series was The Hollows series by Kim Harrison. I needed to fill a hole in my heart that had been there since I'd finished those books.
Cupcakes, Trinkets, and Other Deadly Magic delivered.
Jade Godfrey is a fun protagonist to follow around as the story unfolds. She's no stranger to magic, as her mother and grandmother are powerful witches, but she still has a lot to learn, as we see when the story opens to a vampire standing at the door of her bakery. She is cautious, curious, creative, and her cupcake creations inspire chocolate cravings. One of the more interesting aspects of her personality is that she can taste auras, which she then uses to inspire her cupcake flavors. Her sense of humor and sarcastic remarks add levity and a bit of bite to what is, at times, a very dark, very heavy series.
One thing I loved about this book more than The Hollows series was that Jade is so very relatable. I almost gave up on the first chapter of Dead Witch Walking, because I've never been the world's biggest fan of detective stories, or investigations, or things like that. But, I forced myself through because there was a promise of vampires later on. I wasn't hooked, though, until the end of the chapter. In Cupcakes, Trinkets, and Other Deadly Magic, I fell right into it, and with pleasure. We start out in a bakery. There's a vampire in the first sentence. Jade is a half-witch. And there's a werewolf pack with a stunning alpha.
The story is fast-paced, the twists are a delight, the setting is described with affection, and the characters are all intriguing. Listening to the audiobook, I didn't want to stop at the end of the work day, and looked forward to hearing more the next day.
When I left that job, I'd been caught up on the audio books, but I never found the time to sit down and read them with my own eyes. I planned on doing that last month, but things kept getting in the way. I have resolved to read at least one book a week this year. I'm half way through a re-read of this book, but I love it so much, and it's all coming back to me, so I wanted to make sure I shared with everyone ASAP just how much fun I'm having.
Read this book! Trust me. You want to.