A Cast-Off Coven

I commute on public transportation, a little more than an hour each way. This book is well-written, charming and funny. Characterization and plot are very well done. I feel that I would recognize some of the characters if I met them and the story is just fantasy enough to be enjoyed without reservation. In several places I found myself chuckling out loud, much to the amusement of others in the crowded train. This is the second book of this particular series by this particular author and I am eager for the third, fourth, etc. I highly recommend this book; particularly to other working women. We need the occasional smile, chuckle, or, if possible, belly laugh. Wonderful book. Buy and read it.

Definitely read the first book but this one was FANTASTIC! Lots of suspense and fun and a great mystery....still so much to learn. Can't wait for the next book!

After having eagerly devoured the first book in this series (Secondhand Spirits), I couldn't wait to see what the second volume of this series would bring. Just like in my review for the first volume, I have to warn all readers who may not be aware of what they're getting into. This is not a mystery. Yes, crimes & murders do occur, but this series is very much an urban fantasy with a touch of mystery in it. It very much deserves to be placed in the UF category, especially since this author has the chops to match up to genre biggies such as Charlaine Harris & Kim Harrison. In this volume our favorite witch has been offered a deal that is hard to refuse: check out the ghostly goings on in the local school's supposedly haunted tower in return for a box full of vintage theater clothing. Wooed by the idea of getting more vintage goodies for her shop (which she uses as her own personal closet, just as any of us would), Lily agrees to investigate. When she finds signs of both ghostly AND demonic infestation, Lily knows that this task isn't going to be easy. Add in some interesting new characters & she just might have a chance of coming out of this alive. I'm serious when I say that this is more UF than mystery, a genre category that was probably pushed on this series more because it doesn't fit the typical trappings of the UF story (gritty heroine, dozens of love interests, vamps & weres coming out of the woodwork, etc). This is way more lighthearted than a Harrison or Armstrong read & I absolutely love this series for it. I love that the main character has friends that are "normal", looks to others for help & isn't all death, blood & gloom all the time. (Not that any of that makes for a bad book, but in a sea of books with similar heroines it is nice to see someone do something different.) I really do think that this book has managed to top the first one- with all of the main characters introduced in the first book, this entry dives into what makes it so much fun: lovingly described vintage clothing, spooks & the thrill of the chase. There's a few interesting new characters, one of which might have the potential to become either a new ally for Lily or a new love interest. (Or just a major PITA, but he sounds fun.) If you haven't read the first book in the series, I really recommend that you check it out first just so you can get the gist of everything that is going on. You can read this as a standalone without really missing much, as the book does go over the happenings of the first volume, but it would probably be a better experience if you read Secondhand Spirits. All I know is that Blackwell has a really good thing going on here & I'm hooked- I'm buying the next volume when it comes out, even if I have to stalk my store's delivery trucks to be the first one to get my hands on it.

I really enjoyed Secondhand Spirits: A Witchcraft Mystery, the first book in Juliet Blackwell's Witchcraft Mystery series featuring Lily Ivory. I found it well-plotted and well-written and was particularly impressed with its stellar characterizations. I was anxious to see if Blackwell could continue to impress me with book two. Happily, the answer is "yes". Not only did Blackwell not disappoint, she drew me deeper under her spell with A Cast-off Coven. I am declaring myself a fan. As the story begins (only a week after the events of Secondhand Spirits conclude), odd sounds, ghostly footsteps and doors opening and closing on their own have students from the San Francisco School of Fine Arts spooked and stopping into Lily's vintage clothing store in search of protective talismans. At her assistant Maya's request (and in exchange for some Victorian clothing recently found at the school), Lily agrees to check things out and attempt to calm the students' fears. Instead she finds a dead body and comes across evidence that has her wondering if someone at the school has summoned a demon. A Cast-off Coven is a solid mystery and a nicely creepy ghost story with moments I found somehow reminiscent (in feeling) of the old Julie Harris - Claire Bloom film "The Haunting" (which is #1 on my official list of "Movies That Scared the Heck Out of Me When I Was A Kid and Still Pretty Much Freak Me Out Even Though I Am Now All Grown Up"). The story is wonderfully paced and plotted, with touches of humor, strong friendships and possibilities of romance. Enhancing that plot is Blackwell's ability to take pieces of myth and legend that seem at least vaguely familiar and twist them just enough to make them seem new and - in most cases - more intriguing. Her depiction of Lily's craft has depth and a degree of detail that make it seem believably real and it comes across as an essential part of Lily rather than something she "practices". Simply put, the paranormal world of A Cast-off Coven really works for me. And Lily, while she knows a lot about this magical world, also knows that she has a lot to learn. This helps make Lily accessible to us and we are allowed to learn alongside her. Blackwell also does a terrific job of making San Francisco come alive. Her rich descriptions enable me to "see" the city and deepen my determination to visit it someday soon. Elements of the city's history - including the Great Earthquake of 1906 - have been woven into the story. However, as with Secondhand Spirits, it is the wonderful characters that really pulled me into A Cast-off Coven. I like these people. I admire many of them. And I am intrigued by all of them. These are smart, strong, complex and interesting characters with layered histories that Blackwell is revealing to us bit by bit. This slow reveal keeps me on my toes while reading because I never know when another fascinating little detail about someone will be made known to me and I don't want to miss anything. There

Lily Ivory is a bona fide powerful witch who has made a home for herself in San Francisco as the owner of Aunt Cora's Closet where she sells vintage clothing. She is promised a trunk full of clothing if she exorcises what is scaring the students. They hear ghostly noises and movements at the San Francisco School of Fine Arts. The students and faculty also hear moans and footsteps that a ghost can't make, but nobody sees anyone walking. She enters the building believing she is dealing with a ghost and in a sense she is right because someone committed murder at the school decades ago. When she goes to the bell tower she finds the dead body of billionaire businessman Jerry Becker. After the police rope off the murder scene and finish questioning everyone who was in the area, Lily enters the closet where the trunk is. She sees and hears something that makes her realize someone called up a demon but didn't bind it. With each new day, the demon grows stronger. While the police investigate the homicide, the demon targets humans with no defense against its assaults; only Lily stands in the way. This awesome paranormal mystery stars a terrific heroine who for the first time in her solitary life has friends, a home, a job she loves, and a responsible boyfriend who does not belittle or assault her. The supernatural subplot does not overwhelm the whodunit because there are several human suspects who could be the killer and have summoned the demon. Lily has to figure out if she is dealing with one or two antagonists as either scenario is plausible. Harriet Klausner