Not for me

I received a complimentary audio book copy from the author in return for an honest review.

This is the first book in the Toad Witch Series. I enjoyed it.

I downloaded this audio book and started listening. This story was narrated by Marie Rose. She did a wonderful job in bringing the characters to life, but I felt that her narration was a bit rushed at times.

Mara is a character I struggled to like. In fact, I wanted to strangle her myself due to her "woe is me" attitude. Granted she has not had the best of luck, what with losing her job and then her apartment, but in a way she brought these things on herself. She is a powerful witch, though I found her to be a poor lead character.

This was a story that I struggled to get into at first. I found myself a bit ambivalent to most of the characters, which saddened me. However, I did love Gus. He felt more like a lead character to me, rather than a secondary one; I loved his flamboyant and boisterous attitude.The story lagged and didn't really get interesting until Mara met Aunt Tillie at the cottage. I found myself doing a lot of eye rolling at some of the situations Mara found herself in, and was fully on Aunt Tillie's side for getting rid of her. However, that being said, it was interesting to follow Mara through the latter part of the story. I am not fully versed on the practice of Wicca, so cannot comment on whether the spells used by both Mara and Gus would actually work. However, to err on the side of caution, I would say don't use them - you could accidentally release a demon, or a power hungry witch! There are some light moments in the story which made me giggle, but there are also some dark moments that made me shudder. There are also several twists in this tale that kept the latter half of the book interesting, but there were also a few threads that were left loose and never fully explored. Perhaps these will be dealt with further in the series. Unfortunately, with all due respect to the author, I don't think I will be continuing with this series, as I just couldn't connect with the characters. Though I love paranormal stories full of humor, this book just wasn't my cup of tea. I will leave it up to you, the reader, to decide for yourselves.

Christiana Miller has written an intriguing tale. Her writing style is not particularly fast paced compared to other authors I have read, but she does have a flair for describing scenes vibrantly. Her world building was wonderful, but her characters, especially the heroine, could have done with being less helpless and had more common sense. The flow of the story was a bit erratic in the beginning, but evened out near the end.

Due to several mentions of explicit sex and sexual acts, I do not recommend this book to younger readers. However, I recommend this book if you love paranormal romance or stories about Wicca and witches. - Lynn Worton

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1 person found this helpful

Unexpected

I honestly didn’t expect to enjoy this audiobook half as much as I did, especially as I found the narration a little grating at times, but I loved it. The story is original and full of twists, and I found myself desperate to know what happened next.

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Some good, some less so

The narrator did a good job. Pleasant voice. She got the tone of the book just right, the sarcastic remarks, and that was nice!

I liked the tone of the story, and I liked Mara, the main character. Not sure about Gus, her best friend who was a little nasty. The story was enjoyable.

But….
Some parts were a little drawn out. I was waiting for Aunt Tillie to make an appearance (since the book is called after her) but that took a while. The story could have been told perfectly well in a third of the pages. Which also meant my mind drifted off easily.

The first large part of the book is mostly about Mara’s life falling apart and her complaining about it. In a funny way, but also a bit slow. Except for the almost-too-scary nightmares. And just a bit too much complaining without doing something about it. End of chapter 15(!) and finally, after more than 2 hours 45 minutes, THE package arrives. And I sighed a sigh of relief. Things can get started now. Finally, it’s actually about Aunt Tillie’s legacy!

But you know what? By the title of this book I thought Aunt Tillie wouldn’t know she was dead, but she did! I was so disappointed, this was what I had been looking forward to the whole time! The title is misleading!

And then the story became a hot mess. This book would have benefitted from a good amount of editing and a clearer plot. Dreams, reality, it’s all one big blur. And after waiting for so long for something to finally happen, and have it be so disappointing when it finally did, I had to conclude this book wasn’t giving me joy. It just got too weird. I quit at chapter 31 out of 49. Still 3 stars because it wasn’t BAD just not for me.

There is quite a lot swearing. Just a fair warning for those who don’t like that. So don’t expect a cozy. It has horror-y moments. I personally don’t do horror, but this was just within my limits. But even though you can find this book when you search for cozies, it’s not really a cozy. Definitely 18+.

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A fun, engaging paranormal story

If you could sum up Somebody Tell Aunt Tillie She's Dead in three words, what would they be?

Dead charming. Fun.

What did you like best about this story?

I thought it was a very complementary mix of author and narrator - which is essential in such a light, characterful tale with lots of witty asides and so on. Although the story was substantial, it was the dialogue that I felt was the shining part. It was that interplay, and the range of interesting characters behind it that really kept me engaged and listening.

I very much enjoyed the character of Gus in particular, although all of them were well-written.

What does Marie Rose bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

I did receive this audio book in exchange for an honest review, and I can honestly say that I thought her narration was ideally pitched for the book. As mentioned before, I thought Christiana Miller's strength was in her writing of characters and their dialogue - and Marie Rose's performances enhanced that brilliantly.

You always knew exactly which character was talking - she gave them all distinctive voices that I felt fitted seamlessly with their dialogue, so scenes really did come to life. Her delivery was light, engaging, and her timing on the comic lines often made me smile.

I particularly enjoyed her performance of Gus - and her depiction of the creepy Lehrer made me quite physically cringe.

Not having read the book before listening, I was obviously coming to these characters through the prism of her performance, but it felt to me like a cohesive audio story (rather than a narrator narrating a book in audio form), which was why it was immersive.

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

Actually yes - partly due to unforeseen circumstances, I did end up listening to most of it in one sitting. I don't normally listen to audio books in quite such a long session, and so it wasn't entirely ideal, but it was real credit to the book that it held my attention that long. It did feel a tiny bit long for a light tale, but it was thoroughly enjoyable.

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2 people found this helpful

Brilliant Narration of a really good story

What did you like most about Somebody Tell Aunt Tillie She's Dead?

I love the story! Especially Grundleshanks :) It doesn't follow the route you think it will, which makes it interesting to both read, and listen to.

What other book might you compare Somebody Tell Aunt Tillie She's Dead to, and why?

Soeone tell aunt Tillie she's dead is the first book of this kind I've read so I can't really compare it to anything!

Which character – as performed by Marie Rose – was your favourite?

I know he's not a lead character but I love Gus :) He's such a fun guy you'd really like as a friend.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Don't mess with Aunt Tillie - she's a feisty old bird!

Any additional comments?

The narration was spot on and the wee changes in the script made it better. The characters were well represented. A really enjoyable listen :)

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Fun story

Mara isn’t having a good time she’s lost her job evicted from her apartment and banned from Beverly Hills . Then a aunt she’s never met dies and she inherits her house only to find her aunt hasn’t moved out and she’s angry and blames Mara’s magic for her death. Enjoyed listening and the narrator was good.

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Don't just tell someone tell everyone

I loved this book. It is the first book by this author I have read or listened to and the first in the series but it won't be my last as I really enjoyed it. It is so different from the normal witch cozy mysteries that I listen to that I found myself hooked
I was expecting a light hearted cozy judging from the cover and the blurb but that was so not what I got. There was a few swear words and a randy ghost but it all worked really well. I loved all the spell casting which is good because it was definitely a book about a witch and Gus was just a fun flamboyant character that every girl needs in her life and one I hope continues to play a big part in Mara life, especially liked the banter between the two characters. Mara seemed capable in parts but venerable in others and I think with Aunt Tillie and Gus by her side she is going to grow into a very interesting character. Definitely an author I will be keeping an out of if all her books are as entertaining as this one.
What do you do when you lose your job and get evicted all on the same day? You turn to the Tarot cards and when that gives you an answer you don't like? You cast a spell and then things really go to hell. Well that's what Mara did but playing with magic, even if you are a witch, has consequences and Mara's spell has a big one because hers caused the death of her Aunt Tillie. At least she got a house out of it, right? Wrong the house and more importantly the ghost of Aunt Tillie don't want her there and they will stop at nothing to get her out. What choice does Mara have but to turn to magic and spell casting again because that turned out so well last time. Can Mara survive the haunted house and the real reason her Aunt Tillie doesn't want her there?
I liked the narrator and thought she did a good job with all the voices needed to make this book such an enjoyable listen, I had no problems with knowing who was talking at any given moment.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

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Very entertaining witchy tale.

If you could sum up Somebody Tell Aunt Tillie She's Dead in three words, what would they be?

Mystical, Hysterical and Engrossing.

What other book might you compare Somebody Tell Aunt Tillie She's Dead to, and why?

This is my first of this type of book, so nothing to compare it to......yet.....

What about Marie Rose’s performance did you like?

Marie Rose's use of tone and accents really helped pull me into the tale. Good attempt at a Scottish accent for Lysette.

Any additional comments?

Cant wait to try others in this series.

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1 person found this helpful

Entertaining

Which character – as performed by Marie Rose – was your favourite?

Gus is so beautifully self absorbed yet caring for his friends, and Marie Rose voiced him beautifully.

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Torn

Where to start? I found this book a little overwhelming. There was quite a lot going on within the storyline. It’s not a bad thing however I found it difficult keeping up with all the different characters who they were and what tense they should’ve been. Some very funny moments and it is written well. Fantastic performance from Marie.

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1 person found this helpful