Book 14, 2021
The Centaur's Last Breath by April Fernsby
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Today, I completed the ebook The Centaur's Last Breath by April Fernsby. This is the third book in the "Brimstone Witch" mystery series, starring justice witch, Cassia Winter.
Cassia is summoned to the location where a centaur died while out for a run. Preliminary reports indicate he died of natural causes, but his father refuses to believe it. He is certain that Selo was murdered. Tasked with investigating, Cassia quickly learns that Selo had little regard for anyone but himself, which meant he'd made a lot of enemies. Among them are Teto, a centaur from another family, and Selo's own brother, Lifin.
As if investigating a murder isn't taxing enough, Cassia is inundated with complaints from a village of gnomes, demanding she investigate who has been ruining their gardens. In addition, Cassia and her familiar, Stanley, discover a frightened young kitten who only wants her mum. Cassia's childhood friend, Luca, volunteers to look into the gnomes' complaints, but his coming to Cassia's aid only angers his girlfriend, Astrid. Cassia is left juggling several plates in the air. It's a good thing she's a witch.
The story was fun, although I could have choked that bitch, Astrid. It's mind-boggling how anyone as nice as Luca ended up with her. Black magic, maybe? Time will tell. As to the mystery, the author dropped tantalizing clues and hints, leading me to waffle between a couple different suspects...only to hit me out of left field with the true perpetrator. Surprises can be fun, but give the readers a chance to solve the mystery along with the main character! As always, I enjoyed Cassia's interactions with Stanley. I wish the characters were more developed.
Favorite lines:
♥ "But some people like to feel like victims. They'd rather blame everyone else for their problems than take responsibility."
♥ "It's camouflaged material. It makes the wearer completely invisible, like the Harry Potter in your world. Doesn't he have an invisibility cloak?"
♥ "I don't take souls anymore. They give me indigestion."
It was a cute story, but it lacked substance and polish. Average score.