Tides Wait for No Witch by Natalie Summers
Hello readers! I’m back today with a book review that I am very excited for. I was recently given the opportunity to read an Advanced Reader Copy of Tides Wait for No Witch by Natalie Summers.
I first started seeing posts about her new series on Instagram, and was immediately intrigued. I love a paranormal cozy mystery and this one takes place on an Island. It sounded like a unique setting for a new cozy series.
I thought this was going to be a witch-y cozy mystery, but it is so much more. The author did an awesome job of creating a small island town filled with all different kinds of magic. It’s the kind of place I would love to visit on vacation. But let’s get to it. If you keep reading my book review of Tides Wait for No Witch by Natalie Summers, you can find out all about this new cozy mystery series.
What is Tides Wait for No Witch by Natalie Summer About?
A magical island. A mysterious relative. A family she didn’t know existed.
Inheriting a house from a dead great-aunt she’s never met should’ve been Sara Rivers’ first clue that things were about to get weird. The talking sea otter? That was clue number two.
Sara’s plan was simple: stay the six months to get her inheritance, sell the house, and figure out what comes next. What she didn’t plan on was discovering she’s half witch, half undine, has magic she can’t control, and has a family history she was never meant to know.
Then a suspicious journal entry makes her doubt everything she’s been told. The locals are friendly, the town is charming, and absolutely no one wants to talk about how her great-aunt really died.
When another body turns up, Sara realizes the killer isn’t done.
Between mandatory magic lessons, the game shop she inherited, a runaway teen hiding out in her basement, and an infuriatingly attractive FBI agent who may (or may not) be on her side, Sara’s getting closer to a truth someone killed to hide. And the killer is watching. (from Amazon.com)
My Initial Thoughts
I’ve become really interested in paranormal cozy mysteries over the past few years, so I was really excited to check out this brand new series. I also LOVE when the main character inherits a house from someone they don’t actually know. It’s very romantic in today’s economy, when rent and mortgage payments are so expensive. Lol.
This book actually had a lot of elements that I really enjoyed. I thought the magic system was really cool and I liked how everyone on the island seems to have magical abilities.
What I Enjoyed
I loved how Sara found a family that she never even knew about. Forthy was such a supportive sister, and so was Sorka (even though I don’t think she’s actually Sara’s sister). There’s a lot of great characters in their family and it made me happy how supportive everyone was. I hope we get more scenes between Bennett (Sara’s Dad) and Sara in upcoming books.
The magic is really cool. Because it’s a magical island, Sara is paired up with a mentor to help her develop her skills. I enjoyed those scenes a lot. It’s also neat how there are all different kinds of magic on the island. I had to laugh every time Xander was blowing smoke out of his nose. Lol.
I can’t wait to see how Sara develops her skills in upcoming books. I hope we also get to learn more about her Great Aunt. Even though the mystery might have been solved by the end of the book, I’m sure there’s a lot more about her that we don’t know.
A Slight Critique
This is a book review and I always share my honest thoughts on this blog. So I have to say something slightly critical. While I really enjoyed this book, for the first half of it I wasn’t sure kind of book I was reading.
Is it a romance? Is it a cozy fantasy? Is it a cozy mystery? I couldn’t really tell because there was a lot going on. The author did a great job of building this magical world for the characters. But there was a bit of info dumping (which I didn’t necessarily mind since this is the first book in the series).
The mystery got off to a slow start, and I think that’s because the murder wasn’t just off page. It was off book. It happened way before this story even started. So the speculation about how a character died felt very slow to me. Because first we had to figure out if the characters was murdered, or if they died of natural causes. And then we had to figure out who did it.
I Thought Ollie was So Cute!
There’s a troublemaker in this story, and his name is Ollie. He’s an adorable little Otter who likes to steal hairbrushes. Since Sara is an undine, they can communicate with each other. Most cozy mysteries like to throw in a cat or a dog as a pet, so I loved how in this book we got to read about Ollie.
Who Would I Recommend This Book To?
- Cozy Mystery fans
- Fans of paranormal cozies
- Readers that enjoy island settings
- Readers that are looking for a new series to get into
- People that enjoy stories with “found family”
In Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed my thoughts on Tides Wait for No Witch by Natalie Summers. I know I had a few critiques, but I did really enjoy this story. I felt like my heart grew two sizes everytime Sara had dinner with her family next door! Haha. For such a small town, there’s a lot going on. And I look forwarding to finding out more in the next book in this series.
The next book is called Come Hex or High Water, and you can find out more about it here as the author updates the Amazon page.
