A Dark and Secret Magic by Wallis Kinney

 

Looking for a cozy witchy read this fall? Look no further ya'll.

Synopsis:

Hecate Goodwin, Kate to her friends, has curated the perfect life as a hedge witch, living in a secluded cottage with only a black cat for company. She spends her days foraging herbs from the Ipswich forest, gardening and creating tinctures to sell at the apothecary she owns. Most evenings pass without her speaking to another human being, an arrangement she quite prefers.

Kate's solitude is thrown into disarray when her older sister, Miranda, reaches out and asks her to host their coven's annual Halloween gathering. The day marks the beginning of the new year for witches and is also Kate's birthday. The pressure from her coven to make the evening memorable mounts as the event draws near. To complicate things further, a handsome man from Kate's past turns up at her cottage, asking for sanctuary. It is Kate's duty as a hedge witch to honor this request, much to her dismay. Matthew Cypher is no ordinary lost soul -- he's a practitioner of forbidden magic who's tricked Kate once before and her guard is up.

As she juggles Matthew's arrival and the preparations for Halloween, Kate comes across an old tome shrouded in dark magic. She is horrified when she realizes the blood-red inscription is written in familiar handwriting: her recently deceased mother's. Afraid to even touch the dark magic her mother secretly studied, Kate can turn only to Matthew for help. Her idealized memory of her mother begins to distort, and as she and Matthew grow closer, Kate has to reevaluate whom she can really trust.

Thoughts:

This was my first cozy witchy read of the season, and I am surprised how much I enjoyed this one.  It's written in a first person based narrative, and the author's writing style was easy to sink into.  She wrote vivid descriptions that didn't become too wordy, but lead to me very easily being able to imagine the world Kate was in. 

I also love that she went into great detail about the foods Kate made. Kate's mother was a kitchen witch, so food was an obvious part of the story...and perhaps our author is a bit of a foodie too. I think a fun idea would be to make a recipe book from this book. Maybe in the style of the Necrononomicon...oh the possibilities. 

This was a low stress read with an unexpected HEA, that I really didn't see coming. So grab your tea, a cozy blanket, and dig in. 

A Dark and Secret Magic will be released October 8, and is currently available for pre-order on Amazon or Bookshop.

Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of this book free for review.  This however does not affect my opinions, as I do not leave a review for each book I receive. There are links to Amazon, clicking these links won't cost you anything but any purchase helps support this blog.  Thanks!

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Ale and Tale -- Cozy Game Review

 

Just out this week, I had a chance to take a look at Ale and Tale Tavern by Scien Art Games.  Ale and Tale Tavern is a Fantasy Co-Op Tavern Sim that takes place in a cute and cozy fantasy world. I can definitely see myself enjoying this one for hours....

First impression:

For character creation there are tons of options...so many clothes. I kept it simple this round, but I could have easily wore lingerie with a bucket on my head. The sky is the limit.

The graphics were good enough, and had a bit of a World of Warcraft style to them. The world was beautiful, and the night sky...just perfect.

The directions and quest line sets you up to learn the game mechanics and figure out how to play the game. There's a merchant you talk to first, but he's not who you click on to purchase stuff. You have to click on the cash register next to him, and I found that to be a bit wonky. 

Decorating and running the inn is a good chunk of this game, and I enjoyed the rhythm of running the tavern. As you move along you gather more recipes to serve at the tavern, and you learn how to garden, hunt, and forage for ingredients. 

There is a co-op option, but I played solo, which was a bit tough to keep everything going. So far there isn't an option to get any helpers, so the running of the inn is all up to you. You can make meals and drinks ahead of time, which helps tremendously. Be on your look out though, because creeps come out at night. 

My biggest complaint with this game however is that it's only in first person, with no option to scroll out to third person. I tend to get motion sick with first person games, and this one was no exception. I could only play this one in small doses with out getting sick. I tried changing some settings and making the game very small on my screen and it didn't seem to help. 

Overall Score: 4/5

Pros: 

• Beautiful world
• Love the cozy vibe
• Tavern upkeep has a good rhythm to it

Cons:

• First person only
• Wonky NPC interactions

Ale and Tale Tavern was released September 5, 2024 on Steam.

Disclaimer: I received a key of this game free for review from https://www.keymailer.co .  This however does not affect my review or opinions. There are links to Amazon on this blog, clicking these links won't cost you anything but any purchase helps support this blog.  Thanks!

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