i said i’d continue looking into this genre since my last cozy fantasy book & i obviously have in this book. however, i’m started to see a pattern that they’re a bit too similar for my liking. it seems that it’s the same town, with similar characters & always a small business that the protagonist needs to save. this won’t deter me completely from reading more of the genre but it is something to take into  consideration in the future. one thing that i found less appealing in this book was the lack of magic & fantasy elements, even though it’s a staple of the genre as well as literally being in the title. i understand this may grow over the series & explore the magical elements more but for fans coming into this book with expectations, this may be disappointing. i thought the character development was good, with more complicated stories & backgrounds of the habitants of the town. i also felt that the side romance was refreshing, a slow burn yearning that obviously is supposed to develop over the future books. overall, a good murder mystery with fun & quirky characters that keeps you reading until the last page.