Lydia Sherrer
Books: Fantasy
The Lily Singer Adventures: Love, Lies, and Hocus Pocus: Beginnings (2016), Love, Lies, and Hocus Pocus: Revelations (2016), Love, Lies, and Hocus Pocus: Allies (2017)
The Lily Singer Adventures
Love, Lies, and Hocus Pocus: Beginnings (2016)
Lily
Singer is a wizard. She didn't learn this until she went away to
college, but she quickly acquired a mentor, and even a friend who was a
witch (much to the chagrin of her mentor, as the witch is her nephew).
To drastically oversimplify, wizards were born; witches were made.
This book contains two episodes, Hell Hath No Fury and Mobius Strip and an Interlude, Chasing Rabbits.
The episodes are from Lily's point of view, the interlude from Sebastian's, with the interlude tying the two stories together as well as giving us a bit of Sebastian's past.
Not like him, not after what he'd done as a teenager; he'd never been the same after that. Not that it wasn't entirely his own fault. He knew he'd never be rid of his past, so he just cleaned up his act as best he could. His goal was to be someone his parents could be proud of, even if they'd never have approved of his methods.
The world building and magic systems are interesting — especially the magical creatures inhabiting the world with us.
She crossed her arms, still miffed. "What is it… he?"
The creature glowered at her as Sebastian replied. "He's a mold fae. They eat decaying things, and Grimmold has quite a taste for moldy pizza."
The book ends on a tiny teaser–not a cliffhanger, and not anything that left you wondering, but something to keep you interested.
Publisher: Chenoweth Press
Rating: 8/10
Love, Lies, and Hocus Pocus: Revelations (2016)
Book two finds Lily wanting to learn more about her family.
Also, her cat decides to imbue himself with magic.
Returning to her patch of sunlight and pile of papers, she was horrified to find Sir Kipling licking the clay fragment.
"Stop that! Shoo, shoo!" Lily hurried over and Sir Kipling, knowing he was in trouble, fled to relative safety underneath her desk.
I quite enjoyed the magical talking cat.
"I told you, cats go where they please."
"No, they don't. They're governed by the laws of nature and physics."
"But you're a cat. How would you know anything about robberies?" Lily asked, arching an eyebrow.
"Well, you're a human. How would you know anything about cats?" he shot back.
"Because I have one."
"And yet you clearly don't understand them. Why do you think some robbers are called cat burglars?"
I have to admit, talking cats as intriguing, since they are such mercurial creatures, and one often wonders what goes through their heads. (I still want to know what would cause our Large Primary Cat to stare fixedly over my shoulder at the last house we rented before our current home.)
Like the previous book, there were two episodes, with an interlude, the episodes being Lily's POV and the interlude being Sebastian's POV.
I'll he honest, I like Sebastian a tiny bit better than Lily. He's got a bit of trickster in him, which is always entertaining, and despite our glimpses into his life, he is still a bit of a mystery.
Even if he is always tardy.
Six o'clock came and went with no sign of Sebastian. Lily wasn't worried— she'd given him a good half hour of wiggle time. When he pulled up at 6: 23, she almost smiled. Predictably late people were much easier to plan around than unpredictably on-time ones.
It was fun and intriguing and I'm looking forward to the next book.
Publisher: Chenoweth Press
Rating: 7.5/10
Love, Lies, and Hocus Pocus: Allies (2017)
Lily
managed to escape from her father, which led to reuniting with her
mother, but now knowing her father, she and Sebastian are working to
stop him–any way they can.
She is also returning home to visit the family she grew up with–including her step-brother.
"It wouldn't have been so bad if you'd just come back once in a while. But you never called, never visited. You didn't even return my letters. It was like you didn't love me anymore."
Sir Kip decided to keep the power of communicating with Lily (but only Lily) and what seems to be greater intelligence, but it's hard to tell with cats.
She was informed, loudly and unequivocally, that cats prefer jazz, specifically ragtime.
Nothing good ever came from spoiling a cat. They already thought they were gods. It was unwise to feed into their fantasy.
Publisher: Chenoweth Press
Rating: 7.5/10