In the Company of Witches by Auralee Wallace

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

Brynn Warren has grown up knowing that she was a Warren witch—the very best witches—and that her family has watched over the town of Evenfall for generations. Left orphaned at a young age, Brynn was raised by her two aunts, gentle Izzy and feisty (to put it mildly) Nora, and Uncle Gideon in the family home.  Every Warren witch has gifts, but every one also has a special talent that sets him or her apart.  Izzy, for example, is a kitchen witch; her gifts come through most strongly in her cooking so that someone feeling nervous might eat one of Izzy’s cookies and suddenly feel calmer. Nora is a botanical witch, and Brynn is a witch of the dead:  one who can talk to spirits and pass along a final message.

Brynn’s gift would be a really great one to have at the moment, after Constance Graves has gone and gotten herself murdered in the Warren family B&B, especially since Aunt Nora is shaping up to be the prime suspect. The problem is that since her husband’s death, Brynn hasn’t been able to communicate with the dead. Her powers don’t seem to work anymore—and she’s not sure she even wants them to.

This first in series book got off to a rousing start and just kept going.  Wallace does a good job of setting up the world, letting us know about some of the rules, introducing characters gradually, and creating a strong plot.  There was some good description that enlivened the proceedings, with purple sparks flying, the sound of frogs (very handy things, frogs), and other descriptions of sights, sounds, and smells. The pool of suspects – well, other than Aunt Nora—had some depth, although a couple were of the just mean people variety.

I found this to be a very entertaining book.  I especially liked the character development of the Warren family; Brynn herself has to face changes, but she also begins to see her relatives in a new light.  It was a nice bit of showing rather than telling. I liked the strong personalities, even explosive Nora.

The second book in the series, When the Crow’s Away, is scheduled for April 2022. I’m already looking forward to a return visit to Evenfall.