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In this installment, Kinley Paigewright's fairy friend, Azura, is getting married. The event is sure to be epic with four days of celebrations, each one centering around a different element - earth, fire, water, and air. Unfortunately, for the couple and their guests, threats start coming in that make each event more and more dangerous. Who is sending these threats and what is their motivation? Can they be stopped before someone gets killed?
Once again, I loved the characters in this book. They all have unique personalities and I enjoyed spending time with them. However, there were a lot of them and I did frequently forget who each character was. I highlighted their names in my Kindle, but a list of the cast of characters at the beginning of the book would have been even more helpful. There is a theme among the familiars' names, so that helped me remember who they were. But there were plenty of other characters too.
The majority of the setting in this installment is quite different than in book one. I wished we spent more time in the sentient bookshop, but I did enjoy the setting for each component of the wedding event. The descriptions were so vivid that I felt like I was a guest at the wedding.
While this isn't your typical cozy mystery, it was compelling and the stakes were high enough that it held my interest from beginning to end. I also felt emotionally connected to some of the main characters. I enjoyed all the twists and turns that eventually led to the big reveal. I would have liked to see more "breadcrumbs" along the way, though. Late in the book, a lot of information was revealed all at once that felt a little overwhelming.
I was not able to figure out the whodunnit, but it made sense in the end. Part of the reason I couldn't figure out who the culprit was, was because there were so many characters and we didn't get to know them as well as I would have liked, but it was also because the mystery was so well-crafted. There were clues and misdirection that made it a fun ride. There were also quite a few humorous scenes that made me laugh out loud. Twilight, Paige's familiar, is especially comical.
I love how the author incorporates disability into this book. As a physically disabled person myself, I appreciated elements like steps that morph into a ramp if you have trouble with stairs. It was the perfect way to address accessibility in a magical cozy mystery and it made me feel like I would be welcome there. I also really appreciate the way mental health is briefly addressed with one of the supporting characters.
If you like a bit of romance in your cozies, you'll be pleased to know there is a budding relationship in Spell to Pay. The way Paige and her love interest end up attending the wedding events together was really cute and creative. Their date is done in a way that I've never seen in a cozy before.
I'm excited that a third installment in this series is in the works. I'm looking forward to seeing how the subplot unfolds and what kind of chaos will ensue next. As with most cozies, this is a self-contained mystery that is solved in the end, but in order to appreciate the growth of the characters, their relationships, and the subplots, I highly recommend starting with What the Spell? and reading them in order.
Thank you to Elle Wren Burke for providing me with an eARC of Spell to Pay.
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