I unfortunately DNF at ~40%. I felt that it took too long to get into the demon hunting itself (the first quarter felt devoted to the murder mystery plot line), and by the time the demon plot line showed itself, it all felt TOO bizarre for me!

Normally I rate DNF books 1/5 stars, but I did appreciate certain elements (unique plot and cozy vibes), so I give this one 2/5 stars. It was just not for me.

Somewhat disappointing. The characters needed more development and more personality. Not enough demon-hunting, either. Maybe it was just my mood.

3.5 rounded up to 4.

What a cute book! An adorable main character that leans into her stereotype of an older librarian. Sherry Pinkwhistle solves an excessive amount of murders in her small town. She doesn’t realize the number of murders is much too high until she also notices some strange occurrences she cannot explain.

There were so many fun and quirky parts of the book and Sherry was a true delight.

Advance reader copy provided by Berkley and NetGalley but all opinions are my own.

Thank you to Ace and NetGalley for my complimentary eARC of The Village Library Demon Hunting Society. Thank you to PRHAudio for my complimentary ALC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

That was a bit bizarre.
I know it’s billed as a cozy mystery, but it’s just a tad bit off the rails for my cozy loving reading heart. .
I did like it enough to finish it, but I did not particularly enjoy the demon parts.

I really liked how Sherry channeled Hercule Poirot when she was in full detective mode.

If you are into campy, out of this world mysteries then this is your perfect spooky season read. It is a great mash up of Murder She Wrote., Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The Truman Show.

The ending was great and leaves room for another book. In the great style of Agatha Christie, there were so many twists and turns I did not figure out the murderer.

I paired the audio with the book. Cindy Piller has a very pleasant reading voice.
Edit Review

The perfect cozy mystery with a hint of the supernatural. Sherry was a lovable village librarian with good tastes in books and a penchant for solving mysteries. The book was full of charming characters and made you feel like you were sitting at tea alongside them trying to solve the latest murder. Perfect read for a cozy fall night.

I enjoyed this book very much. Kept me thoroughly interested through one sitting. Look forward to much more by this author.

📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society by C.M. Waggoner
⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 341 / Genre: Cozy Mystery

Sherry Pinkwhistle is an elderly librarian with a knack for solving murder mysteries who suddenly finds herself surrounded by murders in her sleepy village. Add some demon shenanigans and suspicious neighbors, and this little old lady has her hands full.

So, I was hoping the old people would be funny and endearing and the demons quirky and unpredictable. Meh. It was just a sleepy mystery with a demonic twist. And I didn’t find any of the characters particularly endearing or interesting.

Thank you, @NetGalley and @BerkleyPub for my gifted copy.

Sherry Pinkwhistle is a small town librarian that keeps finding dead bodies and helping the police solve the murders. It’s quite strange really. Why have there been so many murders? And why do the police need Sherry’s help? When Sherry’s cat starts talking to her as Lord Thomas Cromwell she realizes she may need more help - and enlists the new priest along with some of her friends. Time to hunt down a demon!

This book definitely gave off major Murder She Wrote vibes, just with added supernatural elements (but I wouldn’t call it Buffyesque at all). The main character is likable and quirky with an eclectic group of people around her. You definitely find yourself rooting for them.

What continued to bother me throughout this book was the setting. I just didn’t get NY town in winter. Yes, of course the author told me this is where we were meant to be, but I honestly felt like we were in an English Village. Especially with how everyone spoke. I think perhaps this had to do with the author trying to give off an Agatha Christie vibe. Whatever it was, it didn’t work for me.

This book is a little out there, but more fun for it.

*Thank you to Ace/Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

This was a fun little cozy mystery, our MC gets caught in the middle of something and it just goes crazy from there. I enjoyed this one more than I expected too and I know a lot of people who will love it.

An okay, cozy fantasy book thar may work for others. I just found it to be a little too scattered for my tastes. Started out good, who doesn't love a librarian by day- amateur detective by night main character. The bodies are stacking up in a small village, but Sherry Pinkwhistle has an uncanny knack at solving the case. The cozy mystery aspect of this novel was done well, and I loved the parts where the group of friends came together. What didn't work for me was the paranormal part.. when the cat started talking, I almost gave up at that point. But I continued. I would have liked to have seen the demon-hunting theme explored more. In my opinion, too much was going on, and nothing was given the attention it needed to make it a better read. It was a quick read, and I do think the potential was there. It just missed the mark for me.

I read and reviewed honestly an advanced digital copy from netgalley and the publisher.

The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society by C. M. Waggoner is a delightful blend of fantasy and humor that centers around a quirky group of villagers who take on the challenge of demon hunting. The story is filled with witty dialogue and charming characters, making it a fun and engaging read from start to finish. Waggoner’s imaginative world-building and clever plot twists keep readers entertained while exploring themes of friendship and community. This novel is a whimsical adventure that will appeal to fans of lighthearted fantasy and those who enjoy a dash of the supernatural.

This was a bizarre but fun cozy paranormal book (that I hope turns into a series) that is a is of Miss Marple and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I’m not sure exactly what I was expecting, but this was not it (but in a good way I think, at least mostly). Sherry is a librarian with a knack for helping to solve murders. She doesn’t stop to think why there are so many or why it seems to be her who catches all of the suspects. When Sherry’s boyfriend is killed and she doesn’t want to investigate the reaction is not what she was expecting at all. It soon becomes clear to Sherry and a small group of friends and the town’s new priest that they have some sort of demon problem in their tiny town. This book was full of mystery, fun, and humor. A weird but fun ride.

An interesting concept. I was very intrigued by the synopsis, however the overall story wasn’t quite my taste. As I was reading I felt like it picked up in the middle, or maybe this was not the first in a series. The supernatural element was interesting, but overall this one wasn’t for me.

Village Library Demon-Hunting Society made me snort laugh enough times I knew I was going to review it well!
This novel is a cozy mystery about a librarian named Sherry who considers herself an armature detective. When her boyfriend is killed and her cat is seemingly possessed by a demon, Sherry decides she's going to have to solve this case herself. All of the characters are so very likeable, the story gives me Buffy-like feelings, and overall this was a super fun romp that is perfect for fall.
My only complaint is that I kept trying to decide if this novel was the first in a series or number 2 or 3. Overall that didn't pull me from the story, I just felt like I might have missed something for continuity's sake. I do hope there is a sequel because I want to hang out with this crew of villagers again in the future!

Do you like cozy murder mysteries with a healthy splash of the supernatural? Then I've got the perfect recommendation for you!

Sherry Pinkwhistle lives in Upstate New York's Winesap, a quiet town that's like any other other quiet town...except for all the murders, that is. And though Sherry is a librarian by trade, she is also a super sleuth. But after one murder too many, she is getting suspicious that something else is afoot. And she would be right too, but before she can do anything about it, the next murder victim is a little too close to home and she's a prime suspect. Can she solve this latest murder, clear her name, AND find out what's plaguing Winesap? With a motley group of fun characters to aid her, of course, and a demon that begins to haunt her marmalade cat, Lord Thomas Cromwell.

I don't remember reading a cozy murder mystery combined with fantastical elements before (and it took some while for me to adjust to the co-existing elements of unease and cozy), but it was exactly what I needed even if I didn't know it when I picked it up. It's fun and funny, and what surprised me most in a delightful way was the author's use of popular tropes in plot and character archetypes only to subvert them all while keeping the spirit of such narratives alive. Cheeky self-awareness, for the win. Murder, She Wrote x Buffy the Vampire Slayer was the perfect tagline!

I really hope that this turns into a series; the sequel is already well set up by the end of the first one.

Lesson of the day? Never mess with a librarian 🤓.

The book centers around a librarian who is solving murders. Her lover gets killed and she slowly realizes that people in her small town are becoming possessed.

This was the perfect cozy mystery. But also, I love the paranormal elements thrown into it. The demons, talking cats, and the odd little quirks of the town.

This was a good cozy read. The ending set up for a sequel which honestly, I’d read.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for this eARC.

DNF @ 45% because I cannot get into this story and nothing really has happened. The characters are pretty vague and I don't even feel like I have a good feel for the MC. The story drags along and then rushes through the important parts and I just cannot keep my attention. I love the idea, but the execution isn't working for me.

Thanks to the publisher for a free copy; my review and thoughts are my own.

This is a cozy paranormal mystery that features an amateur sleuth and middle-aged librarian named Sherry Pinkwhistle. The body count keeps rising in her quaint village, and after her lover becomes one of the victims, her cat is possessed by an ancient talking demon, and the villagers start acting strange, she begins to suspect that something supernatural is afoot. And that she might need an exorcist as well as the police.

So, banding together with the new priest, who is not keen on demon possession, as well as an array of village friends, who are an eclectic mix of grieving widow and neighborly busybody, they form the Demon Hunting Society. However, it is up to Sherry to solve the case and rid the town of demons.

If I had to characterize this, I'd say it was a mix of Murder, She Wrote and Miss Marple with a sprinkling of the occult. I thought it worked well as a cozy mystery because of its Stars Hollow-like setting and its quirky, endearing characters, but the supernatural elements felt out of place at times. Almost unnecessary. Granted, I did find the Lord Crowell cat possession to be humorous at times. However, I think I might've preferred the story without the paranormal elements because it would have made for a more seamless narrative.

All in all, though, this was lighthearted and amusing. A perfect read for snug autumn vibes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC in exchange for my review.

Librarian Sherry Pinkwhistle has a knack for solving murders in her tiny upstate village. So many solved murders... way more than a tiny village should have. Sherry's starting to realize that something is unnatural. And it all starts to unravel when a close friend is murdered. Her cat is possessed, and it's very convenient that there's a new priest in town. Because Winsap needs more than an amateur sleuth... it needs an exorcist.

Why I started this book: I requested the ARC and it was time to review...

Why I finished it: The description of this, is a cosy fantasy mystery... but I would describe this as cosy mystery horror. Two genre's that don't go together, and yet Waggoner really blended them in a surreal spine tingling mash-up. I admit that I'm not a horror or a cosy mystery reader, so your mileage may very. Unsettling story for this big scaredy-cat reader with a little tongue-in-check nod to the tropes of these genres.

Great premise. Not so great execution. The setting and characters were typical of a cozy mystery, which is my favorite genre, so I thought this would be perfect. The idea of a demon being behind the number of murders in a small town is plausible and made me rush to pick up this book but it dragged so much that I consistently lost interest and had to keep putting this book down. There is set up for a next book in the series at the end but I don’t think it’s compelling enough for me to continue with the series.