3.5 stars. I liked this one, but I didn't love it. I've heard that the Village Library Demon-Hunting Society is being described as Murder She Wrote meets Buffy the Vampire slayer, and honestly, I think that's pretty apt. I love cozy mystery and I also love books with a paranormal twist, so I figured I would love the combo, and I mostly did. Sherry is a librarian/ amateur sleuth who happens to have a knack for solving murder mysteries. That is until she realizes that there are FAR too many murders occurring in her small town for things to be normal. However, the thing that probably pushes everything over the edge for Sherry is when her cat becomes possessed by a demon/ historical figure, and tells her that she has to keep solving all of the murder mysteries in town. Naturally, Sherry decides to start a demon hunting society. This book is fun, and silly, and probably the perfect spooky season read for someone that wants to get into the spirit of the season without actually reading something too spooky. I think my biggest criticism was the pacing, which felt slow at times. So much so, that I came close to dnf-ing this. However, by the end, things really do finally start to make sense. Ultimately, I'm glad I read this, and glad I didn't dnf. I did overall enjoy things, and I can definitely see myself reading a sequel (for which, it feels like things have definitely been set up for).

Thank you to Waggoner, Berkley, and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley, for the free copy for review.

Step into a world where the mundane meets the mystical in this delightfully quirky cozy paranormal mystery. The setting leaps off the page, blending small-town charm with an eerie, atmospheric vibe.

Meet Sherry Pinkwhistle, our intrepid librarian-turned-sleuth, whose penchant for solving crimes is as strong as her love for a well-organized card catalog. Sherry's world is turned upside down when one close to her is murdered and the inexplicable occurs - her beloved cat, the regally named Sir Thomas Cromwell, becomes possessed by a demon. (Talk about a cat-astrophe!) This furry fiend provides both comic relief and a catalyst for Sherry's supernatural sleuthing adventure.

The author sprinkles a trail of breadcrumbs for the reader to follow, each clue more tantalizing than the last. Just when you think you've got it figured out, another twist sends you tumbling down the rabbit hole of suspicion and speculation.

What truly sets this story apart is the genuine warmth of the relationships. As Sherry navigates this bizarre turn of events, she seeks the help of the village priest and some of her closest friends. We see their growing bond with each chapter as they face otherworldly challenges together.

The grand reveal is as satisfying as finding that long-lost book you've been hunting for years. It ties up loose ends while leaving just enough mystery to keep you wondering what's next for Sherry and her paranormal posse.

So, grab your coziest blanket, brew a cup of your favorite tea (perhaps with a protective charm or two), and settle in for a read that's equal parts heartwarming and hair-raising. This book is like a warm hug from a slightly spooky friend - comforting, thrilling, and utterly unforgettable.

Supernatural, if Sam and Dean Winchester were replaced with a Middle-aged Librarian, a Catholic priest and the widow of a murder victim. The writing in this book was absolutely amazing, which carried it through it's slightly slow story building. As long as the reader is prepared for a cozy fantasy mystery, I believe this will be a breakout hit for the fall. Anyone going into it with other expectations, will most likely be disappointed.

I was SO excited when I read the synopsis for this: it’s similar to Buffy and Murder, She Wrote, there’s a talking cat, AND the main character is a librarian? Sign me up!

While there are a lot of great things, the main character, Sherry, is by far the best part of the book. It’s refreshing to see a 63 year-old protagonist in a murder mystery, and it helps that Sherry is self-sufficient, smart, and very creative with how she gets what she needs from her suspects. I also really enjoyed how she collected an unlikely group of collaborators: a young priest, a wealthy gallery owner, and her skeptical best friend.

Another pro is the number of mysteries within the book. In addition to the big two, who killed her friend and who/what is influencing the town, there are a number of smaller plot threads that add a ton of dimension to the setting and characters. I love a good red herring, and there were some great ones in TVLDHS.

This was a fun, cozy mystery. It starts you off thinking it’s just a regular small-town murder mystery, and then boom! Weird demons, cats who speak, and an unsettling return to 1980s fashion make for an entertaining story and really, just don’t mess with the librarians. There are lots of references to other mystery novels which added a fun touch. There is a tease for a sequel, and I admit to hoping that a sequel is written!

The Village Library Demon - Hunting Society by C.M. Waggoner is a cozy murder mystery with some fantasy aspects. The first part of this story started off really slow. It takes awhile to get into the book but once you do, the beginning makes perfect sense. I loved the small town setting as it gave the spooky murder vibes and then adding in the demons was perfect. Sherry, our main older character, was solving mysteries in the small town. I love how she is the librarian an in the know. Overall a good read for the fall season.

Meh - this book was just ok. I was disappointed, because I was SO excited to read this one, but I was very bored most of the time. The story starts off as a very ho hum cozy mystery with little to no magic, and while I understand that the beginning DOES tie in later, it just really bored me from the start.. The story did pick up some, and there were some endearing side characters, but overall, the slow pace and the anachronisms (she has to look up Yew in the encyclopedia when she goes to the library next? You expect me to believe that a LIBRARIAN doesn't know how to look up relevant information on the Internet? - as a librarian, this is absurd) made this one dead on arrival for me. If you are a big fan of cozy mysteries, this may be a great choice for you. It was just not enough magic, and too much slow movement for me.

It took me until about the 25% mark to really get invested in the story, but I'm super happy that I didn't quit because I ended up loving the book! I'm not a huge cozy mystery fan but this had so much more to it. The mystery had a lot of moving parts plus the added bonus of demons and possessions, made it a super fun and creepy fall read. Sherry's mysterious background added another layer to the mystery, and I loved the twist. Definitely add this to your spooky season tbr!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for access to this arc!

I expected more demon hunting. Really, there was no demon hunting at all. Just, doing what the demon wanted and then suddenly defeating it within three paragraphs. There really wasn't much of a society either. A better title may have set my expectations up more accordingly. I can admit having an older protagonist was a little different; it just wasn't interesting enough to really keep me reading.

(3.5⭐️) I love a cozy mystery, and this was a great one to ease into spooky season with!

There was a lot to like in this book. The small town setting felt perfect for this kind of story. The paranormal elements made things *just* interesting enough without being scary at all - which can sometimes be a nice vibe if you want a “spooky season” book that’s light on the “spooky”.

The quirky cast of characters was really fun and I enjoyed how much they all brought to the story, though it was sometimes hard to remember who was who for the minor characters. Sherry was an easy MC to get behind, and I liked her attitude towards figuring out what was happening in her town. The plot slowed a bit in some spots, and there were a few things that felt harder to believe/follow in the story, but they were easy to overlook.

Overall this was lighthearted and a good seasonal read, and I loved the setup for the sequel at the end!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Berkeley Publishing Group, for an ARC of this book.

Honestly, this was a DNF for me. I made it about 25 percent through before I called it quits. Did a high school student write this? The writing was clunky, immature, and downright unreadable. The premise sounded promising, but the atrocious writing was more than I could endure.

Well, this is an absolutely delightful book with the demons popping up in a completely unexpected way and the protagonist I’ve always wanted to see helm a fantasy novel.

The plot is perfect, the pace is excellent, the humor is delectably snarky, and the characters, while they fit paranormal and mystery tropes, go beyond the typical “settings” to become very much their own stand-out personalities who speak with fantastic, memorable voices.

Perfect for anytime of year, but especially fall and especially charming to this upstate New Yorker who remembers those April blizzards well.

3.5 stars
This was an ok cozy mystery/fantasy. I'm not sure if I've read a crossover of a cozy mystery and cozy fantasy, but I was here for it. I can definitely see why it is marketed as Murder, She Wrote and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Our main character Sherry has someone been able to easily figure out a string of murders in her small upstate New York town. She just accepts the unusually high body count, until her boyfriend becomes a victim. When her cat becomes possessed and tells her a demon might be responsible for the murders, she realizes she might be in deeper than she thought.
The characters were all ok, none of them really stood out to me. Sherry was very Jessica Fletcher to me. She was older, involved in town things and seemed to know everyone. She wasn't afraid to get her questions answered and she was very resourceful.
The plot was a little slow at times, but came around to a good conclusion. We met a lot of people, so there was a large pool of suspects to choose from and follow. The clues added up nicely and the story was resolved well.
The intrigue just wasn't all the way there for me. My mind wandered a lot and I know there were things I missed out on.
I don't know if this is a series, as Goodreads does not indicate it is, but it ended where a sequel would be easy to jump into and I think I would continue on if it does end up being a series!

This book was just okay for me. I feel like the author wanted to write a cozy mystery but HAD to had some supernatural in it. It wasn't a cohesive mix.

Thank you NetGalley and Ace for the ARC! The Village Demon-Hunting Society follows librarian Sherry Pinkwhistle, who just so happens to solve what seems to be a large amount of murders for her small upstate New York town. But when her cat, Thomas Cromwell, starts talking to her, Sherry realizes things are definitely strange. There is a demon lose in town, orchestrating events to keep Sherry solving crimes and the demon entertained. Can Sherry, the new priest, and a cohort of other village friends solve their demon problem before any more residents die? Fun with a delightful paranormal twist, The Village Demon-Hunting Society is sure to please mystery fans who want a new twist to their sleuths.

Sherry is content with her quiet life as a village librarian. The fact that her little hamlet has the world's highest per capita murder rate is perfectly fine: it's only unpleasant people who die, and Sherry is always on hand to solve the case for the sheriff. Then someone dies who Sherry actually cares about and she realizes that her town is being puppeteered by malevolent forces. Sherry and her motley crew of allies (a widowed art dealer, a therapist, a priest, and a possessed cat) must break free of the cozy mystery tropes enslaving their town. Lovingly upends the genre.

I picked this book up purely because it sounded like cozy fun, but I did not expect to completely love it! This is one of those rare books that I really didn’t want to put down not only because it had an engaging mystery plot, but I really loved the characters.

The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society stars Sherry Pinkwhistle, a librarian in the small upstate New York town of Winesap. Though Winesap is charming and quaint, it has had an alarming number of murders recently and Sherry has assisted in solving each and every one of them. The story begins with the murder of an art gallery owner and of course his wife is the primary suspect, but Sherry knows Charlotte couldn’t have done it. What unfolds is a whirlwind investigation where it becomes clear that something isn’t quite right. Sherry has unusual slips of memory and then, rather startlingly, her cat Lord Thomas Cresswell speaks to her. Her cat is possessed by its namesake, who is actually trying to help Sherry because the demon orchestrating all the murders isn’t on his good side.

I will stop going on about the plot details, because any further than what I’ve described gets into major spoiler territory and that’s just no fun. Sherry is an absolute delight of a character and she’s so easy to like even though it’s clear she might not have the saintliest of pasts herself. Father Barry, the brand new and surprisingly young and handsome Catholic priest, along with Janine, and Charlotte help Sherry out in her investigations. The secondary characters, while not as well defined as Sherry, are also a wonderful addition to the story overall. 

Despite this being about murder and demonic possession, it is actually a perfect cozy, atmospheric read and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it. I love finding a new surprise favorite story and The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society fits the bill. It has light action, humor, surprisingly emotional moments, and a well executed ending that left things open for a potential sequel, but it wraps up cleanly enough to make a great standalone as well.

DNF
I realize now that I’m not interested in cozy murder mysteries with a 60+ year old main character. Unfortunately I didn’t love the writing style in this book and I found myself bored.

A talking cat and an amateur sleuth who just happens to be a librarian, made this an enjoyable read. A bit more than a cozy mystery, it seems that something is very wrong in the town of Winesap in upstate New York. For such a small town, there seem to be quite a few murders. But have no fear, Sherry Pinkwhistle, the librarian, and amateur sleuth is on the job. Add a demon though, and things get complicated quickly.
This was a different take on a cozy mystery. Who wouldn’t love their cat to start talking. Well except for the demon part. After the murder was solved and I did not correctly guess the killer, there was still a bit more to the story. Not a cliffhanger, but perhaps the set up for another book?? I have to say I enjoyed how Sherry’s mind worked.

C.M. Waggoner wrote my favorite orc romance of all time (Unnatural Magic). This book proves that she can do something suuuper different, and so, so well!

When I picked this up, I didn't put it down again until I was finished. It's a cozy mystery that takes on the question of why cute little towns have an unfortunate/inordinate amount of murders that are solved not by law enforcement but by 60-something librarians. In this book, that crime-solving librarian is Sherry.

I laughed out loud several times reading this. Waggoner brings together a cast worthy of a Poirot novel ... but who eventually figure out they shouldn't really be this narratively perfect in real life. Sherry discovers that the town is being manipulated for the entertainment of a demon, and with the help of hot priest Father Barry, chic art gallery owner Charlotte, fellow "older lady" Janine, and the spirit of (maybe?) Lord Thomas Cromwell in the body of Sherry's marmalade cat, solve both the mystery and the demon infestation.

If you like cozy mystery or cozy fantasy, this is a perfect blend of the two. Plus, like I said, it's hilarious. I will read anything Waggoner writes, but it's always a pleasure when your favorite authors write really good stuff!

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

The Village Library Demon Hunting Society is what happens when you binge watch Murder She Wrote and try to wrap your head around how all those people were murdered and noone wondered about the outrageous number dying around Jessica Fletcher (per the author's claim)! This book was so much fun, at least when the demon finally showed up. I found it slow going in the beginning. By the end it was unputdownable for me. Elements of Christie, Murder She Wrote, and Poirot. Being a librarian myself, I loved imagining myself as Sherry.
The whole story felt like the tv show Evil met Aurora Teagarden, with a splash of Sabrina. I can't wait for the next book in the series!
For fans of Rachel Harrison and The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix.