Meghan Ciana Doidge

I’ll probably end up reading the rest of the series, because I’m invested enough, but I found this book ... pretty hurtful. It’s not the only book to use that awful “magic mistaken for mental illness” trope, but it’s the first time I’ve read one by an author I’ve otherwise liked. It’s like finding out your cool new friend is unexpectedly an asshole about something.

Why does it always have to be magic OR mental illness? Why can’t people who need mood stabilizers to show more function be witches? Why can’t people who suffer from hallucinations be seers? (“Pretty sure this is a legit vision, because my meds have been working and also my hallucinations tend to be voices telling me I suck.”)

Even small, throwaway lines highlight how unwelcome people with mental illnesses are. “My psychiatrist would have instantly diagnosed him with narcissistic personality disorder, but I don’t believe in beat, simple boxes.” Personality disorders are not simple diagnoses, and a responsible psychiatrist would not do something like that. And yeah, sure, that line is coming from the 19 year-old narrator ... but the narrative structure agrees with her.

And it’s just like ... I get that fat people like me aren’t allowed to exist in this magical world of sexy shapeshifters and badass witches and mystical dragons. But do you have to lock out people who are crazy like me too?

The more I think about it, the sadder it makes me feel. So I guess it’s time to stop thinking about it. show less

Other than the fact that I saw the villain coming from a mile away, I freaking loved this book. Fun writing style, great characters, unexpected depths of emotion.

Hmmm. I don't love it, but it's very rich and kept me reading. Jade knows she's magic, and of a magic bloodline, but she's been lied to about just about everything else. Then the vampire upsets the applecart. This gets very dark very fast - dead bodies do that. And I really wanted to shake her and make her pay attention for a stretch in the middle - basically everything after the reveal spell was her refusing to accept reality. And then the final scene is another aspect of the same thing, show more turning away and pretending everything's normal. Her family are idiots, too. What did they think would happen? I'm mildly interested in reading more, but I'm annoyed at least at just about every character in the book so it's not a strong wish to read on. It is an interesting world, though, so I probably will read the next. show less

If you haven’t read Cupcakes, Trinkets, and Other Deadly Magic (The Dowser Series) WHY NOT??? IT IS WONDERFUL! So, read Cupcakes and then dive right into Trinkets.

It’s like chocolate – you can’t STOP

Looking back at my review of Cupcakes, the first in The Dowser Series, I realize that I talked more about the cupcake recipes that Meagan came up with. Well, the cupcakes sound awesome so who can blame me? But I never really said anything about the story other than how much I enjoyed it. show more And I should have, because the story is wonderful.

Jade is the daughter of a witch (father unknown), granddaughter of one of the strongest witches on the West Coast, and foster sister of yet another witch. Best friends all their lives, Jade trusts and loves her sister Sienna with all her heart. Happy in her life, running her bakery, “Cake In A Cup” and making ‘trinkets’ from bits and bobs infused with the magic of their former owners, Jade has a happy, calm, and peaceful life. Well, until the vampire shows up staring through her bakery window. And then, her whole life changes. Dead werewolves, blood magic, and other horrors change and twist Jade’s life. Yes, some of the changes are good, as she begins to grow into her strength, to become what she is meant to be. However, there is deep and cutting pain that must be absorbed, betrayals and hatred and horrors. Jade’s life will never be the same. But she grows, adapts, and begins the journey to her new life as an unknown power in the magical world.

You want to believe that there’s one relationship in life that’s beyond betrayal. A relationship that’s beyond that kind of hurt. And there isn’t.- Caleb Carr

There can be no deep disappointment where there is not deep love. – Martin Luther King, Jr.

Now, in the second edition, Trinkets, Treasures, and Other Bloody Magic (The Dowser Series 2). Jade continues to grow into her new Dowser powers. A magical ‘finder’ much like a water dowser, Jade tracks and finds magical objects – and apparently, also magical people. The story opens in the incredible Squamish forest of the Northwest outside of Vancouver as Jade enjoys her second to last piece of single-origin Madagascar chocolate and contemplates which of her two teachers, Kett the ancient vampire, or Kandy, the werewolf, will try to jump her this time as they teach her how to protect herself from the world of magic creatures. What they find in the forest is strange and new (to Jade) and proves her powers are even more than she first believed. Here starts a tale of yet more growth and change for Jade. And pain that she had only recently thought could not be more overwhelming.

More betrayal overwhelms her life in this edition, and yet there is also hope and new friendships, new discoveries about herself and her powers. Doidge weaves a tale with layers and depths not found in many of the other urban fantasy series on the market today. The beliefs that Jade has built her life upon are ripped out from under her feet, and nothing will ever be quite the same again. But as been said, and proven, over millennia, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger – and Jade is coming into her strength.

There were some things I didn’t like about the book – Jade is much too forgiving of people who would dismiss and demean her, both as a person and a magic user. But that seems to be a theme with ‘family’ issues, where those who you thought loved you and believed in you truly don’t believe you are strong at all, who have no faith in your abilities . . . I wouldn’t be as forgiving as Jade was. However, I have a feeling that Jade will show that person that she is stronger, and “more” than anyone ever could have believed.

The end was shocking, and wonderful, and heartfelt. It has me on the edge of my seat waiting for the next volume. I highly recommend that you read Cupcakes first, then Trinkets. They can be read stand-alone, but you will enjoy it more if you read both. Then, when you are done and waiting for the next, I highly recommend that you read Meghan’s other works, especially Spirit Binder (The Cascadian Chronicles #1). The second of that series is another book I am drooling to get my hands on.

Again, highly recommended to anyone who loves Urban Fantasy, strong women characters, and beautiful writing. show less