It Takes a Coven by Carol J. Perry is the sixth A Witch City Mystery novel. Lee Barrett is finishing up the semester at Tabitha Trumball Academy for the Arts where she teaches TV Production and investigative reporting. Lee has agreed to be maid of honor for Shannon Dumas in her upcoming nuptials to Dakota Berman and imagines a relaxing summer with cake tastings and getting fitted for her dress. Then she is offered the opportunity of an internship (in other words an unpaid position) at WICH-TV as an investigative reporter. This gives Lee a chance to look into the recent deaths of witches and the crows that have descended upon the city. The crows have stripped all the apple and quince trees. River North is afraid that she has caused these incidents to occur and she is quite distraught about it. When another witch is shot at, Lee dives into her investigation. Lee has the aid of her scrying ability, O'Ryan (her cat), Pete Mondello (her boyfriend and local detective), and a crow named Poe. It seems, though, the cause for the abundance of crows may have a more sinister, supernatural explanation. Lee must work in her sleuthing between her numerous maid-of-honor duties (isn't that what the wedding planner is for). Will Lee get a fix on the killer before he strikes again? What will it take to get the crows to leave Salem?
It Takes a Coven can be read as a standalone book. The author provides Lee's backstory along with details from the previous books in the series. The book contains good writing, but I found the pace to be a too slow in the first half of the book (when the pace is too slow my mind starts to wander from the book). It does pick up considerably later in the novel. I did feel there was a significant amount of repetition (it gets tiresome). Lee's car was mentioned sixteen times (her corvette). I was happy to see more paranormal elements in It Takes a Coven (finally). The paranormal elements give the story life and depth. It also seems that Lee is starting to accept her ability (about time). The characters are well-developed and established. There are a couple of quirky characters like River North (though she can be a little over-the-top at times). It was great that Aunt Ibby had a bigger role in this book. She is my favorite character, and I hope she continues to have a prominent role in future books. The setting of Salem, Massachusetts is a delight (I have always wanted to visit). I appreciate the author's descriptions of the area and landmarks. There was not enough focus on the murder of the witches (of course, there is a quite a bit jammed into this one book). I would have liked more active investigating and action. Two pieces of information provided me the identity of the culprit. The paranormal element behind the crows was more complicated (I do not want to say too much and spoil it for readers) and overshadowed the witch killings. I found it compelling. I did feel that the author tried to put too much into one book. The wedding, crows, the murders, Lee's new job, a talking crow, a funeral, cooking, scrying, eating, romance and so much more. All the loose ends are wrapped up at the end of It Takes a Coven, and there was a good epilogue. There is a preview of Bells, Spells and Murder at the end. It Takes a Coven is a lively book that will bewitch readers.
It Takes a Coven can be read as a standalone book. The author provides Lee's backstory along with details from the previous books in the series. The book contains good writing, but I found the pace to be a too slow in the first half of the book (when the pace is too slow my mind starts to wander from the book). It does pick up considerably later in the novel. I did feel there was a significant amount of repetition (it gets tiresome). Lee's car was mentioned sixteen times (her corvette). I was happy to see more paranormal elements in It Takes a Coven (finally). The paranormal elements give the story life and depth. It also seems that Lee is starting to accept her ability (about time). The characters are well-developed and established. There are a couple of quirky characters like River North (though she can be a little over-the-top at times). It was great that Aunt Ibby had a bigger role in this book. She is my favorite character, and I hope she continues to have a prominent role in future books. The setting of Salem, Massachusetts is a delight (I have always wanted to visit). I appreciate the author's descriptions of the area and landmarks. There was not enough focus on the murder of the witches (of course, there is a quite a bit jammed into this one book). I would have liked more active investigating and action. Two pieces of information provided me the identity of the culprit. The paranormal element behind the crows was more complicated (I do not want to say too much and spoil it for readers) and overshadowed the witch killings. I found it compelling. I did feel that the author tried to put too much into one book. The wedding, crows, the murders, Lee's new job, a talking crow, a funeral, cooking, scrying, eating, romance and so much more. All the loose ends are wrapped up at the end of It Takes a Coven, and there was a good epilogue. There is a preview of Bells, Spells and Murder at the end. It Takes a Coven is a lively book that will bewitch readers.
