Ill-Fated Fortune - Cozy Mystery Review

Goodreads: Ill-Fated Fortune (A Magical Fortune Cookie Mystery #1) by Jennifer J. Chow

Rating: Liked It! (3.5 Stars)
Source:   Publisher

Description:  Felicity Jin grew up literally hanging onto Mom’s apron strings in their magical bakery in the quaint town of Pixie, California. Her mother’s enchanted baked goods, including puffy pineapple buns and creamy egg tarts, bring instant joy to all who consume them. Felicity has always been hesitant in the kitchen herself after many failed attempts, but a takeout meal gone wrong inspires her to craft some
handmade fortune cookies.

They become so popular that Felicity runs out of generic fortunes and starts making her own personalized predictions. When one customer’s ill-fated fortune results in his murder, Felicity’s suspiciously specific fortune has the police focusing on her as the main culprit. Now Felicity must find a way to turn her luck around and get cleared from suspicion...

Genre: Mystery - Cozy

Why I Picked This Book:  I can never resist the first book in a new cozy series and this one sounded really fun.

My Impression: This was a fun start to a new cozy series set in a little corner of a little town in California that has more than its share of magic.  Felicity is struggling to come to terms with her talent and where she fits in her family's legacy as well as figure out just what she wants and how she wants to live her life.  This could easily her into an angsty or immature main character but while she is definitely young and a bit impulsive she keeps on the right sign of that character line.  I couldn't help but sympathize and root for her.  The magic element is strong in the bakery and in the other areas in Felicity's life which I really enjoyed.

I enjoyed the mystery.  The victim was a dreadful man and figuring out who disliked him enough to want him dead was an entertaining read.  I loved the bits about baking though it did want me to go find a homemade fortune cookie and get a pineapple bun and an egg tart!  

I've been wanting to read this author's mysteries for awhile and I'm glad I picked up the first book in this series.  It was a fun mystery with a likable cast and a unique twist.  I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author? Absolutely!  I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to seeing how the series develops. 

Would I Recommend this Book? Yes!  This is the first book in the series so the pacing gets slowed down a bit by the setup but if you enjoy cozies with a magical element this is a must read.

* I received this book in exchange for an honest review.  As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *