The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society is a delightful and inventive read that combines humor and supernatural adventure with great flair. The book’s quirky premise and engaging characters create a fun and enchanting narrative that captivates from start to finish. Its imaginative plot and charmingly eccentric library setting make it a standout addition to the fantasy genre.

The Village Library Demon Hunting Society was an interesting read. I felt like it was almost two different books mashed together. It started as a somewhat slow cozy mystery, a la Murder She Wrote (which is referenced pretty often) and then we end up in an episode of Supernatural. It just was a bit disjointed and felt out of place. Each idea would have been better on its own, in my opinion. Sherry was likable enough and it definitely felt cozy (most of the time) but I couldn’t get myself to be super invested or interested.

The mystery part was good, and I liked Shelly's character but that whole "demon problems" thing felt wrong. There was no clear reason for this demon (unnamed, unidentified beyond 'really old') to decide that she'd turn Winesap into her personal amusement spot or create the conditions she created (no spoilers), which made that whole subplot extraneous to the rest of the "who killed ___?" (there are two murders here) storyline.

As far as characters go, Shelly was a good librarian - at first, traditionally retiring and somewhat fluffy but then later develops into a strong lead. Her "Scooby crew" also develops nicely. And yes, Shelly's slow realization that Winesap seems to be kind of like Cabot Cove, wildly overrun with murder is one that resonates (at least she doesn't quite trot out something similar to the line that if you see Jessica Fletcher coming, run, because murder is about to happen). Another plus is that the book feels as though it's not the first one, that there's a past here (the previous mysteries that Shelly has solved), and that there's a future.

All that without the demon would have been at least 4.5 stars instead of the 2.5 rounded up.

eARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.

Self-aware but not so much as to take the reader out of the narrative flow, with several genuinely laugh-out-loud moments and a variety of morally complex characters who aren't unpleasant to spend time with. There was one character who felt like she was there to provide a car, and the main character's backstory could have been spread a little more across the book so that it was unveiled at a similar pace to the rest of the story.

A tongue in cheek poke at the premise behind Murder She Wrote, this book was a delight.

The absolutely wonderful word craft of this novel made this book 100% worth the read! Reading many of the sentences was like biting in to a warm gooey chocolate brownie. I had to stop reading multiple times to mark a sentence or to read it out loud to my husband. Absolutely delectable.

The only drawback of the book was the reasoning behind WHY our librarian must be the one to solve the crimes. The stated reason almost seemed an afterthought to the rest of the book. However, the gorgeous language usage meant that I didn't really care too much about this one weakness. I will be reading more by this author.

This delightful blend of cozy mystery/fantasy follows Sherry Pinkwhistle, a librarian whose talent for solving murders. Sherry's growing concern over the unnaturally high number of murders in her village sets the stage for a mystery beyond the mundane. Her intuition about a supernatural cause adds an intriguing twist, and her cat, Lord Thomas Crowell, becomes possessed by an ancient demon. Her friends team up and dub themselves the "Demon-Hunting Society." Sherry will have to solve the murder and eliminate a demon.

The author builds a delightful cast of secondary characters, each bringing their quirks and skills. The group and dialog are entertaining. The author also proves they can blend horror with cozy charm with the demonic transformation of Sherry's cat, which is sometimes oddly endearing. Everything creates an engaging storyline and is suspenseful yet humorous. It's a super fun read.

I received an ARC ebook for my honest review. Thank you, NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group, Ace

Starting off like a cozy mystery in a small Upstate NY town, the references to something being "off" start so subtly they can be overlooked, but the weirdness and the snarky humor quickly pick up. For fans of cozy mysteries, including our librarian narrator, solving murders on the regular seems completely normal, unless one stops to think about the murder to resident ratio of these small towns. These statistics (and that room "we never use" in the library) begin to become more apparent to our narrator as a murder that hits close to home begins to open her eyes to the strangeness of her reputation as a detective. The new priest is supportive of her investigations, but apparently the classes on demon hunting and exorcism were optional at seminary school.

sweet little librarian, small town rural New York, too many murders, demon possessed cat--how can this book loose?

Such a cute cozy mystery. Love the setting and the characters. My favorite part was the end; such a perfect end to a mystery. Also enjoyed all the classic literature nods. A great cozy read for the up coming fall season.

Detective mystery meets fantasy, Mystasy! This was so much fun. It was so unexpected, which made every turn more exciting! I could not put this book down!

Many thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the earc of this book!

I really liked this! It was quite different from most of the books I’ve been reading lately so it felt like something fresh. This book combines cozy vibes with the makings of a Christie mystery. Full of lots of fun humor and an absolutely chaotic cast of characters, this book was definitely a little treat. Interested to see if there will be a sequel with how things wrapped up.

A fun take on a cozy mystery that both pays homage while poking fun.

Small town librarian Sherry is really good at solving the murder mysteries that happen regularly in her tiny village located in upstate New York. But when the victim hits too close to home, her world is shaken and she realizes something sinister is going on. With the help of friends new and old, she'll try to restore balance to her home.

This was really well done story, with careful nods to classic murder mystery novels. Most loose ends are tied up nicely and given reasonable explanations by the final pages. Great for those who want a little fantasy in their mysteries.

Librarian Sherry seems to have a knack for solving murders, just like Jessica Fletcher. But why does no one question how many murders keep occurring in their small town?? And why is she the only one who can solve them? When the latest murder hits a little too close to home, and her cat starts talking to her, Sherry knows something else is going on... Really enjoyed this cozy murder mystery with a touch of fantasy.

A nice twist on cozy mysteries. A Jessica Fletcher-like older lady Librarian who solves crimes in her sleepy town. But is it all just a little too much like a cozy mystery or Murder She Wrote? I enjoyed the blend of mystery with a little bit of a supernatural. I do wish that how people were dressed was paid a little bit more attention to because that eventually becomes a plot point at the end of the book.

Well that was interesting.
Not entirely sure I didn’t just get possessed by a demon and forced into an acid trip for the last 265 pages.
Ending leads to a nice sequel of which I have to admit sounds way more enticing than this one.

I liked the concept. Execution was a bit iffy.
Characters felt like random scrabble pieces picked at random. Everything was very all over the place. It was hard to interpret the authors intent at times.

“The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society” is for fans of mysteries that have a supernatural twist. It’s cozy mystery mixed with fantasy. It was a very fun and quirky read. It was just so funny and smart and there was a perfect amount of twists and banter. Sherry is a great protagonist who truly takes her circumstances in stride, considering what’s thrown at her; sentient pets, magical barriers and demons. I love the references to Agatha Christie and Jessica Fletcher. This was definitely written by someone who has a clear love for Miss Marple and Murder She Wrote. Thanks to Netgalley C.M. Waggoner, and Berkeley Publishing Group.

There’s a reason it is getting compared to Buffy thought the characters are older adults- it takes the same stance of both genuinely enjoying the genre it represents and lampshading its faults at the same time. It’s a bit meta, a bit sincere, and a bit sarcastic. You need to be willing to ride with some supernatural shenanigans as well as some highly suspect coincidences. Sometimes the suspect coincidences are caused by the supernatural shenanigans. It’s a commentary on every cozy mystery series set in a small town with a strangely high death rate and a set of core quirky characters with perfect plot armour. Not every character is well fleshed out, including the demon, but the main character is likable and, on a librarian note, most of the noticeable flaws in representing the field do have an explanation…

This book baffled me. Its tone is puzzling, and the way the two genres blend is uneven and feels haphazard. It was difficult to connect with the characters. And yet, I did want to keep reading it, even though I guessed the murderer's identity almost immediately. I don't know -- it's a strange one.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an e-arc of this book.

Whenever an author is bending genres it is hard to know if it will be a match for you because you don't know which elements from each genre are going to be pulled into the work. For this one, it is blending genres/tropes that I like, the cozy mystery (think <em>Murder She Wrote</em> or Miss Marple), a low-stakes fantasy set in a small town (think <em>Legends and Lattes</em>, but set in New York) and a book focused career for the MC, but the blend didn't work for me. The book is well written and I think it could be good for someone else, but it just didn't work for me.

This is the weird, quirky supernatural amateur sleuth book that I didn't even know that I needed in my life but so glad it came along! I LOVED this book. Sherry was awesome - wish we could be besties IRL. .I couldn't really tell the difference between her two girlfriends - unless they were supposed to be mini-me's of each other. That's my only complaint about the book.

Did a great job with the mystery and solid plot that kept me engaged the whole time. And it looks like it's perfecty setup for the next book int he series that I can't wait to read!