I had some problems keeping going in the beginning of this book, but around the middle of it, I was pretty invested. The premise is interesting, and I will probably read a sequel if I have a chance. The main character feels too frivolous at times, and it seems by design, but it is an annoyance. More than anything is a fun book with the possibility to become a fun series.

A Trinket for the Taking by Victoria Laurie is an exciting mash-up of a cosy mystery, a mysterious secret magical world, and a touch of romance. It’s Dovey’s 200th birthday when a dangerous magical trinket, the Pandora’s Promise goes missing.

Following the trail of horrific deaths, Dovey must recover the trinket. And to do so, she must work with handsome FBI agent Grant Barlow, while hiding her true identity and the magical nature of the deaths, as well as the existence of the trinket, the deadly Promise.

This was a delightful take on many of my favorite genres. It’s a quick, easy read, and while not a deep, thought-provoking novel, it was quite fun.

Recommended if you like mysteries, fantasy, and romance. While the romance is secondary, it is there.

I’m looking forward to reading the next book, A Murder in the Making, when it comes out later this year.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 out of 5)

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Cozies for an advance copy in exchange for sharing my opinions. All opinions in this review are my own. Links in this review are affiliate links, and I may earn a commission from qualifying purchases.

I really wanted to love this. There was so much that felt promising. I was excited by the idea of magic conveyed through trinkets, the potential animal companions (portrayed by the prominence of the hedgehog on the front), and the mystery in the background served by the coziness of those other aspects.

Unfortunately, the execution just didn't work for me. There was more detailed description of clothes, apartments, and cars than the magic system or any of the characters. The pacing was completely off, to the point that I noted at 93% in, with two chapters remaining, the main character still had put together zero of the dots re: the mystery. The rushest of rushed endings. And the very last scene has the main character and the unbound/human man that she's been lusting after the whole book apparently in love and returning to each other forever? Haven't even been on a date, but she'll "always come back" to him? After 200 years of slobbering over the man who basically enslaved her, she's finally gotten over that, in the span of a few days? Relatedly, got the ick that we never seemed to interrogate the main character being essentially sold at 18 to a magic man centuries/millennia older than her, slept with, and magically bound to him forever.

More than anything, just a bit disappointed that expectation was so far from reality, but that may also be a user error issue.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC...sorry I didn't get around to reading and posting about it until now.
3/5 stars but the audio narration is 5/5 stars.
Ultimately this is a mystery novel that gets solved within the last like 1% of the book. (The ending felt super rushed to me and didn't feel like it matched with the rest of the story.) There is a unique magic system as well as unique beings (humans being "bound" making them magical and almost immortal). This gave the mystery a next level vibe which I enjoyed. The idea that these bound beings form of currency is not money but instead magical objects was definitely a refreshing idea, but for as rare as the high level items are said to be, there seem to be a lot of them. Also, this story is suppose to be about a top level mystery solver, but throughout the book I question whether she is actually a top level sleuth or an amateur. My final judgment is that this book was okay- not bad, but not great either.

This mystery was a very easy read that I sat down to start- and then continued until I uncovered who the murderer was and what their motives were at the end. The mystery of who was targeting the Ariti family, and how they were being killed in the exact fashion that they most feared - drowning, falling from great heights, etc, kept me intrigued; and I stayed for the growing suspicion and desire between our main character Dovey and the FBI agent she needs to work with, the magical abilities of her immortal hedgehog, Nibs, and the evergrowing mystery surrounding the recovery of the trinkets, the enchanted artifacts that humans keep stumbling upon that Dovey is charged with recovering.
I was intrigued by the magical realism aspects of this world, and I enjoyed learning how trinkets worked. Having a team tasked with the retrieval and care of magical artefacts is one of my favourite tropes so I as pleased to see it play out in this novel.
I could have done less with how much fashion was mentioned as it made the main character come across as vapid and bland instead of as an interesting immortal who had been alive for 200 years, and her relationship with her boss made me a bit queasy, especially at the beginning, but I feel that would be something that is addressed in future novels. I also expected more of a relationship between her and Gib by the end, but I am sure that gets developed in future novels as well. All in all it was a good beginning to a mystery series.

Thank you to the author and Kensington Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An exciting start to a new paranormal mystery series from Victoria Laurie. I am very excited to see what mysteries Dovey comes across and the trouble they get her into in the rest of this series.
I love the idea of mystics living among us unbounds and they are all in possession of trinkets with magical abilities; that is a cool possibility.

Looking forward to reading the next book in the series when it has been written and published.

wowowow this was really something! i’ll definitely be buying this as soon as it’s published, i loved it a lot!!

I had a tough time finishing this one, mostly because I had unfulfilled expectations about how the tone and plot would go. I expected a lighthearted cozy, heavy on the creature companions (because of the cover), and some lite magic. The book was more moody than I expected, with very little cozy to be found, and there was quite a bit of fae/court/connected family intrigue. The plot and pacing straight murder mystery with a healthy dose of magic being used for nefarious ends.

Ultimately, this was an okay book to read (I’d put it at a 3.5 quality wise) and is one I’d likely recommend to readers who love mixes of magic and murder mystery. I would NOT recommend it to cozy mystery lovers.

The story unfolds as Dovey finds herself drawn to a seemingly innocuous trinket, which serves as a catalyst for a series of unexpected events. Her family has been dying but there are no signs of foul play so what could be the cause? The magic trinket box showcases how certain desires can lead individuals to make choices that may not align with their true values. Its a gentle reminder to seek out what truly matters and to approach our desires with mindfulness and intention. Can Dovey work with the detective on the case and keep the magical components hidden?

This book was such a fun mix of magic, mystery, and just a hint of romance! Dovey Van Dalen, a 200-year-old mystic, spends her days recovering stolen magical artifacts and keeping them hidden from the human world. She’s living her best life, well… she was, until her birthday plans get derailed.

Dovey’s boss sends her on a mission to track down a ring…. Its called ‘the Promise’ - it’s a powerful ring that kills people in the way they fear most.

So when members of the wealthy Ariti family start dying under strange circumstances, Dovey knows the ring is involved. To make things worse for Dovey, FBI agent Grant “Gib” Barlow is working the same case. Now, Dovey has to team up with him without revealing her magic—and still get the job done.

I found the magical world in this book to be so creative and seamlessly woven into everyday life. The trinkets Dovey uses, like a lie-detecting paperweight, were so clever and fun. And the characters? Loved them. Dovey is witty, resourceful, and just the right amount of sassy, while Gib is all charm and capability. Their chemistry is subtle but exciting, and I’m hoping for more in the next book. And let’s not forget Bits, Dovey’s pet hedgehog, who completely stole the show.

The mystery kept me hooked, and the ending had me on edge. I couldn’t put this one down, and I’m already dying to see where the series goes next. If you love cozy mysteries with a magical twist, you’ll absolutely adore this book!

Thank you to NetGalley & Kensington Publishing.

This would have been a 5 star, god I love this book, except for one thing. It starts with the fact that the main character is a slave. She was sold to her boss at the age of 18 but it's all good because he isn't that bad of an owner, he may have magicked her into Stockholm Syndrome, and everyone else is in the magical world is also owned and a lot of them are tortured horribly but my life is good, tra-la-la.

The book dumps this absolute shocker on you and then switches to a light, frothy urban fantasy murder mystery. The whiplash really ruined my enjoyment of the work and I kind of felt it was completely unnecessary because lots of these types of books start with someone working for a not-so-nice employer.

Other than that, this is a fun book, just don't read if you're not ok with literary slavery.

Ultimately, A Trinket for the Taking was entertaining while I was reading it, but not particularly memorable. I will pick up the next book if I see it, but I probably won’t go looking for it. Overall, I gave it 3 out of 5 stars. A solid three. If you’re into magical mysteries, it’s worth checking out.

I featured this book in a new release video prior to publication and was very excited to read a cozy fantasy with a sassy main character! It's giving Knives out but if Daniel Craig had no idea there was magic afoot lol. And also possible fell in love with a magical sassy 200 year old [but hot] deputy. Amazing. Will update when final review posts, but I'm expecting 5 stars!

A Trinket For The Taking by Victoria Laurie, when the book started, I really liked Dovay and even liked her relationship with Elrick, but as the book went on, there were many things I disliked about the book. I can’t stand in a book when a female acts like she can’t get over how hot a male is as if all She thrives on is base emotions. I am even OK with predictable storylines if it is funny or entertaining and some other way, but sadly, I just couldn’t get into this book and think it just wasn’t my jam. it wasn’t a bad book just not my type of book. #NetGalley, #KensingtonBooks, #VictoriaLaurie, #ATrinketForTheTaking,

I loved the quirky characters and their dynamics, which added depth to the unfolding mystery. The pacing was generally good, keeping me hooked as the plot unraveled. However, there were a few moments where the transitions felt a bit abrupt, which made certain plot points less impactful.

4.25⭐
First in a new series that's as entrancing as Dovey Van Dalen, the female lead in this modern day cozy fantasy. As the gorgeous 200 year old mystic, charged with retrieving magical trinkets from mortals, sets out to find and return The Promise, a trinket that makes someone kill themself in the manner that scares them the most. Along the way we learn about the magical world and meet plenty of interesting characters, including an ex-model FBI agent. Lots of fun and very entertaining!

A Trinket for the Taking is a really interesting series debut that blends magic, mystery and urban fantasy.
The world building surrounding Mystics and trinkets is well done. The idea that there is more than one Pandora’s box is fairly terrifying especially when you learn the description of what several of them do. They call them Promises. One Promise has been stolen, and that forms the basis for the mystery.
Dovey is a 200 year old Mystic bound to an eon old Mystic named Elric. She is tasked with finding the Promise that is missing.
There is death, a gorgeous FBI agent going by the moniker of Gib, and a hedgehog.
The hedgehog sounds adorable. Dovey has definite tastes in clothing. And she gets into all sorts of trouble on the way to solving the theft.
I enjoyed the book. I would be interested to see what direction the series takes.
Thanks to Netgalley and Kensington Cozies for the opportunity to read this book.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I picked up this book. But I was pleasantly surprised and really became enraptured right from the very beginning!

How does one bring together magic, a mystery, and a hedgehog? Apparently this is how they do it. And the author has done it. Well! I cannot wait for the next entry in this series!

It currently smells really good in our house. Be jealous. But anyway, it’s the last Wednesday of November, so it’s book review time! This month, I went with something more on the fantasy side. It’s a mystery, but with a pretty detailed magical system and some extra world building even though it’s mostly just a real world setting. A Trinket for the Taking by Victoria Laurie was released on Tuesday the 26th by Kensington Books. As usual, I must thank them and NetGalley for access to an ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Let’s get to it!

A Trinket for the Taking follows Dovey Van Dalen as she sets out to celebrate her 200th birthday in style. Unfortunately, work gets in the way when a super powerful and deadly trinket (magical device) goes missing. She’s tasked with finding it before the unbound (non-magical) world gets suspicious. It doesn’t help that the thief seems to be targeting a prominent unbound family. And to complicate matters further, she keeps running into a ridiculously attractive FBI agent and she can’t seem to escape him. Nor does she really want to, which is a whole problem within itself. Can Dovey figure out the case and retrieve the trinket before it’s too late?

The plot was pretty good. Entertaining. Standard combination of mystery and fantasy. Magical item must be found before death and destruction ensue. Oops, too late. Magical person teams up with plucky non-magical sidekick. Weirdness happens. Last minute saving of the day. Happily ever after… until the next book. But the pacing was off. The first two thirds of the book was loaded down with world building and character histories and it dragged. A lot. Especially when the same info was repeated two or three times. And because of all this excess information, the last third of the book felt super rushed since it didn’t have any. Don’t get me wrong. A lot of the information was necessary. It just could have been incorporated more strategically. But the three scenes when her hedgehog helps her pick an outfit are completely unnecessary. The first one was cute and by all means keep one scene for fun. But three? During which nothing important is conveyed? No. Either utilize the other two scenes to pass on relevant and new information or cut them. Otherwise, it makes the story drag. Aside from that, there were also a couple of deus ex machina things that made me roll my eyes. One of them made it apparent that a particular character was thrown in as an afterthought just for that moment instead of utilizing any of the existing characters. And the hedgehog in the pocket thing was random and not really necessary when the reader was already told that she had what it gave her. If it had been a surprise, it would’ve been cool, but she literally brought the thing with her in case she needed it. No hedgehog needed.

As for the characters, there were a lot and so many of them did nothing. For instance, there’s a perv at the elevator within the first couple of pages. He literally does nothing but ogle Dovey, then let her take the elevator by herself. And he never shows back up. It was weird. A lot of the characters could have been combined into a one or two. Mostly they do one thing then disappear. It’s annoying. But I mostly liked the main characters. Dovey is interesting. I don’t understand why she randomly falls in love at first sight. It’s creepy. But otherwise I like her. Gib is fun. Ursula could’ve been utilized more. And Elric is just a gross old dude. But overall, I enjoyed most of the characters.

The writing itself was fun. Despite the pacing issues and iffy characters, I read the book pretty quickly and didn’t dread picking it up after a break.

Ultimately, A Trinket for the Taking was entertaining while I was reading it, but not particularly memorable. I will pick up the next book if I see it, but I probably won’t go looking for it.

Overall, I gave it 3 out of 5 stars. A solid three. If you’re into magical mysteries, it’s worth checking out.

I loved this book which isn't a surprise since Victoria Laurie always delivers an excellent book. The magic system was unique and was fun to read something that was new and different. I'm really hoping there are many more books in this series! Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced reader copy.