I really enjoyed this book, and the two timelines as usual fit together perfectly. I always thought I didn’t enjoy multiple timelines, but Kristen proved me wrong, not once but twice. This was a great thriller, and I was at the edge of my seat trying to solve both crimes. I can’t wait for book 3!

This one did not hold my interest as much as the first book. I had a hard time getting into it so I decided to DNF.

I wish I stuck with just reading the first book and not wanting to continue because it's a series. I didn't like the second installment. I couldn't get interested in the subject matter this time around and they were hard to connect with.
Again, there were transitions between present day and the past. For some reason this time around, it was harder for me to grasp which POV I was reading because some of them involved the same characters. I admit, my brain was working overtime, so it could completely be me and others will grasp it much quicker than I did.

Kristen Perrin's How to Seal Your Own Fate offers an engaging continuation of the Castle Knoll Files series, blending dual timelines and a small-town mystery with a touch of the supernatural. The atmospheric setting of Castle Knoll and the return of familiar characters provide a comforting backdrop for this cozy crime novel.

The alternating narratives between Annie Adams in the present and her great-aunt Frances's diary entries from the 1960s add depth to the story, though some readers may find the transitions between timelines a bit jarring. The mystery itself, involving the murder of fortune-teller Peony Lane, unfolds with a series of twists and turns that keep the reader intrigued.

However, the novel's complexity can be a double-edged sword. With a large cast of characters and intricate plotlines, it occasionally becomes challenging to keep track of who knows what and how each piece fits into the larger puzzle. Some readers have noted that the ending leaves certain questions unanswered, which may be a point of contention for those seeking closure.

While How to Seal Your Own Fate may not surpass its predecessor, it still delivers an enjoyable and atmospheric mystery. Fans of the series will appreciate the continuation of Annie's journey, though newcomers might consider starting with the first book for a fuller understanding of the characters and their motivations.

Thank you Netgalley and the author/publisher for a copy of this book. This was a little outside of what I normally enjoy and I can't decide if its because I did not read the first book. I feel like people that like this genre will still enjoy.

In How To Seal Your Own Fate, we return to Castle Knoll and find Annie Adams right back in the thick of another mystery. Annie encounters the elusive Peony Lane, a local fortune teller that was responsible for giving Annie's great aunt Frances the fortune that changed the course of her life. It isn't long after this meeting that Annie finds herself thrust into a mystery that could have dire consequences for Annie herself.

I definitely feel that readers should start with the first book in the series to have a full appreciation and understanding of this second installment. It was interesting to have the passages from Frances's diary to provide more insight into her life as well as many of the other characters that appear in the present day narrative.

I received this book courtesy of the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance review copy in return for an honest review. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. I feel like out of all the books in this series, this one was the slowest and the least exciting. The arc wasn’t that great but I’m glad we got to learn more about gran and there was a more clear ending on her story. I really enjoyed the first book in this series but I don’t know, this one really dragged! I could not get through it!

Another interesting installment! The way this series teams up Frances gathering her secrets in the past and Annie uncovering them in the present is interesting and fresh.

Thanks to Penguin and NetGalley for inviting me to read this title early!

I really enjoyed the first novel in this series but didn't find this one as gripping--I'm typically not a "cozy mystery" reader to begin with but I do always appreciate a palate cleanser book like this. Generally, I wasn't quite as invested in the mystery of this one and I was a little bored with the past plotline specifically. It was fine enough to read but I can't say I really cared all that much unfortunately.

Another cozy mystery book set in Castle Knoll, the famed fortune teller herself, Peony Lane, is found dead at the Gravesdown estate. While I again thoroughly enjoyed Annie as a character (and Jenny and Inspector Crane), I found the Frances portions of the book a bit lacking, and I didn't find the citizens of Castle Knoll as eccentric and interesting as I did in the first book. I also feel that despite being a main part of the plot, the Gravesdown family members could use some fleshing out in terms of character development.

Ultimately, I think the framing device of Frances' old journals paralleling the present day story line is quite a bit thinner and twists itself a bit too much to make the mystery work. I'm not sure how much longer that framing device will be effective in future stories. I do think it would be interesting to see Annie continue to be an intrepid investigator, and I'm enjoying the potential burgeoning romance between her and Crane. I just found the 1967 plotline getting a bit bogged down in trying to support the whole thing. I'm curious to see where this series goes from here.

Kristen Perrin is now two for two. I loved her debut and I loved this book just as much. She manages to write a standout mystery that feels cozy without being soft. I love reading her books and unraveling the mysteries she writes. As with the first book there was a host of characters that could’ve been guilty, and cookie crumbs dropped everywhere giving you clues to who did it but never quite enough to figure it out. It was perfection!

Annie Adams is roped into another mystery when Peony Lane (the fortune teller who kicked off the events in the first novel by telling Annie’s Great-Aunt Frances’s fortune in the 60s) warns her she has a fortune for Annie—but Annie won’t want it. Then, Peony Lane turns up dead on Annie’s property and Annie has to figure out why Peony was killed at all and who wanted to silence her.

I enjoyed the dips into Frances’s diary; I get they’re fully written out which isn’t how normal people do diaries, but I always like the use of diaries like this in fiction. It’s fun. With the diaries, we get the fleshing out of Archie, and some more backstory about Frances as well as her connection to Ford.

As for the present storyline, let’s have more Detective Crane! I know he helped Annie some in this one, but it would be great if they teamed up proper in the next instalment. I’m happily looking forward to seeing some more interplay between them and for feelings to build as they try to piece together an answer to a murder.

This is a cosy mystery with dual timelines that might be a little confusing if one hasn’t read the first one, but enjoyable otherwise.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second book in the Castle Knoll series, and I’ll be quite honest, I didn’t remember much about the first book by the time I started this one. The little bits and pieces of the plot that were presented again helped to jog my memory. That being said, I’m just not sure that more needed to be written in this series. While I did enjoy the mystery part of this book, I found it to move quite slowly as we are again put through the point of view of Annie in the present day and Frances in the form of diary entries. I found it difficult to jump between the two at times, and the mystery itself seemed a bit silly and convoluted by the end. While the book was alright, I just left wanting more. I know myself, however, and know that I will probably want to read more in the series because I hope that we can get back to some of the spark that the first one had. My overall feelings were that this moved a bit slow, was difficult to follow at times, but at least the reader did have a good payoff by having the mystery solved. If you're a reader who enjoyed cozy mysteries, this one will satisfy you.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced reading copy of this book. All opinions within this review are my own.

Kristen Perrin's How to Seal Your Own Fate is the second book in the Castle Knoll Files. I love the first book in this series How to Solve Your Own Murder.
The story is told in two narrative voices. Annie in present day, and excerpts from Aunt Frances’ diaries, her teenage years, 1967. The second book picked right up after the events of the first one.
The story was good and kept me engaged, the writing was beautiful. I still liked the first book more, but the second one was still very enjoyable.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

How to Seal Your Fate by Kristen Perrin is the second book in the Castle Knoll Files series. Annie again finds herself diving into the mysterious history of the Gravesdown Estate and Castle Knoll when another murder occurs. This is a dual timeline book, going between the present with Annie and 1967 entries in France’s journal. It was great to reconnect with the characters from this book, however I did struggle to get into this book as quickly as I did the first in the series. There were a lot of twists, turns, and surprises along the way and it was an interesting follow-up book!

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group Dutton, and the author for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was excited to receive this as a widget/ARC! Unfortunately, I did not see that this is book 2 in a series. Even though I did not read book 1, I really enjoyed this book and would go back to read book 1!

As per my usual, I went into this book pretty blind to the premise and did not know what to expect. When I tell y'all this book is SO fun. I love English crime books and the fun use of English terms like "PC" instead of cop and "boot" instead of trunk.

This book had so many twists and turns in a constantly changing story. I am crossing my fingers for book 3!

This review will be posted on my booksta, toomanyfivestarreads.

I enjoyed the first in the series and possibly enjoyed this one even more. I am really fond of the main character. What a cozy mystery, and I hope this series continues.

Great follow up to “How to Solve Your Own Murder”. This cozy mystery series is becoming a favorite. With countless suspects and the dropping bodies in Castle Knoll, Annie and Detective Crane have their handles full. If you enjoy dual POVs and timelines and an intriguing whodunnit then this book is for you!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

How to Seal Your Own Fate is the second book in the Castle Knoll Series. I was excited to get back with the characters as I really enjoyed the first book in the series. While book one felt original and fresh, the second one fell flat for me. The character development felt stagnant and the story was harder for me to connect with in book two. At times, the story felt confusing and as new characters came into the plot, I did not find myself caring about them as much as the originals. The story line felt forced at times, and the fortune aspect of the book felt redundant this time around. While the ending left an opening for a third book, I don't think that I will continue forward with the characters after this sequel.

Thank you to Net Galley for and ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed returning to Castle Knoll with Annie Adams in this follow on to last year's "How to Solve Your Own Murder" Annie is uneasily settling into her inheritance of her Aunt Francis' estate. It seems that not all of the mysteries around Francis' life and death have been uncovered, and Annie is back in the center of it all.

Don't read this as a stand-alone. Too much is lost without knowing the back-story told in the first of the series. That being said, Annie is an engaging character, and it was worth continuing with the series. As for number three? I'm not sure I'll be back, but maybe.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.