I found book one to be better than book two in this series. It was quite a bummer because I love cozy mysteries and was excited to learn this was a series. I can appreciate a similar pattern in a series, but this felt boring. Thank you, NetGalley.

This was an enjoyable cozy read. I didn’t love it as much as the first book in this series but it was still a good whodunnit that kept me on my toes.

What a string sequel! Revisiting known characters with the expanding back stories is so wonderful. I can’t wait for a third installment.

How to Seal Your Own Fate by Kristen Perrin

If you loved How to Solve Your Own Murder, you’re in for another delightful ride with book two. Kristen Perrin has officially sealed her spot on my cozy mystery go-to list. This was such a well-paced whodunit, cleverly plotted, charming, and just twisty enough to keep me guessing without getting too dark or convoluted.

I loved the return of those small-town vibes and witty banter, and the mystery at the heart of it all. Chef’s kiss.

Vibes:
Amateur sleuth
Small-town secrets
Cozy mystery
Found family energy
Clever clues and red herrings

Would I recommend it?
Absolutely. If you’re into cozy mysteries with a smart twist, a little bit of fate, and a whole lot of charm, this series delivers.

Thank you Dutton, Penguin Random House and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read and review.

This was a great follow up to How to Solve Your Own Murder. It gives light to who some of the other characters are from the previous book. I loved learning more about Peony Lane and her back story and how it fits in with the Gravestones. Thank you Net Gallery for the sneak peek at this book. Looking forward to more books from Kristen Perrin.

This novel follows Annie as she continues to contend with the first novel's events and finds herself wrapped up in a new mystery. This time, the victim is no other than Peony Lane, the woman who prophesied Annie's great aunt's murder (the investigation of which is the central mystery in the first novel of the series). As Annie works to unravel this new murder, she must continue to sift through the information her great aunt had compiled throughout her life. She goes back to Frances' journals and learns that Frances had been uncovering secrets about the two young men she was caught between, and those secrets may just be vital to the current investigation.

This mystery was as captivating as the first novel in the series, but needs to be read soon after the first one to keep the characters and story of that book fresh in your mind.

I love how these novels entangle the mysteries of the past with those of the present, but I had difficulty keeping track of everything. They are books I enjoy immensely in the moment, but I cannot seem to retain much from them after completing them. In this case, I remember a bit more about the story in the novel than I did after reading the first book.

I think you will love this if you loved the first one, but I request that you read it first because it is vital for situating this story. This series is perfect for anyone who prefers a mystery set in a small town centered around a manor.

A clever and charming cozy mystery with dual timelines that tie together beautifully. Annie and Frances make a great sleuthing duo across decades, and Castle Knoll continues to be a delightfully murder-prone village. Some timeline jumps needed close attention, but the twists were worth it. A solid 4-star read for fans of layered mysteries.

How to Seal Your Own Fate falls squarely into the cozy mystery category: light, quick, and generally enjoyable without being too intense. There were a few moments where I found myself confused about who did what, which pulled me out of the story a bit. Still, if you’re looking for an easy, low-stakes mystery to unwind with, this one might be worth picking up. Thanks to NetGalley and the Penguin Group for the ARC!

How to Seal Your Own Fate is a compelling, dark fantasy that explores themes of destiny and consequence with gripping intensity. The characters are well developed, and the story’s pace keeps you hooked from start to finish. A few plot twists felt a bit predictable, but overall, it’s an immersive and thought provoking read. Ideal for fans of morally complex fantasy tales.

How to Seal Your Own Fate has a quirky, intriguing setup with plenty of potential, and Kristen Perrin’s writing style is breezy and engaging. There’s a nice mix of humor and mystery, but the plot felt a bit uneven and the pacing sometimes dragged. While the concept is clever, I didn’t feel fully invested in the characters or the stakes. It’s a light, entertaining read, but I found myself wishing it had dug a little deeper.

I really liked this one!! I liked that we continued to learn more about Frances and that the format stayed the same as the first one, it's a fun take on the current cozy mysteries! I also really liked Annie's character growth, I'm excited for what's next in this series!

This is the second book in a series and after loving How to Solve Your Own Murder, this book did not disappoint.
I feel like, much like the first book, I found myself so infatuated with the story that Francis told but I did find the current day story to be even more interesting in this book. I am so entertained by the dry humor and the quirky dynamics between all of the characters. Definitely enjoyed this one!

Thank you to Net Galley, Penguin Group, and Kristen Perrin for giving me an eARC of this story.

I enjoyed How to Solve Your Own Murder, and was excited at the potential for further mysteries set in Castle Knoll. So, I was pretty pumped for How to Solve Your Own Murder, but this was a bit disappointing. My biggest issue is how Annie solves the mysteries. We never know what is happening in her head, so when she solves the mystery, it all seems a bit convoluted. I also don't particularly enjoy Annie as a lead. Frances is a fantastic character, but Annie is missing something. I wish I could pinpoint what it is. I think her possible romance might help. I will definitely read more as the series continues, but I would like a little more insight into Annie's solving abilities.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin | Dutton for a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved the first book; it was so clever, smart [with excellent dialogue], and had a very good mystery with an excellent reveal and ending, and to be honest, I wasn't sure why there was going to be a second book [because this one stood firmly on its own, and I am a girl who LOVES a series LOL], but was still looking forward to it because hey, book one was amazing right?

Unfortunately, this one just didn't work for me. What was excellent about the first book just didn't flow here. The mystery [fairly transparent], Annie's side of the story [Frances' story, while almost completely unrelated to what was going on in the present time, was the best part of the book as it really delves more into her life and her musings and her romances], the addition of an supremely arrogant and unlikable lead cop [who EVERYONE makes excuses for and by the end thinks he's "kind of okay"..ugh], and the list goes on and on and on [OH! Also, one of the narrators has changed as well and that was a bit disconcerting, but that is probably because I read them so close together. I did find I missed the first book Frances narrator quite a bit though], and I found myself checking out again and again [while doing everything BUT listening to this]. After completely loving book one, I am left very disappointed. I am not sure I will be reading book three.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton/Dutton for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely adored the first book in this series, so I came into this one with high hopes—and it delivered in all the right ways.

This sequel keeps the momentum going with another clever, twisty mystery that had me hooked from the start. Just when I thought I had things figured out, the story took a turn I didn’t see coming. It’s smart, engaging, and seriously hard to put down.

The plot picks up where the first book left off, but with a new layer of intrigue: who is the mysterious woman connected to the great-aunt’s eerie inheritance, and what’s really behind it all?

The narrative switches between the main character’s perspective and her great-aunt’s old journal entries, and I found both timelines equally compelling. The transitions felt seamless, and each piece of the puzzle added depth and momentum. It captured the same magic as book one, and I enjoyed every second of it.

A great whodunnit to escape into!

Thanks PENGUIN GROUP Dutton | Dutton and NetGalley for the ARC.

Synopsis-

Annie Adams is just getting used to village life in the quaint charming town of Castle Knoll. When Peony Lane, the elderly fortune teller shares a cryptic message with her just before getting murdered inside Annie’s residence of the Gravesdown Estate, Annie has to once again get her hands dirty to dig into what Peony was trying to tell her, not to mention the new bodies that are cropping up.

Review-

I admit I haven’t read the first book in the Castle Knoll series, but that didn’t hinder my enjoyment or understanding of this one.

Perrin has done a wonderful job in building this little world in the idyllic fictional village of Castle Knoll, with it’s classic British vibes, interesting characters, who can be eccentric enough to generate suspicion and a dual timeline narrative which adds to the good old charm and evokes intrigue.

We have Annie in the present who is trying to decipher the fortune Peony was trying to get through to her and inadvertently gets too tangled up in the town’s age old secrets, especially those concerning her great aunt Frances Adams.

Interspersed is the POV of Frances from 1967, that delves into her romantic involvement with Ford Gravesdown, hailing from a wealthy powerful family, her friendship with Archie Foyle - all leading upto her own big secrets while she tries to battle with fate and fortune.

Annie’s unearthing of her great aunt’s past can be vital for everything Peony seemed to have predicted for Annie’s future. If Annie has to interpret her own destiny, she needs to brave all odds to find out how fate played out with her great aunt.

With a small town involving big wealthy families, too many murders, dark buried truths and the aura of fortune telling, #HowToSealYourOwnFate is a suspenseful, immersive cozy mystery novel, that will keep you sleuthing all the way!

Definitely worth forgetting your problems while you try to solve Annie’s!

I loved book one of this series, but this one was very boring to me. Maybe I wasn't in the right head space for this, but I was just rushing through wanting it to be over.

Thank you to Netgalley & PENGUIN GROUP Dutton | Dutton for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

How to Seal Your Own Fate by Kristen Perrin

When I read How to Solve Your Own Murder last year, I was interested at the prospect of a sequel because I wanted to revisit the characters and the writing. Here’s a little problem though: I forgot every single character and how they were connected. I found myself overwhelmed by characters that I should have already known, but I couldn’t remember what they did in the first book. At one point, someone is talked about being someone else’s great aunt, and I legitimately have no idea how they’re related. This is why I don’t read a lot of series that I have to wait for the next book.

Nevertheless, I kept on reading and hoping I would either remember these people, or get hooked enough to not care. Unfortunately, I did not get hooked enough. This felt like a filler episode. Neither past or present felt completely fleshed out, and the characters seemed to have less personality than they did last time. It just missed the mark for me.

Will I read another book in this series if there is one? Maybe. But I’m going to have to let the reviews come in first and decide. It might not be worth the time.

Read this if you liked the first one, but wanted the characters to have less personality.

Loved having another Castle Knoll book to read from Kristen Perrin! The first one was a 5-star read for me last year, so I was stoked to get this book here for review. This was a really solid follow-up read to the first book in the series, although I had to Google some aspects of the first book (that I had forgotten), which were helpful in following along with the first few chapters of this book. Lots of characters to keep track of and back and forth with the diaries, but a good mystery that was nicely tied up by the end. Looking forward to future titles in this series!

thanks to NetGalley for the eARC

⭐️=3 | 😘=2.5 | 🤬=2 | ⚔️=3 | 15+

summary: sequel to How to Solve Your Own Murder ; a murder mystery in a small English town alternating between today and diary entries from the 1960s

thoughts: the desperate attempts to make the main character an actual character with a personality are very funny to me. like bestie this is a cozy mystery series, the detective doesn’t need to have a character arc throughout the book, but tbh the MC has very few quirks, which is unfortunate? like there’s nothing interesting about her?? good mystery though!! nice twists et cetera, and the diaries are fun!