Lake Argen is a mysterious tight-knit community that ages ago made a deal with dark forces to keep it idyllic (well, as idyllic as you can get with cryptids wandering about), and part-time baker Cassidy is one of those chosen to be a liaison between the dark forces and the townspeople. But when a visitor dies under mysterious circumstances, his wealthy grandmother hires Melanie, an unemployed teacher desperate for cash, to be her private investigator and visit Lake Argen. Obviously something is up when Melanie arrives, and even though all she has to do is look around and drive back home to get paid, she starts poking around, finding more than she bargained for — including an unexpected romance with Cassidy.
The marketing copy for this book bills it as "cozy horror," which is an oxymoron that makes me roll my eyes enough to give me a headache. Yes, it has eldritch horrors, but they're downright cute, and there's none of the building dread or atmospheric creepiness that are hallmarks of the horror genre. Nope, this is straight-up fantasy (albeit with dark magic behind everything), but it's also straight-up fantastic. I loved the world and characters created here, and I would love to go back to Lake Argen for more books. Highly recommended, especially for fans of cozy fantasy and the Welcome to Nightvale podcast.
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