A Mythical Case of Homicide (A Mythical Pet Sitting Mystery)

The annual Zombie Cactus Flower Festival brings both crowds of tourists and some troublemaking activitists to the magical hub of Axia. Dee finds herself helping out with both Heather’s Magical Elixirs and the Mythic Pet Kitchen along with her regular pet sitting duties. She also takes a last minute assignment as a companion for Peril, a sapient ferret like animal, while his adopted humans, Ru and Quinn, run their booth. The festival also draws the militant Association of Sapient Animals, intent on disrupting the event and discrediting many of the vendors. When a client is poisoned in Ru’s booth, Peril is determined to clear his father’s name and enlists Dee and her dire-wolf glamoured dragon’s help. But the deeper they look into the events, they discover that there may be a much sinister element in play. Melissa Erin Jackson’s Mythical Pet Sitting series continues in another outstanding book. Her world building is phenomenal with the sheer breadth of her creativity in fae and magic touched flora and fauna of the hub system as well as the background of the Glitch that created them in the first place. With every new book we get introduced to more wondrous creatures. The philosophical questions of sentience, sapience, safety and autonomy are nicely explored. Dee’s dragon, Havoc is utterly charming, as are the phase-shifting Vibrissa cats. But it’s Peril, a brilliant salica with PTSD, that really shines this time around. I loved his relationship with his parents, Quinn and Ru, and his acceptance of Dee. His intelligence shines throughout as he uses his puzzle solving skills to unravel the mystery. There are also plenty of laugh out loud moments with his lack of boundaries, fear of Dr. Cruz’s reading his mind, and creative texting. I just love oh developed his character was and how the experience helped bring him out of his shell. The mystery is tightly plotted and keeps you guessing. Despite the magical elements, the characters continue to feel real, relatable, and grounded. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.