Review: A Mythical Case of Arson by Melissa Erin Jackson

Posted May 13, 2024 by Lola in Fantasy, Mystery, Review / 4 Comments

A Mythical Case of Arson (A Mythical Pet Sitting Mystery #1)
by Melissa Erin Jackson

My Rating: 4 stars

Genre: Paranormal Cozy Mystery
Age Category: Adult
Type of romance: m/f

Blurb:
Just when she thinks her day can’t get any weirder, she finds a baby dragon …

Deandra Hendricks works her fingers to the bone at two jobs to keep her Los Angeles apartment. With a rapidly dwindling savings account, the prospects for her future are bleak. So when her cousin invites her to visit Axia—the hidden, magical hub their grandparents retired to—she agrees. Deandra doesn’t possess a stitch of magic herself, but a long weekend vacation in a strange new town might be just what she needs.

Her first day in Axia is so bizarre, though, she wonders if her bleak life in Los Angeles hasn’t been so bad after all. And, just when she thinks her day can’t get any stranger, she finds a baby dragon trapped in a dumpster. At a loss, she takes a trip to the vet, hoping they can help find the little guy’s owner.

The dragon, it turns out, only appears in its true form to her, while everyone else sees a dire wolf puppy. She and the vet discover that as long as the dragon wears his bespelled collar, his true identity is hidden. Someone went to great lengths to keep this supposed-to-be-extinct animal a secret.

Then the “dog” is accused of arson and is seized by authorities. Determined to help him, Deandra searches for the real arsonist. She catches wind of a thriving black market that’s populated by those who would stop at nothing to claim an animal this rare. She must work quickly to clear her dragon’s name, because if he falls into the wrong hands, she could lose him forever.

My Review

I received a free copy from the author and voluntarily reviewed it.

I’ve read one of this author’s other books and was really excited about this new series. A Mythical Case of Arson is a great start to this new series, it follows Deandra as she visits her cousin who lives in a magical hub. This was such a fun read! I really enjoyed reading about Deandra and experiencing alongside her what the magical hub is like.

The mystery takes a while to really get going, but I didn’t mind. This is the first book in the series so there is some set up with getting to know Deandra and what her life is like and then seeing her arrive at the magical hub, which was fun. Once she’s been there for a bit there’s a magical arson that sets fire to a building and a guy dies. Her new dragon pet gets accused of the crime and so she gets involved. I like how she had a clear motive to get involved and it made sense why she wnated to solve this mystery. The mystery isn’t too complicated, but I still enjoyed seeing Deandra and her cousin figure things out and talk with the people who are involved. I liked the reveal and it made sense why the murderer did this. I also liked how magic is a part of the mystery.

I liked reading about Deandra and especially seeing her experience the magical hub for the first time. It’s quite the culture shock, but it was so fun to see all the magical stuff and how she reacted to it. I liked how this city comes alive and I liked getting a glimpse of what supernatural stuff is possible in this world. The dragon was so cute and I liked reading about him and seeing him interact with Deandra. I liked Deandra’s cousin Wendy and the vet Deandra goes to was a nice guy too.

To summarize: This was a fun start to this series and I enjoyed reading about Deandra and seeing her visit a magical hub for the first time. The mystery takes a bit of time to get going, but I didn’t mind. I thought it was a solid mystery with an interesting twist toward the end, the motive made sense and I liked seeing how it all got resolved. Deandra is a likable character and I enjoyed reading about her. The dragon she finds is so cute and I liked reading about him and seeing him interact with Deandra. There are some likable and interesting side characters and the magical hub really comes to life. I really enjoyed this first book and look forward the next one!