I was drawn in by the description of this book. A girl dies and ends up in what is essentially the waiting room of the afterlife. Not only that, but she has a job: to help other stuck souls move on. She even has to help the person who caused her own end move on.

I was most definitely intrigued. What I didn’t expect was the age of the characters. I assumed adult characters when reading the description. But they were younger and that meant a lot more teenage drama than I was anticipating. Maybe it’s because my teenage years didn’t include that much drama that I always find teen angst grating.

That being said, I thought the overall premise was good and that it was well written. I definitely feel like the author could expand on this concept should she choose to but it also could stand as is. My difficulty was more with the childish nature of some of the characters. But that’s my fault for not going in expecting the unexpected.

I was a little apprehensive when I opened the package (got this as a blind date book) and saw that it was “an Amelia Peabody Mystery” because that means it was part of a series. I was worried there would be references to past books and adventures that would mean nothing to me and make the story confusing. Happily, this was not the case. There are some references to previous adventures but they do not detract from the story.

Amelia Peabody and her husband Emerson are renowned archeologists. After taking a sabbatical, they are enticed back to Egypt for a dig when the benefactor dies and the lead archeologist becomes gravely ill under mysterious circumstances. The locals have attributed these unfortunate events to a curse from disturbing the dead. The husband and wife team are not deterred in the least and dive head first into the tomb. Since she fancies herself a detective as well as an archeologist, Amelia is determined to solve the mystery.

This definitely feels like a classic mystery novel. Nancy Drew but older vibes. And being that the majority of the characters are upper class Victorian English, I got one heck of a vocabulary lesson

Another delve into the realm of cozy fantasy and I am most definitely here for it. I don’t always need all the smut and adventure. Just a nice fireplace in a cozy bookshop with my own chair would be enough. And it seems like, despite a few hiccups, that is enough for these characters too.

If you're looking to feel like you’ve been wrapped in a fuzzy blanket straight out of the dryer, I’d definitely recommend this book. There are a few surprises but overall it’s an inviting warm bookstore.

I really hope that Stang continues this series. I’d love more stories, back story, new and old adventures. I’d love to know about the goblins in the off season. All of it. So if you want to continue this series, you have at least one loyal follower