Hummingbird

 Hummingbird, the third and final installment in the Murder, Tea and Crystals series, delivers, in that order. While I thought the second book (see the review here) seemed pretty standalone, I think this 3rd book does require reading the second. 

The book starts with a flashback to 1940; here, Barry comes to a disagreement with Fil and his wife, Helen. When Barry believes Fil is drawing a gun, he shoots and kills him. Helen, in response, places a curse on Barry and his descendants. 

Jumping to the present, we follow the lives of Arista and her aunt, who we now understand to be defendants of the cursed Barry. Arista and her aunt drink an apple spice black tea. Don’t worry, a crystal shop will soon follow.

I would classify this book as a cozy thriller. You might say that is a contradiction, but there are high-stakes, high-pressure scenes in the book interspersed with cozy moments of tea drinking or a budding romance. To focus on some of the thriller elements of the book, there is a perspective change and murder in the first chapter, as well as some creepy scenes with Arista being followed. 

The book, like the first, is written with wonderfully vivid detail. While not all of the descriptions are critical to the plot, like the lovely description of a  9-tiered wooden carving depicting Dante’s Inferno, they help create the ambiance of the book.

The book shifts perspectives between Arista, Iris, and others. Some of these characters in the second book were not the main characters. This helps resolve some of the lingering questions from the 2nd book, like the fate of Iris, Fergus, and Soonsil.

The book also explores the relationship between Arista and Shane, which was long-distance in the last book. There were quite a few other relationship pairs in this book: Autie and Iris, Mike and Soonsil, etc., which develop together during the book. The relationship between Mike and the small child (but not really) Soonsil is quite interesting. Mike plays the role of a reformed criminal of sorts. If you don’t recall from the 2nd book, Mike finds Soonsil abandoned and takes care of her. Soonsil, of course, isn’t just a small child, but Mike is completely oblivious to that fact. The pair make for an interesting read, as Mike wavers between selfishness and selflessness. 

I personally found this book a bit more relatable as well. In one scene, a character flies to San Jose airport. I was also transported there, as I once lived there. I enjoyed Hummingbird even more than Moonset on Desert Sands, while both books are superbly written. You can’t skip this book if you read the second!

Length: 304 pages

Perspective: 3rd person limited

Tense: past

Kindle Unlimited: No

https://www.amazon.com/Hummingbird-Moonrise-Paranormal-Mystery-Crystals/dp/1685136583