While we knew the finale was inevitable, Dodd wraps up the Murder, Tea & Crystals series with an enchanting and emotionally resonant conclusion that lingers long after the last page with the third and final installment, Hummingbird Moonrise.
From its haunting, must-read 1940’s prologue, where a single act of violence sets a generational curse in motion, to its present-day scenes steeped in fog, tea, and magic, this book captures Dodd’s gift for balancing tenderness and tension.
The story follows Arista Kelly and her Aunt Bethie as they unravel family secrets that reach back to their ancestor Barry Kelly’s fateful choices. What begins as a search for a missing friend soon becomes a reckoning with inherited darkness, curses, and the price of redemption.
Dodd’s prose is lush and cinematic, weaving sensory detail and spiritual depth into every page. She moves effortlessly between eerie and cozy – one moment, you’re sharing apple spice tea in a redwood cottage; the next, you’re sensing eyes watching from the shadows. The setting – Boulder Creek and its mist-laden forest – breathes with its own quiet magic, both sanctuary and haunting ground.
Arista shines as the emotional core of the novel. Her evolution from hesitant survivor to empowered witch is heartfelt and believable, underscored by a deep bond with Aunt Bethie that anchors the story in love and resilience. Their dynamic – equal parts wit, wisdom, and fierce loyalty – embodies the heart of the series: that healing from ancestral trauma is its own kind of spell work.
While the book juggles multiple perspectives and occasionally lingers on lore, these detours only enrich the worldbuilding. Every character – from reformed criminal Mike to mysterious child Soonsil – adds layers of humanity and mystique, reminding readers that even in stories of curses and ghosts, it’s the living who carry the heaviest burdens.
At its core, Hummingbird Moonrise is about endurance: how families inherit pain, but also love; how grief and magic intertwine; how forgiveness can be as transformative as any spell.
Hummingbird Moonrise doesn’t just close out a trilogy – it’s a spellbinding finale that proves even the darkest family legacies can end in light! Creating a world where magic and emotion exist with breathtaking realism. An eerie, heartfelt, quietly powerful, cozy thriller with sharp edges, a story of family and fate wrapped in candlelight and shadow – but I recommend reading the first two installments first to get the full experience!
As always, all opinions and reviews are of my own volition. I have not been promised any compensation, current or future, by the author or publisher for a fair and honest review.
Meet the Author:
Meet the Author
Author’s Website Author’s Instagram Author’s Bookbub Author’s Goodreads
For a chance to win your own copy click below!!!!
If you enjoyed this review, or any content on my page, please follow me on all social media as thetxlitchic – links can be found here on my LinkTree 🙂
#thetxlitchic #bookreviewsandmore #bookstagram #booktok #bookcommunity #readersofinstagram #booklover #arcreader #bookreview #bingeworthy #tbr #supportindieauthors #bookobsessed #instareads #books #bookaddict #bookreviewer #bookreviews #keepreading #indiebooks #indieauthors #Supportyourlocalbook #genrewhore #ilikebigbooksandicannotlie #sherrildodd #hummingbirdmoonrise #lonestarliterarylife #LSLLHummingbirdMoonrise #TexasAuthor #LoneStarLit
Discover more from The Tx Lit Chic
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.