Merritt Fernsby is surprised and pleased to inherit Whimbrel House, a dwelling on a remote island in Narragansett Bay. He's less pleased when he discovers that the house is magical -- and it won't let him leave. Fortunately for him, Hulda Larkin arrives to take charge of the house and evaluate its magic. As an employee of the Boston Institute for the Keeping of Enchanted Rooms, she's seen worse. Unfortunately, one of the things that she's seen isn't content to remain in her past, and even Whimbrel House may not be safe...

This isn't exactly gentle or cozy fantasy (the house plays some gruesome tricks before it settles down, and there's some violence in both the climax and the backstory), but it has some cozy vibes in between. The magic system is well-described. The pacing is a little slow in the middle, but not enough that I lost interest. The main characters get plenty of character development, though the secondary characters are less dynamic. All in all, an enjoyable fantasy that reminded me just a little bit of The House in the Cerulean Sea. I'll be continuing with the series. ( )

The library sent me "Keeper of Enchanted Rooms" and "Heir of Uncertain Magic" at the same time. I read them right after each other and I'll review them together.

There's magic in the world and some people have it, others don't. Magic is genetically recessive and tends to get weaker every generation. There's enough magic around in 1846, when our story takes place, that New England feels like a combination of Harry Potter (birds carrying messages and a teenage boy), early Victoriana (long skirts and corsets), and steampunk (boats and trains that move very quickly under magical power).

Merritt Fernsby inherits Whimbrel House, a house in Rhode Island that is possessed and running amok, to the extent that a house can go amok. Hulda Larkin is sent out from Boston by the Boston Institute for the Keeping of Enchanted Rooms to cajole the house into proper behavior. A few other folks, magical and mundane support these efforts and a big, very evil bad guy, makes and appearance.

Book 1 is a straight through story that is lively, with some clever ideas of the mischief that a bored house can get up to. Book 2 is too busy setting up future directions to be very lively. There's a lot of boating back and forth between Boston and Rhode Island and even farther afield as Merritt goes off to investigate his family. It's ok but slow.

If you like Charlie Holmberg in her gentler guise, then you will enjoy these books. If you like your fantasy a bit fiercer then these might not be for you. ( )

Merritt inherits a magical house that makes his life miserable. Thanks to a magical housekeeper, Hulda, the house is tamed. Merritt, Hulda, the house, and staff all start getting along charmingly until an evil magician desires to upend everything. Set in the mid-1800s, it often feels anachronistic but then magic isn’t real either. With a touch of romance, this is a charming story and I’ll plan to continue with the series. ( )

*spoiler alert *

Argh! This has so many great elements that I love — interesting magic, a sentient house, romance, people healing from trauma. I loved that the motivation to be a home owner overcomes the fear of a house that’s basically attacking. And yet… it was a bit of a slog for me. Eventually I really liked the characters, and wanted all the bells and whistles on the wrap up — only to discover that it’s a series. I’ll have to think on that. It reminds me somehow of the house in the cerulean sea, which I hated, so I don’t know if I need more from this universe. I feel hopelessly contrary, so I guess it’s just not my cup of tea.

I think part of the disconnect is the extreme violence and various betrayals that are just… backstory? Context? And I also found it unbelievable that anyone would try to work with an enchanted house that is literally raining rats down and using the rooms to attack the occupants — serious horror vibes early on, and sort of a ho-hum reaction. It’s such a weird contrast with the main storyline. ( )

What is a struggling writer to do when he inherits a haunted house? Move in, of course! And keep on writing.
This book is tremendously well written and full of haunted house hijinks and hair raising housekeeper adventures, too. Plus an evil wizard and a gentle romance and miscommunicating main characters. The world building and magical system are well developed and all of the secondary characters are endearing. I can't wait to continue the story. ( )