Heir of Uncertain Magic Review (Whimbrel House, #2)

Hello, all!

One of my favorite books so far this year has been Keeper of Enchanted Rooms by Charlie N. Holmberg (review here), so I was pumped to have gotten an early copy of the sequel, Heir of Uncertain Magic.

Pub Date: 4-11-23
Adult - Historical Fantasy

Everything the occupants at Whimbrel House thought they knew gets flipped on its head after a run-in with a madman magician. Merritt Fernsby is left grappling with a power he never knew he had, Hulda Larkin is questioning her place at BIKER after being manipulated by her closest friend, and Owein now finds himself in the body of a dog instead of haunting the walls. They will each have to learn their new place in the world while, once again, facing a dangerous threat.

After the disappearance of Hulda's boss/friend, Myra Haigh, Hulda finds herself up for the now-vacant position of BIKER's director. Competing against her is a rival from their London branch, who seems curious about Whimbrel House and who Hulda believes can twist the emotions of those around them. With everything crumbling down and the target's on their backs, Merritt and Hulda will have to pull out all the stops if they hope to get through the chaos unscathed.

I had high hopes going into this one, and I'm happy to report it delivered everything I wanted and more. My favorite thing about this series is the characters. I love the little family they've formed and how they all look out for and care for one another so much. We got more development with Merritt and Hulda's relationship, which gave me a toothache with how sweet it was. I adore them together. I also loved following Owein and getting to see inside his head. He tugs on my heartstrings; I never want anything bad to happen to him. As for the plot, I thought the mystery was done well, and it was interesting learning about new sects of the magic system. Holmberg has a knack for writing well-paced, entertaining stories with just the right balance of whimsy and darkness, and I'll be crossing my fingers hoping for more of this series.

Rating: 5/5