Keeper of Enchanted Rooms - Charlie N. Holmberg - ★★★★.½

AUTHOR: Charlie N. Holmberg

GENRE: Historical Fantasy

SERIES: Whimbrel House, #1

RATING: 4.5 stars.

In a Nutshell: All things bright and beautiful, some creatures great and small, many things wise and wonderful – the author included them all. Loved it!

Story Synopsis:

1846. Thirty-one year old Merritt Fernsby, who is estranged from his family since more than a decade, gets a shock when he learns that his grandmother has left him a remote estate named Whimbrel House. This property has been vacant for more than a century, but Merritt, who doesn’t really have an alternative, is happy to move in. This is only until he realises that his new house has locked him in and has no intention of ever letting him out.

Unbeknownst to Merritt, Hulda Larkin, a valuable employee of the ‘Boston Institute for the Keeping of Enchanted Rooms’ (BIKER!), has been assigned Whimbrel House in order to ascertain its magical propensity and calm down its aggression. When she arrives, Merritt is relieved. However, they both soon realise that their residence has far more secrets than they initially assumed, and the dangers to them might not come from the house alone.

The story comes to us in a limited third person perspective of various characters.

Where the book worked for me:

😍 The prologue set in 1818, London is chilling, and took me in a very different direction to what ultimately occurs. Love it when a prologue is utilised well rather than simply leaking a scene from further in the book.

😍 The two main characters are charming. Awkward to begin with, Merritt and Hulda grew on me as the chapters progressed. As both of them are in their thirties, it is funny to see them so clumsy and almost juvenile around each other, but the author has written the reasons for this so well that it doesn’t jar. Hulda’s strong façade and her underlying vulnerability make her the perfect titular character.

😍 Baptiste and Beth. Such memorable secondary characters within their limited roles! I’d have loved to see more of them.

😍 Owein. Owein is like THE reason to read the book. Can’t tell you more though I am bursting with comments about him. (I even Googled the correct pronunciation of his name so that he sticks in my head the right way. I hope he comes in book two as well.)

(Psst… I realise I have three separate bullet points just for the characters, but trust me – they have earned their spots on this list.)

😍 The romance – just as I like it. Slow, steady, organic, clean. It’s a connection based on alike minds than on attractive bodies. Gimme more of this!

😍 So many humorous scenes! I laughed quite a few times and even ended the book with a big grin on my face. There are also a fair number of touching scenes, which show the vulnerable side of the characters. The author balances fun and seriousness nicely.

😍 While the pacing of the book ranged between medium to slow, I never felt tempted to speed-read. The writing isn’t decorative but is charming enough to appeal with its simplistic style. Hulda’s “dictionary-style” language is written and utilised wonderfully in the plot without making it seem odd.

😍 There's a list of magic terms at the start of the book. While most meanings are guessable if you know their meanings in English, it's worth going through the list as they come up regularly in the plot. There’s also a blueprint of Whimbrel House. Appreciate both these inclusions.

Where the book could have worked better for me:

😐 The antagonist was dangerous but this character’s potential wasn’t used to the extent possible. There could have been so much more danger added to this arc, especially during the finale. (He still creeped me out though!)

😐 Some things are left hinted at but unexplained. Though these don’t affect the comprehension per se, they did leave me a curious cat.

It took me ten days to complete this book because I have had a crazy hectic week. Usually, when books take more than 3-4 days of my time, I start losing my interest in them. Not with this one though. Not once was I bored! If I had read this at some other time of the year, I am sure I would have binge-read it from start to end. It has its minor flaws but the memorable characters, the innovative storyline, and the smooth writing style all ensured that this was a solid read for me. 

Strongly recommended to lovers of historical fantasies.

My thanks to 47North and NetGalley for the DRC of “Keeper of Enchanted Rooms”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book. I can’t wait to get to the sequel! The book is also available on Kindle Unlimited.

Here are my reviews of Book Two: Heir of Uncertain Magic and Book Three: Boy of Chaotic Making.