Keeper of Enchanted Rooms (Whimbrel House, #1) in Play Book Tag

Jul 10, 2024 Liz Alb rated it really liked it

Shelves: 52-books-challenge-2024

The book's blurb led me to believe that this could be a fun fantasy/sci-fi story. As it turns out, it was a fun fantasy/sci-fi story, blended with a sweet romance (which was unexpected).

Set in the 1800s, it starts off by introducing us to Merritt, a writer who inherits an old house from his grandmother, whom he hasn't seen in years.

When he sees the house for the first time, he quickly realizes that the house is haunted. Or does it just have an obnoxious attitude? Whatever it is, the house decid The book's blurb led me to believe that this could be a fun fantasy/sci-fi story. As it turns out, it was a fun fantasy/sci-fi story, blended with a sweet romance (which was unexpected).

Set in the 1800s, it starts off by introducing us to Merritt, a writer who inherits an old house from his grandmother, whom he hasn't seen in years.

When he sees the house for the first time, he quickly realizes that the house is haunted. Or does it just have an obnoxious attitude? Whatever it is, the house decides that it doesn’t like its new owner. In fact, it also decides that Merritt shouldn't be allowed to leave either.

Like a child launching into a series of temper tantrums, the house employs a variety of ways to annoy (and hopefully maim) Merritt while also keeping him inside its walls. Stunts and pranks include making furniture melt, launching books across the library, sinking floors, converting stairs to slides, and altering doorways to make them impassable.

Fortunately, Hulda, from the Boston Institute for the Keeping of Enchanted Rooms (BIKER), is able to help. By leveraging magical spells (wards) and using her “mom” voice, she eventually manages to garner the house’s respect and helps restore some semblance of order.

I appreciated the writing style, pace, and characters in this novel. The author did a good job developing Hulda as the straight and schoolmarmish main character; the quirky Baptiste was interesting as well. But I feel more time could have been spent on Merritt’s backstory and how his girlfriend's unexplained departure had impacted him. In truth, this only comes out at the end, where his reaction seems extreme given the little information we received up to that point.

Also, the author, at times, seemed to forget the era her characters were in, using 20th century words like “doppelganger”, for example, but this was a minor thing.

Ultimately, the house was my favourite character of all. I especially liked how the author infused it with an impish personality, adding the ability for the house to make sounds that made it seem oh-so- human. Combined with Hulda’s ongoing admonishments after each prank or tantrum, the house's personality was a boatload of fun.

Overall, I enjoyed this story and would recommend it. ...more

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