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Member Reviews
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Absolutely loved this one!! So so good! Kept me hooked the whole time. Right from the beginning I was invested and on edge.
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I want to make sure to highlight that this is Book #4 in a series about Whimbrel House. The reason I feel it is important, is because I do not feel you can jump into this series at this point and truly know what is going on. I highly recommend reading the others before picking this one up.
With each installment of Whimbrel House, I feel we focus on different characters a bit more. In book #1, it was more about Merritt but also his meeting Hulda. The Second Book hinges heavily on Hulda with Merritt taking a slight backseat. With books #3 and #4, we explore more about Owein and his life and experiences. Hulda and Merritt are still present but less of the focus than Owein. We also get much more perspective from Silas Hogwood who's mind is clearly fractured, giving a very chaotic narrative each time we enter his sections.
I knew that guy wasn't completely gone. There was just no way after his legacy continued to haunt the other characters. It felt clear we were going to have to face the dark wizard again. The group as well as other forces will come together to try and face Silas once and for all. Owein takes the job of dispatching the dark wizard as his personal task and I think that's one of the things I find bit frustrating. There are a couple other things as well but I suppose I thought an 18 year old (in body, at least) would understand the weight of the world is not his to bear and he needs some adults to actually tell him that. I don't care if he's got the most amount of magic between them all. I also felt the tone of this book was much darker than the first few of the series. I originally picked it up because I love the cozy magic vibes, but this one is not very cozy at all.
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That ending wrecked me. I forgot just how much I love these characters and this found family—it remains one of my absolute favorites in any book. Merritt and Owein’s bond is so sweet and heartwarming, and I adored Owein and Fallon together. The quiet comfort and peace they found in each other is exactly what everyone should hope to have in a relationship. And Silas Hogwood? Still one of the most terrifying villains ever. Every encounter with him had me on edge, holding my breath, wondering what nightmare was coming next.
Now, onto the audiobook—phenomenal. Graham Halstead, Amanda Leigh Cobb, and Nicholas Boulton did such an incredible job bringing this world to life. Their inflections, accents, and pacing were perfect, matching the tone of the story flawlessly. The tension, the emotions, the humor—everything landed just right. I truly felt like I was living in the world of Whimbrel House, experiencing every moment alongside the characters.
This book reaffirmed why Charlie N. Holmberg is one of my favorite authors, and I cannot wait for the final installment. If you’re planning to read this, I highly recommend experiencing it on audio!