The characters' past are also revealed to one other in a more subtle and genuine approach than all at once.

The rest of the book was so perfect, why leave us without the cherry that tops such a wonderful story? If you want to see my much more in depth review, you can check it out on my book blog NovelOnMyMind. her ideas are still stellar - she really is brilliant - but the execution just isn't nearly as substantial. It straddles so many genres so eloquently and smoothly that readers of each can savor every word, from historical to fantasy to mystery and romance.As soon as Merritt enters the house he knows it is no ordinary house, as it contorts around him and traps him in his very own house of horrors. I see there is book two (which I’m grabbing after posting this review), so I hope the character arcs have more attention. There are lots of 5 star reviews for this book so clearly very popular, so perhaps it just isn't right for me.

This is Charlie at her best—intriguing mystery, creative magic systems, with plenty of romance to keep me turning the pages. When Merritt Fernsby inherits an old house and the island it sits on from his grandmother he doesn’t know what to think, mainly since he hasn’t spoken to his family in years after being disinherited and shunned. But I kept seeing positive reviews and I’ve been on a bit of a quirky magical romance kick lately, so I decided to finally open it and see what all the fuss was about.In a Nutshell: All things bright and beautiful, some creatures great and small, many things wise and wonderful – the author included them all. From the first chapter to the closing page, the story grabs the reader, immerses them in the world, the characters and the intrigue. Honestly, I can't even tell you what really happened in this book and I probably should have put it down without it being finished. There are magics in the house and at first it seems to resent the presence of the new owner but things change over time and as the back stories of the house, the owner, the housekeeper and the previous residents are revealed so to are new challenges to be overcome and evil from the past resurfaces to threaten their lives.

Prepared as she is with augury, a set of magic tools, and a new staff trained in the uncanny, Hulda's work still proves unexpectedly difficult. The main timeline is 1846 and thirty one year old author, Merritt Fernsby, has just inherited a house on his very own little island. 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. Nearly took a star off for the lack-of-communication/misunderstanding between main characters which is a romance format that always irritates me. But there is something very evil and murderous in the air that is determined to drain that which is good and magic from innocent beings.

As each character is introduced and began to acclimate into this found family of sorts, I began to deeply care for each of them. I enjoyed discovering how everything functioned and observing how the magic impacted every other aspect of the narrative. 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 are twists and turns, some of which are expected, but they all lead to a lovely ending after a suitably thrilling climax. A spirit that inhabits the very walls of a house is the means for all kinds of crazy shenanigans - of which it abounds!