Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - Keeper of Enchanted Rooms

Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Keeper of Enchanted Rooms by Charlie N. Holmberg

13 reviews

tangleroot_eli's review against another edition

lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

An enjoyable, lighthearted cozy fantasy mystery. For the most part, the anachronisms actually added to the charm, but the complete lack of acknowledgement that slavery was still happening during the book's time periods and in its general area sat poorly with me.

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alexga's review

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dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Could not put this book down. Very interesting story. I never knew what to expect though I did see one plot twist coming.
Loved all the characters.
But there was no content warnings for child abuse so it was very frustrating and painful to read about father physically abusing his 16 year old son. At least I could have prepared myself for it.

Dear authors, please always put content warnings if your book mentions triggering subjects.

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rachminick's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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bzliz's review

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Merritt Fernsby inherits a remote island estate with a mind of its own. Luckily, Hulda Larkin excels at taming such structures into behaving and if she’s lucky she may just similarly tame the home’s unruly owner. But the house isn’t the only trouble the pair will find on the island as Hulda’s past comes back to haunt her.

The characters are so charming, especially Owein. I love the sweet regency/Victorian era style romance between Hulda and Merritt. Silas Hogwood makes a nasty villain without being a crude caricature; my heart ached for the version of him in the prologue before his obsessive quest for power began.

There’s a great blend of cozy fantasy/mystery with just enough drama and action. I was concerned about the magic system being too complicated (the book begins with an overview of the schools of magic which can sometimes be a red flag for me of something that gets too technical and caught up in its own lore) but those fears were unfounded. Another big point in its favor is that the ending is satisfying and it absolutely can be read standalone if you’re not into series.

Some portions in the middle were a little slow but the only real reason I detracted from the rating was because (spoilers for the ending)

I don’t fully understand Myra’s involvement in Hogwood’s escape. I know it says she was sick and then her sister was sick and he helped her in exchange but her power is seeing into minds. Hulda is haunted by the bodies Hogwood was keeping even years later. Shouldn’t Myra have been equally alarmed at how twisted this guy ended up being? Was it worth getting him out of prison to cause more harm to the world?

Content warnings:
Child abuse, alcoholism (on page):

Immediately in the prologue we see Silas being abused by his drunk father. He finally fights back and this sets in motion his true descent into villainy.

Murder, torture, violence (on page):

Silas is able to use his combination of powers to drain others of theirs, leaving them a shriveled husk that’s somehow still alive and suffering after he’s done his terrible work. He attempts murder on Hulda after lightly stalking her.

Pregnancy (off page):

A fake pregnancy is used to emotionally destabilize Merritt. His life kind of falls apart as a result and he has to find his own way in the world.

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kkopacetic's review

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mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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angela005's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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lifa's review

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

3.75

I feel like under different circumstances I'd have enjoyed this book more. I went in assuming it would be quite the lighthearted read, but the opening scene includes domestic violence and there are some other dark themes. I wasn't quite in the mood for it, but finished it regardless. I enjoyed the setting, the descriptions, and the historical romance aspect.

I wish the world-building was a bit more fleshed out and there was a bit more commentary on the eugenics aspects to it. There was no mention of the First Nations people and how the magic would be within them to (or not?). It was just assumed magic was brought over during the colonisation from what I've understood.

Otherwise the characters were quite loveable, though the meta surrounding the writing was a bit too much for me sometimes.

Overall an enjoyable read.

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