A review by wardenred
Masters in this Hall by KJ Charles

adventurous emotional funny mysterious fast-paced

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

4.5

No more Christmas. I never want to hear the word again in my life. I’m going to convert to any other religion that will have me. 

I came for the romance; I stayed for literally everything else.

Honestly, I'm in awe of K.J. Charles' plotting skills. The entire mystery/intrigue at the heart of the story is so intricate, and so beautifully delivered, and there are multiple details I really want to yell about, but I'll restrain myself, because all of them are spoilers. I'll just say that it's a wonderful story full of nail-biting tension, and there was at least one reveal that had me audibly gasping. And the beauty here isn't simply in what transpires, but in how it unfolds.

I also strongly enjoyed the setting: the multiple-days-long Christmas party full of needlessly lavish entertainment and awful, awful high society people. Every detail was so vivid—I felt like I really was there! And the character cast! Much bigger than I would expect from a story this size, and yet everyone had such a distinct personality. I honestly envy this author's ability to really get a character's deal across with a single pointed sentence or two.

Unfortunately, the romance kind of... got lost in all of it, or faded into the background. I didn't particularly mind John and Barnaby's story; the premise made it seem like the kind of relationship I was likely to get rather invested in. And there were a few scenes packed with all the right feels. However, the emphasis was so firmly on the mystery, and honestly, these two leads didn't feel any more compelling than the rest of the cast, even before a certain Lilywhite Boy came into the plot and stole the show. (By the way, I want to very randomly say that I love John's cousin Ivy. I could read a whole trilogy about Ivy making smile-shaped expressions at people). So while overall this novella was a big hit for me, it was also a miss, specifically in the romance department.

Oh, and one more thing: I absolutely LOVED that guest appearance of my favorite character, as well as the small hint about how a couple of other characters from earlier in the series are doing.