A review by craftshley
Boy of Chaotic Making by Charlie N. Holmberg

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

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

4.0

I was under the impression that the Whimbrel House series was just going to be a trilogy so I dove into this book, eagerly awaiting the conclusion to this amazing series. I found out shortly after starting Boy of Chaotic Making that there were to be even more books in the series! I was so excited to discover this and read even more voraciously because of it. I love reading more from Owein’s point of view, even as Hulda and Merritt’s wedding approaches. I feel like he really gains a solid personality and experiences real growth for the first time. While there is real danger in this novel, there is more character growth than in previous books. The first two books in the series were more Merritt and Hulda centric; it’s Owein’s turn now! 

The plot takes a little break for Boy of Chaotic Making, in comparison to the first two books in the series. We get introduced to many new characters and delve a little deeper into Merritt’s magic. Hulda also gets the chance to deepen her understanding of her augury powers. I love how, as Hulda learns to use her augury, she becomes more confident in herself and her relationship with Merritt. She finally feels desirable and deserving of love, for the first time in her life. But mostly it’s about Owein and his trauma, as well as what it means to be a human trapped in a dog’s body, as well as what it means to be over two hundred years old but still feel like a child in so many ways. Owein never got a chance to grow up, alone as he was in a house. He never had constant companionship and it wasn’t until Merritt and Hulda came along that he finally got to communicate with people once more. 

The lack of a villain limited the plot potential. I looked at every character with suspicion, thinking, ah yes, this is the new villain. Nope. Oh wait, it’s this guy. No…In the end, the villain was an obvious one, one that I had discounted because it was so obvious. I’m wondering if this book is just setting up an epic next book in the series, a filler book to help move the plot along, perhaps. I’m not unhappy with it being a filler book and in fact found the book to be an easy read, comfortable and quick to read while I was traveling this past week. 

I very much look forward to the next book and highly recommend this book and series to anyone wanting a cozy, sometimes dark, magical mystery series. The cover art is what drew me into the series and I’m sure other people are wondering if you should judge these books by their covers. The answer is, yes, you should! The story is even more beautiful than the covers.