Review – The House Witch Book 2 by Delemhach (4.5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 362 pages
Publisher:‎ Podium Publishing
Release Date: October 18, 2022
ASIN: ‎B0B8M6Y8FT
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book in The House Witch series
Source: Borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

“As a wielder of domestic magic, Finlay Ashowan likes to keep his affairs as neat and orderly as his kitchen. But between his work for the King and Queen of Daxaria and a new (secret) relationship with Lady Annika Jenoure, his life is anything but tidy.

For one thing, if Annika and Fin are to continue their romance, they’ll need to sort out the pesky issue of Fin’s being a commoner—before Annika is forced into a political marriage that interferes with her own carefully laid plans.

For another, pressure is mounting as the war with Troivack draws ever closer. When Fin requests time away from the castle to rest, the King agrees but under a very particular condition: Fin must brave the streets of Austice as a spy, sleuthing out the plans of the Troivackian troops allegedly hidden there.

Further complicating things, Fin’s estranged father is on his way to Daxaria, an unexpected and unappreciated arrival that’s bound to wreak even more havoc in his son’s life.

As Fin forges new friendships and alliances—magical and non-magical alike—he becomes even more enmeshed in courtly intrigues, old feuds, and very personal problems. And the more he tries to clean up the various messes in his life, the more apparent it becomes that his troubles are only just beginning . . .”

Series Info/Source: This is the second book in The House Witch trilogy. I borrowed this on ebook from Kindle Unlimited.

Thoughts: This book starts up right after the last book left off. Fin is dealing with his budding relationship with Annika and trying to hide it from everyone. War is still brewing with Troivack as well and Fin is involved with that because his father is involved. With Fin working day and night, he is utterly worn out and ends up being granted a week off in the city, with a side mission to spy around for the king. Of course, somehow, Fin manages to turn this secret mission into a bar fight followed by a citywide festival…so things are going as weird as normal for Fin.

I continue to love these characters. They are all very fun, caring, and easy to engage with. Fin gets himself into hilariously impossible situations without even trying. Fin’s cat familiar, Kraken, is making his own cat army that is causing loads of mischief across the kingdom. And of course, Annika is putting together scheme after scheme to both keep herself from having to marry someone who’s not Fin and keep the kingdom out of war.

This book did feel a bit more scattered than the first book and at points the pacing was a bit off as well. Too many plots and were being balanced and things get a bit slow. The story also switches willy-nilly between different viewpoints, this was all over the place and could be a bit confusing.

However, despite the above flaws I did still enjoy this a lot. This story is the definition of cozy fantasy and is a fun and humorous read that leaves you feeling cozy and happy.

My Summary (4.5/5): Overall I didn’t think this was quite as good as the first book in the series, but I still really enjoyed it. The plot is a bit scattered, but I still adored the characters here and the crazy situations they get themselves into. I would definitely recommend this series to anyone who is looking for a cozy fantasy with some romance and humor.