Reviews

Boy of Chaotic Making by Charlie N. Holmberg

Only show reviews with written explanations

_onemorechapter_'s review

adventurous emotional funny inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective 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? No

3.0

💭Not My Favorite In The Series!

'Boy Of Chaotic Making' is the third book of the Whimbrel House series. I enjoyed the first in the series immensely and the second very much. Having read and loved the first 2 books in the Whimbrel House series, I was possibly hoping for too much from this third book.
This one is about Owein as anyone following the series might guess! We learn more about the world and the magic system as we follow Owein on a trip to London to explore the opportunity of being transferred to a human body again.
This book focuses more on Merritt than Hulda and we get much more attention paid to Owein, who's not really had that focus until now. It examines what it's been like to effectively die multiple times, and the darkness of being left alone as just a house, left empty for decades at a time. And although he's now mobile and can, in a sense, communicate, although haltingly with a letter board with everyone other than Merritt, he is desperate for a new body, the ethics of which forms much of the tension in the book.

I did enjoy it, but I felt as though I had a harder time getting into this book in comparison to the first two. I think the joy of the characters and the magical aspects were there, but the plot lacked a concrete premise in comparison to the first two. Since this largely took place in London, I missed some of my favorite side characters, like Baptiste and Beth. Hulda was more confident in this book and Meritt and Hulda's relationship was so lovely to read. Druids were such a lovely surprise for me. I wish we had more time with them but maybe we read them in the fourth book too.
The book was pretty simple and lacked any real tension or drama. The more the characters learn about their magic the less interesting it becomes to me.
Additionally what really made Book 1 good was the creepy factor and the mystery of both the house and the villain, both of which were lacking in Book 3.

I love the ending and I'm eagerly waiting for the last book in the series to see how Holmberg will tie all loose ends and to see how every character's story will end.

Overall, I found the book cutesy and at times fun, I think it is the weakest of the series.

𝐏.𝐒 I so wanted to know how an enchanted commode works but there was only mention of it in the book and I was hoping for some funny scene related to it.

🔸𝑴𝒚 𝑹𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
🔸𝑮𝒐𝒐𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒔 𝑹𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈: 4.32 (6543)
🔸𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Paranormal fiction & Romance
🔸𝑺𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔: Whimbrel House (Book 3)
🔸𝑹𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏: Yes!
If you are looking for a fun and light-hearted read!

🔸 𝑭𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝑸𝒖𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒔:

“Hulda, I am a better man because of you. I am a found man. You have changed everything in my life for the better. I honestly don’t know how I lived before you. I want your face to be the first thing I see in the morning, and your voice to be the last I hear at night, forever and always. I will gladly haunt this house with you for eternity.”

"Children are very forgiving, he went on. You hurt them, and moments later it’s forgotten. Children always look forward to the future because they don’t yet value the past."

"You have to face it. And it’s going to hurt. Honestly, it never stops hurting. Even with all the balms one could hope for, the hurt carves your soul and leaves a scar."

"I’ve made mistakes before,” he murmured. “I will not repeat them. And I will never make the mistake of leaving you. I will marry you right now if you want to find a pastor. I will also wait as long as you need. I will take a vow of celibacy and simply worship you until I draw my last breath.” He kissed the tip of her nose.
A shuddering exhale escaped her. She believed him. She did. Or at least, she dearly wanted to. Throat closing up again, she managed a nod.
“Though apparently, I won’t need to.” That grin returned.
She swatted at him again. “You really are impossible, Merritt Fernsby.”
He kissed her chastely. “I’ll do anything you want to prove it to you, Hulda Larkin.”

"Nightmares are things that scare us. But if you stop being scared, you stop having nightmares.”

"Nothing is really scary. We just make it that way in our heads."

"Life is a lot easier being brave than being scared.”

"I’m not always brave. A lot of times I have to pretend. But pretending is kind of like practice. And the more you practice, the easier it gets."

"“You are a light, Merritt. You are my light. You are everything that is good in this world. So genuine, so chivalrous, so imaginative. I’m so happy I get to partake in that imagination with you. In this life with you.” She blinked a few times, clearing tears. “You have written me a happy ending, and I cannot fathom a better story than ours.”