I really enjoyed the first in this series, so was delighted to pick this one up when it came up for review. It’s still fun and intriguing, with a cast of likable magical folks surrounding our decidedly non-magical heroine, Phoebe, who gets by in the magical world with a combination of determination and common sense.
Unfortunately, Phoebe does something too stupid for words in the early part of this book. Something which makes absolutely no logical sense whatsoever, when she decides to believe in a handsome stranger instead of the friends who care about her and her well-being, and it was so wildly out of character I found myself thoroughly annoyed. It wasn’t even entirely necessary for the plot! Eventually Phoebe bought a clue and started listening to her friends, but she’s still entirely too willing to believe in complete strangers. At what point does this stop being charming naivete and become hazardous foolishness?
Luckily, the House of Magic crew are facing off against a team of villains who are so villainous they can’t resist backstabbing and cheating each other, which enables Phoebe and her friends to eventually get the upper hand. There’s a bit of a reshuffle at the end of the book, with Phoebe’s friend Amber getting a promotion which came entirely out of left field for me - I don’t think there’d been sufficient setup for us to believe it was earned.
I feel like I’m picking holes here, but I enjoyed the first book so much and the execution of this one just isn’t quite there for me. There’s still a lot to like, however, and I’m not quitting on the series because it finally looks like Phoebe and Kane might be starting to warm up to something romantically. I’ll give this four stars.
Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this title via NetGalley.