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A heartwarming and humorous blend of fantasy, romance, and mystery featuring a witch with domestic powers and the royal household he serves . . . dinner. When Finlay Ashowan joins the staff of the King and Queen of Daxaria, he's an enigma. No one knows where he comes from or how he came to be where he is, which suits Fin just fine. He's satisfied simply serving as the royal cook, keeping nosy passersby out of his kitchen, and concocting some truly uncanny meals. But Fin's secret identity doesn't stay hidden for long. After all, it's not every day a house witch and his kitten familiar, Kraken, take to meddling in imperial affairs. As his powers are gradually discovered by the court, Fin finds himself involved in a slew of intrigues: going head-to-head with knights with less-than-chivalrous intentions, helping to protect the pregnant queen, fending off the ire of the royal mage, and uncovering a spy in the castle. And that's only the beginning-because Fin's past is catching up with him just as his love life is getting complicated . . .… (more)
User reviews
Reminds me of Hands of the Emperor and the Wizard's Butler. In that it's very long, the protagonist is wonderfully perfect, and not a lot actually seems to happen.
Thoughts: I really enjoyed this first book in the House Witch series. This is solidly in the "cozy fantasy" genre and involves a young witch named Finlay who takes a job as the royal
This book is full of quirky characters and there is a strong theme of working to bring out the best in people and giving people a place to feel safe. Fin's special power is to make a place feel like home and being able to protect that home. His magic ends up being much more special than he realizes.
There is a good political plot here as the King of Daxaria tries to keep his nation out of war. You also can't help but wonder how long Fin will be able to keep his secrets and what will happen when they are exposed. I got a big kick out of Fin's familiar, a kitten named Kraken, who is helping Fin out on a completely different cat-based level. I also really enjoyed the rude knights who got assigned to kitchen duty.
This book is all about finding a place to belong, creating a home, and preventing that home from being destroyed by a war. It was wonderful fun and leaves you feeling happy and cozy. I can't wait to read the second book in the series. Despite this being a fairly long book, I breezed right through it. It was easy to read and engaging and I always looked forward to sitting down to read it.
My Summary (5/5): Overall I really loved this. I loved the fun characters and their interactions, the humor, the political plot, and the magical world here. I greatly look forward to reading the second book in the series. I would recommend if you enjoy cozy fantasies with a lot of magic and humor.
Not worth the time.
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