The House at Watch Hill by Karen Marie Moning

Title: The House at Watch Hill

Author: Karen Marie Moning

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Series: The Watch Hill # 1

Publication: 384 pages, October 1, 2024

Source: Personal Library

Buy|AMAZON|B&N

Zo Grey is reeling from the sudden death of her mother when she receives a surprising call from an attorney in Divinity, Louisiana, with the news she has been left an inheritance by a distant relative, the terms of which he will only discuss in person. Destitute and alone, with nothing left to lose, Zo heads to Divinity and discovers she is the sole beneficiary of a huge fortune and a monstrosity of a house that sits ominously at the peak of Watch Hill—but she must live in it, alone, for three years before the house, or the money, is hers.

Met with this irresistible opportunity to finally build a future for herself, Zo puts aside her misgivings about the foreboding Gothic mansion and the strange circumstances, and moves in, where she is quickly met by a red-eyed Stygian owl and an impossibly sexy Scottish groundskeeper.

Her new home is full of countless secrets and mystifying riddles, with doors that go nowhere, others that are impossible to open, and a turret into which there is no visible means of ingress. And the townspeople are odd…

What Zo doesn’t yet know is that her own roots lie in this very house and that in order to discover her true identity and awaken her dormant powers, she will have to face off against sinister forces she doesn’t quite comprehend—or risk being consumed by them.

MY THOUGHTS

I've been a fan of Moning for a while now. Her Fever series (the first five books) is one of my favorites. Naturally, I’ve been eagerly anticipating Moning's next series. When I heard it was going to be about witches, I was thrilled. A gothic setting in Louisiana? Literal perfection. However, it saddens me to say that The House at Watch Hill did not meet my expectations. Honestly, I was surprised this was written by the same author as the Fever series.

The House at Watch Hill is the first book in a planned trilogy. Despite being 384 pages long, there was a whole lot of nothing happening. For the majority of the book, about two-thirds, readers are left in the dark about key plot points, including why Zo's mother passed, her heritage, and why she was summoned to Divinity. The world-building was minimal at best; if it existed, I must have missed it. When Zo’s best friend, Este, finally arrived in Divinity, readers were bombarded with a heap of information dumping. But even that was short-lived, as Zo's temper tantrum almost took her friend out. The buildup to the mystery or any significant revelation wasn’t even suspenseful, just frustrating. I honestly expected better writing from Moning, given she's a seasoned writer with a long backlist.

As for the main character, Zo was an immature, unlikeable lead prone to constant temper tantrums. Throughout most of the book, her primary focus was on sex. Occasionally, she’d dwell on “woe is me” sentiments; lamenting her hard life, how everyone lied to her, etc. I didn't think she exhibited any redeeming qualities or intelligence, for that matter. Despite being twenty-four, she behaved like an impulsive teenager. Over the course of the book, she made no effort to improve herself or change her circumstances. The whole subplot with her mother was already weak but made weaker when readers discovered why she was ill in the first place...which plainly was stupid. Instead, being named Hier magically fixed everything for her. She made several mistakes in the story, but each time, the consequences were conveniently swept away. I don’t enjoy reading about "special snowflakes" or plots that advance without meaningful and purposeful change or character growth. The side characters weren’t much better. Este and the two potential love interests were as bland as vanilla, with no significant development or contributions to the story.

Additionally, the book included a few chapters from a character named Alisdair. I couldn’t figure out their purpose. Alisdair’s chapters consisted of him talking to himself and “warning” Zo except she couldn’t even hear him. I’m guessing he might be the Owl lurking around the house, but honestly, his chapters felt pointless. And really? Who cares?

All in all, The House at Watch Hill was a disappointing read. I can’t find a single positive thing to say about it. The only reason this book even made it onto my radar was because I’d read and loved the Fever series and hoped for the same spark I felt reading those books long ago. Unfortunately, this book is a far cry from the Fever series. With lackluster world-building, undeveloped characters, a weak plot, and mediocre writing, I can’t recommend it.