THE WINTER OF WALKING STONE

Just when all seems calm again, danger approaches the magical house in this latest installment in the A House Divided series.

After the breakneck events of the last two books, Henrietta has cleaned up the estate she inherited, and things seem to have gone back to being as normal as they can be. The ragtag bandits and soldiers who befriended Henrietta have given up hope of finding the hidden treasure, so they decide to move on. Meanwhile a foreboding sign in town counts the number of days since the last magical incident, currently 157. Accompanied by Cornelius, a small, grumpy creature who fancies himself royalty, Henrietta discovers that the stone guardians seem to have gone rogue—and realizes that an army of them is headed straight for her. The laugh-out-loud moments and the huge cast of charming characters continue to delight. Dual narratives following both Henrietta and the crew who have left the house are interspersed with flashbacks, keeping the pacing tight but not allowing breathing room for character development—but the expressive illustrations marvelously distract from this weakness. As unresolved plotlines from previous installments start to come together, another torturous cliffhanger will leave readers anxiously awaiting the finale. The cast appears mainly White and male.

A fantastic continuation of an action-packed series.