A review by sllkv
Mandrake Manor by J.P. Rindfleisch IX

3.0

2.75, rounded up to 3 stars. this book had a lot of things going for it; a diverse cast, plot twists, creatures both big and small, unique magic, and a gorgeous victorian house. i really enjoyed where the story went narrative wise and through often prose-like descriptions of the settings (especially in the manor itself and in dream sequences). not one, but two plot twists managed to catch me off guard which is hard to do for most cozy fantasy series. what the book didn't have and i personally found lacking was character depth. this isn't to say the cast didn't have flaws, positive traits, motivations, fears- they did and we learned all about them. but the dialogue often felt rushed and like it was an after thought to the plot. because of that, i rarely felt like i had time to connect with the characters. this is true for mat most of all, who fell into the backdrop as stronger characters like frankie, august, helena, and dimitri happened to him while the plot unfolds. it was an easy read, a decent length, and a heart warming story, but i wanted more from it than it was able to deliver. overall i did enjoy reading it and would in fact recommend it to cozy mystery and lgbtqia+ lit fans.