A House Divided Book 1: The Accursed Inheritance of Henrietta Achillesby Sheena McNeilReviews may contain information that could be considered 'spoilers'. Readers should proceed at their own risk. Publisher
Credits Grade: 8 Henrietta is taken from the orphanage to a strange town; there, she inherits a house, with all its troubles and treasures, from an uncle she never knew she had -- one who was also a powerful wizard! Yeah, it sounds suspicious to her, too. And inside this labyrinthine house? There's a war going on between various groups of treasure hunters, and there are dangerous biotopes and creatures.This is a wacky, extreme, RPG-like story with Henrietta being the unwitting heroine. Everything about the setup is suspicious, and I'm glad she thinks so too. But even the weirdness of the townsfolk could not have prepared her (or us) for the insanity that is the house. It's so far beyond realistic, it's not even funny. Well, it is funny, but you know what I mean. Henrietta seems to have a power over the house and its keys that's as mysterious as it is magical, and there's a giant cat specter after her for some reason. This book has nods to things like A Series of Unfortunate Events and Jumanji. The cast of characters are hilarious, warped, and definitely dangerous. But the house itself is also sentient to a degree, and seems to be following Henrietta's requests with the directness and efficiency of a machine. It's a mad house made of different dimensions and a scale of things that defies explanation. The lead bandit reminds me of Cary Elwes from things like Robin Hood: Men in Tights and The Princess Bride, which I am quite enjoying. He's suave, smooth, and roguish, and he has an unusual group of bandits whom I hope to learn more about in the next volume, but he's also a little dumb and self-absorbed, which means he's a character we can laugh at just like the others. Henrietta is an interesting character. Her backstory is Disney-level tragic, which leaves her with a fear of closed rooms and small spaces. She has a healthy sense of suspicion and sarcasm, and she handles going with the crazy flow pretty well, all things considered. I love that we get to see her enjoy little things like a good book and a bubble bath amidst all the madness of the day. And I love her determination and bravery at the end. She's a survivor, and I have a feeling she's ready to show us some leadership skills as well. The art is wonderful. It's pleasantly cartoony overall, but it's the expressions that really nail the humor. The artist does wide eyes very well, for just the right character emotion or reader laugh-response. Great coloring too. I definitely recommend, especially if you like zany D&D-esque stories. Written: March 26, 2020
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